A Spy at the Heart of the Third Reich: The Extraordinary Story of Fritz Kolbe, America's Most Important Spy in World War II

by Delattre, Lucas

  and to General Oster: General Hans Oster (1887–1945) was number two in the Abwehr. He informed the Dutch of the imminent invasion of their country by the troops of the Wehrmacht in the spring of 1940. He played an initiating role in several seditious anti-Nazi plots but was placed under Gestapo surveillance by 1943 and was relieved of duty in the spring of 1944. He was executed in April 1945 in the Flossenbürg concentration camp.

  explained that these rockets: “V” was the abbreviation for Vergeltungswaffe, retaliatory weapon. The V-1 rocket was made up of an aerodynamic fuselage with two small wings propelled by a jetpulse engine in the rear. This was the first cruise missile in history. This flying bomb loaded with explosives was launched from an inclined ramp and was not very precise. The V-2 (or A4), developed and built at Peenemünde (a Baltic Sea resort), was a veritable rocket, having a range of about 320 kilometers and capable of being launched from mobile ramps that were easily camouflaged. This rocket and its principal inventor, Wernher von Braun, made possible the development of American space research after the war. The first V-1 missile was fired on London in June 1944. In September, it was the turn of the V-2 to enter into action. Thousands of V-2s were launched in 1944 and 1945, chiefly on London and Antwerp, causing tens of thousands of deaths. Thanks to Philippe Ballarini and Michel Zumelzu for their invaluable web sites (www.aerostories.org and www.perso.club-internet.fr/mzumelzu/home.htm).

  a Baltic Sea resort: Allen Dulles learned of the existence of Peenemünde in several stages: first from the Swiss industrialist Walter Boveri (February 1943), then from Hans-Bernd Gisevius (May 1943), then from Franz Josef Messner (chief executive of a company in Vienna). Peenemünde was bombed on August 17, 1943. Bern, National Archives.

  bad with utmost confidence: Srodes, Allen Dulles, Master of Spies, p. 268.

  Chapter 7

  given to a woman: Circular of June 10, 1941 on the organization of diplomatic mail, Foreign Ministry archives, Berlin.

  offices throughout the world: Excerpt from the circular of June 10, 1941: “We have recently noticed an abusive increase in missions to our offices abroad [Kurierausweis]. In many cases, these are merely documents of convenience used primarily to offer the beneficiary the opportunity to travel comfortably and to pass easily through customs. This is not acceptable.”

  between Himmler and Ribbentrop: “We encounter constant difficulties because of the inopportune activities of your services abroad,” Ribbentrop wrote to Himmler on June 11, 1941. Foreign Ministry archives.

  packages, stamped “official dispatch”: In German, völkerrechtlich immun. The stamp had both French and German phrases.

  envelope containing diplomatic cables: “Since he traveled on a diplomatic passport, the border controls never thought once to inspect closely the large envelope which he carried.” Unpublished, undated memoir by Allen Dulles, Allen W. Dulles Papers (box 114, file 11), Seeley G. Mudd Manuscript Library, Princeton.

  despite official warnings: Internal circular of the Foreign Ministry (February 27, 1943) concerning the organization of diplomatic mail, Foreign Ministry archives.

  with sturdy string: Biographical document by Gerald Mayer and Fritz Kolbe.

  as a diplomatic courier: Fritz Kolbe had been trying unsuccessfully to secure an assignment as diplomatic courier to Switzerland since 1940. “The fact that he did not belong to the party kept him from being placed on the lists.” Biographical document by Gerald Mayer and Fritz Kolbe.

  semivacation in Switzerland: The circle of the “privileged” was rather large, because the transport of diplomatic mail between Berlin and Bern took place every day, at least in the first years of the war. Those charged with carrying diplomatic mail were not supposed to have to high a rank in the ministry hierarchy.

  his political reliability in writing: Autobiographical document written by Fritz Kolbe in Berlin in early January 1947.

  the Ministry of Propaganda: Propaganda Ministerium, or Promi in common speech.

  not repress a shiver: The Central Security Office of the Reich, Reichssicherheitshauptamt (RSHA).

  the Askanischer Platz: The names are references to German history. The old princely house of Askania reigned over the duchy of Anhalt until 1918.

  not bang into them: Source: Alfred Gottwaldt, Berlin, January 10, 2002. All the technical details on trains (including the schedules) were kindly provided by Mr. Gottwaldt, curator of the railroad department in the Technical Museum in Berlin.

  front of the train: In 1939, the diplomat Theo Kordt traveled from Bern to Berlin in first class “because he was carrying dispatches” (Foreign Ministry, Theo Kordt file). During the war, first class was abolished on German trains (Alfred Gottwaldt).

