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Authors: Ladislas Farago
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his villa and saw a stranger loitering outside. When he spotted him again several times during the next few days, he decided to invite him inside. The loiterer turned out to be a Dutchman named Walbach. He confided to Protze that he was indeed a British agent, working for Stevens and Best. He was a thickset man with a massive head and a piercing stare, and he was evidently for sale.
âWhat do the British pay you?â Protze asked, and when Walbach said, âSeven hundred guilders a month,â the German made him an offer. âI will pay you another eight hundred, in addition to what you are getting from them. Your job will beto keep me posted about the British Secret Service here in Holland.â
Soon afterward Walbach identified Stevens as the head of the Continental Secret Service and Best as the officer in charge of military intelligence. Walbach was diligent and, during those days, Canaris told an officer in his Abwehr, âI think Uncle Richard has penetrated the British Secret Service. He is sending me embarrassing reports from that quarter.â Among Bestâs contacts was the mousy little German who called himself Dr. Franz and posed as a refugee from the Reich. Best had no reason to trust him unreservedly, if only because Franz was extremely loquacious, but the abundant information he supplied about the Wehrmacht invariably proved accurate.
Early in September, Franz, who until then had dealt with Best through a go-between, demanded to see the captain in person. He had some momentous information that he would entrust only to the boss himself. Contrary to his normal practice and somewhat against his better judgment, Best agreed to meet Franz. Franz revealed that the invaluable information he had been able to funnel to the Secret Service originated from a Luftwaffe major named Solms who was a member of the anti-Nazi underground. Now Solms had information about certain events that could lead to the downfall of Hitler, but he refused to entrust them to Dr. Franz. He had instructed the little doctor to arrange a meeting with Captain Best.
Best agreed and suggested that the major come to Amsterdam or The Hague. Solms replied through Franz that he could not come so far. Best then agreed to meet him at Venlo, an obscure little village on the Dutch-German frontier.
Solms turned out to be a big, bluff, self-confident, excitable Bavarian who talked as big as he looked. It soon became evident that he was only an errand boy for more important people. A second meeting was arranged for the following week, again at Venlo. This time the major was calmer and less boastful. He talked coherently of his mission, which was to get British supportfor an ambitious plot, headed by an anonymous general, to overthrow Hitler. Best made a minimum effort to check up on the manâs bona fides. He asked him a few technical questions and, when Solms answered them precisely, Best was satisfied that his man was on the level. No other efforts were made to check up on Solms or, for that matter, on Dr. Franz. Both men were accepted at face value.
During the second meeting a code was devised in which Solms would communicate with Best, via Franz and a mail-drop in the Netherlands. A few days later Franz told Best that he had received a call from another officer in Germany who informed him in the code that a letter had been sent to the drop for Bestâs eyes only. The letter arrived and in it the anonymous correspondent advised Best that the mysterious leader of the plot, âthe General,â was prepared to meet him in person, provided Best could convince him that he was, indeed, a top-ranking British agent. Attached to the letter was an ingeniously worded news item, which Best was to have broadcast by the BBC on its German beam. The item was broadcast twice on October 11.
Solms had faded out of the picture, with the explanation that the Gestapo had him under surveillance. The general was to handle things in person. As the
âWhat do the British pay you?â Protze asked, and when Walbach said, âSeven hundred guilders a month,â the German made him an offer. âI will pay you another eight hundred, in addition to what you are getting from them. Your job will beto keep me posted about the British Secret Service here in Holland.â
Soon afterward Walbach identified Stevens as the head of the Continental Secret Service and Best as the officer in charge of military intelligence. Walbach was diligent and, during those days, Canaris told an officer in his Abwehr, âI think Uncle Richard has penetrated the British Secret Service. He is sending me embarrassing reports from that quarter.â Among Bestâs contacts was the mousy little German who called himself Dr. Franz and posed as a refugee from the Reich. Best had no reason to trust him unreservedly, if only because Franz was extremely loquacious, but the abundant information he supplied about the Wehrmacht invariably proved accurate.
Early in September, Franz, who until then had dealt with Best through a go-between, demanded to see the captain in person. He had some momentous information that he would entrust only to the boss himself. Contrary to his normal practice and somewhat against his better judgment, Best agreed to meet Franz. Franz revealed that the invaluable information he had been able to funnel to the Secret Service originated from a Luftwaffe major named Solms who was a member of the anti-Nazi underground. Now Solms had information about certain events that could lead to the downfall of Hitler, but he refused to entrust them to Dr. Franz. He had instructed the little doctor to arrange a meeting with Captain Best.
Best agreed and suggested that the major come to Amsterdam or The Hague. Solms replied through Franz that he could not come so far. Best then agreed to meet him at Venlo, an obscure little village on the Dutch-German frontier.
Solms turned out to be a big, bluff, self-confident, excitable Bavarian who talked as big as he looked. It soon became evident that he was only an errand boy for more important people. A second meeting was arranged for the following week, again at Venlo. This time the major was calmer and less boastful. He talked coherently of his mission, which was to get British supportfor an ambitious plot, headed by an anonymous general, to overthrow Hitler. Best made a minimum effort to check up on the manâs bona fides. He asked him a few technical questions and, when Solms answered them precisely, Best was satisfied that his man was on the level. No other efforts were made to check up on Solms or, for that matter, on Dr. Franz. Both men were accepted at face value.
During the second meeting a code was devised in which Solms would communicate with Best, via Franz and a mail-drop in the Netherlands. A few days later Franz told Best that he had received a call from another officer in Germany who informed him in the code that a letter had been sent to the drop for Bestâs eyes only. The letter arrived and in it the anonymous correspondent advised Best that the mysterious leader of the plot, âthe General,â was prepared to meet him in person, provided Best could convince him that he was, indeed, a top-ranking British agent. Attached to the letter was an ingeniously worded news item, which Best was to have broadcast by the BBC on its German beam. The item was broadcast twice on October 11.
Solms had faded out of the picture, with the explanation that the Gestapo had him under surveillance. The general was to handle things in person. As the
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