Cafe Gentz and the Silver Pheasants

Adam Bayne

referee; they believe his record of Nazi support shows his bias. They
know about the Konkordat,’
‘Well, Hitler has offered the olive branch. Let us see if anyone
accepts,’ said Helene trying to hold three glasses of Champagne,
‘Now I have forgotten which is which,’ she said, ‘I will have to
drink them all and get refills.’
‘I can only make sure that everyone in London is aware that Hitler is
prepared to talk peace,’ I said, ‘and wait to see if there is any
positive response.’
On that note, we finished the Champagne and voted Krug,
established by the German wine grower JJ Krug in 1843, as the
winner.
The next dinner was the one requested by the impatient and curious
Hoffmann. He told everyone that we would get the story of the
Warsaw bomb as the highlight of the evening.
When all the Pheasants were seated with a drink, I took the floor
like a mock schoolmaster. ‘Now then, students,’ I said, ‘please pay
attention as I tell you the story of the Warsaw bomb,’ which brought
some rather disrespectful heckling. ‘This is no laughing matter,’ I
said to more giggles and heckling.
‘Baldur probably saved the life of our Fuhrer and many dozens of
others,’ I said, which did get their attention.
‘Baldur told me that he saw two Poles doing something to a pile of
wood on the side of the road at the Jerusalem Junction, which was
on the route the motorcade was going to take. When he challenged
them, they opened fire. Baldur’s men shot both dead. On inspection,
he found no less than two hundred and fifty kilograms of explosives
hidden in the woodpile by the roadside. They were about to set the
fuses when they died.’
‘Baldur’s demolition experts quickly defused it,’ I said.
However, Baldur told me something made him look to the other side

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of the road. To his horror, they found another woodpile concealing
another two hundred and fifty kilograms of explosives with the fuse
set to explode in thirteen minutes. The first bomb was live and ready
to explode. The now-dead assassins had been priming the second of
their bombs. Baldur put his team to work to defuse the device, and
he rushed to halt the motorcade.
‘He said as he stood next to Hitler’s car, he was waiting for a huge
explosion or his Lieutenant on the BMW to come roaring around the
corner saying it was all clear.’ Fortunately, it was the latter. Baldur’s
team had saved the day.
His wife, Henny, filled with pride, started to clap, and everyone
joined in. ‘Well done Baldur,’ said Erna.
We continued the evening in a very joyful mood, Hoffmann basking
in the reflected glory of his son-in-law. As we said goodbye to the
stragglers, Helene said, ‘Hoffmann will be unbearable now that
Baldur is the saviour of the Third Reich, blah blah.’
‘Do not worry, Erna and Henny will keep him in order,’ I replied,
with a note of sympathy in my voice.
There was no response to Hitler’s request for a peace conference. As
I had anticipated, Europe careered down the road to total war.
I was expecting more from Churchill, but he was still only one
voice, even if that voice was now a cabinet member. It would take a
while for the other obstinate fools and short-sighted aristocrats who
made up the British government to realise that Hitler had made
Germany a terrifyingly efficient and unstoppable war machine. In
1939 no country had the military capability to withstand the
onslaught of Hitler’s blitzkrieg. Even Britain’s undoubted
dominance of the seas by the Royal Navy could do nothing against
tanks advancing across the fields of Europe.
My parents wrote and told me the government had distributed a
leaflet entitled,

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Some Things You Should Know If War Should Come: build a bomb
shelter in the garden, carry a gas mask, blackout and tape up the
windows, and don’t panic.
They said there was a general excitement across London rather than
doom and gloom. If they had seen what happened to the Polish army
and the destruction of ancient Warsaw, perhaps they and the British
public would have had less bravado.
Goering phoned Helene and became the second person, after Hitler,
to request an audience with the Silver Pheasants.
He had a story to tell us about the recent beerhall bombing. To him,
it was absolute proof that an almost supernatural destiny protected
Hitler.
His wife Emma arranged an evening at the end of November and
accompanied her husband. Goering was well known for his public
speaking abilities, and he gave us a good show.
He began, ‘On the same day as the Burgerbraukeller explosion, at
five minutes to eight that evening, one Georg Elser was arrested by a
Gestapo patrol as he was walking along the Swiss border fence in
Konstance. His behaviour was suspicious, and when his pockets
were emptied at the border post, he was found to be carrying firing
pins, wire cutters, sketches of bombs and a photograph of the
interior of the Burgerbraukeller in Munich.’ Goering stopped for a
refill of his Champagne flute and continued, ‘He was being
interrogated by the Gestapo officer on duty when the teleprinter
brought news of a bomb blast at the same Burgerbraukeller.’
‘The next day, an international incident at the German/Dutch border
was reported in the newspapers as the Venlo Incident. Two British
Intelligence officers, Richard Stevens and Sigismund Best, were
involved in a gunfight with my Gestapo at the Venlo crossing.
Lieutenant Dirk Kop, a Dutch army Intelligence Operative was shot
dead. The two British spies were arrested.’

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Goering continued the story, ‘Goebbels and I realised that these two
simultaneous, seemingly unrelated incidents were the evidence
proving the beerhall bomb assassination plot had been organised and
funded by the British Intelligence Service.’
‘Goebbels ensured the story was on the front page of the Deutsche
Allgemeine Zeitung newspaper. It condemned the British for the
attempted assassination and carried pictures of the three
conspirators, Georg Elser, Richard Stevens and Sigismund Best.
Now they are all safely locked up,’ he said as he finished his story
and received applause from us all.
Ilse Hess, Eva Braun and Magda Goebbels agreed that this was
indisputable proof that Hitler’s destiny was to be the Fuhrer of a
thousand-year Third Reich, and they proposed a toast to Hitler and
his Destiny.
I told Helene, ‘He avoids death by thirteen minutes in Warsaw and
thirteen minutes in the beer hall. It is hard not to believe that some
force is protecting him.’
Ilse came over and said there was a Grouse Wine Society meeting
Wednesday next week, which Helene and I acknowledged.
As the Goerings and the others were leaving, I could see that
Maurice seemed to be holding back for some reason. I asked him if
he wanted to talk, and he said, ‘Yes, in private, please.’
He told his wife Hedwig to go to the car with Henny, saying he
would be down in a few minutes. He checked that Hoffmann and
Erna had gone and came over to Helene and me.
‘I need your advice,’ he said, ‘Do you recall Peter Jacob? We met
him at two or three Nuremberg rallies. He was Leni Riefenstahl’s
producer or director. I am not sure which. But whatever he was, they
spent many evenings together, and the rumours were that they would
get married,’ he said, ‘They split up when Unity moved in with
Leni. Sorry for the long introduction.’

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Rather impatiently, I said, ‘So what is the point?’ ‘The point and
why I want your urgent advice is that Henny von Schirach is now
having a passionate affair with Peter Jacob.’
‘Oh dear,’ said Helene, ‘while Baldur is away fighting. How sad.
OK, Maurice, let me think about it, and we can discuss the situation
tomorrow.’
Hedwig was shouting for him.
‘Thanks, Helene,’ he said as he rushed outside, ‘See you tomorrow.’
‘What are we going to do?’ I asked.
‘Sleep on it,’ said Helene, and we went to bed.

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Chapter 41 The Grouse Wine Society. Astrological predictions.
Stolen Works of Art.

The Grouse Wine Society had another tasting evening in December.
This time we had three first-growth Bordeaux to compare. Tasting
done, Hess said that he had been to meet the so-called three seers,
his colleagues Anton Drexler, Karl Haushofer, and Ernst Schulte-
Strathaus, at the Thule Society. They had given their opinion of the
Wewelsburg predictions, and Ernst had also produced a horoscope. I
repeat the predictions here to save the reader from searching for
them.

1. An Aryan upstart will be destroyed.
2. Gold will be transferred.
3. No one will mourn the six.
4. Without peace, there will be no victory, and the regime will

crumble.
5. The Eagle must fly to the north.

Hess showed me Ernst’s hand-written horoscope. I read it aloud,
‘Under the auspices of the moon waning gibbous at 7°19´, with
Venus at 0°22´ and Mercury at 1°55´, it is predicted that this
combination of the planets is a good day for a trip in the interest of
peace. The next date for this auspicious alignment is Saturday the
10th of May 1941.’
Hess said that the three seers explained the Wewelsburg predictions
as follows.
The first was a reference to Unity Mitford, which tragically came
true. The second was that the Nazi party would receive a sizeable
financial donation, which they did courtesy of the Czech
government and the Bank of England. The third they interpreted
more enigmatically as a prediction that there would be six tragic
deaths without a family to mourn them.
The fourth and fifth were almost self-evident but should be taken as

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a warning. The Eagle flying to the north meant there must be an
emissary of peace sent to England.
Karl Haushofer sent a message with the horoscope, saying, ‘Dear
Rudolf, Germany cannot win a war against England because
America will become involved. It would be best if you made all
possible efforts to secure a peace deal with England. Otherwise,
Germany will be destroyed.’
Helene and Ilse said that gave us plenty to contemplate until our
next meeting. We finished the Bordeaux all agreeing that the
Chateau Margaux was the best, and Hess said that was to be
expected as it was the only Premier Cru of the three.
When the Hess’s had gone, Helene asked me, ‘What do you think of
that mumbo-jumbo?’
‘If people believe it and then they take action as if it were true, it can
be dangerous,’ I said, ‘Catastrophic world events have been decided
on lesser things than gobbledegook on a piece of paper. We cannot
afford to ignore this stuff, even if it is mumbo-jumbo.’
‘I suppose so,’ said Helene, but she did not sound convinced.
She added, ‘By the way, we have not seen the Haushofers for
months. Let us make a note to invite them for dinner.’
Later that week, Maurice gave us the latest gossip and intelligence
report.
He said, ‘Torkild Rieber, the Norwegian President of Texas Oil, is
coming to visit Goering later this month, and they will make a tour
by air of German factories. But listen to this,’ Maurice continued
excitedly, ‘Torkild will be flying across the Atlantic on the Pan
American Airlines Boeing 314 Clipper.’
I could see that Helene was waiting for the right moment to deflate
poor Maurice, and she waited until he was just about to open his
mouth to continue. ‘Yes, I know Maurice. I have been asked to greet
Torkild and accompany him and Goering on tour. Then I will fly to

