The Stormy Abyss

A gift from Geneva

Peter Bakke — Sat, 13 Oct 2012 09:05:55 +0000

I heard good news as I arrived back in Berlin. At the Lausanne Conference in Geneva it appears von Papen has done us some good after all. The conferees have agreed to postpone $45 million US dollars in payments due July 2. The topic of payments should not come up again until after the U.S. presidential elections (between President Hoover and Governor Roosevelt). I think the payments delay is a gift to von Papen and his cabinet. England and France obviously want to stabilize von Papen’s government against the attacks by Hitler and his disgusting mouthpieces Goering and Goebbels. Although the Versailles document is not abrogated, war reparations may now be in permanent limbo. This is good for the German people and cannot but help Herr von Papen. The unfair outflow of hard currency from our country can now stop for the time being. This could go a long way towards putting our Fatherland back on its feet economically. I certainly pray so for the beggars in the streets. And for my family and all our Fatherland, of course.

A scare before leaving Bracknell

Peter Bakke — Sat, 19 May 2012 06:55:34 +0000

The last morning with the Duke of Bracknell gave me a bit of a scare. The Duke informed me that one of his servants had accidentally seen me looking inside my small suitcase prior to breakfast and had noticed that it looked from a distance like a radio transmitter set. The Duke asked me if it was so. Well, at that point I had to own up to it, didn’t I? He seemed relieved when I told him the story of my working with, well, you know who – and that I was bringing the radio set back to Berlin for use by a British agent. The Duke admitted that the particular servant who spied me had lost two boys in the Great War and had little feeling, other than distaste, for the likes of me in the household, honestly, and was concerned that I was a spy reporting back to Berlin ! I assured the Duke it was the other way around, old boy, and that I had trouble operating a toaster much less a radio transceiver.

I then gave the Duke Hess’s package. I was relieved to be rid of it. “Oh yes, our old friend Hess,” said the Duke with a frown, “A bit of an odd duck, isn’t he?” I shook my head in agreement, but said nothing more. The Duke indicated that he’d take the package to the proper authorities at Whitehall in a few days. It was undoubtedly another manifesto claiming that England and Germany should bond together against the Red Horde from the East, meaning Russia, of course. “The man is simply over the top when it comes to Stalin. It can wait for a few days”

Whitehall 1932

“Paul” arrived shortly thereafter and I was soon on my way back to Berlin. As I left the estate, I tried to pick out the servant who had fingered me. It seemed they were all giving me the evil eye.

I was nervous about the radio transmitter, but was pleased to hear from Paul during the pleasant drive back to London that I would not have to bring the suitcase containing the radio transmitter through German customs. One never knew when customs would be tightened. I would be leaving the small suitcase on the ship when it docked in Hamburg. I was to leave it in my state room, in the closet. What a relief. I’m not cut out for these spy activities. I could get myself and my friends and family into very, very serious trouble. I’m an academic. I love my country. But I feel strongly that I’m doing the right thing by helping the British understand what’s happening inside Germany. Or as best as I can understand it myself.

Japanese lessons for German supernationalists?

Peter Bakke — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 07:41:16 +0000

I gave my lecture today on the subject of the Japanese situation. It was held at the British Imperial War College in Bracknell. The English, of course, have vast interests in the Far East, so the topic drew a crowd. My main thesis is that the Imperial Japanese Army and Navy view themselves as unabashedly imperialist. They see themselves as the leaders of a new Asia, marking the Asian continent as their own with no room for Westerners. The army’s assassination of Prime Minister Inukai in Tokyo initiated the shameless beginning of the militarization of Japanese politics. The military oligarchy was now in the process of taking over Japan.

Japanese Imperial Army Academy.

There has been talk of a Japanese Monroe Doctrine. If the United States can claim sovereignty over the Panama Canal, why can’t Japan do the same with Manchuria? The League of Nations is powerless to do anything about Manchuria or the China incursions. Europe is still shy of war after losing a generation in the Great War, not 15 years gone. The Japanese are essentially free to do as they wish with little repercussions. The only power they fear is the growing presence and might of the United States. The English looked a bit crestfallen at this assertion.

