HITLER'S PLOT TO KILL THE BIG THREE HITLER'S PLOT TO KILL THE BIG THREE LASLO HAVAS Translated from the Hungarian by Kathleen Szasz Revised edition, with additional material translatedby Jean Ure COWLES BOOK COMPANY, INC, NEW YORK Copyright©LasloHavas 1967 LibraryofCongress Catalog #69-19999 Printed simultaneously in Canada by General Publishing Company, Ltd., 30 Lesmill Road, Don Mills, Toronto, Ontario Printedinthe UnitedStates ofAmerica First Edition 1491816 FOREWORD The headings of the three parts of the book add up to a so-called technical hexameter: "Quis, quid, ubi, quibus, auxiliis, cur, quo- modo, quando?" In rhetoric and criminal investigation it sums up what we call "circumstances": Who is the criminal? What is the crime? Where was it committed? By what means? With what ac- complices? Why? Inwhatway?When? Apart from a few exceptions, the protagonists are mentioned by their real names. The exception is made where it would compro- misethepersonin hispresent situation orjob. The author expresses his thanks to those who have allowed the reconstruction of events by telling him about them or putting their diaries at his disposal: Ida Kovalska, Ernst Merser, Joseph Schna- bel, Gerhard Fromm, Jakob Kupferstein, Hama Ebtehaj, Otto Skorzeny, Thomas W. Jackson, Jean-Jacques Béguin, and Paul Pourbaix. This book could not have been written without lengthy, exhaust- ing, and, in certain cases, dangerous research carried on by the author's collaborators in many parts of the world. The author takes this opportunity to thank them: Mrs. Anne Havas (Belgium, Swit- zerland, France); Mrs. C. M. (Soviet Union, East Germany); Miss Gerda Klaus (West Germany); Mrs. Marianne Widmann (West Germany); Pierre Brisard (Spain); Raoul Chasel (Iran); Adam Minossian (Iran); Jose Mendes (Argentina, Chile); James Morris (United States); Dr. Otto Wolf (Israel). The author also thanks the Centre de Documentation Con- temporaine (Paris), the Institut fiir Zeitgeschichte (Munich), and the staff of the National Archives and Records Service of the Gen- eral Services Administration, Washington, D.C. CONTENTS 1 introduction QUIS, QUID, UBI . . . 9 January 31 February 49 March 70 April QUIBUS AUXILIIS, CUR . 89 May 104 June 119 July 136 August QUOMODO, QUANDO . . 153 September 181 October 208 November 241 December 257 Research 267 Bibliography 275 Index