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New York with them,’ she said. ‘By whom?’ asked Maurice. ‘The
Fuhrer, ’ said Helene in triumph.
‘Well, no need for me to fill in any details then,’ said Maurice. I
thought it would take a lot more than that to get Maurice flustered.
But Maurice was not to be outdone where information was
concerned, ‘Did you know that the PanAm Clipper crosses the
Atlantic from New York to Marseilles in only twenty-two hours?
Less than one day, how amazing is that?’ said Maurice.
‘Maurice, you’ve got me. Why is Torkild flying to Marseilles in
France, not directly to Germany?’ I could not stop myself from
asking.
Maurice smiled and said, ‘Fill my glass, and I will tell you, Adam.’
I filled his glass, and he said, triumphantly, ‘Because it is a seaplane
and has to land on water, ha-ha-ha.’
I shook my head in despair as Helene and Maurice burst into
laughter at my expense, and Helene was still laughing when we
went to bed.
Hitler and Helene had another meeting, and he briefed her on the
visit. Hitler would formally meet Torkild when he arrived, but the
tour party would be only Torkild, Helene and Goering.
The visit would culminate in a formal banquet that Goering would
host at Carinhall, to which Hoffmann and I were invited.
Helene debriefed me after she met with Hitler. The primary purpose
was to show Torkild the advanced stages of German industry, which
would be a significant customer for American raw materials. At
Hamburg, they would meet Admiral Erich Raeder of the German
Navy to make sure the new tankers Texaco had commissioned were
all launched under the flag of Panama. This would enable Texaco to
anonymously ship Columbian oil to Germany throughout the war
regardless of international restrictions.
‘What was the very private message for President Roosevelt,’ I

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asked impatiently.
‘I am to tell the President that Berlin has a plan for a United States
of Europe, a USE led by Germany and England. The USE would
open its doors to American trade under a Special Relationship
agreement. This will ensure lasting peace in Europe, and the USE
will become a major international trade force. On behalf of Hitler, I
am to ask the President for his support of this proposal in principle.
The next step will be a conference, and Hitler will not take any
aggressive actions whilst negotiations for the United States of
Europe are in progress.’
‘Wow,’ I said, ‘That is a visionary concept. A United Europe would
probably prevent future wars and stop the one we are embroiled in
now. Millions of lives will be saved, and the lives of all Europeans
will be improved.’ That was not what I expected from Hitler.
‘My fear,’ said Helene, ‘Is that America will not be happy with any
competitor to its current status as the world's richest and most
powerful nation. A United Europe could soon present such a threat.’
As always, her perspective was most valuable.
By the end of the week, Helene was packed and ready for her
mammoth tour. She was excited to be able to get back to New York
and see some old friends.
Maurice was right, and the Pan Am seaplane did land at Marseilles.
Helene and Goering boarded Hitler’s personal Junkers 52 at
Augsberg and flew down to meet Torkild and the Pan Am pilot Pete
Clausen. They were to use the Junkers with Hans Bauer as the pilot
for the tour.
As Helene was then away for four days on the German factories
tour, Hoffmann suggested we have a little holiday of our own and
drive the six hundred and sixty kilometres to Carinhall. He said the
historic hotel Zum Schwarzen Baer at Hermsdorf had been
recommended.

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‘It is exactly halfway, and we can share the driving,’ he said, ‘we
can go in the Red Dragon if you do not mind.’
It sounded like a fun trip, so I agreed, and the day after Helene left, I
was at Hoffmann’s house in the Red Dragon. He came out carrying
three large, framed paintings, saying they were for the Norwegian
oil man.
‘You old beggar,’ I said, ‘You needed to get these to Carinhall and
thought I would be a convenient truck driver.’
‘Not at all, Adam, but as we were going anyway, they will not take
up much room,’ he said and turned back to get what I assumed to be
his luggage.
I shook my head as he carried out his bags, plus another framed
painting and what looked like an old piece of wood panelling with
something painted. With a broad grin, he loaded them on board.
‘Business is brisk in the art world,’ he said, ‘Goering has requested
that I get him something for the walls at Carinhall, and Hitler told
me to get a gift for Torkild. For Goering, I have acquired a Vermeer
and, as a bonus, a Bruegel the Elder oil on wood which is three
hundred and seventy-seven years old. I have brought three Munch
originals for the Norwegian.
I am not an art expert, so his descriptions went way over my head. I
said, ‘who the heck is Munch and Bruegel the Elder?’ but I got no
answer, only Hoffmann rolling his eyes.
Hoffmann and I had an incredible drive through some beautiful
countryside, as we expected. The Zum Schwarzen Baer hotel was
hundreds of years old, and our stay was so pleasant we booked
rooms for the return journey.
Carinhall is a beautiful country mansion in the heart of the
Schorfheide Forest. On arrival, we were surprised to be greeted by
Emma, Henny and Erna, who had already arrived courtesy of
Maurice.

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‘You did not think you were the only ones to think of a free holiday,
did you?’ asked Emma, ‘Someone has to supervise the staff, do they
not ladies?’ she added with a laugh.
The following day after a hearty breakfast, Maurice drove in his
Mercedes to meet the Texaco party as they landed. I followed in the
Red Dragon. Hans Bauer stayed with his Junkers, so we had plenty
of room for Torkild, Helene, Goering, and the American pilot in our
two cars.
Although Carinhall appears to be isolated when you are there, it is
less than an hour’s drive from the airport, so we were back in time
for a relaxing afternoon. We all went for a walk by the lake, which
was an excellent opportunity for everyone to get acquainted.
After the walk, we all retired to our rooms for a refreshing nap
before dinner scheduled for seven-thirty.
That was my plan, but Helene was so full of her flight to New York
that she would not stop talking. ‘Peter Clausen, who you met earlier,
is the Pan Am Airlines pilot. He will fly us to New York the day
after tomorrow. Can you imagine Adam? The Boeing 314 clipper
will get us to New York the same day! We stop for refuelling at
Lisbon and the Azores, but we do not even have to get off the
plane.’
She went on excitedly, ‘Inside is unlike the Junkers, which are just
rows of seats. Oh no, the Clipper has a lounge and dining area.
Meals are prepared in the kitchen by chefs from five-star hotels.
Men and women have separate dressing rooms. It is a deluxe flying
hotel.’
‘What size engines does it have?’ I asked flippantly, but Helene was
not to be distracted.
‘I will ask Peter at dinner,’ she said quite seriously.
Dinner was excellent; roast wild boar from the forest and
apfelstrudel with wine and Champagne from Goering’s extensive

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cellar. When the table was cleared, I would once again get the
opportunity to see millionaires beside themselves with joy at
receiving gifts.
Hoffmann started by presenting Goering with the Vermeer, Christ
and the Adulteress.
‘It was painted around 1660,’ said Hoffmann and Goering was
ecstatic, ‘Vermeer is one of my favourite Baroque painters. This is
wonderful; where can we hang it, Emma?’
It was Hoffmann’s show, ‘I found something else you might like,’
he said, and Goering stared in anticipation.
‘Just a painting on some old piece of wood,’ jested Hoffmann as he
pulled it out from underneath the table.
‘Is that by Bruegel the Elder?’ Goering asked in amazement.
‘Yes, it is,’ replied Hoffmann very solemnly, ‘it is his Two Monkeys
painted in 1562,’ leaving Goering in absolute bliss.
But Hoffmann had not finished his performance yet.
‘I have something for you too, Torkild, a personal gift from Adolf
Hitler. I assume you are a fan of your countryman, Edvard Munch?’
‘Of course, but you cannot be serious. Do you have a Munch
original?’ ‘I am serious,’ he said, followed by a well-rehearsed
pause, ‘but not one, Mr Rieber; I have three.’ He flamboyantly
brought out three wrapped paintings from underneath the table. ‘Let
me introduce them to you.’
Torkild was amazed and could not hide his excitement, jumping up
and down in his chair. Hoffmann lifted one, ‘We have Fisherman
1881,’ and handed it to Torkild. ‘Here is Walking in the Garden
1930, and finally, Boys Bathing 1933. All three of these superb
Munch works of art are yours to take back to America with our
Fuhrer’s best wishes.’
The atmosphere that evening was fantastic. This brought a round of
applause from everyone as the servers repeatedly filled our glasses.