I finished the lecture by stating that the Imperial Army was now conducting seishin kyoiku, or spiritual training, of all its recruits. This involves instilling a deep, spiritual sense of serving the emperor into the troops and making each soldier realize that the army is the mother and father of them all. I noted that in Germany, since we no longer have an emperor, an increasingly popular and equivalent word to emperor is ‘Führer.’ As I closed the lecture, I could not help but share my wonder at how the German militarists were viewing this Japanese model of naked aggression and ‘spiritual’ training of war fighters.

A drive to Bracknell

Peter Bakke — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 05:06:05 +0000

Before leaving London, I made good on Ada’s request to drop off her letters. The address of her aunt and uncle was not far from Hyde Park, to the north a bit, near Regent’s Park, and Paul readily agreed to help me run the errand. We pulled up to a weathered white townhouse near the Baker Street Underground Station. It so happened that Ada’s relatives were not home, so I popped the letters into the mail slot and we were off to Bracknell. We passed one of my favorite scenes – a distant look at Windsor Castle across beautiful green fields. It is a beautiful sight, indeed.

Windsor Castle

The remaining drive to the Earl’s estate in Bracknell is less than 10 miles from Windsor. Paul took this opportunity to ask me if I had any more knowledge about IBM’s involvement with Deutsche Hollerith Maschinan Gesellschaft. I stated that I would continue to be on the lookout, but that I only had limited information at this time. He also asked about the militarized cipher machine. I told him that I had heard that the German Navy had been using a version of the cipher machine for several years. Messages were encoded and then sent by Morse code ship to ship. Apparently the Navy now has an electric version of the cipher machine and it will soon be adopted by the Army. I had also heard that the Polish government was working to break the resulting codes, so far with no success. Paul gave no indication if this information was new to him.

We soon arrived at the Earl of Berkshire’s estate, where we were greeted warmly by my friends, the Earl and Lady Berkshire and their staff. Paul unloaded my luggage, said he’d pick me up in three days, wished me well with my academic presentation and drove off into the dusk.

A walk in Hyde Park

Peter Bakke — Mon, 05 Sep 2011 10:15:22 +0000

I had expected to be met at Waterloo station by one of the Earl of Berkshire’s men, but was instead met by one of Menzies’ intelligence types. He walked up to me as though we had known each other for ages. He said his name was Paul, though I suspect that simple fact was doubtful. He shook my hand, took a quick glance around at others on the platform and led me to the front of the station. Another man arrived shortly and brought my things, including my large, trustworthy portmanteau. Paul noticed my small, empty suitcase and gave me a nod of approval. My luggage, including the small suitcase was loaded into an awaiting AC Sedan. I was then told we were going for a short detour through Hyde Park. What is it with these kind of people and metropolitan parks? We headed off and crossed the Thames, with Paul driving. We approached Hyde Park from the Knightsbridge or south side. We pulled over into a no parking zone where a constable stood. The officer gave a knowing glance in Paul’s direction and said nothing. He stood his ground as we walked away. There was a man standing nearby, puffing on a cigarette. He tossed it aside and walked up to our sedan and slipped inside. I was startled, but Paul took me by the arm forcefully and said, “Never look surprised. That man will meet us with the car on the other side of the park. His job is to put the wireless equipment in the suitcase while we walk through the park.” I regained my composure as we strode down to the Serpintine. Paul told me that I was being given state of the art wireless equipment as had been discussed in Berlin, but that the equipment was not for me. He said his group never expected me to learn how to use such a telegraphic device and its associated codes. Instead I was to deliver the suitcase to a British agent back in Berlin.

The moving earth dream

Peter Bakke — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 08:32:42 +0000

I had a disturbing dream while I was catching a nap on the train from Southampton to London. In the dream I was walking in a beautiful field of tall grass looking at a copse of tall trees in the distance. Some mist was forming by the trees. A little boy came up to me and spoke in a language I did not understand, some Slavic tongue, yet somehow I knew precisely what he was telling me. He violently grabbed me by my right hand insisting that I follow him back home to his house in the nearby village. He implored me not to go into the woods.

I asked him why I should not proceed and he told me that “the ground moved” in those woods and that no one should go near the place until the ground stopped moving and the elders in the village did not know when that would be, if ever. He called the wooded area the “Singing Forest” because villagers had heard what sounded like singing coming from the woods the day before. I asked him where his parents were, but he didn’t know. I insisted that that I must look into the wooded area. Something was pulling me there.The child finally let go of my hand and ran off to what appeared to be an Alpine mountain side, reminding me of my boyhood home in Bavaria.

