Internecine Secret Service Wars Revisited. The Intelligence Career of Count Gerhard von Schwerin, 1945–1956

Abstract

Abstract For many years, the former general Count Gerhard von Schwerin was celebrated in Aachen as a man who sought to save the city from destruction in September 1944. Recently, however, his reputation has come under attack through a report produced by three historians at the University of Aachen. According to the report, his anti-Nazi credentials are also questionable since they are based purely upon Schwerin’s own post-war testimony. This article argues that any final verdict on Schwerin must take into account British and American source material relating to his post-war career in intelligence. Not only was Schwerin involved in the foundation of two intelligence organisations while serving as Konrad Adenauer’s adviser on rearmament (May October 1950), he also worked as an agent for the Central Intelligence Agency (1951–1953) and advised Kurt Schumacher and Franz Josef Strauß on intelligence questions. A determined critic of Reinhard Gehlen, Schwerin’s behind-the-scenes campaign for strong democratic control of the intelligence services, and the trust he was accorded by Allied intelligence officials, suggests that current views on his career require revision.