World's Top Spy: Fritz Kolbe at the Heart of the Third Reich

Author: Luc De Ratt (France)
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-01-01
Features: Intense espionage during World War II, where no foreign diplomat, regardless of rank, could access as much intelligence as this person. He was one of the most valuable spies during World War II. From the story of Fritz, we can draw a lesson. Good intelligence officers are often those who oppose government policies for ideological reasons. They contact "opponents" and proactively provide them with intelligence. As a result, the Soviet Union and we have gathered a lot of high-level intelligence over the past 80 years. Few spies are recruited through deception, bribery, or extortion. Ideology is the primary driving force, and Fritz Kolbe is a good example of such a freedom fighter.
One evening in August 1943, an ordinary German diplomat sneaked into the British Embassy in Switzerland and handed a confidential document to a British colonel who was him. The document was so shocking that the colonel threw him out of the door, thinking he was a fraud. The next day, he decided to try his luck with the Americans. After passing various tests, he finally "passed" and gained trust. President Roosevelt secretly ordered him—Fritz Kolbe—to be developed into an important spy for the United States operating in Germany. Kolbe despised Hitler and once wanted to participate in an assassination attempt, but it never came to fruition, which ironically saved him. He repeatedly and successfully evaded Gestapo searches, providing 1,600 invaluable confidential documents to the Allies, devastating the Japanese Navy, bringing an early end to the war in Europe, and accelerating the victory in World War II, saving countless lives. Kolbe did this out of his hatred for the Nazi regime's inhumane plans and out of a citizen's sense of justice, morality, and conscience. He never demanded a single penny in compensation, received any awards, but instead endured shame and humiliation. After the war, he was branded a "traitor," forced to go into hiding and flee the country.