The risk of someone new coming into the Office of the
Reichsprotektor and learning about the confidential fund seemed to be over.
Von Deitzberg immediately arranged for Goltz to be pro moted to Sturmbannfuhrer, Raschner to Hauptsturmftihrer and, six months after that, to Sturmbannfuhrer. During that period, Goltz recruited a man-Sturmbannfuhrer Werner von Tresmarck-to be sent to Montevideo, Uruguay, osten sibly as the Embassy security officer, but actually to handle the affairs of the ransoming operation.
Later, when Operation Phoenix was put in motion, von
Deitzberg had recommended Standartenfuhrer Goltz as the man to set up and run the project in Argentina. This would also put him in a position to handle the South American end of the confidential fund. For several reasons, he was more capable, and more reliable, than von Tresmarck.
If Goltz did as well as von Deitzberg expected, his promotion to Oberfuhrer could be arranged; and if that happened, he could subtly remind Himmler that his own promotion to
Brigadefiihrer would be appropriate.
In that event, the risk of Himmler finding out about the confidential fund would have been even further reduced.
But that hadn't happened. Goltz was now dead, and there was a real possibility that when von Tresmarck was ques tioned, he would blurt out everything he knew about the confidential fund to save his own skin.
And who, von Deitzberg wondered, is going to fill in for him while he is gone? One of his men? Or someone who will eagerly try to fill the vacuum? And might that man come across a clue that would lead him to the confidential fund?
"I'm going to miss you in the office, Manfred," Himmler said as the Mercedes rolled down the Kurfiirstendamm.
"I will do my best to see that you are properly served in my absence, Herr Reichsprotektor."
"But I think you and Raschner are the right team to send over to get to the bottom of this."
"I will do my best, Herr Reichsprotektor."
"My feeling, Manfred, is that there are three possibilities."
"Which are, Herr Reichsprotektor?"
"One, someone has betrayed us. Two, Canaris is right, and the Argentine army is responsible for the murders of
Goltz and Grilner. And three, that the American OSS is involved."
"I agree, Sir."
"But the most important thing for you to find out is how much the Argentines and the Americans know about Operation
Phoenix-and I hope they know nothing. Operation
Phoenix is the priority, Manfred. That must go forward!"
"I understand, Herr Reichsprotektor."
"To that end-if I have to say this-you have my authority to do whatever you think is necessary."
"I understand, Herr Reichsprotektor. I am honored by your trust."
"Whatever is necessary, Manfred."
"Jawohl, Herr Reichsprotektor."
Ill
[ONE]
Office of the Director, Abwehr Intelligence
Berlin
0930 28 April 1943
"Korvettenkapitan Boltitz, Herr Admiral," Admiral Wilhelm
Canaris's aide announced.
Canaris looked up from the work on his desk and saw the two young naval officers standing in his open door. He didn't reply, but made three gestures. First, with his index finger he beckoned Boltitz into the office; then he signaled him to close the door; and lastly he pointed to a chair placed squarely in front of his desk.
After that, he returned his attention to the report on his desk; he didn't look up again for five minutes.
When he had finished reading, he raised his eyes toward the ceiling. After a moment he nodded his head, as if in agreement with something, exhaled audibly, lowered his eyes to the desk, reached out for a pen, and wrote something quickly on the report before him.
A moment later, his aide-de-camp opened the door to his office.
There's probably a button on the floor, Boltitz thought.
Canaris again signaled three times with his hand without speaking. He motioned the aide into the office, pointed to the report, which the aide came and took, and gestured a final time for the aide to close the door.
Then he looked at Boltitz, who started to raise himself from the chair.
Canaris held out his hand to signal him to remain seated.
Boltitz sat back down.
Canaris almost visibly gathered his thoughts.
"There is always difficulty, Boltitz, when gathering intel ligence that interests more than one agency; it becomes a question of priorities. Agency A, for its own reasons, is very interested to learn facts that are of little-sometimes no- interest whatever to Agency B, which, for its own reasons, is interested to learn a set of entirely different facts. I'm sure you're aware of this."
"I understand, Herr Admiral."
"The Filhrer has not found time in his busy schedule to share with me his thoughts about what happened in
Argentina, or, for that matter, to convey to me the impor tance he places on Operation Phoenix. Possibly this is because the Fiihrer-who not only believes, as we all do, in our ultimate victory, but is burdened with the leadership of the state-does not feel he should waste his time dealing with the contingency of being offered, or forced to seek, an armistice, and the ramifications thereof."
"I understand, Herr Admiral," Boltitz said.
This wasn't entirely true. Karl Boltitz was trying very hard to understand what Canaris was really saying.
Kapitanleutnant Boltitz recalled what his father, Vizeadmi-ral
Kurt Ludwig Boltitz, had told him as he was about to report to the Oberkommando der Wehrmacht for duty with the
Abwehr: "The best advice I can give you, Karl, is to listen to what Canaris is not saying."
Kapitanleutnant Boltitz had not been at all happy about his assignment to a desk in Berlin. After a brief service upon the Graf Spee, he had been reassigned to submarines. He had quickly risen to become the Number One (Executive
Officer) of U-241, operating in the North Atlantic from the submarine pens at St. Nazaire, and there had been no question in his mind that he would shortly be given his own boat.
There had in fact been orders waiting for Leutnant zur See
Boltitz when U-241 tied up at the underground pens of St.
Nazaire after his seventh patrol. But rather than announcing that he was detached for the purpose of assuming command of another submarine, the orders told him to report for duty to
Section VIII (H) of the Naval Element, Oberkommando der
Wehrmacht.
He had been a bureaucrat in Navy uniform long enough to know what Section VIII (H) was. It was the purposely innocuous-sounding pigeonhole to which naval officers working for Admiral Wilhelm Canaris, the Chief of Abwehr
Intelligence, were ostensibly assigned.
Earlier, he had had no doubt that his father had arranged his assignment to the Graf Spec; and now he had no doubt that Vizeadmiral Boltitz's influence was getting him off sub marine duty… a situation that gave him a good deal to think about.
For one thing, he could not deny his first reaction to his orders… both the shame and the immense relief. Relief because he would no longer have to put to sea in U-241 and face the terrors of being depth-charged by British or American destroyers.
Shame because of the simple question of honor. His father had acted dishonorably in using his influence to remove his son from combat service. And consequently, as a man of honor, it was clearly his duty to protest the special treatment and to resist it in any way he could. If necessary, he decided, he would appeal upward in the chain of com mand all the way to Admiral Donitz, even if that meant embarrassing his father. That couldn't be helped. His father should not have done what he did.
When he confronted his father in Berlin with the accusa tion, Vizeadmiral Boltitz's response was not at all what he expected.
"I had absolutely nothing to do with your transfer," his father said.
"I have your word?"
"If you feel that that's necessary, Karl."