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Helen said it was difficult to believe there was a war around us.
The next day we drove the Americans back to Hans Bauer and the
waiting Junkers at Tempelhof.
As we were saying our goodbyes, Helene said, ‘by the way, the
Boeing Clipper has four R-2600 Cyclone engines, each with
fourteen cylinders providing over six thousand horsepower. You did
ask.’
‘I love you,’ I shouted as she climbed up the ladder into the Junkers,
and she waved back.
I must say I was slightly jealous, ‘I would have enjoyed crossing the
Atlantic in less than a day,’ I said to Hoffmann as he took photos,
‘times are changing fast.’
We watched as they took off for the south of France, where, floating
gently in Marseilles harbour, their Pan Am Transatlantic Clipper
was waiting. Henny and Erna were coming back to Munich with us,
and Emma remained at Carinhall with Hermann for a few days
alone.
‘Do you think America will ever join the war?’ said Hoffmann as
we drove back. ‘Whatever made you think that?’ I asked. ‘Well, if
they think they are too far away to be bombed by the Luftwaffe,
they better think again,’ he said, ‘Planes can now easily cross the
Atlantic and carry huge bombs.’
‘Yes,’ I said, ‘this coming war will be nothing like the last one.’

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Chapter 42 Helene meets President Roosevelt. Looking for
Wernher von Braun.

Helene returned from America just before Christmas. She was full
of fantastic advances in passenger aeroplane technology and brought
insight into the American people’s view of Hitler and the war in
Europe.
Torkild’s statistical department at Texaco gave her some facts:
There were ten states in America with fifteen to thirty per cent
ethnic German-speaking populations, and ethnic Germans made up
ten per cent of the entire population. There was plenty of support for
Germany in America, with all with votes and the politicians knew it.
Any strong anti-German talk was not good for election results.
The non-German American public could not care less about Hitler
taking German-speaking sections of Czechoslovakia and Poland.
Helene said she only had two days in New York, but it was beautiful
to visit her parents, who were ‘old but healthy,’ in her own words.
She also met some old friends and had time to see her son Egon at
Harvard.
But the most important meeting was in Washington. Torkild had
used his influence and that of his oil magnate friends to arrange a
private session for Helene with Franklin D. Roosevelt.
She told me that having already presented her letter of introduction
signed by Hitler, she was ushered into the oval office and sat
opposite the President. She said she was surprised to see the
President sitting in a wheelchair behind his desk. Masking the extent
of his disability from the public eye had a success.
Helene said that Roosevelt had told her, ‘Miss Niemeyer, I
understand you have a personal message from Herr Hitler. You are
free to transmit that message to me now.’
‘So I told him that Hitler wanted to create a United States of Europe
and prevent the present and future wars.’

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‘Mr President,’ I said, ‘Herr Hitler would like to know if you would
support such an enterprise?’ ‘What did he say?’ I asked. ‘Patience
Adam, I am getting to that,’ she replied, ‘Roosevelt said that he
would only consider such an option after Germany had made peace
with England and the current state of war in Europe was over. That
will include peace with Italy, Poland and all the other countries
embroiled in this European mess.’
‘You may tell Herr Hitler from me, Miss Niemeyer, that the history
of Europe has taught me not to expect any voluntary cooperation
between the countries of Europe. A United States of Europe is a
non-starter. Thank you for coming to see me and convey that
message. Kindly give Herr Hitler my warmest regards.’
‘What did Hitler say when you told him?’ I asked. ‘He said that was
what he expected from a lawyer with no vision, which would not
affect his plans. Eventually, there will be a great Union of Europe
with Germany as the leading member of the Union.’
He thanked Helene for going on her taxing journey. ‘Going to
America and back in less than ten days with time for business in
New York is a new concept,’ said Hitler.
Of course, a Silver Pheasants evening was required, and Helene was
to be the centre of attention.
It was too late to organise a Christmas Eve party, so we had a
Boxing Day party. I first explained that Boxing Day in England
corresponds to St. Stephen’s day in Germany. Everyone turned up
with their husbands, and poor Helene spent the whole time telling
the stories of her visits to New York, Harvard, and Washington.
It was my idea to have an American-themed dinner, so I prepared
hamburgers and apple pie, using the menu photos that Helene
brought back from New York as my inspiration.
Helene stayed at the Waldorf Astoria for two nights and brought me
back as a gift the 1931 edition of Albert Crockett’s book Old

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Waldorf Bar Days which contained hundreds of cocktail recipes. I
chose two classics, the Manhattan and the Peacock, and made them
all evening.
Hoffmann loved the book and asked to borrow it, and we were both
surprised to see Gin and Tonic listed.
‘I thought Gin and Tonic was a British cocktail,’ I said to Hoffmann,
who replied, ‘It is, but I am not prejudiced,’ he laughed as he poured
another.
During the evening, Helene also told me that Torkild had arranged a
dinner with William S. Knudsen, the President of General Motors,
who was in New York for a bank meeting on the same day she was
there. ‘But I will tell you about that later when we are alone,’ she
said mysteriously.
The Silver Pheasants got on very well with the Peacocks but voted
the Manhattan winner. Even Helene gave me full marks for my
hamburgers, and the party only broke up when I had used up the
single bottle of Absinthe, causing the flow of Manhattans to end,
and our guests went home.
When everyone had gone, I wanted Helene to tell me everything
about her mysterious dinner with the President of General Motors.
Helene said we had better sit down because it is a long story, so we
settled on the sofa with the remains of the Peacock mixture.
Helens started, ‘he said he was interested in two things, which in his
typical American forthright business way, he asked me outright,
‘Miss Niemeyer, I have a couple of requests of you, and I hope you
can oblige.’
Helene said she replied, ‘Our good friend Hjalmar Schacht asked me
to be as helpful as I can to his colleagues in America, among whom
he spoke specifically of yourself. Please go ahead, Mr Knudsen; I
shall do my best.’
Knudsen continued, ‘As you may know, we have substantial

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interests in Fokker, Opel, and many other German industries. We are
also discussing investment in his new Volkswagen factory with Dr
Porsche. My shareholders want to know if Hitler plans to nationalise
any foreign industries.’
‘How did you reply?’ I asked Helene.
‘Adam,’ I said, ‘I did not tell you, but Hjalmar met me in Marseilles
and suggested they might ask this exact question, so I had the
answer ready.
‘Well, what was the answer?’ I said.
This is what Hjalmar instructed me to say, said Helene, ‘Although
the German government may take over the day-to-day operations of
foreign-owned factories, it has no intention to seize assets or capital.
Concerning Dr Porsche, the German government would welcome
foreign investment in Volkswagen’
‘Don’t keep me in suspense,’ I said, ‘What was the second thing
Knudsen wanted you to do?’
‘This is the exciting part, Adam,’ Helene continued, ‘Knudsen
insisted I put nothing down on paper and made me memorise the
names of the people he wanted me to contact.’
‘So come on, what was it you had to memorise?’ I said, getting
increasingly frustrated.
‘He wanted me to contact a German scientist who is the Technical
Director of the Army Rocket Research Centre at Peenemunde. He
told me his full name is Wernher von Braun. His mentor is Major
Walter Dornberger, who has already communicated with Robert
Goddard here in America. Goddard is working in our research centre
at Roswell.’ Knudsen said. ‘There is no need to memorise this, Miss
Niemeyer, but you can tell Hjalmar that our friend Harry
Guggenheim is financing Goddard’s research work at Roswell.’
‘Please excuse my ignorance, but what am I to do when I contact
von Braun and Dornberger?’ Helene asked Knudsen. ‘My apologies

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for my poor explanation, and there is no ignorance on your part. We
want these two gentlemen to open an official communication
channel with Goddard at Roswell. We already have a channel open
with the Fokker company, of which, as I said, we have a major
shareholding.’
‘By the way, please tell Hjalmar that his old friend Anthony Fokker
is terminally ill. We are looking after him in a hospital here in New
York, but sadly his doctors are not expecting him to survive into
next year,’ Knudsen added.
Helene said she repeated the names of the contacts she was to make,
and he seemed pretty happy. As was Hjalmar when I told him
Helene had met with Knudsen. However, the sad news I passed on
to Hjalmar was that Anthony Fokker had passed away on 23rd
December.
‘So now you have some real espionage work to do,’ I said, ‘But
please heed the many warnings we have received to be careful.
Magda’s guillotines are kept well-oiled,’ I said only half-jokingly.
Before we went to bed, I reminded Helene that we had not resolved
the Baldur-Henny-Jacob issue. Helene said she forgot to tell me it
was sorted. She had told Magda, who had spoken to Hermann, who
had spoken to Jacob’s commanding officer. Jacob was sent to the
front line in Poland for an extended period, away from the
temptations of Munich. ‘I sincerely hope he survives,’ I thought
because I would hate to have his demise on my conscience.
Peter Jacob did indeed survive the war. He married Leni Riefenstahl
in 1944, but they divorced in 1946. In 1947 Henny revived her affair
with Peter Jacob, and they were engaged. However, they never
married, and Jacob married a famous actress in 1956.
Coincidences often happen, and because I had mentioned that we
had not seen the Haushofers for a long time, they phoned the
following day to ask if they could come around before the New

