U.S. intelligence and the nascent transatlantic security architecture of the Cold War – the case of the ‘Gesellschaft für Wehrkunde’

Journal of Intelligence History Pub Date : 2020-01-02 DOI:10.1080/16161262.2019.1697547

Tobias Schmitt

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引用次数: 1

Abstract

ABSTRACT The rearmament of West Germany was an important goal of U.S. foreign policy during the early 1950s. However, this was a contested issue among the German population. In this context, former professional soldiers played a crucial role. U.S. intelligence agencies initiated covert operations that were designed not only to influence this key group but also to set up clandestine personnel pools for paramilitary action. The core of this endeavor was their cooperation with former Waffen-SS general Felix Steiner and the founding of the ‘Gesellschaft für Wehrkunde’ (GfW), a network of ex-officers that was dedicated to defense studies. This organization quickly developed into an important propaganda tool and a military think tank. After U.S. intelligence terminated its support, the German Federal Government took over GfW and used it as a means to establishing the West German armed forces. The case of the GfW also sheds light on the problematic cooperation between former Nazi functionaries and U.S. intelligence and highlights the divergence of German and American concepts for paramilitary operations.

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美国情报机构与冷战时期新生的跨大西洋安全架构——以“德国共同体”为例

重整西德军备是20世纪50年代初美国外交政策的一个重要目标。然而，这在德国人中间是一个有争议的问题。在这方面，前职业军人发挥了至关重要的作用。美国情报机构发起了秘密行动，不仅旨在影响这个关键群体，而且还为准军事行动建立了秘密人才库。这一努力的核心是他们与前武装党卫军将军菲利克斯·施泰纳的合作，并成立了“Gesellschaft fr Wehrkunde”(GfW)，这是一个致力于国防研究的前军官网络。该组织迅速发展成为重要的宣传工具和军事智库。在美国情报部门停止支持后，德国联邦政府接管了GfW，并将其作为建立西德武装部队的手段。GfW的案例还揭示了前纳粹官员与美国情报机构之间存在问题的合作，并突出了德国和美国在准军事行动概念上的分歧。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Journal of Intelligence History Arts and Humanities-History

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0.50

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0.00%

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期刊介绍： The Journal of Intelligence History is the official publication of the International Intelligence History Association (IIHA). It is an international peer-reviewed journal that aims to provide a forum for original research on the history of intelligence services, activities and their wider historical, political and social contexts. The journal aims to publish scholarship on all aspects of the history of intelligence, across all continents, countries and periods of history. We encourage submissions across a wide range of topics, methodologies and approaches.