  Berlin (visa no. 519): Fritz Kolbe’s diplomatic passport has been kept by his son, Peter Kolbe, in Sydney. See illustrations.

  Italian, and Austrian deserters: One of Fritz Kolbe’s friends had wanted to desert and go secretly to Switzerland. Kolbe had succeeded in dissuading him and brought him back to his barracks before his absence was noticed. Morgan, “The Spy the Nazis Missed.”

  not display a Nazi flag: German diplomats feared hostile reactions from the Swiss population and made themselves as discreet as possible.

  concealed beneath his pants: Where were the documents hidden? It is impossible to say. The hotel was not a secure place, because the owners had good relations with the German authorities (reservations were made by the Foreign Ministry).

  known well since Spain: Otto Köcher had the title “envoy” (Gesandte), not ambassador (Botschafter, which was reserved for diplomats serving in the major capitals; see ch. 1, n. 2) Otto Köcher was born in Alsace in 1884. He joined the Foreign Ministry in 1912, was viceconsul in Naples, then first secretary in Bern; legation adviser in Mexico City in 1924; consul general in Barcelona in 1933. Joined the NSDAP on October 1, 1934 (number 2,871,405). Head of the German legation in Switzerland from March 29, 1937. Very favorably evaluated by the hierarchy of the National Socialist Party. Also very much appreciated by the Swiss authorities (note that Köcher’s mother was Swiss). “George, from his Spanish times, was well acquainted with … Herr Köcher, who had been formerly Consul general in Barcelona” (Ernst Kocherthaler, “The Background of the George Story”).

  nature of the place: “Everywhere, only happy people could be seen,” wrote Klaus Mann in his novel The Volcano.

  south of the capital: Ernst Kocherthaler had settled in the heart of the Bern Oberland in September 1936 after fleeing from the Spanish Civil War. All his movements were closely scrutinized. His mail was opened. “Mr. Kocherthaler spends his time taking photos of the region,” “he receives many letters from abroad,” “he lives in the same chalet as Dr. Hans Schreck, a Bavarian who spied for Germany in 1916.” These are some of the observations noted down in police reports of the time, now preserved in the Ernst Kocherthaler file of the Swiss public archives (Federal Archives, Bern).

  to many different versions: The first meeting among Fritz Kolbe, Allen Dulles, and Gerald Mayer is described in several archival documents: Memorandum of Gerry Mayer and Allen Dulles of August 28, 1943, National Archives; memorandum of OSS Bern of August 31, 1943, National Archives; biographical document by Gerald Mayer and Fritz Kolbe; various undated documents written by Allen Dulles (Allen W. Dulles Papers, Seeley G. Mudd Manuscript Library, Princeton).

  attaché since September 1939: Cartwright was a man of action. He had escaped dozens of times from German internment camps during the First World War. Srodes, Allen Dulles, Master of Spies, p. 280.

  in Bern that day: On the British intelligence network in Switzerland during the war, see the article by Neville Wylie in Intelligence & National Security, vol. 11, no. 3 (July 1996).

  Alpenstrasse 29 and 35: This scene is described in the memorandum of Gerry Mayer and Allen Dulles of August 28, 1943, National Archives.

  his office on Dufourstrasse: The OSS offices in Bern (officially the offices of the “special assistant to the American envoy”) occupied the second, th
ird, and fourth floors of two residential buildings in the Kirchenfeld district. The ground floor was occupied by the offices of the Office of War Information (OWI) headed by Gerald Mayer, “press attaché” of the American legation. The premises were covered by diplomatic immunity. Miscellaneous Activities OSS Bern, undated internal document of the OSS Bern office, National Archives.

  at nine that morning: Memorandum of August 28, 1943 by Gerry Mayer and Allen Dulles, National Archives.

  War Information (OWI): Gerald Mayer sent thousands of leaflets, pamphlets, newspapers, brochures, and other printed matter into enemy territory during the war. “Mr. Mayer worked closely with Mr. Allen Dulles … and was of inestimable help to him, particularly in developing a contact which went into the heart of the German Foreign Office. This contact was generally recognized as being one of the outstanding intelligence sources of the war.” Statement of War Services of Mr. Gerald Mayer, sent April 24, 1947 by Allen Dulles to General Donovan, Allen W. Dulles Papers, Seeley G. Mudd Manuscript Library, Princeton. See also Miscellaneous Activities OSS Bern, National Archives.