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Year. We said to make it dinner, and they asked if Albrecht could
come too.
‘Of course,’ said Helene, and we welcomed Martha, Karl, and their
son Albrecht to Café Gentz on the penultimate day of 1939.
Helene knew that the Haushofers had lived in Japan for many years,
so she said she would experiment with an attempt at Japanese
cooking.
‘Where did you learn anything about Japanese cooking?’ I asked
bluntly.
‘Another thing I forgot to tell you was that Torkild took me to a
Japanese restaurant in New York. I had Sukiyaki at the Miyako and
asked for the basic recipe, which the chef kindly wrote on a menu
card for me,’ said Helene. ‘I went over the see the head chef at
Osteria Bavaria. I asked him about the three weird things in my
recipe for Sukiyaki.’
He read the recipe and said, ‘No chance of Dashi powder or Mirin,
but Lea and Perrins Worcestershire sauce is an acceptable substitute
for soy sauce. He gave me a bottle.’
‘It is pronounced ‘wooster-shear’ not ‘wore-sester-shyre’, you
uncivilised colonial,’ I joked.
‘Then I suppose you will not eat any then?’ came the response.
When the Haushofers arrived, Café Gentz had transformed into Café
Tokyo, and Martha immediately recognised the smell from the
kitchen.
‘My goodness,’ she exclaimed, ‘that reminds me of Japanese food,’
which pleased Helene no end.
We sat down, and Helene brought out a massive bowl of rice,
followed by another large bowl of very thinly sliced beef with
vegetables in a deep brown sauce.
Martha looked at it in amazement and said, ‘Helene, you have
excelled yourself. Helene has made us Sukiyaki. Look, Karl, can

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you imagine?’
Helene gestured for us to serve ourselves, stopping for a moment to
ask me, with a huge grin of satisfaction on her face, ‘I suppose you
want some now?’
‘Yes, please,’ I replied sheepishly and reluctantly admitted later that
it was delicious.
I had no idea what wine to serve, so I plumped for an Alsace
Gewurztraminer, my fallback for highly spiced food. Karl
commented that it did remind him of his days in Tokyo and said, ‘if
I had known we would be having Sukiyaki, I would have brought
chopsticks.’
‘Lucky you didn’t; I am hungry,’ I replied as I put a loaded spoonful
in my mouth.
After dinner, Karl said he had come around to ask for our help.
Helene said, ‘please go on; we are always ready to help our friends.’
He explained that Martha’s father was Jewish, which under the
punitive new Nazi laws, made her and Albrecht mischlings
(hybrids).
‘This will cause considerable difficulties that will only get worse as
the Nazi party becomes increasingly antisemite,’ said Karl, who
went on, ‘We need Deutschblütig (German blood) certificates issued
for Martha and Albrecht, and we are not sure who to contact.’
‘Not to worry,’ I said, ‘I will arrange it for you. We have done this
before, so relax and enjoy the evening.’
‘Thank you, said Albrecht, ‘on behalf of my mother and myself.
Anti-Jewish propaganda and street violence are snowballing
quickly. Hitler and Goebbels are using the Jews as scapegoats. As
this war progresses, any shortages will be blamed on the
International Jewish Conspiracy. Germany is neither safe nor
comfortable to be a Jew right now, and it will get much worse.’
‘Now that is settled, I would like to discuss the worldwide situation

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that Hitler caused in Europe. I take some responsibility because I
introduced Hitler to my concept of Lebensraum, which he described
in his book.’ ‘But first,’ I interrupted, ‘let me fill your glasses.’
Karl continued, ‘The coming conflict will not stay in Europe. The
two most significant powers which will inevitably become entangled
are Japan and America. If America joins forces with England, Hitler
is doomed. If Japan sees any weakness in the American response, I
know the Japanese mind, they will strike without any thought of
international protocols.’
‘So, what do you propose?’ asked Helene.
‘Hitler’s next move and I spent many hours discussing Lebensraum
with him, so I know his mind will be to take France and the Low
Countries. It is unstoppable now. Our priority is to encourage a
peace treaty between Germany and England with a cessation of
hostilities in Europe. Hitler will then direct the full force of
Germany against Russia, and Russia will soon sign a peace treaty.
He will then work with the American banks to develop his dream of
a United Europe.’
‘What if there is no peace treaty between Germany and England?’ I
asked Karl.
‘America will not let the British Isles fall and will come to their aid.
Japan will see this as a weak opening and attack American forces in
the Pacific.’
‘There will be global destruction and slaughter on a scale never
before seen,’ said Karl, ‘the effects of war will ravage the world for
years.’
Pondering that terrible thought, we all went silent for a moment. I
broke the silence, ‘So what can we do?’ I asked. ‘Hess has some
ideas; I spoke to him before Christmas, let us meet with him and
discuss possible courses of action,’ suggested Karl.
‘Strange you should say that,’ I said, ‘we have already set up regular

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meetings to discuss peace with England. We do it here, under the
guise of the Munich branch of the Grouse Wine Society.’
Helene said, ‘Then we have three new members,’ and the
Haushofers agreed.
‘Now then, no more saving the world; let us finish this wine,’ said
Helene, ‘I have made egg custard tarts using my mother’s recipe. I
recall reading somewhere that they are popular in Japan. Is that
correct, Karl?’
‘Excuse me,’ I said, ‘but we always call these Portuguese egg tarts
in Tunbridge Wells.’
‘Where on earth is Tunbridge Wells?’ said Martha, and the evening
finished on a lighter note.

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Chapter 43 The United States of Europe. Hitler’s medical
condition, is it syphilis?

When the office opened after New Year 1940, I went in to see Hess
and explained Haushofer’s certification problem. He said the man to
see was Goebbels, but to tell him that Hess supported issuing a
Deutschblütig certificate.
My subsequent meeting with Goebbels was short and sweet. He said
he would arrange certificates of pure German Aryan blood for the
Haushofers. This would make Martha and Albrecht exempt from
Germany’s racial laws.
Martha told Helene they were called into Wagner’s office within the
week and issued the required certificates.
That evening Helene said that despite the Nazi restrictions on
citizens and the fierce oppression of Jews and other minorities,
money and influence were still the prime moving forces in the
world. ‘As the saying goes,’ I said, ‘It is not what you know, but
who you know.’
The New Year came in very quietly. In February, Helene and I went
for dinner at Osteria Bavaria, and Chef Deutelmoser came out to ask
about Helene’s Japanese dinner party.
I said it had gone well, and Chef said he had acquired a bottle of
mirin sake, which he presented to Helene.
‘For your next Japanese evening,’ he said.
We thanked him, of course, but after he returned to the kitchen,
Helene said quietly, ‘What do we do with this?’ and I said I had no
idea. We took it home to ask Karl and Martha the next time we saw
them.
As we sat there drinking French Champagne and eating veal cutlets,
it was almost impossible to realise that a war was going on. The
shops were full, and the cinemas were open. Downtown Munich was
lit up and buzzing with people as we drove home after ten-thirty that

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night.
My February XC report said these same things. It seemed that the
western world had accepted Hitler’s aggressive Lebensraum
acquisitions of Austria, Czechoslovakia and Poland. A surprising
reply came back. Winston Churchill had been working on his power
base after being raised to First Lord of the Admiralty. He had been
shocked by the total incompetence of the British Intelligence
Department, although that was not the words they used themselves.
The outcome was that Churchill established his own Department to
be called the Special Operations Executive (SOE). At Churchill’s
request, I was transferred to the SOE. The reply concluded with
‘details of where and how to send future XC reports are attached.’ I
sensed resentment in the response. They had been at the sharp end of
Churchill’s razor-sharp tongue.
I immediately sent in an updated XC report to my new master,
outlining Hitler’s offer to host a conference to foster peace and
outline a path to establish the United States of Europe. I included
Haushofer’s plan for a peace treaty between Germany and England
with a temporary cease-fire in Europe to enable further discussion.
I realised now that I had a direct channel to Churchill, which gave
me hope there may be some action taken before it was too late.
Neither the Luftwaffe nor the RAF had yet started any bombing of
English or German cities.
Churchill replied that there was no way the Americans would even
consider a United States of Europe, so he asked how we could
proceed with plan number two.
I discussed the situation with Helene, and she said it was time for a
Grouse Wine Society meeting with the Hesses and the Haushofers.
Karl was away for a week at Berlin University on a lecture tour, so it
was March before we could meet.
This month's cover story was a tasting of Sauternes, comparing the

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communes of Barsac, Sauternes, Preignac, Bommes and Fargues.
These wines did not warrant a heavy meal, so we prepared a foie
gras and cheese buffet.
After everyone had arrived and settled down, I briefed them on
Churchill’s reply.
Hess confirmed that Hitler still did not want a war with England.
He said that Hitler told him, ‘We can easily manage to take control
of Europe. I have only to give the order. The army and Luftwaffe are
on standby to implement my plan to invade France and the Low
Countries. Goering and his generals estimate France will surrender
within six weeks, and England will do nothing except send the so-
called British Expeditionary Force across the channel. It is
ridiculously undermanned and ill-equipped and will retreat in panic
before the Wehrmacht Blitzkrieg.’
Hess said when he asked Hitler when the invasion of France would
start, he replied, ‘try to start peace negotiations as soon as you can.
We must attack if we cannot conclude a peace agreement before
May. If we wait any longer, it will be seen as hesitation and
weakness.’
But Hess said that Hitler paused and said, ‘But that still gives us
time to start peace negotiations before the real war starts.’
Rudolf said Hitler looked straight into his eyes and said, ‘Rudolf if
we do not make peace within twelve months of France surrendering,
there will be no going back. Germany will be committed to taking
on the whole world. I am ready for that; I hope you are too.’
‘Adam, we have to work fast,’ said Hess, and Karl agreed
wholeheartedly.
‘With due respect, gentlemen, it is easy to say that,’ Helene
interjected, ‘but I do not see any actual proposal. Do we have one?’
Ilse then suggested, ‘Let us meet again in seven days. Meantime we
must decide how to proceed.’

