06 Jul The Labyrinth: Memoirs of Walter Schellenberg
(1956) Walter Schellenberg was Hitler’s chief of foreign intelligence. This is his life, written by him. His good looks, charm, and cultured tastes and intelligence (no pun intended) allowed him to mix with people in all levels of society.
My major interest with Schellenberg was his dealings with Count Folke Bernadotte. The two of them worked together to orchestrate what has become known as “The White Buses” campaign. It was the biggest rescue effort of German concentration camp victims during the entire war.
During the Nuremberg trials, Schellenberg was given a sentence of six years. It was one of the lightest sentences given. He had not been in prison long when he had to have a serious operation. Early in 1951, Schellenberg was released before his term was up and went to Switzerland where he wanted to finish his memoirs. The Swiss asked him to leave the country so he moved to Italy. He died there of liver disease on March 31, 1952.
Frau Schellenberg took his memoirs to London to be organized, edited and published. Thus, The Labyrinth, with an introduction by Alan Bullock, a decorated British historian who wrote a biography of Adolf Hitler.
What is fascinating about this book is that it was written by the gentleman who was there, on the inside, from the early days of Hitler’s Nazi party. Of course, you have to take what he says with a grain of salt but there is enough there that is true or almost true. It would be helpful to have this book review by Clinton Gallagher open while you read. Gallagher actually interviewed Schellenberg at the Nuremberg trials so he has a first-hand perspective.
There were two sections I want to write about. They were probably the least impactful in the scheme of things but in a book that’s really not much fun, these stories were.
A Plot to Kidnap the Duke of Windsor
Hitler wanted the Duke of Windsor. He insisted that the Duke was forced to abdicate not because of his love for a woman but because he had displeased the governing “clique” of England due to his true friendship with Germany. The Windsors were currently in neutral Portugal being carefully watched by the British Secret Service. Hitler was sure that they would be relieved to be out from under their constant surveillance.
Schellenberg was ordered to get them to neutral (but pro-German) Spain (or another country with German political influence) where the Duke would receive a healthy allowance. It would be important to get the support of the Duchess, Schellenberg was told, because of her strong influence on the Duke.
The plot never materialized, of course, but the gyrations Schellenberg went through getting ready were fascinating. He had a Japanese friend acquaintance who completely infiltrated the Windsor household. This spy handed over a sketch of the house, the number of servants and guards and a schedule of daily life there. Soon Schellenberg knew every word spoken at the dinner table.
It was not long before it was obvious that although neither the Duke nor the Duchess was happy about being sent to Bermuda, they were resigned to it. In the end, Schellenberg just wasn’t willing to resort to force or do anything where someone might be harmed.
Salon Kitty
In the early years, Schellenberg worked under Reinhard Heydrich, the notorious Nazi who founded the SD, the intelligence organization that made sure no one opposed the party. Heydrich actually led the 1942 conference at Wannsee to finalize plans for the final solution.
A few years earlier Heydrich had approached Schellenberg to establish a brothel where high class local and foreign visitors could be entertained with “seductive feminine companionship.” From all over Europe highly qualified ladies “of the demimonde” were recruited. Microphones were hidden in every wall, all connected to tape recorders which would record every word spoken. The results were impressive.
Of course, the microphones had to be turned off whenever Heydrich came to visit.
He didn’t get to go there often I guess. In mid-1942, the SD abandoned the Kitty Salon project. It was probably not a coincidence that about that same time Reinhard Heydrich was assassinated in Prague by a British trained team of Czech resistance soldiers.
Related Post: Hitler’s Intelligence Chief
The Labyrinth: The Memoirs of Hitler’s Secret Service Chief at amazon.com
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