  “is okay with me”: Anthony Cave Brown, Bodyguard of Lies (New York: Harper & Row, 1975).

  in the Kirchenfeld district: Gerald Mayer’s apartment was at Jubiläumsstrasse 97. Swiss Federal Archives, Gerald Mayer file.

  “Mr. Douglas, Mayer’s assistant”: Morgan, “The Spy the Nazis Missed.”

  “Dulles considered honest determination”: Unpublished, untitled document of 1954 in the personal archives of Allen Dulles. Allen W. Dulles Papers.

  out of the envelope: How many documents were there in this first “delivery” from Fritz Kolbe? The figure of 186 cables is commonly put forward. Correspondence between Allen Dulles and Gerald Mayer, Allen W. Dulles Papers. But in an unpublished and undated memorandum, Allen Dulles speaks of only “20 copies of documents.” Allen Dulles/Fritz Kolbe correspondence, Allen W. Dulles Papers.

  State Secretary Martin Luther: Martin Luther, Fritz Kolbe’s former superior, tried to provoke Ribbentrop’s fall in early February 1943. The “coup” just failed, and Martin Luther was arrested and sent to the concentration camp of Sachsenhausen. Behind Luther was probably Walter Schellenberg, Himmler’s chief of foreign intelligence, who had been trying to initiate negotiations with the Allies since the summer of 1942 and wanted to take over the reins of German foreign policy himself. For Schellenberg and Himmler, Ribbentrop remained the man of the Nazi-Soviet pact, in short the “friend of Moscow.” He was known to be opposed to any separate peace with the West, and his hatred for England was boundless.

  “meters to the north”: Kappa message of August 26, 1943, National Archives. See also memorandum of August 19, 1943, OSS Bern, National Archives.

  on August 7, 1943: On the August 7 Cairo cable, see Kappa message of August 25, 1943, National Archives.

  out of his sleeve: “He had information that literally came out of his sleeve.” Biographical document by Gerald Mayer and Fritz Kolbe.

  “tungsten to the Germans”: Memorandum of August 20, 1943, OSS Bern, National Archives. Tungsten, a metal that serves to harden steel, is indispensable for the arms industry.

  “for days on end”: Memorandum of August 19, 1943, OSS Bern, National Archives.

  minister of aeronautic production: Ibid.

  in the Irish capital: Ireland had declared its neutrality in 1939. Berlin, which supported the Irish independence forces, wished to use the island as a base for observation and clandestine operations against England. The Reich had parachuted several secret agents in 1940, including Hermann Görtz. The United States vigorously protested to Eamon de Valera, head of the Irish government, against the presence of a clandestine German transmitter in Dublin, which was finally seized and neutralized during the winter of 1943–44. See Kappa message of April 12, 1944 and Boston documents nos. 12 and 124, National Archives. See also Enno Stephan, Spies in Ireland, tr. Arthur Davidson (Harrisburg: Stackpole, 1965).

  ships in the southern oceans: On Lourenço Marques, see Kappa message of August 26, 1943, National Archives. A few months later, Fritz Kolbe provided information making it possible to trap Leopold Wertz, the German consul in Lourenço Marques: “Dr. Wertz has a weakness for women.” Kappa message of October 22, 1943.

  “and original cipher results”: Memorandum of August 19, 1943 OSS Bern, National Archives.

  to talk about himself: Portrait of Fritz Kolbe, August 19, 1943, OSS Bern, National Archives.

  serve as a guarantee: Biographical document by Gerald Mayer and Fritz Kolbe.

  “reimbursement of modest expenses”: “George answered that he would refuse any money for his collaboration, as he was driven by the conviction that only by helping now the Americans, Germany would merit a backing by the U.S., which tomorrow would prove necessary against the Russian threat.” Kocherthaler, “The Background of the George Story.”

  “joke?” they both said: Morgan, “The Spy the Nazis Missed.”

  Fritz felt “deep satisfaction”: Biographical document by Gerald Mayer and Fritz Kolbe.

  Fritsch (“nicknamed ‘little rabbit’”: Häschen in German.

  “just sense of reality”: Fritz Kolbe’s mother was opposed to the Nazis. In the early 1930s, she had moved out of her Berlin apartment because its windows overlooked an SA barracks and she could not bear the sight of the paramilitary uniforms. Anecdote recounted by Peter Kolbe, Sydney, November 2001; also in Morgan, “The Spy the Nazis Missed.”