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‘Good idea,’ we all said in unison. We will meet after Hitler’s
birthday.
We finished the wine and cheese and voted the Preignac Chateau
Suduiraut winner. ‘That was because you did not include a Chateau
d’Yquem in the tasting,’ commented Hess, in what I thought was a
stunning display of his knowledge of French wines.
Although Germany had been officially at war since Christmas, the
year had so far been one long party. It would continue when Helene
convened a Silver Pheasant soiree with the specific agenda of
Hitler’s fifty-first birthday on Saturday, the 20th of April.
It was to be a ladies-only evening this time, but I was told I would
be tolerated because I lived there, but to keep a low profile.
‘Can I invite Hoffmann?’ I asked, ‘We will sit in the kitchen and be
quiet all night.’
To which I received a reluctance, ‘OK, make sure he knows that
boys are neither seen nor heard.’
The Silver Pheasant evening came, and Hoffmann and I duly sat in
the kitchen. We had a good natter, but something serious came up.
Hoffmann had been out for a beer with Dr Morell.
Hoffmann lowered his voice and said, ‘Morell told me he was
concerned about the Fuhrer’s health. We have all noticed his
irrational outbursts are getting more frequent. Morell told me that he
heard a rumour that Hitler had contracted syphilis in France in
1917.’
Hoffmann stopped to let me digest this revelation and to refill his
glass with the old Armagnac, then continued, ‘but Morell said he
took a blood sample, and it came back negative for syphilis.
Eliminating syphilis as a possible diagnosis of Hitler’s lack of
energy, depression, anxiety, and the slight tremor he was getting in
his left hand could be the early stages of Parkinson’s disease.’
‘Is that fatal?’ I asked in total ignorance. ‘According to Dr Morell, it

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is not immediately so, but the mood swings, depression and anxiety
will worsen over the years as the disease progresses. However, he
assured me he could keep it under control.’ Hoffmann said, ‘When
the doctor mentioned syphilis, I had visions of Hitler going insane
and running a country.’ I replied, ‘some think he is already insane.’
‘Oh no, he is not insane,’ pronounced Hoffmann, ‘he is a genius
with insane ideas.’
Pondering that profound comment, we heard shouts that we could
come back into the sitting room, which we did.
‘Sit down,’ instructed Helene, ‘We have decided what to do for the
Fuhrer’s fifty-first birthday party.’ ‘Well, tell us then,’ said
Hoffmann.
Eva took the floor, ‘because he has given each of us an A. Lange &
Söhne wristwatch: Since he does not wear a wristwatch, we will get
him an engraved gold pocket watch for his birthday this year.’
‘And that is where you two can be useful. Get yourselves over to
Glashütte and buy a suitable gold pocket watch engraved with this,’
said Helene, who passed a piece of paper to me.
‘Glashütte is five hundred kilometres away,’ said Hoffmann in
despair.
‘Exactly,’ replied Helene, ‘you have only three weeks, so you had
better get a move on.’
It was a unanimous decision, and neither of us dared to say anything
except, ‘We will leave tomorrow morning.’
Hoffmann and I had developed an exciting line of conversation on
our previous drive to Carinhall. I was learning a lot about the works-
of-art and antiquities business.
He told me the whole story on the way to A. Lange & Söhne in
Saxony. He said he had built up his business by selling artworks
submitted by Jewish emigrants as assets under the Ha’avara
(Transfer) agreement on the open market.

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Hoffmann continued, ‘I was a director of Ha’avara Ltd, a company
registered in London in 1934, but after the invasion of Poland, the
supporting banks cancelled the agreement. Any Jewish families
wanting to leave Germany must now go through a broker.’
‘And that is where I come in,’ said Hoffmann, ‘the Ha’avara
agreement gave the owner forty-three per cent of the value of the
assets. That left thirty-nine per cent for Jewish government projects
and eighteen per cent for bank fees and transfer costs, which
included my profit. But now there is no channel for the Jewish
government portion, so the emigrating Jews are more than happy to
get the same forty-three per cent in return for papers for themselves
and their families.’
‘But Adam,’ he said, ‘please do not think I make fifty-seven per cent
profit. I have to pay the costs of both the emigration and
immigration permits. These permits are getting more difficult to
obtain from the Nazi party for emigration and the British
government for immigration into Palestine.’
‘Of course not. I could never think of you as a money-grabber,’ I
said without any hint of sarcasm. However, I still had concerns
about the moral issues involved, even if more than fifteen thousand
German Jewish families had avoided the future horrors and
emigrated to Palestine by selling their assets at less than market
value.
When we arrived at Glashütte, we visited the Lange workshop and
were given VIP treatment. We chose a beautiful gold watch from
their stock. They promised to engrave and deliver it to Munich
within fourteen days. We paid cash from the money the Silver
Pheasants provided. ‘Where do you think the girls get that sort of
money?’ queried Hoffmann. ‘I dare not ask,’ I replied, ‘and I do not
want to know anyway,’ which made us laugh almost back to
Munich.

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The engraved pocket watch duly arrived, and Helene booked the
Osteria Bavaria for a private function on Saturday, the 20th of April.
Eva made sure they had Hitler’s favourite trout on the menu.
We all arrived early so we could greet him with a massive cake with
fifty-one candles. Maurice kept a lookout on the pavement. ‘His car
is coming up the street’, he said, returning and giving us the signal
to light the candles.
As soon as the Fuhrer entered the door, I knew something was
wrong. He was moving slowly with Eva at one side and Dr Morell
on the other.
With his warmest smile, he came over and said, ‘Thank you all for
such a wonderful surprise. As you can see, I have a bad case of what
Dr Morell says could be a Spanish flu variant. Eva did not want me
to venture out for fear of infecting everyone, but I wanted to come
and thank you personally.’
He sat down and said, ‘Eva, perhaps you could blow out the candles
for me. It will prevent two things; the spread of my sickness and
burning down my favourite restaurant,’ which caused an uproar of
laughter from everyone.
Eva blew out the candles and took the floor, ‘My Fuhrer,’ she said.
‘on behalf of all the ladies here, we present this token of our never-
ending loyalty and devotion to you and the Third Reich,’ and she
handed him the gift-wrapped watch.
He removed the wrapping carefully and opened the leather box.
When he looked inside, he was truly touched and slowly took out
the gold watch.
Eva was excited, ‘Look inside, my Fuhrer,’ she said, ‘look at the
engraving.’
Hitler opened the case and looked inside. He stood up, and Dr
Morell rushed to his side, only to be pushed away brusquely. ‘I am
fine,’ he said, ‘I must read this out loud,’ and he read the engraving,

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‘Please accept this token of our never-ending loyalty and devotion to
our Fuhrer, Happy Birthday 20th April 1940. And there is a pheasant
engraved in silver. What artistry.’
He sat down, and everyone heard him say in a loud voice to Eva, ‘I
shall treasure this all my life, thank you.’ Dr Morell explained he
wanted Hitler to return home as soon as possible, and under the
circumstances, we all agreed. The Fuhrer had a massive slice of the
cake, waved farewell, then Eva and Dr Morell took him home.
After he had gone, Chef Deutelmoser came into the dining room and
shouted, ‘Who wants trout?’ causing another laugh. We had a great
evening. I had not realised, but Hitler’s presence had made everyone
drink slower out of a subconscious respect for his teetotalism, but in
the end, the evening became quite boisterous. The maître d’ brought
out his Berliner gramophone and some American 78 rpm records.
We moved the tables aside and danced to Duke Ellington’s Take the
‘A’ Train and the Andrews Sisters singing Boogie Woogie Bugle
Boy, among many others.
Magda was jiving with Goering when Goebbels shouted, ‘Not bad
for eighteen weeks pregnant, is she?’ Which caused her to be
mobbed by the other ladies there.
It was well past midnight, and as we left the restaurant, the street
filled with Irene Joachim blasting out from the gramophone, singing
Brahms’s In Stille Nacht.
‘Makes a change from Wagner,’ I said as we got into the Alfa. With
the roof down, we could hear the music as it spread across the street
from the restaurant’s open door.
‘How weird, ‘said Helene, ‘here we are filling the street with
Brahms while the Russians are loading Polish citizens on trains to
the Gulags, and people in London are digging bomb shelters in their
gardens.’ ‘That is why we must try to start peace negotiations before
Hitler unleashes his Blitzkrieg across Europe,’ I replied.

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Chapter 44 Hitler invades France. Churchill made Prime
Minister. Dunkirk.

