Capítulo 13: chapter 13 Police and murderers
Berlin, July 2, 1935
AH: Gentlemen, I have summoned you here to provide you with clarity on the control of the police and the state security apparatus. There has been some confusion and conflict in the recent past regarding who has authority for what. This can not continue like this.
So, to begin with, I am issuing a written order for Wilhelm to take charge and control all police forces as minister of the interior. They will be reformed into Reichs Polizei, with two branches, the Kriminalpolizei as an investigative detective unit and the uniformed Ordnungspolizei to be formed from Schutzpolizie, Gendamerie and Gemeindepolizie. Basically the standard organization for police work, but now on a large, nationwide scale. There will be a small exception for Reichsbahn Polizei, you will only get functional and quality supervision, while operational details will remain in Reichsbahn, for obvious reasons.
And as home secretary, fire and emergency departments will also be included in his portfolio. Now I want you to start a program to improve and update your capabilities, you should also look to expand the Volunteer departments and bring them to the level of professionals. For the upgrade and expansion programs, I expect a budget proposal for the next three years by the end of September.
Understood?
(WF): Yes, sir.
AH: Now we come to the security services, now I am sure you have noticed that Admiral Canaris is absent, he and his ineffective and stubborn organization will not be informed of this meeting or its contents. Now, officially, during the next cabinet meeting, I will reorganize and expand the authority of the Abwehr.
Like Canaris and the Wehrmacht have been agitating to control all external espionage. Apparently I will grant your request, with the exception of intelligence gathering carried out by the Foreign Office. Now I hope they take particular interest in the military aspect and basically ignore everything else since they are made up of military officers.
The price of this expansion of authority and trust will be the transfer of all domestic intelligence functions to the SD. With the notable exception that I will grant you the authority to protect our military secrets, facilities and personnel from foreign interference.
Heinrich Himmler (HH): That will please those Prussian officers.
AH: I hope so. Because I'm turning them into a giant decoy program. Their so-called ethical espionage methods will be excellent at distracting our enemies and providing them with a target for their wrath.
In the meantime we will form a professional agency, an agency made up of SS agents and operatives. Men who do not believe that this is a great game or that one should not approach the opponent in a manner akin to sportsmanship. This organization is not going to understand that this is a matter of life or death for our country and our people, and that they go for the jugular every time.
Now this agency will be a new organization called Reichssicherheitshauptamt (RSHA). The RSHA will be given "public" authority to deal with all internal security and intelligence gathering outside the armed forces. Now you, Reinhard, will head this organization, and are hereby promoted to the rank of General der Polizei.
Reinhard Heydrich (RH): Thank you mein Fuhrer, I won't forget this.
AH: Oh, don't thank me yet, work is a real dog's breakfast.
You, as head of the RSHA, will report weekly to Wilhelm, Heinrich and me. The Amt will consist of a recognized national branch that will eradicate all political opposition and foreign espionage. Maintain strict controls over the morale of the population in general and any official in particular. And basically with the detection of real or potential enemies of the German people.
To accomplish this task, he will take control of both the SD and the Gestapo, turning them, respectively, into the executive and information arms of his home office. You will also form a third group of armed officers capable of resolving any violent disturbance with extreme prejudice.
RH: Snipers and elite teams of heavily armed officers trained to eliminate any obstacles, perhaps just one platoon per Gau.
AH: You understand perfectly, now for foreign operations you are going to create intelligence sub-agencies, operations and communications interceptions.
HH: Communication interceptions, you mean for decoding purposes.
AH: No, not just for decoding, although if you can decode enemy communications that will certainly be useful. No, the main reason is to triangulate the source and identify it.
HH: How can we identify them if we can decode the message?
AH: Heinrich, you are a son of musicians, if you listen to a piece of music you couldn't tell who the pianist was.
HH: Naturally.
AH: Now I have a suspicion that an experienced radio operator will be able to recognize the sender in the same way. Just because of the rhythm and pattern of his strokes. So if he now he knows where the sender is, and before he knows that, for example, he is serving on HMS Hood, he knows where Hood is.
Pretty useful information, don't you think? After all, it's what the British did to us in the Great War. This is how they knew when the HSF was leaving or where exactly the 1. Armee was in Flanders, right down to the metro.
WF: How, how,... wait, do they still do this?
AH: I can almost guarantee it.
RH: We have to put a stop to it. No, wait, you want to turn it on them like turning a trapped spy into a double agent.
AH: And that is why you will be leading the RSHA. We will continue to let you know where each of our units is located, continue with comfort and certainty. Until when they need it most we will pull the rug out from under them.
No, for now we let the English think they are safe behind their Royal Navy, safe because the Royal Navy knows exactly where our ships are.
RH: So that's why they allow us so many ships, to allow us to grow to 1/3 the size of the RN. Because they know they can always concentrate their entire fleet against us.
HH: But we're going to fool them, make them think our ships are in the Baltic when they're bombing Newcastle.
AH: Yes, but not until the time is right. Revenge is a dish best served cold, well I'm going to serve it at a temperature that will make hell freeze over. And until then you Reinhard will build for us those same capabilities, capabilities that we will not use until the moment of decision.
Now this is the task that I give you Reinhard, to create for ourselves an information advantage over our adversaries. Not just to be a spy master, but to be a true conduit of information. Not only to move our chess pieces into place, but also to guide theirs. A task that if done well will lead us to victory over more numerous and powerful enemies.
RH: I will give everything I can to this my greatest service to the Fatherland and to you, our Führer.
AH: I have every confidence in you, but now let's move on to the last item on today's agenda. I must admit that I made a mistake, a mistake that could have cost us dearly. An error that we must correct once and for all.
WF: What are you talking about?
AH: The SS-Verfügungstruppe, their very nature must change.
HH: What, why would they be our own army.
AH: Yeah, that's where we're about to go wrong. Trying to compete with the Heer, where they rule, was a mistake. No, instead of creating a pale imitation of the army, we will go where they will not go. We will create a force that will fight dirty, that will not think about wearing the enemy uniform or assassinating the opposing general.
Now this force that will be called SS-Kommandos is something new that I want you to present. They will be highly trained units that will operate in small groups, far behind enemy lines and without support. We will use them to sow panic and confusion among our enemy.
These men will be the absolute best the German people can produce, they will be armed to the teeth with the newest weapons and gadgets available. They will be tested so hard that only one in a hundred men can even pass their basic training. They will be the kind of men who will continue to fight and march as long as they breathe. Their bravery and determination will be paramount although often unknown and their motto will be "He who dares wins."
RH: One man in a hundred, that will be a great recruiting slogan.
Status de energia semanal
-- Ranking de
Poder 
-- Pedra de
Poder