“‘Admiral, I want to be part of the organization we discussed.’
“‘Your grandfather would be proud,’ was all he said. ‘Meet me for dinner tonight at my villa. Be there at eight o’clock.’
“That night, when I rang the doorbell, Greta answered. Inside I found Hans Oster, the Number two man in the Abwehr, and two other people, one of them a priest. The admiral explained that he had set up two sides in his organization. One side did legitimate counterespionage work, and the other side worked against the atrocities of the Nazis. The people in the room were the leaders of the second group. I now was part of a treasonous organization.”
***
Suddenly Rogers reached over and turned off the recorder. “Walter you never told me any of this, why?”
“I saw no need as it was all in the past. I didn’t even meet you until the early sixties. We all have things to hide.”
“As your lawyer,” Trent Rogers said. “I’m telling you that you could be accused as being a war criminal.”
“Trent, there is much more to come. So let me get it out, will you?”
***
After a brief pause, Pierce continued. “The admiral and I left for Spain in mid-1938. The Nazis were planning to use Spain for a base to attack the British at Gibraltar. We had the dual task of talking Franco into letting Germany use his country for a base, and talking him out of it, but that was the admiral. In the end, the admiral convinced his friend to be neutral. Franco did manage to keep Spain out of the conflict, and all of World War II.
“Next we traveled to Czechoslovakia to help refuges flee from the German invasion of 1938. The admiral had people and resources everywhere, and we managed to save numerous lives. During this trip he told me he was not sleeping well and felt possessed. He told me he had been hearing strange singsong voices in his head. The voices told him things, and alerted him of current events. Each morning he would know how to handle any situation that developed.
“We visited Poland in 1939. Hitler had already invaded and had wiped out the weak military defenses. While we were there, news came of an attempted assassination plot on Hitler. The admiral said it was good we were out of the country when it had taken place.
“In Poland, I had my first taste of battle. We were traveling in a small convoy of five staff cars. Some partisans were hidden in the woods. They raked the cars with machine-gun fire. Since the admiral and I were in the third car, we had time to draw our guns and fire. I never heard such intense firepower. There must have been twenty machine guns shooting at the same time. Suddenly I was hit in the shoulder. I collapsed on top of the admiral. Both of us went down on the floor of the staff car as the shooting continued. I woke up in a hospital. A nurse informed me that an admiral had brought me there.
“Although I realized that I was still in Poland, this was a hospital run by Germans. It took me three months to recover. When I returned to Berlin, all that the admiral said was that I had earned a medal.”
***
Pierce’s cell phone again rang. Roger’s stopped the tape machine, and Pierce answered the phone. He talked briefly and ended the call. “Can you imagine, that asshole wanted an interview,” Pierce laughed.
“What are you doing, that someone would want to interview you Walter?” Rogers quickly asked.
“Not now Trent,” Pierce said in dismissal.
***
After a few moments of silent reminiscence, Pierce continued his story. “By the summer of 1941, Germany was winning on most fronts, and had carved out a huge part of the world. It was then we first came across the ‘ultimate solution.’ It happened on another trip to Poland to inspect our counterespionage network. We both were taken to a concentration camp to interrogate some prisoners. I won’t tell you what I saw, because it was beyond comprehension. That night we attended a party at the commandant’s house. About thirty high-ranking officials from the camp attended the party. There were women from the camps there, and they were all nude. We discovered that the commandant had promised the women food — if they took care of the men. The point was that these women were non-Jews from conquered countries, and their only reason for being alive was to service the men. The admiral’s prediction had come true. After Jews, who would be next?
“Our desire to work for the Nazi regime ended that night. We were now working exclusively to stop the war and to eliminate Hitler. There were two more attempts on Hitler’s life, and the admiral had actually arranged meetings with officials of the Allied forces to try to stop the inevitable crushing of Germany. All failed.”
Chapter Fifty-Four
Pierce got up and walked around the office to stretch his legs. Rogers put a glass of tea in front of him. He took a small sip and then he turned to Rogers. “Now the adventures really start,” he announced in a shaky but happy voice.
***
“One day I was summoned to the admiral’s office. Arriving there, I met Gestapo guards at the door. Had they discovered our plots, I wondered? I was escorted inside. Heinrich Himmler, head of the Nazi intelligence group, the Gestapo, along with the admiral were sitting in the office. They were having coffee. The two men waved me in.
“‘I understand that you were born in America,’ Himmler said dryly. ‘I’m also told that you speak and read English, and have a father there.’
“‘Yes, that is correct,’ I replied as I stood at attention. Himmler never told me to be at ease.
“‘Good. Then you will be going home soon,’ he stated.
“Himmler explained my role as a supportive one. I was to translate, provide food, and shelter, and make contacts as assigned in America. Two seasoned agents were to accompany me on a very secret mission. They would be transporting a case which was to be put into the hands of some people in America. We could not fail — the future of all Aryans was at stake I was told.
“‘I am prepared to serve my Fuehrer,’ I said immediately.
“‘Good. Canaris will give you the details of your mission. You will leave in three months.’
“‘Heil, Hitler,’ I saluted before leaving the office.
