The disbandment of the 58th and 80th British Infantry Divisions in April 1945 constituted the last step in the dissolution of FORTITUDE’s imaginary armies. It remains to see how each of the controlled agents took his leave. The only letter writers who engaged in operational deception during the latter months of the war were GELATINE and BRONX. The former had been showing signs of anxiety and depression for some time. At the beginning of April she saw that defeat was near and on the 7th complained to the Germans: ‘I must know when to stop as I do not want to endanger my position at the last moment. And what happens after that?’1 Her last letter was posted on 30th April. BRONX kept her head until the end and on 3rd May wrote: ‘Events succeed each other so quickly that everyone here thinks of the war as being over, but no one knows who is really in command in Germany. It seems to me useless to send you military information, but I think I could, from time to time, send you political observations which would be of use to you in the reconstruction of Germany once this terrible period is over.’2
Of the three surviving wireless agents TATE, whose performances had been so disappointing in the summer, was beginning to receive some slight indication of recognition before FORTITUDE ended.3 In November he ceased to operate on our behalf, devoting himself thereafter to naval deception, in which employment he achieved some striking successes.
BRUTUS left FUSAG on 21st August and returned to the Polish Air Headquarters at the Rubens Hotel. He had already expressed some concern about the future of Poland and the treatment of Polish subjects by the Germans. This and the fact that he was no longer at the army group headquarters evidently made the Germans fear that they might soon lose him. They therefore did their best to impress him with the great value which they placed upon his services. ‘We thank you profoundly for your excellent work and would like you to thank your friend CHOPIN also, who, despite his age, works so well. Tell him please that once the war is over he will have no further financial difficulties.’4 These encouraging words did not remove the agent’s anxiety regarding developments in his own country. On 11th September he told his masters: ‘I am very much depressed. The news of former atrocities committed at the camp at Lublin have recently received much publicity in the press and have the appearance of being too true. … I believe that I have the right to ask for a true statement of your general policy towards my country.’5 The Germans were quick to reassure him: ‘Once again I thank you with all my heart for your excellent work. I implore you not to imagine that I have done nothing for you. I have passed on all your political propositions, especially concerning your country, recommending them to accept them.’6 A little later BRUTUS pointed out how difficult it was for him to continue. ‘My present work at my headquarters takes up a very great deal of time and I have not the same freedom of movement as before. The search for information and the lengthy enciphering still further reduces the time available.’7 After this date his communications became very infrequent. His last message was sent on 2nd January, 1945, when he announced that he was about to pay a visit to 2nd TAF in the Neighbourhood of Brussels.
This leaves us with GARBO. As a result of his arrest in July he had already handed over the active direction of the network to agent Three. At the beginning of August he was assailed by a new trouble. As the defeat of Germany drew nearer a certain number of German collaborators living in neutral countries sought to reinsure their position by offering their services to the Allies. One of these, an Abwehr agent in Madrid, approached the British Secret Service there and offered, in consideration of their protection and a safe passage to England, to disclose details of a German espionage network in the United Kingdom. We had reason to believe that the information which he desired to impart related to the GARBO organisation and that the Germans were aware that he had acquired some knowledge of this valued source of intelligence. Had he been allowed to unburden himself of his secret, it would have meant closing the GARBO case, for if we had continued to employ him in a double-cross role after it was known to the enemy that we had been told of his activities in this country, it would merely have proved to them that he was operating under control. GARBO’s case officer therefore devised a way of overcoming this most embarrassing problem. The manœuvre adopted was full of complexities and took many months to achieve its object; here it can be given only in bare outline. GARBO told the Germans that the courier had heard through a third party, on one of his visits to Lisbon, of the Spanish agents intended defection. In spite of this treacherous action GARBO begged his maters not to take any action against him, but simply to let him know that their master spy had escaped from England and was now in hiding in Spain. In this way, GARBO pointed out, he would be robbed of his bargaining counter and the English, if the information came to their ears, would be induced to give up any enquiries which they might have initiated as a result of these preliminary conversations.
