working for the conquerors: The details of Fritz’s work for the OMGUS are found in a letter from Fritz Kolbe to Ernst Kocherthaler, December 29, 1945, personal archives of Fritz Kolbe.
become common insults: In German, Aliiertenknecht and Vaterlandsverräter.
she was deeply hurt: The family of Maria Fritsch (from the petite bourgeoisie; one of her brothers owned a grocery store in Berlin) were hugely suspicious of Fritz but nonetheless came to see him for provisions supplied by the Americans, which they sold on the black market. Interview with Maria’s nephew Martin Fritsch, Berlin, January 5, 2002.
“transportation firms,” he said: Letter from Fritz Kolbe to Allen Dulles, National Archives.
major German political figures: For example, Fritz Kolbe interviewed Kurt Schumacher for Tagesspiegel in the spring of 1946. Letter from Fritz Kolbe to Ernst Kocherthaler, April 1, 1946, personal archives of Fritz Kolbe.
von Hornstein, a painter: “Fritz Kolbe was a mysterious person but he was full of life and spirit. There was incredible energy in his face. We knew that he was working for the CIA. He helped me get a pass so I could go to Bavaria with my two year old baby, who was ill with tuberculosis.” Interview with Erika von Hornstein, October 27, 2001, Berlin.
Felicitas von Reznicek: Letter from Fritz Kolbe to Allen Dulles, July 28, 1945, National Archives. Felicitas von Reznicek, a friend of Gertrud von Heimerdinger, was a journalist and the author of successful novels and screenplays for crime films.
him with electric trains: Letter from Tom Polgar, May 13, 2002. Tom Polgar was to spend the rest of his career in the CIA, notably directing the Vietnamese branch during the war years. He was one of the last American citizens to leave Saigon in April 1975.
Party in the East: The forced merger of the SPD and the SED took place on April 21 and 22, 1946.
war against the USSR: Erika von Hornstein, interview, October 27, 2001, Berlin.
and several broken ribs: Letter from Maria Fritsch to Ernst Kocherthaler, August 23, 1945, personal archives of Fritz Kolbe; Morgan, “The Spy the Nazis Missed.”
by DeWitt C. Poole: Like Dulles, DeWitt C. Poole was a Princeton graduate. Posted as a diplomat to Moscow during the Russian Revolution, he had been involved in a planned assassination attempt against Lenin. He was violently anticommunist and also adopted a hard line against Germany.
to begin in Nuremberg: The trial of the Nazi leaders had been in preparation since late 1942. The establishment of a commission called on to judge the German leaders was announced in November 1943. In August 1945, the statute for the tribunal was adopted in London by the three principal Allies: the United States, England, and the USSR. The Nuremberg tribunal opened its doors in November 1945 and sentences were pronounced on October 1, 1946. Among other Nazi leaders, Joachim von Ribbentrop was executed by hanging on October 16, 1946 in a Nuremberg gymnasium.
“pride,” Peter Sichel recalled: This testimony mildly contradicts Edward P. Morgan, who quotes the following statement by Fritz Kolbe: “I won a lot of trophies, but I never took one of them. I do things for the sake of doing them. That is enough. I don’t like trophies or medals or uniforms.” “The Spy the Nazis Missed.”
of the Poole commission: Fritz Kolbe was questioned by Harold C. Vedeler. The transcripts of the conversations, declassified since 1963, are on microfilm in the National Archives (M679, roll 2).
had to remain secret: An official document of the Nuremberg tribunal attests that Fritz Kolbe “has worked as an investigator for the War Crimes Commission from July 23, 1945 until this date. Subject has given outstanding service and is to be highly commended for the efficient and tactful manner in which he handled his assignments.” War Crimes Commission, document dated December 15, 1945, Peter Kolbe collection, Sydney.
Allies during the war: Letter of William Donovan to Allen Dulles, June 29, 1946, Allen W. Dulles Papers. At the time, Allen Dulles had left the OSS to return to the practice of law in New York. The OSS itself no longer existed. The office had been renamed SSU (for Strategic Services Unit) before becoming the CIA in September 1947. The OSS had been dismantled in October 1945 by President Truman, who feared the rise to power of an American-style “secret police.”
is no longer safe: Letter from Allen Dulles to William Donovan, July 8, 1946, Allen W. Dulles Papers. The possibility of a kidnapping of Fritz Kolbe can be understood in the context of the time. It was not infrequent in postwar Berlin for people to “disappear” mysteriously. The journalist Dieter Friede was kidnapped in the fall of 1947. Walter Linse, a jurist and defender of human rights, was kidnapped in July 1952 and executed by the Soviets a few months later
the Americans in Berlin?: Peter Sichel believes that this evaluation by Dulles “was probably a little exaggerated.” Interview with Peter Sichel, May 25, 2002, New York.
in the State Department: Letter from Fritz Kolbe to Ernst Kocherthaler, June 1947, personal archives of Fritz Kolbe.
from the United States: Letter from Fritz Kolbe to Allen Dulles, March 1, 1948, Allen W. Dulles Papers.
the American immigration authorities: After the German surrender, Allied soldiers did not have the right to communicate with German civilians. This policy of “non-fraternization” was not rescinded until mid-July 1945.
the course of 1947: Allen Dulles wondered what “George” could possibly be able to do in the United States, but he was prepared to help him in his plans. Correspondence between Fred Stalder and Allen Dulles, Allen W. Dulles Papers. The questions about Fritz were sent to Dulles by his Washington colleagues on November 21, 1947. National Archives.
submitted in New York: Affidavit notarized on January 15, 1948 by John. W. P. Slobadin, Allen W. Dulles Papers.
event of any difficulties: Affidavit notarized on April 26, 1948, same notary, Allen W. Dulles Papers. See also a letter from Richard Helms to Allen Dulles, April 21, 1948: “For your information, George has earned from us since 1945 the sum of $6,199.25. This is in addition to the 20,000 Swiss Francs which you left for him in Switzerland.” Allen W. Dulles Papers.
days of the war: Letter from Ernst Kocherthaler to Allen Dulles, October 8, 1945, National Archives.
just established in Zurich: Curriculum vitae prepared by Fritz Kolbe after the war, personal archives of Fritz Kolbe.
was in full swing: The Berlin blockade lasted from June 1948 to May 1949.
or a research assistant: Letter from Allen Dulles to Fritz Kolbe, April 1949, personal archives of Fritz Kolbe.