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May. The War Cabinet was persuaded, and plans went ahead for an
Anglo-French expedition to sail in early April.
But what Churchill and his advisers didn't know about was Admiral Raeder's
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urging Hitler,
file:///F|/rah/James%20P.%20Hogan/Hogan,%20James%20P%20-%20The%20Proteus%20Ope
ration.txt (153 of 203) [2/4/03 10:58:32 PM]
file:///F|/rah/James%20P.%20Hogan/Hogan,%20James%20P%20-%20The%20Proteus%20Ope
ration.txt following the Cossack incident, to move the German invasion date
forward. And Hitler had accepted the proposal, for the pact with Stalin had
also released extra German forces. So, finally, the
German force, too, was scheduled to sail in April.
In his large office behind high double doors on the top floor of Abwehr
headquarters, Admiral Wilhelm Canaris, head of German military intelligence,
studied the documents that Colonel
Piekenbrock had laid on his desk. Canaris's assistant, Colonel Oster, looked
down from where he was standing to one side of his chief's chair while Lt.
Col. Boeckel watched respectfully from a few paces back.
"So there's nothing positive that says they're actually in Germany yet,"
Canaris concluded.
"No," Piekenbrock agreed. "The photograph of those three coming out of the
British
Admiralty on February 18 was the last definite lead. If that idiot in New York
hadn't gone blundering in against orders and gotten himself arrested, we might
know more."
Oster grunted. "They were training in New York last June.:
Then a farewell ceremony, or whatever, at the White House in. October Now,
London in
February...They're certainly getting nearer"
"Exactly," Piekenbrock said He gestured at some of the other papers and
clippings. "Now I
find myself wondering whether these other things are just coincidences. Sumner
I Welles, the U.S.
Undersecretary of State, visits Berlin and ~ Rome in early March; James
Mooney, a vice president of General,, Motors, is in Germany at the same time,
supposedly on a private peace-seeking mission. Just coincidences? Or were they
perhaps performing some liaison function with this sabotage group, which had
already entered the country?"
"I can see your reasons for wondering," Canaris murmured. I "So, what about
this theory that they might be going after something connected with atomic
research? Have we got any further on that?"
Piekenbrock looked inquiringly at Boeckel. "I've been '~ checking through the
list of places we know about, sir, and if anything, that theory seems less
probable no~" Boeckel said
"Prof essor Esau's work under the Education Ministry is running on a
shoestring. As for the KWI, the people I've talked to there "1 don't believe
that any worthwhile result can be expected for
.~. years yet, if ever Heisenberg's laboratory in Leipzig is involved, only
with theoretical issues. Diebner's team under the Ordnance 'I Department at
Gottow is still arguing for funds..."
He spread ~ his hands. "You see, none of it qualifies as even worth worrying
about at this stage, never mind as a serious threat It can't justify an
operation as elaborate as the one we've been picturing That simply wouldn't
make sense"
"Gottow," Oster repeated. "There's a lot of secret work on rockets going on
there. Could that be the target?"
"A possibility," Canaris agreed "Well, we can get the secunty there tightened
up-it's an
Army establishment. So, is there any- ~ thing else to be done for the time
being~" Piekenbrock and
Oster shook their heads. "Very well, then -- " He broke off as he saw ~ that
Boeckel wanted to say something more. "Yes?"
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"There is one more thing, sir, something that I wasn't able to I
follow through," Boeckel said. "The SS operates some kind of secret
installation at a munitions plant at Weissenberg, near Leipzig, which is
described as an atomic research facility I
did try making further inquiries, but I was met by an extremely hostile
response. Whatever
Himmler's people are doing there, it's something they don't want us poking our
noses into."
piekenbrock nodded and looked back at Canaris. "Lieutenant Colonel Boeckel and
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