Page 50 of The Last Safe Place
“You mean the coup fund?” Oster asked.
Knut pricked up his ears, since he’d never heard of the existence of such a fund.
“If you want to call it that,” said the head of the foreign exchange department. “I cannot make any detailed statements, but yes, we deposited several million dollars with the banker Eduard von der Heydt in Switzerland. However, Wehrmacht High Command became aware of it and arranged for its inconspicuous repatriation.”
“Are there still funds in Switzerland?” asked Emil.
“I would assume so.”
“In other words, we could use those funds as advance payment for the Sevens’ living expenses, then tap into further funding sources over the next few months?” asked Knut.
The head of foreign exchange seemed to suffer an internal struggle, before finally nodding. “As long as nobody outside this room finds out. It must be handled with extreme caution and every transaction must be above suspicion. God knows, I don’t want to get it in the neck with a disciplinary complaint because someone from Wehrmacht High Command suspects that currency controls have been circumvented.”
This little group of conspirators in the Abwehr had many powerful enemies who’d leap at the chance to overthrow their despised adversary Admiral Canaris, along with his entire team, in order to get their hands on their resources.
“I can take care of that,” Emil offered. “As long as in the foreseeable future – say within a year – the funds flow back through other sources, I’ll make sure nobody notices anything.”
“But where would you get it from without stealing it?” It was perhaps an inappropriate remark, but Bernd hoped to ease the general air of depression.
“Actually, stealing wouldn’t be so bad…” Knut muttered.
“What do you mean?” Dohnanyi seemed to be open to the idea, although Knut couldn’t imagine for a moment that this conscientious man would consider doing something dishonest. Then he had to bite back a laugh, since they had all turned into criminals by working against Hitler, to whom they had sworn an oath of allegiance. At that moment, Knut had an idea. He’d have liked to discuss it with Bernd first, but there was no time for that.
“I’ve just had an idea.” He looked at his superior officer uncertainly. “Though it’s a little unconventional.”
“Fire away. Right now, any idea is better than nothing.”
“According to the Eleventh Decree to the Reich Citizenship Law, German Jews residing abroad lose not only theircitizenship, but also their assets, which automatically revert to the German Reich.” Knut glanced at Emil, who was hanging on his every word, nodding repeatedly. It gave him the courage to continue with his crazy idea. “So if our Operation Seven agents lose all their assets the moment they set foot in Switzerland anyway, surely they could sign them over to the Abwehr in advance, instead of waiting for the Gestapo to snatch them up?
“Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant!” exclaimed Emil. “We’ll put one over the Gestapo, the operation will be cost neutral and with a few skillful transactions, nobody abroad will suspect the Sevens are working for us in any way, while in Germany, they’ll believe the opposite.” The head of foreign exchange tilted his head from side to side, before finally saying, “If the rest of us think this is a viable course of action, let’s do it.”
Nobody objected and the meeting ended with a resolution that the foreign exchange department should work out a watertight plan in the next three days.
Knut made sure he took plenty of time tucking his papers into his briefcase and strolling to the door, where he waited for Bernd.
“Shall we go to the officer’s mess?” Bernd asked.
“Gladly. I could eat a horse.” Knut longed to discuss the events of his trip, but as soon as they sat down at a table in the mess, Emil began making his way toward them, tray in hand. Knut groaned inwardly, because he could hardly stop their colleague from joining them.
“May I sit with you?” Emil asked.
“Certainly,” Knut replied graciously. “We wanted to talk about the proposal anyway.”
Emil glanced over his shoulder, before he sat down with them. “I’ve had an idea about that. I can’t give any details yet, but don’t worry, it’ll all be done strictly to the letter of the law.”
“My biggest concern is that the agents will disagree,” said Bernd.
“Why would they? It’s the perfect solution for all concerned. And—” Emil lowered his voice, “their assets will be confiscated anyway. This way, at least they’ll get something out of it.”
“Did you know about this coup fund?” asked Knut, not wanting to let the matter drop.
Emil hummed and hawed, before finally admitting, “I’d heard rumors. Probably comes from the very top. Best you forget its existence altogether. If it comes out, we’ll all be in hot water.”
“I can believe that.” Bernd shoved a forkful of roast meat into his mouth, before he asked, “Do either of you feel like going to the opera tonight? My parents have tickets for the Marriage of Figaro, but they’re unable to go.”
“Sorry, opera’s not for me.” Emil raised his hands defensively, and Bernd turned to Knut. “What about you? Or don’t you like classical music either?”
Knut all but laughed out loud, since Bernd knew very well that he loved opera in general and Mozart in particular. To play along, he pulled a face. “Concerts aren’t really my thing.”