“I promptly went to the bathroom and threw up.”
***
“Later that afternoon, Greta delivered a handwritten message to meet the admiral at his boat on the river. I was to be on the watch for a tail, as Himmler was known to trust no one. The message said to burn the paper when done. I was truly a spy now, a spy in a foreign country.
“I never knew if I was being followed, but I took no chances. I used the evasive techniques that I was taught in spy school. I arrived at the dock and climbed aboard the Canaris yacht. The admiral was already there. We quickly cast off and headed out to the middle of the river.
“‘I have three things to tell you, Wolf,’ the efficient admiral said.
“‘I have many questions.’
“He ignored my reply. ‘I am afraid the Gestapo is on to me or at least has some suspicions. Two of my agents have been caught in Poland. You realize the Gestapo can get you to say anything if captured.’
“‘Oh, my God, what are you going to do?’
“‘I’m serving my country. What happens to me is not significant; there are many of us working against the Nazi regime now. I will be all right.’
“Somehow I didn’t believe him. ‘But …’ I was cut short.
“‘The family news is even worse I’m afraid. It concerns your mother. Her Gestapo major has confiscated your mother’s business. He has decided that it is too important for the war effort to be entrusted to a private citizen. I believe he was disappointed that you inherited your grandfather’s money. Her house is also in his hands, and I feel it is only a matter of time before she will be arrested on trumped up charges.’
“‘How can that be?’ I was incredulous. ‘She has been a Nazi supporter from the beginning. This can’t be happening.’
“‘That matters little when they want your possessions,’ the admiral said.
“‘I must go see her. Maybe we can get her
out of Germany.’ I begged the admiral to help.
“‘Wolf, listen to me carefully, I will help her, but only after you reach America. If I act too early, the Gestapo might recognize a plot and recall you. What is at stake here is far more important than the few of us.’
“‘Admiral, I’m scared.’
“‘And well you should be! Remember your training and believe in God, my son. I will protect you as much as I can; I promised your grandfather I would look out for you.’
“‘I’m so confused I don’t know what to do,’ I said with panic in my voice.
“‘You will do your duty, Wolf. You have no choice.’
“‘But what is my duty, Admiral?’
“He went on to explain. ‘Listen carefully. Do not write anything down. The two agents who are going with you will be referred to as Bernard Hall and Andrew Adams. Their real names will not matter. Hall is a thug and a killer. He will be in charge of security for the box. Adams is a communications expert. There will be other spies dropped off with you. I have made arrangements with the Americans to have them apprehended. You need to know where they keep the box at all times. Hall will have the names of the people that he will be contacting in America. We need those names. He probably will not have them written down, so you need to be patient. The names are the leaders of the Nazi party in America.’
“‘What does the box contain?’ I asked.
“‘The box contains the verified history of the original Aryan race.’
“‘I don’t understand.’
“‘A few years ago, we accidentally stumbled onto the origin of the ancient Aryan race in India. A tablet with the history of the race was found. The people who found it did not fully understand what they had found. I was given the assignment to translate the writings and eventually we discovered the truth about the Aryans. However, the translation which I passed to Himmler is not correct. I made some changes. I told Himmler the tablet would be valuable to use in America, where the war effort against Germany is rising. I told him that if we could use the American press and our leaders in America, we could get much exposure. The American Aryans would rise up, and stop or at least hinder the war efforts. Germans are the single largest ethnic group in America. This would be of great advantage to us. Your assignment is to make sure that happens.’
“‘Admiral, Are you sure? That could change the course of the war,’ I declared.
“‘I truly hope so. I expect that it will shorten the war by years.’ There was no mistaking the zeal the admiral displayed in telling me this. Had he lost his mind?
***
“In the late spring, I left for America on a secret mission I truly did not understand. The admiral wanted me to make sure the tablet got to the proper destination. At the same time, communications with Germany were to be disrupted while he ensured the capture of the spies being sent to America with me.
“At the docks in France, I met my companions for the first time. Both Hall and Adams were just as the admiral had described. The other six spies did not reveal their names. For security purposes, we were known to each other as #1 through #9. My number was 6.
“One hour before departure time, I heard my number, 6, called. The captain told me I had a visitor.
“As I left the U-boat, I saw Greta waiting nervously on the docks. She looked very beautiful. She was anxious to see me. As I drew near, all eyes were on her as she put her arms around me, and gave me a wonderful kiss. I never even felt the packet which she stealthily slid into the inside pocket of my coat.
“She breathed into my ear that the admiral wanted me to have the packet, but warned me that I was not to look at it until I was in America. She promised it would explain everything. As she let go of me, she began to cry. Before disappearing into the night, she thanked the captain for letting her see me off.
***
Rogers again turned off the recorder. “Wait, are you saying you became a spy for the Nazi regime? We can’t let this get out. You will most certainly be arrested.”
“They will not find me,” Pierce coolly replied.
