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More stories on my Dad=== message truncated ===
I have just published a book in Israel on a very
unique story, where your
late father played a key role.
I will be honored to send you a copy and maybe you
know also some details
from home�
The book is :
*The Maskirovka of Max and Moritz*
By Avraham Ziv-tal
Publisher - Bahur Books - ISRAEL
("Maskirovka" - series of deceitful actions designed
to mislead, a Russian
concept)
It is acceptable to assume that the second World War
opened with the
"anshluss," the annexation of Austria by the
Germans. The various opponents
came to war more or less ready and each one of the
participants was prepared
in his own way.
The first section of the book deals with preparation
for the upcoming war.
The large European nations understood that war was
imminent and they were
prepared. The Russians concentrated on building spy
networks; the British,
relatively quickly, set up a listening and
deciphering center that served
them faithfully. The Germans sought suitable
agents.
The second section of the book deals with the war.
The human dimension,
called 'HUMINT,' was crucial in the war and this is
the focus of the book.
Richard Kauder, a Viennese Jew, only son, was
recruited by the Abhwehr
(German Army Intelligence) to serve the Wehrmacht -
his mother was held
hostage by the Germans. Kauder, originally
recruited for a marginal
position, succeeds in convincing his operators that
he has a lot to offer
and they accept his proposal. He sets up and
operates two spy networks for
the Wehrmacht - the "Max" network which brings every
day information on what
is going on deep in the bowels of the Soviet Union;
the "Moritz" network
brings information on the British from the Middle
East. The hub being in
Sophia, Bulgaria.
The network operates as a news agency and is funded
by the Germans. The
network sends out thousands of message and the
Germans are very satisfied.
The British closely monitor the broadcasts and are
amazed how the radio
operators continue to broadcast uninterrupted from
deep within the Soviet
Union and the Bulgarian satellites. They identify
true reports of the
movement of the British forces in the Middle East
and put together a task
force to investigate that comes to amazing
conclusions. The British decide
to update, very carefully, their Russia allies about
the German spy who is
reporting on everything that is done behind Kremlin
walls. The Russian
listen politely to the British warning and the
network continues to
operate. At this stage, the British understand that
the network is actually
a Russian subterfuge.
Through this network, the Russians are able to
provide a constant stream of
information to the Germans, some of it accurate.
The inaccurate part -
disinformation that was designed to mislead and
deceive the Germans. The
Russian deceit reaches new heights in the
determining battles of the war on
the Russian front: Moscow, Stalingrad, Kursk, and
the operation Bagratiyon*.
* The Germans lose these four major battles and
retreat. The Russians, as
history shows, pursues them to Berlin.
The book covers the activities of the spy network,
year in and year out; the
German suspicious and the war of brains that is
taking place behind the
scenes. At one stage Hitler discovers that "Max" is
a Jew and demands that
he be gotten rid of immediately. The Abhwehr hides
Kauder and continues to
activate him in spite of the explicit instruction
that they received from
the Fuhrer. When Hitler dismantles the Abhwehr and
transfers the
responsibility of intelligence to Himmler, the SD
(Nazi party intelligence)
continues to operate and defend Kauder's ring from
the Gestapo.
The third part of the book deals with hindsight. At
the end of the war is
the stage of interrogations. The British, who are
well versed in the
details of the spy network, investigate the Jew for
a long time and he has a
lot to keep from them. At the end of the
investigations they are convinced
that he was set up by the Russians. A greedy Jew
that didn't care how he
survived and only found out later that he was
serving a Russian master - the
NKVD (precursor to the KGB). The British
interrogations are taking place
under the auspices of none other then Kim Philby and
the Russians are being
kept up to date on every detail.
When the British finish, it is the Americans' turn
to interrogate. They
reach different conclusions and are in possession of
different information.
They do not update the British. The Americans are
convinced that this man
is a Russian spy who was skillfully planted in the
Abwehr. The Americans
are not interested in a Jewish refugee and they let
him go. In his place,
they recruit his customer, General Reinhard Gellan,
who was responsible in
the Wehrmacht for all intelligence activity against
the Soviet Union.
Gellan sets up a spy network for the Americans in
exchange for money, a
network whose purpose is to gather information
during the climate of the
Cold War. He promised to operate a network, "SAME
AS MAX"
The epilogue of the book is surprising and triggers
melancholy thoughts
about Jewish fate. Richard Kauder, the man who was
rejected by all as a
collaborator, has part of this secret activity which
enabled the military
victory in the Israeli War of Independence.
Together with a friend � Ludvig Hoch � (better known
as Robert Maxwell) they
managed the secret contacts between the HAGANAH and
the Czech Communist
party which led to the Czech Arms Deal that saved
the state of Israel.
The book is based on investigative British and
American archives; pictures
that have never been shown before and over 30 bodies
of investigative works
that were done all over the world after the War.
The sources are cited
together with notes in every chapter.
The book contains 53 rare photographs of the players
in this titillating spy
affair.
Will be glad to hear from you .
Ziv-tal Avraham
Israel
G