Death and Honor

WITH REGARD TO THE MATTER OF COMMERCIAL ATTACHÉ WILHELM FROGGER AND FRAU GERTRUDE FROGGER IT HAS BEEN DECIDED BY THE PARTEILEITER, ADMIRAL CANARIS, AND SS-BRIGADEFÜHRER VON DEITZBERG ON BEHALF OF REICHSFÜHRER-SS HIMMLER THAT THE PRESS OF DUTIES UPON OUR FÜHRER ADOLF HITLER IS SUCH THAT THIS MATTER SHOULD NOT BE BROUGHT TO HIS ATTENTION

AT THIS TIME SO THAT OUR FÜHRER CAN DEVOTE HIS FULL ATTENTION TO BRINGING GERMANY TO FINAL VICTORY.

CONFIDENTIAL AND UNOFFICIAL CONFERENCES BETWEEN CANARIS, VON DEITZBERG, AND THE UNDERSIGNED HAVE REVEALED ASPECTS OF OUR OPERATIONS IN ARGENTINA BEARING UPON OPERATION PHOENIX AND OTHER MATTERS THAT WERE NOT KNOWN, IN THE INTERESTS OF SECURITY, TO OFFICIALS OF THE GERMAN EMBASSY OR TO ALL OF THE SIGNATORIES HERETO. SPECIFICALLY:

THE UNDERSIGNED HAS FOR SOME TIME EMPLOYED FRAU GERTRUDE FROGGER AS HIS CONFIDENTIAL AGENT TO REPORT DIRECTLY TO THE UNDERSIGNED HER OBSERVATIONS OF THE ARGENTINE/GERMANS, HER HUSBAND, AND OTHERS INVOLVED OR PLANNED TO BE INVOLVED IN OPERATION PHOENIX. THIS MISSION WAS NOT TO BE REVEALED TO ANYONE, INCLUDING HER HUSBAND, BUT WITH REGARD TO THE LATTER, WE MUST PRESUME THAT SECURITY HAS BEEN BREACHED BECAUSE OF THE MARITAL RELATIONSHIP.

ADMIRAL CANARIS HAS FOR SOME TIME EMPLOYED WILHELM FROGGER AS HIS CONFIDENTIAL AGENT, CHARGING HIM WITH REPORTING ON GERMAN AND NON-GERMAN PERSONNEL WORKING IN THE EMBASSIES IN BUENOS AIRES, MONTEVIDEO, AND SANTIAGO, CHILE. FROGGER WAS SPECIFICALLY CHARGED BY CANARIS WITH DETERMINING WHICH OF THE AFOREMENTIONED INDIVIDUALS HAD BANK ACCOUNTS AND, IF SO, WHERE AND WHAT ACTIVITY THERE HAS BEEN THEREIN, AND IF ANY SUCH PERSONNEL HAD ACQUIRED PROPERTY IN ARGENTINA AND URUGUAY OR ELSEWHERE AND, IF SO, THE SOURCE OF THE FUNDS INVOLVED.

WHILE HE WAS IN ARGENTINA, VON DEITZBERG, ACTING ON THE AUTHORITY OF BOTH REICHSFÜHRER-SS HIMMLER AND FOREIGN MINISTER VON RIBBENTROP, WAS, TOGETHER WITH VON GRADNY-SAWZ, IN SUCCESSFUL CONTACT WITH COLONEL PERÓN. PERÓN WAS OFFERED SUBSTANTIAL FINANCIAL REWARDS FOR HIS ASSISTANCE TO OPERATION PHOENIX, GERMAN SUPPORT FOR HIS AMBITIONS TO BECOME PRESIDENT OF ARGENTINA, AND IMPLIED GERMAN SUPPORT FOR THE INTEGRATION OF URUGUAY, PARAGUAY, AND OTHER TERRITORIES INTO ARGENTINA FOLLOWING OUR FINAL VICTORY.

