Chapter 24 The Mother of the Stasi
The Stasi apparatus, which later became famous and formidable in history, was born in Hirschmann's residence in Berlin - Countess Heinsberg's apartment on the Kurfürstendamm.
Hessmann was a "houseless person" in Berlin. He only occupied a very narrow small room with a north-facing window in the dormitory of the General Staff. Moreover, it was close to the guard post, and every four hours there was the sound of the changing of the guard and the sound of leather boots hitting the ground, which was very noisy. Hersman didn't like it there very much, so after confirming his relationship with Chloe, he moved into her big house without ceremony.
In March 1918, Hessmann's sister Margaret von Hessmann came to Berlin with his stepmother again - this was the idea of the old Hessmann who served as a battalion commander on the front line. Mann wanted his daughter to have the opportunity to meet some unmarried officers of the General Staff... Having witnessed too many young Germans being killed or disabled on the front line, the elder Hessmann was worried that his young and beautiful daughter would become an old girl who could not get married. .
However, Hessman was so busy all day that he had no time to ask about his sister's marriage. So Margaret spent most of her time walking around Berlin with her mother, Mrs. Odeya Herschmann (her surname was Hershler, of Jewish descent) - she was the mother of her son (stepson, Herschmann's She was saddened by the death of her younger brother Otto in the war. The child had a very good relationship with her, and she had raised him single-handedly. But the relationship between Hersmann and his stepmother was relatively cold. When she married Hersmann Sr., Hessmann had just turned eight and was immersed in the pain of losing his mother. A year later, he went to Grosslichfer. The junior class of the German Military Academy.
But deep down in his heart, Hersman still had to admit that Odeya was a quite satisfactory wife: both a coquettish woman and a capable housewife. He has always wanted to find a wife like this, and Chloe obviously exceeded this requirement.
Margaret, who is only 17 years old this year, inherited her mother's beauty. She has long wavy brown hair, a pair of charming brown eyes, and very beautiful facial features. And she is also good at housework, can make delicious meals, and can also make clothes.
If they weren't wandering around Berlin, the mother and daughter would stay in a surprisingly luxurious apartment (although Odeya is Jewish, her family is not rich and is a farmer in Poznan), cooking or making clothes. .
On this day, when Hersman returned to the apartment with Canaris, Luxemburg and a tall, ordinary-looking woman wearing a simple yellow-green skirt, with a cold expression on her face. Margaret and Odeya happened to be changing their clothes at home - Odeya's dress was enlarged for Margaret. Hearing the sound of the door opening, mother and daughter came out of their room together.
"Ludwig, you're back so early." Odeya greeted her stepson in a flattering tone. She really wanted Hessmann to give up his surname and inheritance rights, marry into the noble Heinsberg family, and then ask Margaret to find a husband, but it was difficult to say...
Then she said hello to Canaris and Rosenberg, and especially looked at the baby-faced Rosenberg a few times - she and Margaret both liked Rosenberg, he was handsome and talented. , is a Ph.D. from Moscow State University.
Finally, her eyes rested on the woman who came back with Hessmann. "This lady is..."
"Odea, you and Margaret go out to eat." Hersman did not answer his stepmother's words. Instead, he took out a few pieces of paper from his pocket and handed them to her, "and then go to a movie, Alfred." , you go with them.”
"Yes, Major!" Alfred Rosenberg stood at attention, as if he had received an order, and then diligently accompanied Odeya, Margaret and her daughter out of the apartment.
"Dinner must be ready in the kitchen, let's chat while we eat." Hessman dismissed his stepmother and sister, turned to the woman who went home with her and said, "Ms. Doctor, what do you think?"
The woman Herschmann called "Ms. Doctor" was named Elsbeth Schragmuller. She was the intelligence genius Hersman poached from Colonel Nikolai.
Not a "sexy spy" like Mata Hari who relies on beauty in exchange for intelligence, nor a superman like James Bond. Rather, they are experts in intelligence network management and intelligence analysis, as well as agent training. She was the "Mother of Agents" who trained countless Stasi agents.
This twenty-seven-year-old woman who looks a little cold is a genius discovered by Colonel Nicholas from the "Mail Inspection Service". Like Chloe, she went to college, graduated with a major in economics, and can speak four languages. . Moreover, she was a fanatic and wanted to join the army. She also applied to go to the front line to fight, but was not approved. However, when she became Colonel Nikolai's right-hand man and took charge of the Antwerp Intelligence Station and the Antwerp Espionage School, the power she exerted obviously far exceeded her role on the front line.
However, in Hersman's view, the status of "Miss Doctor" in the German intelligence system just shows that the German military has not paid enough attention to espionage personnel. No one is available at the critical moment - Germany's three most famous agents in this war, Baron August Schluga is an old man in his seventies (died of illness in 1917), the Prussian The old spy left over from the war; Mata Hari (who was shot in 1917) only relied on her talent to steal intelligence for Germany; and the third famous agent was "Miss Doctor" Elsbeth Schrager Miller.
"Ms. Doctor, I think you know that the war is about to be defeated, right?" Hersman brought potato salad, eggs, cold vegetables, bread, and freshly brewed coffee from the kitchen, and together with the two super spies—— Schragmuller and Canaris serve together.
With the help of these two people, Hessmann's Stasi will not have to worry about being able to open its doors!
"Yes, the war is going to be lost," Schragmuller said gloomily and his face was cold. "No one can save the situation. Major, neither can you..."
Of course she knew about Hersman's achievements in Russia, but she didn't think he was a super spy because he was engaged in politics rather than espionage in Russia.
"But we can prepare for victory in the next war." Hersman looked at Canaris and Schragmuller, "Espionage activities, like other military operations, require long-term investment of energy and financial resources. I only thought of it when it broke out. If we want to win the next war, we must start building a truly useful and large intelligence agency. This agency is the Stasi-Baltic State Security Service! At the same time, it is also the most important subordinate agency of the Military Intelligence Directorate of the General Staff and the secret police of the United Baltic Principality.”
"Combining the secret police and the intelligence agency into one?" Schragmuller seemed a little interested. "The agency will be very large, with thousands or even tens of thousands of people!"
"Yes, there will be more than 10,000 people working for the Stasi in the future...and that's just the official members."
A pure military intelligence agency can be relatively streamlined, but after integrating the functions of the secret police, the organization must be very large, otherwise it will not be effective at all.
"What about funding?" Schlagmüller majored in economics, and all considerations start with money. "An organization with 10,000 people will spend at least 30 million marks a year."
Hessmann took out his notebook and pen and began to record while talking: "There will be an allocation... The government of the United Baltic Principality will give money, but the maximum is one million marks, and the rest will be raised through the Russian-German Economic Promotion Company. ”
"Self-funded? What does the Russian-German Economic Promotion Company do? Can it make so much money?"
"It is engaged in Russian-German trade. In less than a year, this company's net profit exceeded 80 million paper marks." Canaris said. "There are still more than seven million gold marks in the company's account now! Tens of thousands of people will be a thing in the future. For the agency in the short term, this money is enough."
"There are indeed enough!" Schragmuller frowned, "With money, what about the personnel? How to recruit and train them?"
Hersman said: "A school for espionage and secret police will be opened, Doctor, and you will be the principal. As for personnel recruitment... the Stasi will set up a special personnel department."
Schragmuller looked at Hessmann, a little surprised, "Self-funded, self-recruited and self-trained personnel...Major, are you going to establish a highly independent espionage and secret police agency?"
——
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