I remember the sky was blue and the grass was waving like grain as I walked into the wooded area. There was no path. I made my own way. Shortly I came to a star-shaped bare earth area about 100 meters long and 30 meters wide. As I walked on it, I could feel some trembling in the soles of my shoes. I looked down and indeed the earth was moving in chaotic waves. It seemed as though something was buried and trying to get out. I knelt down to examine the ground and began to dig with both my hands. After a few moments the earth stopped moving and was I preparing to stand up and leave this mysterious place when suddenly what looked like a woman’s hand shot out of the ground and grabbed me by the ankle. The hand was covered in some white substance and was unusually strong. I fell over, writhing and kicking in the dirt. I tried to scream but my vocal cords were paralyzed and that’s when I awoke.

The strangest thing was that my ankle had a burning sensation long after I had woken up.

Off to England

Peter Bakke — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 06:09:03 +0000

Image via Wikipedia

I thought I could escape Berlin for England without a visit from Hess, but I was wrong. The morning of my trip had started nicely with a most welcomed visit by Ada. She stopped by to wish me well and to give me a few letters. She has relatives in London and wanted me to pass the letters to them. She is convinced international letters are read by our government. My typical reply is that gentlemen do not read others’ letters, but I assured her that I would deliver the letters posthaste. She then gave me a kiss and was off to visit her parents for the long weekend.

I had just called a taxi for the train station when Hess rang in at my side door. He barely said hello before shoving a large package into my hands. He seemed flushed and agitated. “Please deliver this to the Earl, ” he said. “He’ll know what to do with it. And, by the way, hide it well in your things, I don’t want anyone seeing you carrying it.” I thought this was an odd statement and Hess must have noticed a quizzical look in my eye. He told me the Weimar government should not know of it.

Well, I was turning into quite the courier! Hess fled the studio muttering something about running late for a meeting with Hitler. He hurried down to his chauffeured Mercedes and sped off. I must say I was taken aback, but glad that he had not stayed for an extended visit. It was time for me to be off. I did not want to be late for my train, known as the “The Flying Hamburger,” which would deposit me in Hamburg in about two hours.

The taxi arrived and I was finally on my way to the central train station. Next stops Hamburg, Southampton, London and Bracknell.

Body Of Hitler Deputy Rudolf Hess Exhumed, Cremated, Dumped In The Ocean (outsidethebeltway.com)
Rudolf Hess’ bones removed from grave for disposal (sfgate.com)
Hitler gave go-ahead to Hess to make peace with Britain (politics.ie)
Bones of Hess, Hitler Deputy, Are Moved From Grave (nytimes.com)

Dinner and a movie in Berlin

Peter Bakke — Sat, 18 Jun 2011 09:18:48 +0000

Tonight I had dinner with Ada and her parents, David and Ruth Blum, at the Hotel Excelsior. As I have mentioned before, we prefer the Excelsior because no Nazis visit the Hotel. I had the pleasure of informing our small dinner party that I have been invited by the Duke of Berkshire to visit England and give a presentation on the Japan and China situation to some colonels at the Royal Military Academy. The Duke has been a good friend over the years and has invited me to his lovely estate in Bracknell several times. I of course would love to take Ada with me, but it is not proper.

Rudi Hess has somehow gotten wind of my planned travels and wants to meet me prior to my departure to discuss relations with England. The Earl of Berkshire is not a member of the government, but has several connections. I imagine Hess wants to pass on some documents explaining the current Nazi philosophy on foreign relations. My father tells me that the object of a Nazi foreign policy will be to have Britain treat Germany as a nation of equal status once again. Germany will in turn recognize Britain’s rule of the seas if the English will in turn recognize Germany in its traditional place as the land bastion against the Asiatic hordes from the East. Perhaps Hess will throw in a request for Germany to reacquire her lost possessions in Africa and the South Pacific. We’ll see what that meeting with Hess brings.

Meanwhile, Menzies contacted me yesterday and told me that while in England I will be receiving some sort of wireless device to communicate directly with my British friends. He told me to bring a small, empty suitcase to hold the equipment on the return trip. This sounds a bit over the top to me, and quite dangerous. It seems that the British assume I will be asked to take part in a government position of importance in the near future. I admit I would like to influence German policy, but only under the right conditions. My association with Hess could get me in the door at the right time. My primary concern is whether I would want my family and friends to stay in Germany if the Nazis take over the government, which seems likely at this point. Do I leave the country as many are talking about doing, or do I stay and try to change and influence events. This is the biggest decision of my life.