With this added danger it now became essential for GARBO to go into hiding. For this purpose he chose the cottage in South Wales which had been occupied by Four after his escape from Hiltingbury Camp at the time of the invasion. He found the life there very monotonous and on 3rd October he gave the following account of his surroundings: ‘There are three of us, the Welsh couple and a Belgian. The former are both fairly old, each of about sixty years of age. They work all day long in the fields looking after the farm which consists of four head of cattle and about a hundred fowls. The house is miserable and poor and it only has electricity through a miracle, since the electricity supply happens to pass through some mountains and goes to a village which is only ten miles away. The old man is a Welsh Nationalist who, in his youth, worked a great deal for the Party. His English is worse than mine and I mostly do not understand what he says. They speak Welsh when they are talking together. He is now no longer mixed up in politics. He is a friend of 7 (2) and it was in this farm that the group which was formed by those who are now working for us used to print their propaganda leaflets. Here they used to hide their documents; they had, and still have, a secret cellar which leads out of the basement of the house. It is a sort of shelter where the Belgian and I would hide should there be an unexpected visit from one of the neighbours. This, however, is very unlikely, since in this corner of the world no one will ever turn up and, secondly, because the nearest neighbour lives two and a half miles away from the farm. The Belgian is a man who is a little simple. I do not know whether his brains are atrophied. On studying him he seems to be abnormal. We spend the day on our own, listening to the radio and reading books.’8
The Germans at once fell in with GARBO’s proposals to defeat this treacherous act. To complete the story Madrid was told that during the months of October and November Mrs GARBO had been visited constantly by the Police and interrogated as to the whereabouts of her husband, her answer of course being that he had gone to Spain. In order to confirm this GARBO wrote letters to his wife which purported to have been written by him in Spain. These were taken, supposedly by the courier, to Madrid and delivered to the Germans, who, playing their part in the ruse posted the letters on to Mrs GARBO, thus providing her with evidence to support her statement that her husband had left the country.
Madrid showed itself to be very sympathetic towards GARBO in his new misfortunes and appreciative of his stoical courage in the face of such overwhelming difficulties. At Christmas he received the following letter:
‘My dear friend and colleague,
‘The days are approaching which, in normal times, would be days of good cheer for all of us. We are living through the decisive hours for the future of humanity and the civilisation of Europe and surely for the whole world, and the thoughts of the tremendous unhappiness which this evolution has, to some extent, brought with it for millions of human beings do not allow conscientious people to enter into the good atmosphere of these festive moments. Thus, during these days we will devote ourselves with more intensity, if this should be possible, to thinking about our companions who, in the performance of their duty and in the defence of their ideals, are now in a dangerous situation, terrible and very disagreeable. I should like to be a writer in order that I should have facility to find the words which might fully give you to understand the high esteem which we all have for you and the desire we and our headquarters have to collaborate with you.
‘We have, in your personality, your character, your valour, all these virtues which become a gentleman. I hope, nevertheless, that from what I have written to you, you will have been able to feel that which perhaps through lack of ability to express myself in the written word I have been unable to impress adequately. We here, in the very small circle of colleagues who know your story and that of your organisation, talk so often about you that it often seems as if we were living the incidents which you relate to us and we most certainly share, to the full, your worries. On account of them I know that with the approach of Christmas you will be suffering many bitter moments at having to spend these days separated from the people who mean most in your life. I trust, nevertheless, that the satisfaction at being able to contribute, through the mediation of the organisation which you have created, to a sacred cause which is that of the struggle for the maintenance of order and salvation in our Continent will give you comfort and moral strength to be able to go ahead with us until we have overcome all obstacles.
At the termination of this year of truly extraordinary struggles I wish to express to you our firm and absolute conviction that next year will bring us further along our none too easy road, at the end of which we will find that which has been awaiting us as a worthy recompense for all the sacrifices which this temporary task has imposed upon us.
‘For you, personally, my dear friend, you already know that my greatest wish is to see you soon free from your present critical situation and united once more with your family. We pray to the Almighty that He may give them and you His protection as He has done up till now and that He may inspire those who direct the destination of countries to avoid the final catastrophe in the world. What is now taking place in many countries in Europe is perhaps the first ray of light which He has shown us to illuminate and demonstrate what would occur if wise judgment is not shown in time in order that it should be appreciated where the true danger lies.