As planned, the Grouse Wine Society met immediately after Hitler’s
birthday party.
When the Hesses and the Haushofers had arrived, I said, ‘We have
to give something to London to enable peace negotiations to start
before May 1940 so that Hitler will have a valid reason to postpone
his order to begin the Blitzkrieg.’
Albrecht said, ‘I have friends in the Wehrmacht and the Luftwaffe.
They tell me everyone is champing at the bit. The officers and the
men have been enthused and emboldened by the easy victory in
Poland. They are waiting for the order to take Holland and France,
codenamed Operation Yellow Case. I agree; we must act soon to
prevent Germany from moving into the next phase.’
The atmosphere was tense, so to relieve it, I said, ‘What is the wine
selection this month?’
‘Bleak,’ said Hess, ‘two bottles of vintage port 1924 and 1927 not
too old, but both were well crusted when I decanted them last night;
I hope they were not too shaken up by the car journey here. Give
them twenty minutes to settle down.’
‘I have some cheeses in the kitchen,’ said Helene, ‘I will get them
out.’
‘So down to business,’ announced Karl, ‘What are we to say to
London?’
I passed on Churchill’s opinion that the Americans would never
support any attempt to establish a United States of Europe.
Then I added Churchill’s commitment that London would not start
peace negotiations until Hitler either withdrew from Poland or
Czechoslovakia as a gesture.
‘It is too late to withdraw from Poland; the Russians are immovable
now. It is the same in Prague. The new government is already

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established and operational,’ said Karl.
‘That means we are in a stalemate. What can we do?’ questioned
Albrecht.
‘All we can do is emphasise the situation, and hopefully, we can
start peace negotiations after Hitler occupies most of Europe, which
now seems inevitable. I do not believe the government in London
understands the power and ability of the German armed forces. They
still have the Chamberlain mentality. They believe that the French
and British armies will hold Hitler back, thus forcing him to
negotiate peace.’ I said.
‘They must realise they are not in any position to force Hitler to do
anything. Did they not see what happened in Poland?’ Martha said,
‘The Panzers were unstoppable, and the Luftwaffe had total
command of the air from day one.’
I said that I had received intel from Montagu Norman. Churchill told
him over lunch that he expected to be Prime Minister within a few
weeks. He told Montagu that the Chamberlain government was not
sustainable and any further hostile action from Hitler would bring it
down, and Churchill would be appointed Prime Minister. The only
alternative was Viscount Halifax, who had already said he would
never accept the position.’ I said, ‘I warned Churchill that hostile
action by Hitler was imminent.’
‘The vintage port should be settled by now,’ said Karl, ‘Let us have
a break to contemplate the situation,’ which we did.
After a pleasant interlude over cheese and port, Helene said, ‘It
seems to me that the government in London will take no steps
towards peace until they realise that England is in a terrible
situation. After Hitler has control of France, the next step will be the
invasion of England.’
Albrecht said, ‘My Wehrmacht friends tell me they have been
planning the invasion for months. It goes by the codename of

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Operation Sealion.’
‘Chamberlain and his dreamers still believe Hitler can be stopped in
France,’ I said despondently, ‘All we can do now is watch and wait.’
‘There is another viewpoint,’ said Helene, ‘You said that Churchill

told Montagu if Hitler invaded France, it would bring down
Chamberlain’s government, and Churchill would be appointed

Prime Minister. If Hitler invaded and France collapsed, this would
boost Churchill’s political career. It seems to me that Churchill has

no incentive to stop Hitler at this moment in time.
‘Could someone cause the death of hundreds of thousands of people
just for political advancement?’ asked Albrecht, quite astonished at
Helene’s suggestion. Helene replied solemnly, ‘He’s done it before,
Albrecht, and I believe it will be easy for him to do it again.’ ‘It is a
horrible world,’ replied Albrecht. ‘I am afraid it is,’ said Helene,
‘But before we plunge into despair, I have a small task that I would
like to assign to you, Albrecht.’ ‘Of course, just tell me what to do,’

he replied.

Helene then explained the secret research conducted at Peenemunde
in Germany and Roswell in America. The Americans wanted to

develop jet-propelled passenger aeroplanes. Helene needed to

contact Wernher von Braun at Peenemunde and suggested Albrecht

would be a good communication channel.
‘I have some colleagues from when I was a student at Munich
university who are at Peenemunde,’ said Albrecht.
Hess said, ‘Albrecht, I think we are thinking about the same person.
I remember when you and I were at college together. I can help with

any security clearance you might need to get in there. Come and see
me at my Brown House office tomorrow.’
‘Brilliant,’ said Helene, ‘I thank you both in advance.’

Feeling helpless and frustrated, we finished the port, and the

meeting broke up.

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‘Now all we can do is wait.’ said Karl as he left, then ‘Oh, by the
way, I think 1927 took the biscuit if you will excuse the awful
English idiom.’
As Hitler announced at his birthday party on Friday, the 10th of
May, he ordered Operation Yellow Case to proceed. He could wait
no longer. The invasion of Luxembourg, Belgium and Holland
would start immediately.
Luxembourg fell in one day, Holland surrendered four days later,
and Belgium lasted only another two weeks before finally
capitulating on the 28th of May.
Back in London, as Montagu had predicted, the day the news of the
German advance into Luxembourg reached Parliament, the British
government collapsed. Churchill was asked to form a new
government with himself as Prime Minister.
He acted quickly. Needing to understand the European situation, he
flew to Paris to meet the French government on the 16th of May.
Churchill admitted to me later that he had underestimated
Germany’s strength and had completely overestimated what the
French could do. The government in Paris was in panic and already
packing up to flee. With the German army only four days from the
Channel coast, Churchill told me that he asked French General
Gamelin what his strategic reserve numbers were and got a one-
word answer, ‘aucune’ meaning none. Churchill went back to
London to prepare for an invasion of England.
Four days later, on the 20th of May, the German army was at the
coast surrounding the British Expeditionary Force at Dunkirk.
I was still convinced Hitler wanted peace with England, so I made
an urgent appointment to see Goering and Hess together. I told them
a white lie when I said that Hjalmar had received a message from
London that Churchill was willing to discuss peace. Hjalmar had
suggested Hitler make a consoling gesture and not annihilate the

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British at Dunkirk. They said they would approach Hitler, as they
agreed with the idea.
Hess returned to me and said that Hitler did not want to fight the
English. He agreed that he would not destroy them at Dunkirk.
Hitler also ordered Goering not to bomb England until July, even
though the RAF had already started bombing Germany in May.
‘But Hitler warned me,’ said Hess, ‘If Churchill does not start peace
negotiations soon, I will destroy them on their own soil. Those were
his very words, Adam.’ I told Helene the situation, and Albrecht
confirmed Hitler had kept his word.
Albrecht’s friend was second-in-command to general Guderian, who
led the first Panzer division. He reported that on the 25th of May,
they were on the banks of the Aa Canal, less than twenty kilometres
from Dunkirk and had laid pontoon bridges across the canal.
Nothing else could stop them from advancing to annihilate the
British on the beaches. They had then received an order directly
from Hitler in Berlin. It was for the Panzer tanks to stop and wait.
They were not to cross the Aa Canal.
The delay of the tanks resulted in the successful British evacuation
from Dunkirk, which is still considered almost a miracle.
I told Helene, ‘If I do nothing else in this war, I will be most
thankful for the small part I played in delaying the attack on
Dunkirk.’
We could only listen to German radio for the war's progress in
France. Even Goebbels told me he did not need to add any
propaganda. It was a wipe-out. The German army marched into
Paris two weeks after crossing the French border, and Marshall
Petain surrendered on the 22nd of June. Hitler’s successful invasion
of Europe was over, and Winston Churchill was now Prime Minister
of England.
Hjalmar Schacht unexpectedly came to see us at Café Gentz the

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evening after France capitulated. He said he was in Munich and had
a message for Helene from her friend Torkild Bieber in New York. I
could only smile when he showed us what he had received from
Torkild. It was an invitation to a party in New York on Wednesday,
26th June, and a note was attached which said, please pass it on to
my dear Helene.
Torkild said it was only a courtesy invitation; there was no way we
could get to New York by Wednesday, but the thought counted.
When I read the words of the invitation, I could hardly believe it.
Torkild had arranged a dinner party at the Waldorf Astoria in New
York to celebrate Hitler’s victory in Europe. I had to reread it. Yes,
it said to celebrate Hitler’s victory in Europe.
William Knudsen of General Motors was the guest of honour, and
other guests included Henry Ford and Sosthenes Behn, CEO of ITT.
Executives representing BIS, Chase and J.P. Morgan would also be
there. Gerhard Westrick was in New York also representing ITT’s
shareholding in the German aeroplane manufacturer Fokker-Wulf.
Helene said to Hjalmar, ‘I suspect Putzi had something to do with
organising this.’ Hjalmar smiled and said, ‘Yes, he told me you
would be tickled pink to get an invitation. Those were his very
words.’ ‘I suppose I am,’ said Helene.
‘Putzi also sent invitations to Hitler, Goering, Goebbels and Hess,
and I understand that they too were ‘tickled pink’, Hjalmar said.
When Hjalmar had left for his hotel that evening, I said to Helene, ‘I
have always found the bankers’ detachment from the real world
somewhat distressing. Here they are making light of the fact that
thousands of military personnel have been killed and unknown
numbers of civilians murdered or, at best, displaced. All they think
about is how their investments in German industry will now benefit
from supplying the guns and equipment to continue the war.’
‘What else did you expect from bankers?’ said Helene, ‘We can only

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do our best to get Churchill and Hitler together to talk peace. We are
in damage limitation mode, as our American friends would say.
What is done is done, Adam.’
‘Yes,’ I replied, ‘The world is on the brink of disaster. We still have
time.’
Goering also kept his promise, and the Luftwaffe did not attack
England until the 10th of July.
On Saturday, 20th July, Hess called an emergency meeting of the
Grouse Wine Society. We waited anxiously at Café Gentz to find
out the reason.
Hess was very excited and was carrying some pieces of paper
stapled together. Before opening any wine, he said, ‘have you seen
this? It was the transcript of Hitler’s address to the Reichstag
yesterday.’ I will read some highlights to you briefly, but please
excuse me; let us get settled first.
With the short notice for the meeting, I had only had time to pull out
what I had in my modest wine cabinet, so we had to make do with
comparing Burgundy wine with Bordeaux wine, complimented by
Helene’s American standby macaroni cheese.
‘Thank you, I needed that,’ said Hess as he finished his first glass,
‘Everyone was expecting Hitler’s speech to be a thunderous victory
speech, but it is now being described as a final appeal for peace and
sanity. Let me read a few phrases.’
Hess ran his finger down the pages and read out, ‘I have laid before
the world my appeal for peace,’ and further down, ‘A peaceful
resolution of the remaining problems could be reached through
International cooperation.’ ‘These are the actual words of Hitler,’
Hess emphasised.
Goering told me yesterday that he was in serious trouble with Hitler
because he had underestimated the strength and ability of the RAF,
‘Especially those damned Spitfires.’ Goering added that Operation

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Sealion, the invasion of England, had been postponed.
Hess continued, ‘Now we have time to formulate a peace plan.
Hitler believed the British government was in a state of shock, and
they realised the strength and superiority of the German armed
forces, both numerically and technically. They are ready to negotiate
peace.’

