The Hidden War in Argentina: British and American Espionage in World War Two

187 Pages·2019·1.769 MB·English

by  Panagiotis Dimitrakis

Panagiotis Dimitrakis holds a doctorate from the Department of War Studies, King’s
College London, and is an expert on intelligence and military history. He is the author of The
Secret War for China: Espionage, Revolution and the Rise of Mao (I.B.Tauris, 2017), Secrets
and Lies in Vietnam: Spies, Intelligence and Covert Operations in the Vietnam Wars
(I.B.Tauris, 2016) and, The Secret War in Afghanistan: The Soviet Union, China and Anglo-
American Intelligence in the Afghan War (I.B.Tauris, 2013) amongst others.
‘Panagiotis Dimitrakis is unique in discovering the intelligence file that the weeders forgot to
destroy and in uncovering the document that other researchers failed to spot. Our knowledge
of the intelligence services during World War II and the Cold War has been greatly enhanced
by his burrowing away in the national archives of Britain and the United States. His new
book is a prime example of what can be achieved in breaking through the walls of secrecy
that still surround the activities of secret agencies.’
Stephen Dorril, author of MI6: Fifty Years of Special Operations
‘An important work that nicely balances the story of Allied and Axis intelligence work in
Argentina during the war with an assessment of broader geopolitical and wartime strategy
there, while also providing important analysis of the role countries like Spain played.’
Professor David A. Messenger, University of South Alabama,
author of Hunting Nazis in Franco’s Spain
‘With meticulous research and a hugely readable style, Panagiotis Dimitrakis has produced a
fascinating study of this most neglected area of World War II history.’
Martin Pearce, author of Spymaster: The Life of Britain’s Most Decorated
Cold War Spy and Head of MI6, Sir Maurice Oldfield
By the same author
Greece and the English: British Diplomacy and the Kings of Greece
Military Intelligence in Cyprus: From the Great War to Middle East Crises
Greek Military Intelligence and the Crescent: Estimating the Turkish Threat – Crises,
Leadership and Strategic Analyses, 1974–1996
Failed Alliances of the Cold War: Britain’s Strategy and Ambitions in Asia and the Middle
East
The Secret War in Afghanistan: The Soviet Union, China and Anglo-American Intelligence
in the Afghan War
The Hidden Wars in China and Greece: The CIA, MI6 and the Civil Wars
Secrets and Lies in Vietnam: Spies, Intelligence and Covert Operations in the Vietnam
Wars
The Secret War for China: Espionage, Revolution and the Rise of Mao

To Giannis and Eleni
CONTENTS
Abbreviations
Acknowledgements
Secret Pre-Histories
Introduction
1. The Ambassador
2. At War
3. The Man from the Abwehr
4. How Britain Bought the Admiral Graf Spee
5. The Islands
6. Argentina and US War Plans
7. The Director
8. Undercover
9. The Manipulator
10. The Man from the SD
11. Get the Envoy
12. On the Run
13. The Special Operatives
14. The Last General
Aftermath
Notes
Bibliography
Index
ABBREVIATIONS
AO Auslands Organization
FBI Federal Bureau of Investigation
FRUS Foreign Relations of the United States series
GC&CS Government Communications and Cipher School (UK)
Gestapo Geheimstaatspolizei (Nazi Secret Police)
JIC Joint Intelligence Committee (UK)
MI5 Security Service (UK)
MI6/SIS Secret Intelligence Service (UK)
MID Military Intelligence Division (US)
NKVD People’s Commissariat for Internal Affairs (Soviet Union)
ONI Office of Naval Intelligence (US)
OSS Office of Strategic Services
SD Sicherheitsdienst (Nazi Security Service)
SIS Special Intelligence Service of the FBI
SOE Special Operations Executive (UK)
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Professor Joe Maiolo of the Department of War Studies, King’s College London, helped me
considerably with sources, and I thank him for this. Special thanks to Ms Rosalie Spire for
her prompt aid and advice with reference to the UK National Archives. Ms Sim Smiley
helped me with the US National Archives. At I.B.Tauris I would like to thank my editor Mr
Tomasz Hoskins, Ms Arub Ahmed and Ms Louise Massara. I owe a great debt to my family –
Giannis, Mimi-Dimitra and Timos and to my wife Eleni – for their support and
encouragement.
SECRET PRE-HISTORIES
Buenos Aires, 21 August 1915: A man speaking fluent Spanish, carrying a Chilean passport
in the name of ‘Reed Rosas’, a salesman, the son of a Chilean father and an English mother,
arrived at the train station of the capital. He was tired; he had had the audacity to cross the
Andes. He looked for the embassy of imperial Germany and asked for help. ‘Reed Rosas’
was in reality a German who had served aboard the light cruiser Dresden belonging to the
squadron under the command of Vice Admiral Maximilian Reichsgraf von Spee who was
eventually killed with his crew during the Falklands naval battle; his two sons serving with
the squadron were also killed. Only the Dresden had escaped and attacked British merchants
off Southern Chile until on 14 March, Royal Navy warships closed in. The captain had no
other choice but to scuttle the ship. The crew reached Chile and was soon interned by the
authorities – they were kept on an island in the Pacific. In August the German decided to
escape the island and aboard a fishing vessel he managed to land at Santiago and search for
the German Embassy there. He was welcomed, given money and the passport with the name
‘Reed Rosas’. The German sought to pass the Andes and go to Argentina. Eventually, in
Buenos Aires the German ambassador arranged for his young compatriot to board the Dutch
ship Frisia for Rotterdam. Once he reached Berlin, the German reported to the Naval General
Staff; he received the welcome of a hero, promotion and the Iron Cross 1st Class. The
German, who entered Buenos Aires a fugitive, was Oberleutnant zur See Wilhelm Canaris,
the notorious Abwehr chief from 1935 to 1944. The escape from Chile was a formative
experience for the spymaster of Hitler.1
Buenos Aires, May–July 1917: Count Karl von Luxburg, the German chargé d’affaires, had
arranged for his secret messages to reach Berlin via the Swedish Legation. Luxburg was a
total-war proponent. Three of his messages were of special importance. He wrote on 19 May
1917: ‘Argentine steamers Oran and Guazu nearing Bordeaux with a view to change the flag,
may be spared if possible, or else sunk without a trace being left’; 3 July 1917: ‘I learn from
a reliable source that the Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs, who is a notorious ass and
anglophile, declared in a secret session of the Senate that Argentina would demand from
Berlin a promise not to sink more Argentine ships. If not agreed to, relations would be
broken off. I recommend refusal and, if necessary, calling in the mediation of Spain’; 9 July
1917: ‘As regards Argentine steamers, I recommend either compelling them to turn back,
sinking them without leaving any traces, or letting them through. They are all quite small.’
The State Department intercepted the messages and the Argentine Government was informed
about their content. Luxburg was declared persona non grata in September.2
Buenos Aires, 21 August 1939: The 8th Chess Olympiad, organized by the Fédération
Internationale des Échecs (FIDE), commenced. Teams from many European and Latin
American countries, amongst them Britain, Nazi Germany and France, met. In fact a record
number of 27 national teams attended the Olympiad. Prominent Austrian players had to carry