Hitler's Secret War In South America, 1939–1945: German Military Espionage and Allied Counterespionage in Brazil

8) The Starziczny Case

«8}> The StarzicznyCase HANS BUCKUP, von Kotze's businessman friend, was writing a letter to his sister in Germany in April, 1941, when he received word that a German merchant ship, the Hermes, had managed to break the British blockade and reach Rio de Janeiro. "That's marvelous," he exclaimed, and later, in another letter, he exulted that the ship had brought a huge cargo of German goods, "so that we can really challenge the Americans with their exaggerated [sales] terms."1 The Hermes, in fact, carried a cargo of European products that would alleviate, briefly, the plight of German commercial houses in Brazil who were facing stifling competition from merchants dealing in American goods. But the Hermes brought more than commercial items. It brought a passenger, disguised as a crew member, whose potential value in the struggle against the enemy far exceeded that of a ship's cargo. The secret agent carried a passport that identified him as Niels Christensen. His real name, however, was Josef Starziczny , and to the Abwehr he was known as "Lucas." Of all the German undercover men sent to Brazil by the Abwehr during World War II, Starziczny was perhaps the most interesting. At least he was the least rigid in his adherence to the rules of espionage and to the Nazi cause and, thus, the service that he rendered to the historian was probably greater than that to the Third Reich, for Josef Starziczny violated one of the basic commandments of the spy: he kept detailed records of his activities. O A thin, ugly man of medium height, Starziczny was a German of Polish descent. He had served in the Imperial navy during World 116) HITLER'S SECRET WAR IN SOUTH AMERICA War I and then had finished his advanced education in mechanical engineering at the University of Breslau. After graduating in 1922, he worked for various companies in Germany and Denmark and then went to England in 1938. If not a Nazi, Starziczny was at least a patriot: the day after Germany invaded Poland, he sailed for home. After being questioned by military authorities when he crossed into Germany from Denmark, Starziczny was persuaded to join the Abwehr. Because of his training, experience, and recent stay in England, he was taken to Abwehr headquarters in Berlin. Ushered into a conference room, he found himself confronted by an admiral , two generals, and six other high-ranking officers who were studying a British War Office map. After responding to numerous questions that covered matters ranging from the size of airports in the London district to the morale of the British people, Starziczny was interviewed privately by Canaris himself. Afterward, the Abwehr chief told him that he would be of "great use" to his organization.2 The next morning, Starziczny was flown to Hamburg, where he was received by Colonel Herbert Wichmann, the head of the Abwehrstelle there. Wichmann assigned him first to the communications section, headed by Lieutenant Colonel Werner Trautmann, an old classmate of Starziczny's. The new recruit revealed unusual aptitude for radio work and was soon transferred to section I-G, where he learned the use of ciphers and invisible inks. Then, for some weeks, he assisted Trautmann in the construction of transmitters and goniometers and served as a consultant on engineering matters. It was Starzicznywho conducted the experiments to determine the best means of radio communication between Germany and the Western Hemisphere. In mid-1940, he received orders to report to section I-L, where he received training in aviation intelligence matters from Colonel Nikolaus Ritter, head of the section and one of the most capable Abwehr agents. Ritter had lived for some ten years in the United States and in 1937 had coordinated the theft of the secret blueprints of the Norden bombsight.3 After his work with Ritter and following several weeks in the hospital for treatment of a stomach ulcer, Starziczny was told that he was being sent to Brazil to help the German consul in Santos, THE STARZICZNY CASE (117 (Major) Otto Ubele, who was also director of the Theodor Wille Company, to set up a radio station and organize an intelligence network . Starzicznyobjected that he knew nothing about South America and that he did not speak "Spanish," but his superiors were insistent , although they did consent to allow him to proceed to the United States once the organization in Brazil was functioning properly...