***
Pierce again pressed the button on the recorder. “The trip across the Atlantic was uneventful. Clearly the other spies had not spent much time on the water, as evidenced by their near-terminal seasickness. We nine spies spent our time practicing our English, and talking about sports and other American things. Not all of the spies had been to America before. We were each given a thousand American dollars. It seemed like more money than we ever should have, yet we knew we would be in America for an extended period of time. What would I tell Father about Mother’s situation? I spent a lot of time thinking. I was truly looking forward to returning to my house and walking in the woods, just as when I was a child. I wondered about how large the trees had grown. My companions would be introduced as friends from school in Germany.
“Finally on June 13, 1942, we sighted land and the operation commenced.”
***
Pierce drew a long breath and then he continued. “At midnight we surfaced, and a collapsible rubber boat was put over the side at a place called Amagansett. Numbers 1 through 3 climbed into the boat with explosives and clothing. They rowed off into the darkness.
***
“Walter, I read about that,” Rogers croaked out. “They were the first Nazi spies to land in America. My god you were right in the middle of it.”
“Yes, I was,” Pierce replied.
Rogers offered what he knew. “They had the bad luck of running into a young coast guard seaman named John C. Cullen, stationed on the beach. It was dark that night, and a fog was rolling in. The coast guard had a rescue station in Amagansett near the end of the island. Cullen was patrolling the beach. Each patrol guard was responsible for three running miles of surf. Cullen didn’t even have a gun.
“He stumbled onto the three spies as they were unloading their boat. They told him they were fishermen and that the heavy box was full of clams. The Germans thought that the best way to get rid of Cullen was to bribe him. They offered him three hundred dollars to look the other way. This confirmed his suspicions that these men were not fishermen. He took the money and walked off.
“Once out of sight, he ran to the station to report to his supervisor that the Germans were invading. It took several hours to gather a response, as other guardsmen had to be called onto duty. By the time eight coast guard members returned to the beach, the men were gone. But the Germans had done a poor job of burying their explosives. The cache was uncovered in less than an hour.
“Well, my friend, that is essentially correct,” Pierce commented.
“But do you know what else was significant that night?” Rogers offered. “The landing changed how the American government responded to any spy crisis. By midmorning on the small part of the beach, the following government agencies had assembled: the coast guard, an army detail, the FBI, naval intelligence, and members from the Eastern Sea Frontier group. There had been no sharing of information. All were working the case separately, and sent armed members to investigate.
“Finally some bureaucrats decided that the FBI should head up the investigation. From then on, for all possible spy landings, the FBI would take the lead.
“Meanwhile, FBI undercover agents were placed in an East Hampton restaurant where the owners were suspected of having ties with German nationals. An agent was placed as a clerk at the local fish market and another agent at a gas station in Montauk. The three German spies were arrested within two days. On June 27, J. Edger Hoover, director of the FBI, announced that an additional three agents had been captured in Jacksonville, Florida.”
“That is all correct, Trent.”
Rogers added. “Yes, we were all very scared that Germany was invading.”
“But you didn’t know that the FBI knew of the spies, did you? Admiral Canaris had called them.”
***
Returning to his personal story, Pierce continued, “The next day in the early morning, we went over the side in a
dense fog. We paddled toward the beach, and I saw the opening for the bay. Since I had grown up here, I told the others to paddle through the opening. It was so foggy that no one could have seen us even if there had been someone on the lookout. I told them to keep paddling, and we eventually crossed the bay to land at the end of a dirt road known as Tanners Neck Lane.
“Rather than bury the boat, I had them deflate it in the reeds along the bay. We started to walk toward Father’s house, which was some six miles distant. I was happy to be on land again, especially American soil. The night was still. Hall was having trouble carrying the tin-lined box, but he would accept no help. I was looking forward to sleeping in my old room and harvesting some fresh vegetables from Father’s garden. My spirits were high.
“Everything was going well until we reached the corner of Speonk-Riverhead Road. There in front of us was a wire fence that ran as far as the eye could see down the road. A large sign said, ‘Government Property, No Trespassing.’ Hall asked me in German, ‘Vas ist dis?’ I told him to speak English. We set off like the fence meant nothing. I didn’t know what else to do.
“As we walked down the road, I became more and more wary. What was going on? About half a mile down the road, large elms leaned over the road. I knew that my house was still there. As we drew up to the house, I could see it was inside the fence. There were no lights. The place was very eerie. ‘Let’s go,’ I said as I climbed over the fence.
“Tire tracks ran along the perimeter, meaning that patrols would be along soon. We sought cover by sprinting to the old pump house. The place must not have been used in many years. The electricity was off. We used our flashlights to look around. I tried the old hand pump to the well. After some work, I was able to get water to come out. We all drank our fill. We were also hungry. I wanted to explore the house to discover what had happened to my father, but I did not want Hall and Adams to know its secrets.
“Suddenly we heard the roar of an engine. Peeking out the door, I spied a jeep with two army sentries driving past the fence. It was 5:00 a.m. Eventually we learned to pace our activities by observing the sentries that came by every hour. It was just starting to turn light now, and I noticed the fruit trees Father had planted. I told the others to stay put while I ran to the different trees. I picked apples, peaches, cherries, pears, and black walnuts for dessert. After our feast, we settled down for some sleep before deciding what to do.
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