WHILE IT IS POSSIBLE THAT THE FROGGERS HAVE BEEN ABDUCTED — EITHER BY BRITISH AGENTS, AS ADMIRAL CANARIS THINKS IS MOST LIKELY, OR BY THE AMERICANS, SPECIFICALLY FRADE — IT MUST BE CONSIDERED THAT FROGGER OR HIS WIFE, OR BOTH, DESERTED THEIR POST EITHER TRAITOROUSLY IN THE BELIEF THE WAR WILL BE LOST, OR THAT THEY DESERTED THEIR POSTS FOR FINANCIAL CONSIDERATIONS. CANARIS STATES THE BRITISH HAVE PRACTICED THE LATTER SUCCESSFULLY IN A NUMBER OF SITUATIONS.

WHATEVER THE CIRCUMSTANCES, IT IS AGREED BETWEEN US THAT THE FROGGERS ARE IN POSSESSION OF KNOWLEDGE (PERHAPS UNWITTINGLY) OF INFORMATION THAT COULD CAUSE SERIOUS DAMAGE TO OPERATION PHOENIX SPECIFICALLY AND BE EMBARRASSING TO THE GERMAN REICH SHOULD IT BECOME PUBLIC.

THEREFORE, CANARIS AND THE UNDERSIGNED ARE AGREED THAT VON DIETZBERG WAS BOTH CORRECT AND ACTING WITHIN HIS AUTHORITY WHEN HE ORDERED THE ELIMINATION OF BOTH INDIVIDUALS WHEN AND WHERE FOUND. IDEALLY, THERE WOULD BE AN OPPORTUNITY TO INTERROGATE BOTH TO DETERMINE HOW MUCH INFORMATION HAS BEEN PASSED TO THE ENEMY BEFORE THEY ARE EXECUTED, BUT THIS IS A SECONDARY CONSIDERATION.

THE QUESTION THEN BECOMES HOW TO LOCATE THEM. WE ARE IN AGREEMENT THAT OUR BEST CHANCE TO DO THIS IS THROUGH COLONEL PERÓN. ONCE IT IS POINTED OUT TO HIM THAT THE DISCLOSURE OF HIS CONNECTION WITH OPERATION PHOENIX — SPECIFICALLY INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO PROVIDING ARGENTINE ARMY PROTECTION OF THE LANDING OF THE SPECIAL CARGO — WOULD ALMOST CERTAINLY PRECLUDE HIS EVER BECOMING PRESIDENT OF ARGENTINA, IT IS FELT HE WOULD LEND HIS CONSIDERABLE INFLUENCE, BOTH MILITARY AND ON THE GOVERNMENT GENERALLY, TO THE RESOLUTION OF THIS PROBLEM.

AS AN IMMEDIATE SOLUTION OF THE PROBLEM IS OBVIOUSLY NECESSARY, THIS MESSAGE SHOULD BE IMMEDIATELY BROUGHT TO THE ATTENTION OF VON GRADNY-SAWZ, STANDARTENFÜHRER CRANZ, STURMBANNFÜHRER RASCHNER, AND KAPITÄN ZUR SEE BOLTITZ ONLY REPEAT ONLY.

AS AMBASSADOR, VON LUTZENBERGER WILL BE IN OVERALL COMMAND, BUT IT IS BELIEVED AND EXPECTED THAT VON LUTZENBERGER WILL DEFER IN MOST CASES TO THE PROFESSIONAL JUDGMENT OF CRANZ BECAUSE OF HIS GREATER EXPERIENCE IN THESE AREAS.

EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY, BOLTITZ WILL TRANSMIT A DAILY REPORT TO ADMIRAL CANARIS OF PROGRESS BEING MADE.

THIS MESSAGE WILL BE ACKNOWLEDGED IMMEDIATELY ON RECEIPT.

HEIL HITLER!

MARTIN BORMANN

PARTEILEITER

CONCUR

WILHELM CANARIS

VIZEADMIRAL

MANFRED VON DEITZBERG

SS-BRIGADEFÜHRER