  “still a good brother”: Hans was an electronic engineer employed by the Loewe firm in Berlin and was not a member of the Nazi Party. Biographical document by Gerald Mayer and Fritz Kolbe.

  “the last few years”: Manuscript will (dated August 19, 1943) and typewritten transcript, personal archives of Fritz Kolbe, Peter Kolbe collection, Sydney.

  eight in the morning: Memorandum of August 28, 1943, Gerry Mayer and Allen Dulles, National Archives.

  “also a lukewarm Nazi”: Memorandum of August 20, 1943, OSS Bern, National Archives.

  two hundred Swiss francs: Biographical document by Gerald Mayer and Fritz Kolbe. The sum of two hundred Swiss francs was rather large, considering that the monthly salary of a high school teacher was seven hundred Swiss francs during the war. Source: Antoine Bosshard, Lausanne.

  feeling of great success: “He felt the same exhilarating sensation he remembered having when he made his first successful ski jump after long and careful practice.” Morgan, “The Spy the Nazis Missed.”

  he asked himself anxiously: Biographical document by Gerald Mayer and Fritz Kolbe.

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  “roasting in the sun”: Words from the anthem of the Germans of the “Südwest,” the “Südwesterlied.” Source: Peter Kolbe.

  X-2 of the OSS: “The only element of OSS known to me to have had access to ULTRA on a continuing basis was the London office of X-2, the OSS counterespionage section in England. Although General Donovan was ‘indoctrinated’—the term for having been briefed and granted access to the ULTRA material—he was rarely in a position to follow it on a regular basis. To my knowledge James Murphy, chief of X-2, was the only OSS officer based in Washington who was indoctrinated and fully informed. It was his responsibility to keep General Donovan briefed on the most important ULTRA data.” Helms, A Look Over My Shoulder, p. 37.

  name is a mystery: “Nobody remembered later just how the name George Wood was invented.” Morgan, “The Spy the Nazis Missed.”

  being better than one: In the internal nomenclature of the OSS, Allen Dulles was number 110. He was also called “Burns.”

  description of the man: Portrait of Fritz Kolbe, August 19, 1943, OSS Bern, National Archives.

  Secret Intelligence Service (SIS): The Secret Intelligence Service (SIS), or MI6 (for Military Intelligence 6), had been headed since 1939 by Lieutenant-Colonel Stewart Menzies. It was subdivided into ten sections, including section V, which specialized in counterespionage.

  assessment of the file: The note from Dansey to David Bruce was
dated August 25, 1943, only five days after Fritz’s return to Berlin. Everything had gone very quickly. Source: National Archives.

  “a fierce proprietary obsession”: Kim Philby, My Silent War (New York: Grove Press, 1968), p. 103.

  unknown figure, Kim Philby: Ibid., pp. 103–04. Kim Philby (1912–88) was, with Guy Burgess and Donald Maclean, one of the most famous spies and “traitors” in British and European history.

  “674” (Fritz Kolbe): Message from Russell G. D’Oench to Whitney Shepardson, September 1, 1943, National Archives.

  on the wrong track: Srodes, Allen Dulles, Master of Spies, p. 286.

  work for the Americans: If there had been a separate peace with the West, the Soviets would have been left alone in the face of the enemy. Kim Philby, therefore, had to do everything in his power to prevent these discussions from coming to fruition.

  “cause,” explained Kim Philby: Philby, My Silent War, p. 50.

  “hatred, passion, or revenge”: Peter Grose, Gentleman Spy, The Life of Allen Dulles (Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1994), p. 320.

  Austria-Hungary had demonstrated: Colonel Alfred Redl, one of the principal intelligence officers of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, betrayed his country to Russia, but also to France and Serbia on the eve of the First World War. He was unmasked and committed suicide in 1913.

  “things in the world”: These words are those of John Foster Dulles, Allen’s brother, secretary of state under President Eisenhower. Allen W. Dulles Papers.

  Berlin in the 1920s: The facts about Gero von Schulze-Gaevernitz come from a four-page biographical document in the National Archives. Gerhart von Schulze-Gaevernitz, his father, was involved in the Quaker movement in support of peace and had great admiration for the Anglo-American world. He had sent his son Gero, when he was barely of age, to make his way in the United States with $100 in his pocket. He was also a friend of Max Weber.