Well, so much for deep thinking and a heavy heart. Ada and I excused ourselves after dinner and attended the the new film”The blue Light” by Leni Riefenstahl. She is the actress in the film and directed it as well. It was quite nice with lots of Alpine scenes, reminding me of the mountains near my parent’s home in Bavaria. The story is based on a traditional German folk tale. These kind of ethnic German stories seem to be very popular with the populace at this time.

There was a disruption early in the night when various thick necks in the audience made catcalls and hoots and whistles when Jewish characters appeared in the film, I recall that the character names provoking the jeers were Mayer, Balázs, and Sokal. Undoubtedly these are Jewish surnames. It is such an annoyance to be subjected to blatant racism in a public setting. Ada and I looked at each other, held each other a bit tighter and didn’t let it disturb the rest of our night together. After the film, I walked Ada to her parent’s apartment a little bit after 10 pm. I returned to my studio to start packing for my trip to Bracknell, Berkshire.

Hitler gave go-ahead to Hess to make peace with Britain (politics.ie)
Rudolf Hess flight to Britain ‘approved by Hitler’ (telegraph.co.uk)
German prosecutors shelve Nazi investigation (foxnews.com)

Prussian Diet riot

Peter Bakke — Thu, 05 May 2011 06:42:09 +0000

Image via Wikipedia

Now the Nazis and the Reds have really made a muck of things. They have utterly destroyed the venerable Prussian Diet, Preußischer Landtag, during a riot amongst themselves. Who knew that free speech could cause such havoc. Apparently a Red speaker claimed that there were murderers amongst the Nazi Prussian delegation (undoubtedly there are) and before he could get the accusatory words out of his mouth, the Nazis seized upon him and his brothers. I am certainly no Red fan, but on this day I wish the Reds could have given the Nazis a thrashing. It was not to be the case. The Nazis outnumbered the Reds two to one and all hell broke loose. The Reds were forced from the Diet, but not without a fight that completely ruined the interior of the famous old building. This is unprecedented in German history. I hope to God it is not a sign of things to come. All of Europe must be alarmed, as I am. Ada tells me that her uncle Karl Goetsch, an onlooker, received a cut above his right eye. Apparently, Uncle Karl was struck by a crazed Nazi who conveniently had brass knuckles on his person. Imagine such a thing. Delegates going into the Prussian Parliament so armed. Outrageous! Who is to save us from these humiliations? Adolph the Great must be proud of his boys, but old man Hindenburg needs to step forward, if only he can be rousted from his Junker estate and his stupor.

The naming of Berlin (guardian.co.uk)
Exorcising Hitler: the Occupation and Denazification of Germany (newstatesman.com)
California boy charged with murdering neo-Nazi dad (seattletimes.nwsource.com)
10-year-old accused of killing neo-Nazi father may pursue insanity defense, his attorney says (latimesblogs.latimes.com)
Which countries did Prussia defeat in 1871 (wiki.answers.com)
Jewish group calls for boycott of N.J. hotel that hosted neo-Nazi Statehouse rally attendees (nj.com)

Is this the beginning of the end of democracy in Germany?

Peter Bakke — Thu, 21 Apr 2011 06:10:38 +0000

Image via Wikipedia

The old man has sacked Chancellor Bruening and appointed Franz von Papen. What he hell is going on? Von Papen is a lightweight, a Roman Catholic and a Monarchist. He does not believe in a democratic Germany. He is a puppet. I am convinced Bruening was fired because of his plans to dismantle some of the large Junker estates in Prussia which are owned by Hindenburg’s neighbors, friends and cronies. Now they they have made Germany the laughing stock of Europe. The French are alarmed and the British perplexed. We’ll wait and see how Hitler plays on this near collapse of the Wiemar republic. I am no fan of the democratic experiment in Germany, but we are now entering very dangerous and unknown territory.

Account for The Failure of The Weimar Republic and German Democracy (socyberty.com)

The Stormy Abyss

A gift from Geneva

A scare before leaving Bracknell

Japanese lessons for German supernationalists?

A drive to Bracknell

A walk in Hyde Park

The moving earth dream

Off to England

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