‘These thoughts are also, to some extent, directed to all the companions of your organisation. I trust that it will be possible for you to pass to them our thoughts, our good wishes, and our gratitude for the magnificent work, and, in particular, to those who have helped you to resolve the present situation as true friends, to Three, Seven, the Courier, 7 (2), &c. We hope very sincerely that one of these days it will be possible for us to express to them all our feelings in a more concrete form.
‘I know, my dear friend, that it is not possible to recompense materially all that you and your organisation are doing, nevertheless I wish very sincerely that all your colleagues should have the possibility of being able to do something during the days of Christmas which will remind them that our thoughts are with you. Were it possible, I would send from here something to each one of them as a small token. In view of the circumstances, I have no alternative but to confine myself to money which, I trust, they will all be able to accept as an expression of personal attention. I should be grateful to you, therefore, if you would take the necessary measures to effect this and I leave it to your judgment to decide the amount which should be given to each of them in accordance with your knowledge of the various friends. I think that maybe the equivalent of a month’s payment might be suitable, but as I have already said, you have absolute freedom to take the decision in this connection.
‘I purposely have not dealt with service matters in this letter. This I shall do when I have received your personal letter which, I hope, will give me details about your plan for escaping which I asked for by message, which will enable me, forthwith, to reply regarding all the possibilities in this connection.
‘I enclose, with this letter, a remittance of $3,000.
‘With our most cordial regards and a firm handshake.’9
Meanwhile, as the last paragraph of the Christmas letter discloses, GARBO was turning over in his mind means of escaping from the country and this formed the basis of much correspondence during the last months of the war. In these letters, as a security measure, GARBO was always referred to in the third person as ‘the friend’. In March he decided, for purposes of disguise, to grow a beard and sent a photograph of himself to the Germans to see if they approved. The German answer is worth recording. ‘Having examined the photographs of the friend I must assure you that I find the camouflage perfect. On the other hand, if I am to be quite frank in expressing my opinion I must say that this camouflage presents quite a lot of difficulties on account of the by no means usual shape of the friend’s beard, since I think I can say with certainty that one can see very few people nowadays who wear a beard of that shape with the exception of those beards which are rather more developed and one connects with people advanced in years.’10
Before going any further we must see what had become of all the sub-agents. At the beginning of August when GARBO had reorganised the network, the position was as follows: the system of communication remained as heretofore. J (1) continued to act as courier and 4 (1) as the wireless operator. Of the unconscious collaborators, J (3) and J (5), with their ministerial connections, and 4 (3), the useful American sergeant, were still valuable sources of intelligence. Agent Three, the deputy chief, was virtually in charge of the network, while his subagent 3 (3) continued to keep watch in Scotland. Four was still in hiding in South Wales. Seven had just retired from the service, had rejoined the Merchant Service and was hoping to arrange for Four’s passage to Canada, where he would be able to join agent Five. Of Seven’s sub-network, 7 (3), the Wren, had gone to India, 7 (5) and 7 (6) had dropped out, while 7 (2), 7 (4) and 7 (7), the faithful Donny, Dick and Dorick, continued to carry the main burden of the day. At the end of August Madrid sent GARBO an assessment of the subagents. It is of such interest that it is quoted in full.
‘It has, for a long while past, been my desire to deal in brief with your various collaborators or, that is to say, to let you know how we here judge the quality and importance of their reports.
‘I can say with satisfaction that all of these who are regular informants show that they have understood their mission owing to the logic of the good instructions which they have received from you. Outstanding in importance are the reports of your friend 4 (3), who, owing to the position he occupies, is the best placed for facilitating details with regard to the organisation of the army in general, about its large units and its composition, the arrival of new American divisions, plans of the High Command, &c. Though I imagine that in this connection you are dealing with an unconscious collaborator, it is necessary to cultivate this friendship by all possible means as you yourself have pointed out. The last report of this friend of yours about the reorganisation of FUSAG was excellent. Nevertheless, it is necessary to proceed with the greatest care so as not to arouse his suspicion through the questions you ask him.
