Approved For Release 2008/04/09: CIA-RDP7O-00058ROO0100080035-4 Some of them were lifted from the ar- chives of the Lerman War Ministry, and their stationery, rubber stamps and sig- natures duplicated. Heydrich even man. aged to procure a typewriter that re- sembled the one on which Tukachevsky's letters were written. Dossier Goes to Hitler By April, 1937. the documents were ready. They were bound in a red leather dossier and submitted to Hitler. All that remained to be done was to smuggle the dossier into Stalin's hands, At first Ifeydrieh planned to let it fall into the hands of the Czechoslovak General Staff because lie was certain that Ihey would forward it promptly to Moscow. But on second thought, when Behrens was already in Prague with the dossier, he canceled the plan. He felt sure that such a find would gain for the Czechs Stalin's eternal gratitude. And he wasn't particuarly anxious to deepen the bonds of Russo-Czech friendship. Heydrich decided to make a direct deal with the Russians. Ile instructed Behrens to contact an attache of the Soviet Embassy in Berlin and to play the dossier into his hands. A secret meeting was arranged and the attache was ac- quainted with the existence of the docu- ment. Ti ---L' " le t.,. a..,u?g rue which Heydrich cow with the news `and "returned 1 to manity, Ca one in naris proved a dismal failure shrouded this plot. He isolated part of Berlin with Genera] Lev Mekhlis, chief -no matter ]low glorious this failure the dreaded cellars in Gestapo head- of the Communist Part 's military ad- now may appear from the viewpoint of quarters in Berlin's Prinz Albrecht ministration. the Allies. Strasse and established an office there Mekhlis was empowered by Stalin Aside from an insatiable curiosity, his whose sole function was the preparation himself to acquire the dossier by all love of travel and an uncanny knowledge of the conspiracy. s, ut wen middle- of the world, there was nothing in Ca- There were only six men who knew man bow much] e wanted art the papers, naris that qualified him for his job. He about these preparations. They were lie found that the agent was not ready was a hopelessly had organizer and a Hitler, Himmler, Heydrich himself, and to discuss a price. Ieydrich never ex- mystic who wrapped himself up in esot- three aides. One of them was Hermann petted to get money for his dossier, so eric thoughts which had little relation Behrens, Heydricli's personal aide, who he failed to give instructions to his agent to reality, directed the technical apparatus. An- that would have covered just such an other was a controversial Russian named eventuality. The Spy Master Nikolai Skoblin, a former Czarist gen- eral living in Paris. Ile acted as a kind price. It was 6.000.000 pubes ginucashhis . The man who was the real spy master of technical adviser. The third was an- The horsetrading began. After a few of Germany was Reinhard Heydrich, other Russian who deserted to us from days of hard bargaining, Mekhlis paid known in the west as "the Hangman" the Soviet secret service. He prepared 3,000,000 rubles and left Berlin with the He, too, was a former Naval officer, but the necessary texts and forged the docu- dossier in the diplomatic pouch. he was Canaris' junior by more than merits Heydrich needed. 30 years. A fanatical Nazi despite his The consequences of the plot soon At be- partly By the strange whim of history, none came evident to the whole world. At Jewish origin, and a born prat- of these men is alive today. Hitler, dawn on June 5, 1937. Heydrich was titioner of intrigue. this young nian at- Himmler and Heydriell are dead. So is called by the Foreign Office and told tracted Hitler's attention even before his Behrens. Skoblin and the other Russian that Marshal Tukachevsky had been ar- seizure of power. disappeared without a trace in
Comments