Robert K. Sutton - Nazis on the Potomac: The Top-Secret Intelligence Operation that Helped Win World War II

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Published in the United States of America and Great Britain in 2021 by

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Copyright 2021 Robert K. Sutton

Hardcover Edition: ISBN 978-1-61200-987-2

Digital Edition: ISBN 978-1-61200-988-9

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Dedicated to the memory of the families and loved ones of the men featured in this story who perished in the Holocaust.

Contents

Preface

Imagine that between 1943 and 1946in the midst of World War IIthere were 3,451 German soldiers and sailors, including 15 Nazi generals living on the banks of the Potomac River, only 12 miles from the Pentagon and 14 miles from the U.S. Capitol. Thank goodness these men were all prisoners. Now, imagine that these German prisoners were interrogated by former German or Austrian Jews, who had escaped from their homelands with the rise of Adolph Hitler. As far-fetched as this scenario seems, the story is true and one of the most fascinating untold stories from World War II. The narrative that unfolds here took place at Fort Hunt Park. It was a well-guarded secret; the American soldiers stationed there were sworn to secrecy, and, in time, the story might have vanished from the annals of history.

In 2006, however, National Park Service staff learned the identity of one of the men who was stationed at Fort Hunt during World War II. His name was Fred Michel, and he and his wife were living in Louisville, Kentucky, at the time. Brandon Bies, the historian at George Washington Memorial Parkway (which manages Fort Hunt), contacted Mr. Michel and tried to arrange a time to conduct an oral history interview. The session was on, then off, then on again, and Brandon ascertained that Fred was reluctant to talk about his experiences at Fort Hunt. He understood why. As Brandon and park staff were beginning to piece together the story of the fort during the war, they understood that soldiers lips and the documents related to the program had both been sealed. But now, 60 years later, the documents were declassified, and the soldiers were allowed to share their experiences.

Brandon traveled to Louisville in May 2006, and in his briefcase, he carried copies of interrogations Fred Michel had conducted with German prisoners during the war, with his name on them. His hunch was correct. Fred was uncomfortable discussing his work at Fort Hunt because he had been sworn to secrecy and was expected to carry his knowledge to the grave. When Brandon showed him the transcripts of his interrogations, he began to open up and talk about his experiences. At the end of his two-day oral history interview, Fred not only discussed what he had done at the fort; he provided the names of several of his former colleagues, which opened up the opportunities for multiple oral history interviews.

Between 2006 and 2010, National Park Service historians from the George Washington Memorial Parkway, in partnership with the Friends of Fort Hunt Park, located, interviewed, and transcribed oral history interviews of 65 World War II veterans. Most had either interrogated prisoners or translated and analyzed enemy documents. Others had worked in the escape and evasion sectionhelping American airmen escape capture or providing resources to prisoners of war (POW) held in German prison camps. Several former German prisoners were interviewed, as well as German scientists who came to the United States after the war. Collectively, their stories are remarkable, giving us a window into the American intelligence operation during the war. This book tells their stories.

Unfortunately, most of the interviewees are now gone. It would have been wonderful to have asked them to elaborate on some of their stories. One man escaped from a prison camp in Poland and made it back to the United States. How did he manage that? Many left Germany or Austria as children and emigrated to the United States. Some provided hair-raising details; others offered very little. For the latter group, finding out more would have been a bonus. Still, others led interesting lives after the war, of which we know very little. Missing these details is minor compared to what we have learned from this oral history project. Together, their memories of their time at Fort Hunt were so vivid after some 60 years of having to remain silent, it quickly became clear that, for many, this time was a pivotal period in their lives and the details remained fresh.

While most of these men have passed away, Peter Weiss, George Weidinger, Arno Mayer, Guy Stern, and Paul Fairbrook are still very much alive, well, and as sharp as ever. Although well into their 90s, they have been very gracious and helpful, filling in many of the blanks for this story. Three of the four elaborated on their intelligence training prior to their assignments to Fort Hunt. Peter Weiss shared more details about his early life in Europe before his family emigrated to the United States. Conversely, I knew a great deal about George Weidingers early life in Austria but not much about his experiences after he left the army. He was gracious to fill in those details. Arno Mayer elaborated on his new life after his family settled in New York City. He shared much more about the time he spent with Wernher von Braun when the German rocket scientist came to the United States. Arno and Peter were both picked up by Mamie Eisenhower on separate occasions, while hitchhiking, and they wanted to make sure that I understood that both stories were not made up. Paul Fairbrook made sure I understood the nuances of how the Military Intelligence Research Service (MIRS)in which he was an integral partworked. He sent me dozens of documents produced by his office, which filled in the holes I had encountered as I focused on this program. He also helped me understand how the German Military Documents Section (GMDS) program functioned after the war. Guy Stern elaborated on how his early life, growing up in Germany, was a great benefit to him, as he interrogated German POWs during the war. He also helped me understand the value of his training at Camp Ritchie, as it prepared him for his intelligence-gathering assignments in Europe.

This story could not be told without the rich resources Peter, George, Arno, Guy, Paul, and the 60 other men provided in their interviews. I owe them a debt I will never be able to repay. However, without the vision, persistence, and tenacity of several National Park Service employees, tirelessly tracking down and interviewing these men, this story could not have been told. Ranger Dana Dierks passed along the name of Fred Michel, the first interviewee to her supervisor, Vincent Santucci, who in turn sent park historian Brandon Bies to interview Mr. Michel and his wife. From that start Brandon and Vincent conducted most of the interviews, along with David Lassman, Sam Swersky, Eric Oberg, Matthew Virta, and others. Transcribing the interviews was a critical part of the project. The Friends of Fort Hunt Park, in particular Robert Rosenthal, president, Eric Johnson, vice president, Dorothy Cantor, and others devoted hours and financial assistance for this critical function.