‘The informants 7 (2), 7 (4) and 7 (7) we consider to be perfect military observers and we have no further observation to make. If they continue to work as they have done up till now, then we are more than satisfied!
‘As to 7 (1), it is a long time since we had news of him, possibly you can get some information through this channel about the present location of the 9th British Division, a matter which interests us as we have already stated by message.
‘The work of 7 (5) did not last long and we could not judge his good qualities. We are happy that the difficulties he experienced did not bring more serious consequences. I realise that this agent must have been influenced by this incident. Nevertheless, I consider the Swansea area to be of great importance. Even though there are not, at present, large contingents of troops there, it is from other aspects of war of interest and therefore I do not think that you should break contact altogether with this agent. I think you should use him for work which is not dangerous as I do not think that he will be able to work free from fear, but he might be of some minor use. I leave the final decision to you.
‘I am completely in agreement with your decision with regard to agent 7 (6), who has shown no signs of intelligence. We have had practically no news about 7 (3) since she has been in your employment. We hope for good results from her new place of residence.
‘Seven is the one who has the greater merits, since he has organised his large network and has at the same time acted himself as an observer and military informant of great precision and accuracy. He has also supplied us with several reports of extraordinary merit. We should be very upset should we ever have to lose this friend who has overcome so many difficult situations. It was undoubtedly he who gave so much help in cases which had to be resolved with urgency such as the case of Four after he had left the camp. I hope, therefore, that we will be able to continue to count on the collaboration of Seven and should he not wish to remain here, we would like to have him in the new organisation in Canada which I will deal with more fully later in this letter.
‘With regard to Three, who is undoubtedly your best collaborator, there is no need for me to say anything more since we have expressed, above, our opinion of him.
‘As to 3 (1) and 3 (2), it is a long time since we have had news of them. (Possibly your friend who was in contact with them is no longer able to maintain this contact.) If this is the case, please let us know so that we can remove them from our list.
‘The same applies to 3 (3) as has been said about 7 (2), 7 (4) and 7 (7), though I think that this is a case where the informant might intensify his work a little since it is undoubtedly the case that a lot of important military activities are taking place in the North, in spite of the fact that the possibility of an embarkation from there appears, for the moment, to have disappeared.
‘I shall deal more fully with Four, together with the Canadian project. The effort which he made when the invasion was about to take place merits the highest recognition and praise. I perfectly well understand that what he is doing now and his present situation must be intolerable, and I consider that we should please him as quickly as possible.
‘4 (1) continues to carry out his mission with all perfection and reliability. He has acquired a great deal of practice since he has been transmitting. The transmissions have sometimes been very difficult owing to atmospheric conditions and other disturbances. Should he be able to modify his set, increasing the frequency band from 5,000 to 9,000 Kcs. for example, we should be able to adapt more favourable frequencies to the general conditions and times of transmission. If he cannot do it, it does not matter, because we have managed to get along like this and will continue to do so.
‘4 (2) is another of the agents about whom we have had no news for some time. I therefore hope that you will be also let me know in this connection whether we may remove him from our list or whether this agent is collaborating with you in some other connection.
‘With regard to your friends J (3) and J (5), I do not think they call for any special mention. The information from the MOI, which you have obtained through J (3), has on many occasions made it possible for us to be able to draw important conclusions and this friend has, furthermore, served your cover magnificently.
