Hoehne, Heinz and Zolling, Hermann. The General Was a Spy: The Truth About
General Gehlen and His Spy Ring. New York: Bantam Books, 1972. 439 pages.
As Nazi Germany was collapsing, General Reinhard Gehlen, Hitler's chief
of eastern front intelligence, buried his files and waited to be captured.
He felt certain that access to his files was an offer the Americans couldn't
refuse. He was right, of course, partly because the Cold War was already
being planned, and partly because Gehlen's scientific collection and analysis
methods were very effective. He and his staff cut a deal with the CIA and
the Pentagon to absorb his networks and his expertise. As part of the deal,
Gehlen transferred his organization (the "Gehlen Org") to West Germany in
1955. He directed the BND until his retirement in 1968, and died in 1979.
Hoehne and Zolling's book is based on a series they wrote for Der
Spiegel in 1971, which in turn prompted Gehlen to write his memoirs. The
authors interviewed Org members and drew on personal papers and government
documents. They include an introduction by H.R. Trevor-Roper and a preface
by Andrew Tully, who quotes Allen Dulles on Gehlen: "I don't know if he's a
rascal; there are few archbishops in espionage. He's on our side and that is
all that matters. Besides, one needn't ask a Gehlen to one's club."
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