A faint smile crossed Goltz's lips. Oberst Karl-Heinz Gr?ner, Military Attach? of the Embassy of the German Reich to the Republic of Argentina, had sent a radio message to Himmler reporting the death of el Coronel Jorge Guillermo Frade. A copy of that message was delivered to Goltz in Berlin an hour before Himmler saw it. Goltz had immediately called Bormann.
"I did not, of course, tell him that I had already received the same information," Bormann went on. "I did tell him that was good news, as I had finally received the last signature on the document, and suggested he order you here personally to pick it up. He told me that you were already en route."
"Everyone has come on board?"
"Canaris last, of course," Bormann said, smiling, and walked behind his desk, pulled open a drawer, and handed Goltz a business-size envelope. Goltz took from it a single sheet of paper, folded in thirds, and read it.
Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Hebeiterportel
Berlin 1 April 1943
The bearer, SS-SD Standartenf?hrer Josef Goltz, has been charged with the execution of highly confidential missions of the highest importance to the German Reich.
In his sole discretion, SS-SD Standartenf?hrer Goltz will make the nature of his missions known only to such persons as he feels may assist him in the execution of his missions. Such persons are
1. Directed to provide SS-SD Standartenf?hrer Goltz with whatever support, of whatever nature, he may request.
2. Absolutely forbidden to divulge any information whatsoever concerning SS-SD Standartenf?hrer Goltz' missions to any other person without the express permission of SS-SD Standartenf?hrer Josef Goltz, including communication by any means whatsoever any reference to SS-SD Standartenf?hrer Goltz' missions to any agency of the German Reich, or any person, without the express permission in each instance of SS-SD Standartenf?hrer Josef Goltz.
Reichsleither Mart?n Bormann Wilhelm Keitel
NSDAP Feldmarschal
Heinrich Himmler Karl Doenitz
Reichsproteckto Grand Admiral
Joachim von Ribbentrop Wilhelm Canaris
Foreign Minister Rearadmiral, Abwehr
Goltz raised his eyes to Bormann.
"A very impressive document, Herr Reichsleiter," he said. He refolded the letter and put it back in the envelope. "Do I understand that I am to keep this?"
Bormann nodded.
"While you were on your way here," Bormann said, "Reichsprotektor Himmler called again, to inform me that he had obtained a seat for you on the Lufthansa flight leaving Templehof for Buenos Aires tomorrow."
Goltz put the envelope in an inside pocket of his uniform.
"You don't seem too happy to hear that," Bormann said. "Is duty about to interfere with your love life, Josef?"
"I never allow duty to interfere with my love life," Goltz replied. "What you see is a mixture of anticipation, curiosity, and unease, Herr Reichsleiter."
"Unease about what?"
"I hope you're not placing too much confidence in me."
"Modesty doesn't become you, Josef. And you know how important this endeavor is."
"I will, of course, do my best."
Bormann nodded.
"1 had a thought," he said, moving to another subject, "when they told me you were at the outer wire, and again while you were waiting. Vis-a-vis von Wachtstein."
"Oh?"
"I have a feeling his son might be very useful to us. Particularly if the Generalleutnant himself were participating in the endeavor." (A Generalleutnant is literally a lieutenant general, but is equivalent to a U.S. Armytwo-star major general.) "I won't say anything to him, of course, until you have a chance to look at the situation in Buenos Aires and let me know what you think. But why don't you pay a courtesy call on him now, Josef, ask if there is something you could carry for him to his sona letter, perhaps?"
"A very good idea," Goltz said. "I was, what shall I say, a little surprised at how close the von Wachtsteins are to poverty. If we are to believe the Generalleutnant's estate-tax return."
"Perhaps he dug a hole with his paws and buried a bone or two in it for a rainy day. After all, he is a Pomeranian."
Goltz smiled.
"While he is preparing whatever he wishes to sendgive him an hour, sayyou come back here and we'll talk."
"Yes, Sir."
"He's across the road, but I'll send you in my car so you won't have to walk."
"That's very good of you."
"In lieu of a drink, Josef. I'm taking dinner with the F?hrer, and I don't want to smell of alcohol."
Goltz chuckled. The F?hrer was an ascetic man who neither smoked nor drank. There was an unwritten law that those privileged to be in his presence also abstained.
Generalleutnant Graf (Count) Karl-Friedrich von Wachtstein was a short, slight, nearly bald fifty-four-year-old, the seventh of his Pomeranian line to earn the right to be called "General." Originally a cavalryman, he had joined the General Staff as an Oberstleutnant (Lieutenant Colonel) eight years before.
When war broke out, he went into Poland at that rank but assumed command of a Panzer regiment when its colonel was killed in his tank turret during an unexpectedly difficult encirclement maneuver. His Polish opponent, they later learned, had instructed his troops to save their rifle fire for officers who gallantly exposed themselves in tank turrets. Afterward, he was promoted to colonel.
He went into Russia commanding a tank regiment, and was fairly seriously wounded. When Generaloberst Jodl heard thisvon Wachstein had worked under Jodl as a majorhe decided that the Army could not afford to have an unusually bright general staff officer killed doing something as unimportant as commanding troops in combat, and ordered him back to Berlin. With the transfer came a promotion to Generalmajor (literally, Major General, but equivalent to a U.S. Armyone-starBrigadier General).
Earlier this year, in February, following a shakeup in the General Staff after the Sixth Army's surrender at Stalingrad, he was promoted Generalleutnant, with the additional honor of having the F?hrer personally pin on his new badges of rank.
"What the General Staff needs, Jodl," the F?hrer had said at the small promotion ceremony in his bunker, "is more general officers like Graf von Wachtstein and myselfmen who have been exposed to fire."