‘With reference to J (1), I can tell you that the sending of correspondence has worked recently to perfection. Some letters have been in my possession within a week.’11
By the beginning of October Four had left with Seven for Canada. In November 3 (3) resigned. In February 1945 GARBO decided to pay off 7 (5) and 7 (6). As they had done nothing for a long time he said he would give them £100 each. At the beginning of April Three went to see GARBO in South Wales as it was becoming evident that the end was near and agent Seven’s organisation in particular was becoming restive. As GARBO pointed out to his masters:
‘These individuals are inspired by other ideas and their ends are different from ours. They have helped us because they believe and hope that with the assistance that they were giving us we would one day be able to help them and the ends of their Party. Now that they see that our situation is itself difficult and they cannot hope for anything from us, they wish to get out without compromise from the promise of loyalty which they have expressed.’12 7 (7) could not see how their work was going to benefit the Welsh Nationalist Movement. 7 (4) frankly admitted that he had only got mixed up in this business because of his mistress and intended to return to India when the war was over. 7 (2), though willing to continue, was suffering from asthma. Three himself was prepared to go on in the face of all difficulties. During the next few weeks the situation deteriorated fast, and on 1st May the Germans recommended to GARBO that he should wind up the whole organisation. ‘The rapid course of events and the confusion reigning all over the world makes it impossible to see ahead with clarity the future developments of the general situation or to take decisions in this connection. We thank you with all our heart for the offer from Three and yourself for your continued future collaboration, understanding and fully appreciating the motives which animated this. On the other hand, you will understand that in a situation which does not allow one to look ahead it is our greatest wish and duty as colleagues to arrange matters in such a way, taking as a basis the present events, so as to ensure generally for your safety and that of the collaborators, giving them an opportunity to return to their private activities.’13
On 3rd May GARBO joined agent Three in London. A message sent on that day with a request to the Germans to destroy his papers ended on an optimistic note. ‘I have absolute confidence, in spite of the present crisis which is very hard, that our struggle will not terminate with the present phase and that we are entering into what is developing into a world civil war which will result in the disintegration of our enemies.’14 On the 6th the Germans replied: ‘Grateful for your latest messages and, especially, your offers of unconditional collaboration. The heroic death of our Fuehrer clearly points the course which must be followed. All future work and efforts, should they be carried out, must be directed exclusively against the danger which is threatened by a coalition with the East. Only a close union of all the sane peoples of Europe and America can counteract this tremendous danger against which all other questions become unimportant. You will understand that in view of the very rapid evolution of the situation during the past week, it has become completely impossible for us to be able to tell you now whether we will later on be able to dedicate ourselves to the work, the basis of which is indicated above. Should we do so, we hope that we will be able to count on your proven friendship and enormous experience in service matters. We, therefore, fully approve your plan to return to Spain where, when once you have arrived, the plan for a new organisation directed against the East can be dealt with.’15 On the 8th GARBO was told that if he should succeed in reaching Madrid he was to frequent the Café Bar La Modrena, 141 Calle Alcala, every Monday between eight and half-past eight in the evening starting on 4th June. He was to be seated at the end of the café and to be carrying the newspaper, London News. A person would meet him there who would say that he had come on behalf of Fernando Gomez.16 On the same day GARBO sent his last message: ‘I understand the present situation and the lack of guidance due to the unexpected end of the military struggle. News of the death of our dear Chief shocks our profound faith in the destiny which awaits our poor Europe, but his deeds and the story of his sacrifice to save the world from the danger of anarchy which threatens us will last for ever in the hearts of all men of goodwill. His memory, as you say, will guide us on our course and today, more than ever, I affirm my confidence in my beliefs and I am certain that the day will arrive in the not too distant future when the noble struggle will be revived, which was started by him to save us from a period of chaotic barbarism which is now approaching.’17
Soon after the war ended GARBO made his way to Spain. He eventually found Kuehlenthal, his master, in the small town of Avila. ‘Kuehlenthal was overcome by emotion when he welcomed GARBO to his sitting-room. He told him how he had visualised this reunion and marvelled at GARBO’s ability to overcome the apparently impossible obstacles which must have been in his way.’ During the conversation which followed – it lasted for more than three hours – Kuehlenthal made it abundantly clear not only that he still believed in the genuineness of GARBO, but that he looked upon him as a superman. He was afraid of being repatriated to Germany and asked GARBO whether he could not, with his long experience, devise some means for his escape. The latter said that he would see what he could do and when he had made a suitable plan would communicate it through one of the agents, perhaps Three or Seven. Before he took his leave Kuehlenthal asked him where he was going next, to which GARBO replied: ‘Portugal for a start.’ ‘How’, asked Kuehlenthal, ‘do you propose to get from Spain to Portugal?’ ‘Clandestinely,’ GARBO replied.