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Chapter 45 Battle of Britain. Aleister Crowley. Treason and
Operation Thor’s Hammer.

By the end of July 1940, Hitler had complete control of northern
Europe and control of the south through his allies, Mussolini and
Franco. British Prime Minister Winston Churchill sat in London
with the new government asking themselves why Goering’s
Luftwaffe did not bomb London and wondering when Blitzkrieg
would cross the thirty-two kilometres of the Channel.
We called a Silver Pheasant soiree at Café Gentz to see if there was
any gossip which could answer these questions. Of course, to avoid
any suspicion, we had to be careful that we did not appear to want
too much information about troop and aeroplane movements.
Ilse and Eva arrived first, then Emma and Magda. Erna and Hedwig
were a few minutes late, as usual. When Martha arrived, she took
Helene aside and told her that Albrecht was on his way to
Peenemunde.
After everyone had settled down, Helene started the conversation
light-heartedly by asking if anyone had heard Hitler’s speech to the
Reichstag. ‘What a wonderful victory for the German army and air
force.’ Said Helene, ‘I propose a toast to the brave troops and
pilots.’ We all raised our glasses.
‘England will be next to fall prey to Blitzkrieg,’ I said. Luckily,
Emma took the bait, ‘Maybe not be as soon as you think,’ she said,
‘Hermann was ranting and raving last week that his Luftwaffe has
not been able to get mastery of the skies, whatever that means.’
‘He means those Spitfires are harder to shoot down than he
expected,’ said Magda, ‘I overheard him say those exact words on
the phone to general Felmy, and he also said that the invasion of
England was off until further notice.’
Erna said, ‘I heard from a friend of mine at Telefunken that the
British Raydar system was giving them warning of our air attacks

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before they had even crossed the channel, whatever Raydar is.
Telefunken has a similar system but is still not fully developed.’
‘Don’t ask me what it is either,’ said Eva, ‘But Adolf was also
furious about this British Raydar thing last week.’
‘Anyway,’ said Emma, ‘Goering has instructed the Luftwaffe to
attack these Raydar stations lined up along the coast of England. He
showed me an aerial photo yesterday. They look like a lot of radio
masts next to a shed.’ I looked at Helene, and she gave me a tiny
smile. ‘Brilliant,’ I thought, ‘All the information I needed for
London.’
That was enough military talk, I decided. Any more may raise
suspicion, so I said, ‘Magda, when is baby H7 due?’
This immediately changed the subject, and the conversation
degenerated into a discussion about the availability of baby food if
the war worsened.
Following the Haushofers’ reactions to Helene’s last macaroni
cheese, she had prepared three big dishes for dinner. Eva said her
mother used to make a dish called kaesespaetzle which looked and
smelled similar. ‘But instead of pasta,’ Eva continued, ‘it was made
from spaetzle which are lumps of chewy dough made from flour and
eggs, which I did not like. This much nicer.’
Helene’s dish met with universal approval.
Hedwig filled a large bowl and said, ‘when I was a child, we would
visit my uncle who lived up in the mountains, and his wife would
make what they called aelplermagronen. I remember it being a mess
of potatoes and macaroni in a cheesy sauce, but they served it with
apple sauce. My uncle said it was so the goat herders could climb as
fast as their goats,’ - which gave everyone a laugh.
‘When Baldur told me the speed they ran when his Panzers
attacked,’ said Henny, ‘I think the Polish army must have been
eating it,’ Which got an even bigger laugh.

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Emma said, ‘Many modern recipes come from America now. I
remember when Helene cooked those hamburgers and apple pie a
few months ago. And those cocktails!’
Everyone was now tucking into macaroni cheese.
Helene said, ‘I do not mean to correct you, Emma, but American
macaroni cheese is not a modern dish. It is now almost the national
dish of America.’ Benjamin Franklin tasted macaroni with cheese
sauce when he visited Italy in 1784 and brought some back for
President Jefferson. They both became fans of macaroni pie, as they
called it then.
‘Very interesting,’ I said as I loaded my plate with a second helping.
I had enough intel for now, so I kept the conversation away from the
war for the rest of the evening. Everyone went home that night with
bellies full, and I slept like a baby.
The next day I hoped my intel would be helpful to the RAF back
home, who had become fully engaged in the Battle of Britain. As
Emma had said, Luftwaffe air attacks did concentrate on the
RADAR stations. My information had increased the anti-aircraft
emplacements around them, so I was doing some good over here in
Germany.
Things were developing fast, and we needed frequent Grouse Wine
Society meetings to keep ahead. At the next one, Hess said that his
contacts at the Thule Society had been in psychic contact with two
seers in England, both employed by British Intelligence. He reported
that Aleister Crowley and Maxwell Knight had performed a magical
Lammas Day ritual on the south coast of England to persuade
Churchill to make a peace agreement with Germany.
‘This was official,’ he said, ‘They even had army personnel dressed
up in robes and funny hats.’
‘Well, it is not working yet,’ I said somewhat sarcastically, ‘Goering
told me that last Saturday he had three hundred bombers flying over

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London dropping bombs, and he would keep this up every day until
the British begged for peace.’
‘Do not dismiss this mumbo-jumbo as you call it, Adam. I believe it
can have some amazing results,’ said Hess.
Martha supported Hess, ‘On our travels through India and the
Himalayas; we saw some remarkable and unexplainable things,
Adam. We must try everything we can.’ ‘Sorry,’ I said, ‘I am just a
natural sceptic. I will try to keep a more open mind.’

Karl then showed us a letter he proposed to send to Hitler, which
outlined a peace initiative.
‘This could be very dangerous,’ said Hess before reading the letter,
‘Hitler has frightening mood swings, and if you get him at the wrong
time, suggestions like this may be considered defeatist or even

treasonable. Do not forget when SA leader Heines was caught in bed

with his boyfriend at Hotel Lederer, Hitler had no qualms about
having them shot immediately. His angry outbursts have become
more common and even wilder since then.’
Karl said, ‘Yes, I am aware of the danger, but I must try for the sake
of the German people and the world.’
I read the letter and said, ‘So basically, the plan is for a high-ranking
Nazi party member to go to London ‘under a white flag,’ so to

speak, and propose a temporary ceasefire, not a truce or a peace
agreement, but a cessation of hostilities to enable more negotiations
to proceed. No conditions attached.’
‘Yes, that is it,’ said Karl. ‘I will see Hitler with the letter if we all
agree to this move. He is back in Munich from Berlin tomorrow.’
‘I don’t like it,’ said Helene, ‘What if you catch him in one of his
depressions?’ Karl said, ‘I am prepared to risk that.’ ‘I suggest we
meet back here after you have seen Hitler,’ I said, and the meeting

broke up.
Helene said to me in bed, ‘Adam, we are treading on thin ice here.

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We must be careful not to raise even the slightest suspicion about
our loyalty or motives.’
‘Yes, I know,’ I replied, ‘But we have to try. If this war escalates,
the deaths will not be thousands or hundreds of thousands. It will be
many millions. Let us see what reaction Karl gets from Hitler.’
Two days later, Karl returned with the surprising news that Hitler
had agreed to the suggestion. Karl said that Hitler genuinely did not
want a war with England.
‘How did you tell him you were communicating with England?’ I
asked nervously.
‘Through Hjalmar to Montagu Norman, they have a special high-
security communication system direct from bank to bank,’ said Karl.
And so we put the idea to Churchill via Montagu and Hjalmar.
Once again, we were surprised, if not shocked, at the reply we
received.
Churchill reported that King George VI would not even consider the
idea. His only mission was the utter destruction of Hitler and his evil
third Reich. The only possible end to this war was Germany’s
unconditional surrender. Churchill even said he had to pretend to
agree because the King told him he would not accept a Prime
Minister with a defeatist attitude.
When we heard this, I could see we all thought the same. King
George VI sounded remarkably similar to Hitler with a response like
that. It was an outburst of irrational stubbornness, not a logically
thought-out decision.
Karl very courageously went back to Hitler and gave him a situation
report.
I would remember this week because of the most extraordinary
communications between Germany and England. Karl said we had
to meet at Café Gentz to be able to digest Hitler’s reply to the
situation, ‘Which may take time and concentration,’ he said.

