‘“Himmler is waiting for me to make one mistake,”’ Dornberger mimicked Keitel. ‘“He will have me removed and the officer corps will have lost its last direct pipeline to the Führer. Then the Reichsführer will have it all his way.”’ The general slammed a hand on the seat of the car. ‘Keitel has not yet realised that Himmler already has everything except the Führer’s position. Then, heaven help Germany, we will have a madman at the helm.’
Keitel had, Dornberger told Bethwig, agreed to arrange with Himmler’s aide for Dornberger to see the Reichsführer, but Himmler had refused, preferring instead that Dornberger meet with SS General Ernst Kaltenbrunner, Heydrich’s successor. When Dornberger then demanded that Keitel issue an order for the release of the three scientists on grounds that as army employees they were not subject to Gestapo arrest, Keitel refused, claiming he could not interfere in an ongoing investigation.
Kaltenbrunner, SS chief of security for Berlin, was not available. Instead his deputy, SS General Heinrich Muller, was waiting for them in Kaltenbrunner’s office. After Domberger stated the reason for his visit, General Muller rolled his eyes towards the ceiling, as if seeking sympathy, and denied any knowledge of the circumstances surrounding von Braun’s arrest. He was a huge, florid-faced man who obviously depended more upon physical size and demeanour than brains. Bethwig watched him in fascination, thinking that in his presence one had the feeling that a physical assault was imminent, and admitted that he was, indeed, intimidated.
Domberger adopted a reasonable tone, explaining that the three men must have been arrested by mistake, that they were absolutely indispensable to the A-4 project which was in its most critical phase. He asked for their immediate release. When he finished, Muller eyed him carefully, then turned towards Bethwig.
‘And what is the reason for your presence in my office, Herr Bethwig?’
His tone was belligerent enough to make Bethwig bridle, but he kept his temper under control. ‘Simply to support General Dornberger. I am a scientist and an engineer and can—’
‘Yes, yes.’ Muller waved a hand. ‘I know all about you, Herr Doktor. In fact, I am surprised that you were not arrested with von Braun. Our file on you is even thicker than his, or General Domberger’s,’ he finished with a smirk.
‘If you are attempting to intimidate either of us, let me remind you that as military personnel we are—’
‘Not subject to the authority of the SS. Yes, I know.’ Muller waved a weary hand. ‘And I would remind you of the position in which Doktor von Braun now finds himself, for the second time. I would have thought one warning sufficient.’
Bethwig could endure the man’s arrogance no longer. He sprang to his feet, slammed a fist down on Muller’s desk, and had the satisfaction of seeing the SS officer jump.
‘Not those ridiculous sabotage charges again! You fool!’ he shouted. ‘Do you work for the Allies or for Germany?’ Bethwig leaned forward until his face was inches from Muller’s. ‘Well, two can play this game,’ he snarled. ‘Perhaps an investigation into your own activities would show who the traitors are. What do you suppose a thorough investigation of all those fine houses, expensive automobiles, and greedy women you surround yourself with would disclose? The Führer himself might even take a personal interest, especially when he contrasts his own way of life with the hedonism so beloved by the SS.’ The accusation was simply a shot in the dark, but the odds were on his side; and when he saw Muller’s expression transformed for an instant he knew that he had struck home.
Dornberger stared at Muller, making no attempt to calm Bethwig who was close to raving. The SS general had leaned back in his chair under Bethwig’s assault, and Bethwig leaned closer still and jabbed a finger directly into his face.
‘You issue orders for the release of those three or I will go directly to the Führer. It will give me a great deal of pleasure to see you squirm as you try and explain why you are delaying the development of a weapon which the Führer himself has proclaimed will win the war for Germany. I am certain he will also be interested in an examination of your personal finances and those of other officers in the SS!’
As he subsided into his chair, exhausted by his outburst, Bethwig could see indecision grinding its way through Muller’s brain, and he thought with contempt that in the Machiavellian world of the SS one could never be certain where one’s support lay.
The SD commander stared at the angry Bethwig, wondering just how much fact there was in his accusation and how much guesswork. He knew that Bethwig’s father had high connections in the party, and it was rumoured that the younger Bethwig worked directly for the Reichsführer on a secret project; something also to do with rockets. There were too many loose ends, Muller decided. Since he had no direct orders from Himmler on how to proceed – there had been only a telephone call from an aide instructing him to see Dornberger – he decided to stall until he could clarify the situation.
‘Gentlemen’ – he tried a winning smile – ‘I apologise for my abruptness. It is a bad habit caused by overwork. If I seemed insensitive, it was because I have had little sleep in the past two weeks. As to this matter of your scientists, let me say that I will look into it immediately. As you may know, they were arrested by the Gestapo and are currently in custody in Stettin. The SD had nothing to do with their arrest. It is my understanding, though, that they were arrested because they spoke publicly of the fact that it had never been their intention to build war rockets, that everything they had done was directed towards their personal goal of travel in space.’
Muller was beginning to regain some of his confidence as he talked; and studying both men, he decided that a touch of the lash was in order to remind them who he was.
‘They have, in effect, admitted to swindling the Reich out of millions of marks to further their own ends. I might add that the first notation in the file was entered personally by Reinhard Heydrich, in August of 1941. If convicted of those charges, I need hardly tell you gentlemen of their fate. The wire noose is reserved for traitors.’
Bethwig stared at him in astonishment as he recalled that dinner discussion with Heydrich in Swinemunde three-no, by God, only a little over two years before. As long ago as that, the SD had been preparing….
This time it was Dornberger’s turn to explode, repeating his demand that they be released immediately or, at least, turned over to civil authorities for investigation of the charges. The argument grew vicious with Muller threatening to bring charges against both men based on their own extensive files, which he kept tapping with a large, meaty forefinger, until Dornberger challenged him to do so. At that point Muller, recalling his previous decision not to be pushed into mistakes, backed off and once more became conciliatory, promising to do what he could to have the three men released.
They drove from SS headquarters in Prinz Albrechtstrasse to Tempelhof where Bethwig boarded a transport for Peenemunde, while Dornberger returned to the city for a hurried meeting with Major Klammroth of the OKW Counter-intelligence Department. As the aircraft made its way north at low level to avoid marauding fighters Bethwig stared out at the blank greyness, wondering if Himmler had somehow learned that their carefully guarded lunar project was still very much alive. If so, there was more than a grain of truth in the Gestapo charges, and God help them all.
A car was waiting for him at the airfield. Franz was tired beyond belief and went directly to his new house overlooking the storm-lashed beach north of Trassenheide, the only positive result of his association with the SS. The house was cold, and he lit the fire laid by the Polish housekeeper. Warming himself before the fireplace, he watched the waves tumbling on to the beach, depressed by all that had happened.