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Gen. Reinhard Gehlen, Spy for Hitler, U.S., Bonn by Jean R

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Gen. Reinhard Gehlen, Spy for Hitler, U.S., Bonn by Jean R fi b Sunday, Juno lo, 1979 THE WASHLNGTON POST Gen. Reinhard Gehlen, Spy for Hitler, U.S., Bonn By Jean R. Halley WathInztott Poet Suet Writ*' Gen. Reinhard Gehlen, 77, Hitler's chief anti-Soviet spy in World War II who later became a Soviet expert for the United States and the first head of West Germany's secret service, died Friday at his home near Munich. The death was reported by rela- tives, according to Reuter, which said he had cancer of the prostate gland and had been released from a hospital three months ago. Gen. Gehlen was head of West Ger- many's "Bundesnachrichtenclienst" I BEM) from the time the secret serv- ice was officially recognized in 1956 until he retired in 1968. He had set up its forerunner, known as the "Gehlen Organization," at the request of the U.S. occupation forces in Europe after World War II, It has been estimated thlt he and the thousands whom he employed in his counterespionage organization REINHARD GEFILEN provided this country's Central Intel- ligence Agency and the Pentagon with 70 percent of its intelligence on the U.S.S.R. and Eastern Europe. Gbn. Gehlen was born at Erfurt He was financed with millions of U.S. -4- It.had been apparent to the Ameri- dollars. (now in East Germany), the son of a 4ns that they were totally unpre- publishing house director. He joined West German chancellor Konrad the German army in 1920 and served Xiared when it came to intelligence alabut the Soviet . Gen. Gehlen was Adenauer reportedly had much confi- as a cavalry and artillery officer. IV dence in Gen. Gehlen's skills, and he lowing Hitler's rise to power, Gen. given autonomous command over a personally chosen German staff to or- was given comparatively free rein af- Gehlen was given secret service train- ter his organization became official, ing and became an officer on the gen- Zanize cold-war espionage in the So- But West German newspapers criti- eral staff. He was considered brilliant ' let zone for this country. cized the mystery with which the so- at desk work. is- It is estimated that he hired be- called "faceless general" operated. in rveen 4,000 and 20,000 people to work 1961, he suffered a setback when it He continued to move up as he par- Xpr him. Many of them were ex-Nazis. ticipated in the invasion of Poland was discovered that his chief of coun- and the sweep across France. Then in ` terintelligence, Heinz Felfe, was a Su- 1942 he became head of Nazi intelli- viet double agent. gence for the Eastern Front. Gen. Gehlen's influence and reputa- But Gen. Gehlen ran into head-on tion further waned after the death of Adenauer in 1967. His critics attacked opposition from Hitler when he organ- his strong anti-Soviet views as out- ized a Russian Army of Liberation dated, and he retired a year later. from among anti-Communist prisoners Gen. Gehlen married the former of war and partisans who had been Herta von Seydlitz-Kurzbach and they captured in the German invasion of had four children. the U.S.S.R. He soon fell into disfavor Since retirement, he had lived near He remained loyal, however, to Hit- Stranberg Lake in Bavaria and spent ler until he began to see the approach most of his time involved with the of the end of the war. He saved his Evangelical (Protestant) Church. massive secret service files on the Russians by hiding them In steel cases A7_• rr in Bavaria. After lie surrendered to the Ameri- can forces, he negotiated a deal with this country to establish a secret Intel- Agence service for the occupation threes. .
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