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That evening we all sat down as instructed by Karl, and he gave us
Hitler’s reply.
Karl told us that Hitler said, ‘No problem, Karl, I knew that weak-
willed King would be useless. I have been in personal contact with
the Duke of Windsor, a man I admire greatly. He is a man of
integrity and strength. He gave up his crown for the woman he
loved, which is remarkable. I have met him many times. Did you
know he speaks fluent German?’
Karl stopped to fill his glass and then continued with Hitler’s reply,
‘My plan,’ said Hitler, ‘is to put the Duke of Windsor back on the
throne of England as King Edward VIII, which is his rightful
destiny.’ Hitler said he had a lengthy telephone discussion with
Edward, who is in Bermuda now.
‘He had enthusiastically agreed to Hitler’s plan,’ said Karl, ‘to
depose his brother and send the entire royal family in exile to
Canada. When Edward was back on the throne, peace would be
negotiated with Germany. Hitler said he would create a new
headquarters for the Federation of European Nations at Blenheim
Palace. I have thought long and hard about this idea Karl, and I have
given it the top-secret codename Operation Thor’s Hammer. It will
give us the Lebensraum you always taught me about, and the
German nation will be the natural leader of the Federation of
Europe.’
‘Hitler asked me to put this plan to Churchill as a way forward for
peace in Europe. If we agree here tonight, I will see Hjalmar
tomorrow.’
‘Wow,’ I said, ‘You were right. We should sit down for a few
minutes to let this sink in and discuss it.’ ‘Yes, this is no time for
quick decisions,’ said Helene.
‘Changing the subject may clear our minds,’ said Martha, ‘As you
requested, Helene, Albrecht has made contact with von Braun at

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Peenemünde and established a channel of communication directly
with America.’
‘Excellent,’ said Helene, ‘I have some sausages ready in the kitchen.
Come on through. We can snack while our brains digest the Fuhrer’s
plan for Operation Thor’s Hammer.’

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Chapter 46 French Champagne supplies. Hess appointed Peace
Envoy.

We all finished our sausages. I topped up my gin and tonic, and we
went back into the dining room. Soon we were sitting around the
table looking at each other, wondering who would break the ice. I
took the initiative.
‘So, in straightforward terms,’ I said, ‘the plan we have on the table
is to depose King George VI and put his brother back on the throne.
Then we can proceed with peace negotiations.’
Hess interrupted, ‘Adam, we need to look at the deal that Hitler is
offering via the Duke of Windsor to ensure we are all in complete
agreement. There will be no going back once we embark on this
endeavour.’
‘This is what Hitler has authorised our Peace Envoy to offer to the
British,’ he said, ‘He has thought deeply, and it is a comprehensive
and practical solution to the crisis. Firstly, there will be a total
cessation of the war in western Europe. Germany will evacuate
France apart from Alsace and Lorraine, which are ethnically
German. Our troops will withdraw from Belgium, Holland,
Denmark, and Norway, but we will retain Luxembourg, originally a
German state.’
‘Great Britain will then take the position of benevolent neutrality
towards Germany and support our plans for Eastern Europe. German
troops would withdraw from Yugoslavia, Greece, and the
Mediterranean generally, and the conflict between Britain and Italy
will be resolved peacefully with Germany as referee.’
‘In London, Churchill will expedite this bloodless coup,’ Hess
continued, ‘King George VI will go into exile in Canada. The Duke
of Windsor will return from the Bahamas and be welcomed as King
Edward VIII. Another of the new King’s brothers, the Duke of Kent,
is to be appointed the first President of the Federation of Europe.’

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‘When these steps are complete, Germany and its allies will invade
Russia with the support of America and destroy communism. Russia
will then join a peaceful and prosperous Federation of Europe.’
‘Do you agree, Adam, that this is what Churchill has agreed to?’
Hess asked.
‘Yes,’ I replied, ‘That is exactly what Churchill has agreed, plus the
commitment of financial support from Montagu Norman, Hjalmar
Schacht and the American and International banks.’
I continued, ‘With King George’s stubbornness, I can see no other
hope for peace. Nevertheless, deposing the King is a huge step.
Churchill will need time to organise the coup. He will need to have a
substantial number of supporting members of Parliament in both
chambers, plus the military. After due consideration, I, therefore,
give my support to Operation Thor’s Hammer. It is the only way I
can see to save humanity from the horror of a world war which will
be terrifying with the technology now available.’
After a brief silence, everyone said they also agreed that there was
no other viable way to stop the escalation of the war and thereby
bring peace to Europe.
Karl said he would talk to the Fuhrer and confirm we have an
agreement from London. If he gives the word, Operation Thor’s
Hammer will begin. Churchill is ready to start his preparations
immediately.
‘But please let him know,’ I said, ‘it will take some time for
Churchill to get everything ready. I doubt if the stage will be set
until sometime next year now. We also need to be sure of the total
commitment of the Duke of Windsor. We cannot afford for anyone
to have second thoughts once Thor’s Hammer begins. As Rudolf
said earlier, there will be no going back once we start.’
‘I feel sure that the Duke is committed to peace,’ said Helene, ‘I
listened to his radio broadcast in May last year appealing for peace.

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The BBC refused to broadcast it, but it went out from France and
was heard across America. The transcript was in the newspapers.’
As the Hesses and the Haushofers left that evening, we all felt that
we had reached a momentous decision. We agreed to meet again
when Karl had seen Hitler’s final reaction to London’s agreement.
I asked Helene if we could chat before we retired to bed, to which
she agreed. ‘What is troubling you, Adam?’ she asked. ‘It is difficult
to explain,’ I confessed, ‘as an Englishman, I have a natural loyalty
to King and Country. It has dawned on me that I have some genetic
abhorrence of treason, the act of deposing him grates against my
conscience.’
‘Do not worry, my darling,’ said Helene, ‘you will not be alone.
You will join the prestigious ranks of William of Normandy, Oliver
Cromwell, and Guy Fawkes, among others.’
Considering the fate of Guy Fawkes, I went to bed.
On Saturday, 21st September 1940, a date I will remember, Karl and
Martha asked Helene and me to meet them at Dallmayr’s coffee
shop downtown. They said it was safer to meet out in the open,
which may diffuse any possible interest from the Gestapo.
‘They are getting more and more intrusive into the lives of everyday
Germans,’ said Martha, ‘It is disturbing, to say the least.’
‘So, what was the response,’ I asked, assuming that was why we had
met.
‘He agrees with the proposal completely and understands it will take
a few months to organise,’ reported Karl, ‘He realises the
importance of getting the American bankers on board and asked that
you, Helene, should take the lead in that. He said the war had
reached a point where it was at a sort of ‘holding position’ with
England and Germany staring at each other across the channel. In
the spirit of Operation Thor’s Hammer, he told you, Adam, to
inform Churchill that Operation Sealion has been cancelled. The

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British have only to fear the Luftwaffe, not the Blitzkrieg of the
Wehrmacht. He said he would also keep in close personal contact
with the Duke of Windsor.’
I sat back and drank my espresso. The astute waiter saw my empty
cup, came over, and I ordered another. Helene ordered a Krapfen
(doughnut) with vanilla cream filling. She said that Hitler was
consolidating his position, ready to start any peace initiative from a
place of strength.
She told us the newspapers had reported that negotiations for the
Tripartite Pact were completed at the Japanese Embassy in Berlin.
The Pact was a defensive military alliance between Germany, Japan,
and Italy. Joachim von Ribbentrop, Galeazzo Ciano, the Italian
Foreign Minister, and Saburō Kurusu, the Japanese ambassador,
would sign and approve the Pact on the 27th of September 1940.
Hjalmar came to Munich seemingly to discuss Nazi party finance.
His primary purpose was to set me up with an office in the Deutsche
Reichsbank building with a direct encrypted link to Montagu
Norman at the Bank of England in London. Hjalmar brought the
President of the bank, Walter Funk, with him and Funk personally
advised the local bank staff of my VIP status.
With my new office set up, Hjalmar said he had booked a table for
lunch at Osteria Bavaria and insisted that Helene join us.
It was good that she did because that was the last time we saw
Hjalmar until after the war. He was a victim of one of Hitler’s
psychotic rages in 1944. Gestapo officers arrested him, and he was
sent to the Dachau concentration camp, but amazingly he survived
to be liberated by U.S. troops in 1945.
During the next few weeks, frantic arrangements were made in total
secrecy in Germany and England. I spent two or three days a week
at my bank office. Rudolf, Karl, and I often met for a light working
lunch at Dallmayr’s. Hopefully, we looked like ordinary bank

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executives going about our everyday business.
Helene would come in once or twice a week, reluctantly pretending
to be my secretary but staying connected with the American
financiers.
Churchill was putting his team together; his deputy (suggested by
Albrecht Haushofer) was the Scottish Duke of Hamilton (Douglas).
He was a known Nazi sympathiser who had met Albrecht at the
1936 Berlin Olympics, and they became close friends. Douglas
brought Walter the Duke of Buccleuch, another prominent Nazi
supporter who had been a guest of honour, at Hitler’s fiftieth
birthday parade in Berlin in 1939, where he met Goering.
Heidrun Elisabeth, H7 was due the third week of October. Helene
had arranged to meet me away from my bank office to discuss
organising an event to celebrate the upcoming birth of Magda’s
seventh child. Before discussing that, I told her I had received an
unexpected request from London, instigated by Walter, the Duke of
Buccleuch and his cronies. As part of the Peace Treaty, Hess will be
Lord Protector of Scotland, and Scotland will become an
independent state within the Federation of Europe.
I told Helene, and she somewhat disrespectfully said she could not
care less.
‘What shall we do for Magda when baby H7 is born,’ she said,
changing the subject.
I replied, ‘I suggest the Pheasants host an evening at Café Gentz.
We should invite the Brown House office staff. They all know the
Goebbels well and could probably do with a relaxing evening.’
The message about Scottish independence was transmitted back to
the Fuhrer by Karl. It once again was accepted with the comment
that he also could not care less about Scottish independence.
Operation Thor’s Hammer was progressing well. It had already been
decided. The Peace Envoy would fly to Scotland with the agreement

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