“I do not understand, General.”
“Apologies. So one of these, or maybe one we have yet to find, contains something relevant to the Ministry of Middle Machinery?”
“And the intelligence doesn’t narrow the field at all?”
“No, General. The source was a travel document. It was a hand notation on the official documentation. Best guess from my agent is that was made by someone on Malenkov’s staff.”
They drank in silence as their eyes flitted from pin to pin.
“Novosibirsk?”
“That is logical, General Strong. Industrial relocation took so much of their war industry there. We would expect to find such things there. Better to hide something in such a place.”
“Indeed.”
“The others are not all familiar to me. This one has a large camp close by at Akhtubinsk. Perhaps I can get one of my Red Cross agents near the place.”
“Or I one of mine.”
“Or both.”
Strong tapped the map.
“This one near Luhansk. We had suspicions about it some time back. From memory, I think we thought it had some underground facility. Turned out to simply be mining. Perhaps we should take another look.”
Gehlen nodded.
“General Strong, it makes sense to me that any secret facility would be more likely some considerable distance away, either well-hidden or, as we say with Novosibirsk, hidden in plain sight.”
Strong understood the point.
“Kazakhstan or Novosibirsk then?”
“If the Russian stays true to form, then one of those two would be my choice, General Strong.”
“So… who do we have? I can ask the Poles. They’ve a few people in the strangest of places. We need to review our interrogations of Soviet prisoners, in case there is something relevant that we’ve missed… now we have the name.”
“Of course. I may have someone I can use in Novosibirsk. Difficult communications naturally. Very difficult indeed. I’ll try and get in touch.”
“Excellent. Now, I’m thinking we keep this close to the chest for now… until we get something firm. Agreed?”
“Agreed, General Strong.”
They resumed their seats and finished the drinks, during which Strong sensed there was something else on the German’s mind.
“I have a meeting at 0830… do I need to cancel it, Reinhard?”
Gehlen was taken aback that Strong should use his name, which was the precise reason the British Intelligence officer had used it.
“Just something that is concerning me, General.”
Strong sensed that it was more than concern but decided on a soft pedal approach.
“If you wish to share, then it will stay in this room. If not, perhaps I can help in other ways?”
Gehlen picked up his cup, not remembering he had already finished his drink.
“Another?”
“No, thank you, General Strong.”
He decided to share his concerns, a mark of how much he trusted the Englishman.
“Does the name Rudolf Diels mean anything to you, General?”
“Not immediately, but I assume it should.”
“Diels was a protégé of Göring… a former head of Prussia’s Department 1A…”
“The Gestapo?”
“Yes, the Geheime Staatspolizei.”
“Yes, I remember now… wasn’t he implicated in the assassination plot against Adolf?”
“Implicated yes… but he was not involved. Diels fell short of being a committed Nazi in many ways… but not all.”
“Meaning what, Reinhard?”
“Meaning he was considered to be not ruthless enough in his prosecution of Nazi ideals.”
“OK, so where does he fit in with your clear concerns?”
“He has an office in the government building. For what purpose I’m unclear, but I believe he has an intelligence brief.”
“But you’re th… oh.”
“I’m excluded from many matters now, more than ever before. I give information but receive little on what is going on.”
“And what is going on?”
Strong had caught the tone in Gehlen’s voice and understood that the issue was not simply one of Diels’ presence.
“Speer is working to a plan. I am sure of this. To what end, I’m unclear but I can tell you this. It involves the Poles. I have never known so many secret exchanges between us and our old enemy. Exchanges from which I am excluded… totally. I receive nothing. My agents in place have all been moved on or silenced in other ways. My top agent in the Polish government met with a fatal riding accident only a month ago. My best man in the Oberkommando was close to Guderian. He’s now attached to our embassy in London!”
“Bloody hell.”
“No accident… all of these moves or losses are no accident at all. I seem to serve no purpose in the upper circles any more. Whenever I’m in a meeting, I feel like the fifth cock at a four whore party.”
Strong stifled his laugh, understanding that the unusual outburst was simply Gehlen letting off steam, built up under the pressure of the obvious exclusions.
“What do you want of me, Reinhard?”
“Do you have anyone in our government who might be able to establish what the hell is going on?”
That was both a huge admission from the Abwehr chief, and a considerable declaration of his own impotence.
“I’ll do all I can to find out for you, Reinhard.”
“Thank you, Kenneth. Thank you so very much.”
Chapter 177 – THE CRATES
History is a lesson for the future based the resolutions of the past.
1101 hrs, Sunday, 13th October 1946, Schlosshotel Kronberg, Kronberg im Taunus, Frankfurt, Germany.
“Son of a bitch!”
Bradley looked on with a straight face, determining to say nothing and immediately failing.
“Amphibious operations were once your speciality, Ike.”
Eisenhower shot his friend a murderous look.
“Seem to remember that I sent you into the water. You fancy a repeat, Brad?
“No, Sir, no way, no how.”
Eisenhower’s fury had been put on, for the most part anyway, and he selected another tee and placed a ball on it.
“One more word out of you and I may fill the liaison vacancy in Finland with some well-known Missourian who just happens to look just like you. Kapische?”
“You wouldn’t dare!”
The two laughed and then fell silent as Ike addressed the ball.
The whoosh and crisp click of the club indicated a drive straight down the fairway, and not, as previously, the dreaded tell-tale of a pulled stroke that was condemned to fall into the nearby lake.
“Nice work for an old guy.”
The drive had been ruler straight and would have graced a professional tournament.
“Three years older, that’s all I am… technically two and a half years. Desist, General!”
They laughed as they strolled forward enjoying the warm October sun, their casual relationship on the course as different as chalk to cheese to their formal military relationship.
“101st and 17th Airbornes have been relieved by 82nd finally, Ike. Few stopovers, mainly officers to help ease the new boys in some, but the Eagles are pretty much all on the way back home.”
“God knows they earned it, Brad.”
“Sure did. How’s the 17th Armored settling in? There’s a lot of anxious officers ringing my staff every day.”
Bradley was looking at his ball as he walked forward, and judged a wedge to be most appropriate.
“Well, from the last report, there’s next to nothing left to do. Divisional command is up at the front, getting familiar with their area of responsibility and tapping into the neighbours. Best guess is Wednesday, Ike.”