6495
December 20th, 1942
Alger - Around the waxed wooden conference table sit a few men - two senior French military intelligence officials, a member of the cabinet of the President of the Council and one from the cabinet of the Minister of Defense, plus four representatives of France's two main allies, two British and two Americans, no more. All eight of them are hanging on the lips of Pierre de Froment, the head of Operation Medusa, who has just stood up.
- Good morning, gentlemen. Thank you for coming. This meeting is intended to shed light on the current situation of Operation Medusa. It is probably a little over two years since the Collaborators created the Atlas network. We became aware of its existence early last year and have gradually succeeded in infiltrating it. At present, some of our 12 penetrators have managed to reach some of the highest Atlas positions.
The head of Atlas in Tunisia has been turned and is now working for us. Other of his men are in the same situation and others are simply men of ours recruited by the previous ones according to our... suggestions. Only a third of the Tunisian structure of Atlas is really collabo, and we control it thanks to the other agents.
In Algeria, the work is less advanced, the difficulties are greater and the pool of enemy sympathizers larger, but we have placed enough pawns not to fear much. The... sudden disappearance of Mr. Vaugrand, who had enthroned himself as the head of Atlas for the whole NAF, but in practice for Algeria, calms us down completely.
In addition, we have been working for months with the Germans on accreditation, providing them with accurate and verifiable information, in the operation carried out shortly before Torch was launched.
Captain Stirling, a sturdy Scotsman, raises his hand: "What kind of information?"
- For example, names of units sent to the Sicilian front. When we learned that a regiment had suffered losses against the Italians, we hurried to communicate its position to the Germans. The information that we transmitted to them always arrived before the Italian services and, ironically, we were the ones who were credited with its discovery. Now, the Germans are probably quite convinced of the reliability of Atlas.
- But are you sure?
The man who just spoke is a British colonel with a strong salt and pepper mustache. This officer, unknown to the public, is the head of Force A, the Allied counter-espionage network in the Mediterranean. Network X, in North Africa, is the French component.
- Colonel?
- A few days ago, you eliminated Vaugrand, a key figure, however. Don't you fear that this will provoke the mistrust of the Abwehr? Besides, why did you do it? Because of the messages in code that he was sending to the Germans?
- We broke the code, and you're right, it was his messages that made us eliminate him, colonel, but not because they were dangerous. His transmissions were nothing more than meaningless political jargon. What they showed us was that the man wanted to interfere in everything that was happening in Atlas and that he was a sort of political commissar. When he managed to get his official appointment as head of Atlas-NAF, it became clear that he had to be eliminated before he found out what was really going on.
- I understand your reasons, but... How do you say... Wouldn't that give them a hint?
- No, because it was officially one of the six agents who landed on December 3rd by plane, and the Germans took Vaugrand's assassination as a settling of scores between Lavalists and Doriotists! As the Abwehr doesn't like Doriot very much, it's just that they didn't ask us to congratulate the supposed killer.
The English colonel nods his head in satisfaction. Froment flips through a file, then: "We have thus entered phase two of Medusa. The goal is now to carry out a major military disinformation. In agreement with the allied high command, we must push the enemy to overestimate our forces and to be mistaken about the location of the landing in Italy, which now seems inevitable, even if it was not necessarily in our plans before the elimination of our great friend Mussolini.
Commander Lagny asks to speak.
- Commander?
- Didn't we have to convince them that the landing would take place somewhere other than Italy?
- We also spread information about a landing in Sardinia, Greece and even in Provence. But let's say that Atlas considers them unreliable. Curiously, it appears that the Germans were sure that we had taken Sicily to invade Italy, well before we had decided to do so! So, we are going in their direction, which gives us credibility...
- I understand.
Froment resumes his presentation.
- Three days ago, we sent this message to the Germans: "Important preparations throughout NAF. All the French, British and American troops who had taken part in the operations in Sicily [followed a detailed list of units which will not tell them anything] are preparing for a very forthcoming amphibious operation. Possible destinations: Sardinia and Corsica, Italy, Southern France."
Yesterday, we went up a notch: "EMERGENCY. Large amphibious operation imminent. Intense naval movements. Strong aeronautical activity. The Dissenters [that's what Atlas members call our national army, isn't that something?] bring many British and American reinforcements."
Tomorrow we will send the following message: "EXTREME EMERGENCY. Landing in the south of Italy in preparation, near the Strait of Messina. Another landing further north is planned later, to trap the Axis forces.
- What is the expected effect?" asked the head of the A force.
- Obviously, they were not going to rush forces far to the south, with Italians who could not be less reliable. When they see our predictions come true, they'll believe in whatever we tell them next... On the other hand, they asked us what the Allies think of Badoglio.
- And what did you answer?
- We hesitated. We had to answer, though! So we explained that the French thought nothing but bad things about him, that they were certain that Italy would remain in the Axis and that the Marshal was no better than Mussolini. But we added that the Americans thought that Badoglio was going to betray Germany and that the British were between the two!
A light laugh runs through the audience...
.........
According to "Atlas médusé - The response of French counter-espionage to the activities of spies of the NEF and the Axis in North Africa", by A. Naxagore, Paris, 1946.
Alger - Around the waxed wooden conference table sit a few men - two senior French military intelligence officials, a member of the cabinet of the President of the Council and one from the cabinet of the Minister of Defense, plus four representatives of France's two main allies, two British and two Americans, no more. All eight of them are hanging on the lips of Pierre de Froment, the head of Operation Medusa, who has just stood up.
- Good morning, gentlemen. Thank you for coming. This meeting is intended to shed light on the current situation of Operation Medusa. It is probably a little over two years since the Collaborators created the Atlas network. We became aware of its existence early last year and have gradually succeeded in infiltrating it. At present, some of our 12 penetrators have managed to reach some of the highest Atlas positions.
The head of Atlas in Tunisia has been turned and is now working for us. Other of his men are in the same situation and others are simply men of ours recruited by the previous ones according to our... suggestions. Only a third of the Tunisian structure of Atlas is really collabo, and we control it thanks to the other agents.
In Algeria, the work is less advanced, the difficulties are greater and the pool of enemy sympathizers larger, but we have placed enough pawns not to fear much. The... sudden disappearance of Mr. Vaugrand, who had enthroned himself as the head of Atlas for the whole NAF, but in practice for Algeria, calms us down completely.
In addition, we have been working for months with the Germans on accreditation, providing them with accurate and verifiable information, in the operation carried out shortly before Torch was launched.
Captain Stirling, a sturdy Scotsman, raises his hand: "What kind of information?"
- For example, names of units sent to the Sicilian front. When we learned that a regiment had suffered losses against the Italians, we hurried to communicate its position to the Germans. The information that we transmitted to them always arrived before the Italian services and, ironically, we were the ones who were credited with its discovery. Now, the Germans are probably quite convinced of the reliability of Atlas.
- But are you sure?
The man who just spoke is a British colonel with a strong salt and pepper mustache. This officer, unknown to the public, is the head of Force A, the Allied counter-espionage network in the Mediterranean. Network X, in North Africa, is the French component.
- Colonel?
- A few days ago, you eliminated Vaugrand, a key figure, however. Don't you fear that this will provoke the mistrust of the Abwehr? Besides, why did you do it? Because of the messages in code that he was sending to the Germans?
- We broke the code, and you're right, it was his messages that made us eliminate him, colonel, but not because they were dangerous. His transmissions were nothing more than meaningless political jargon. What they showed us was that the man wanted to interfere in everything that was happening in Atlas and that he was a sort of political commissar. When he managed to get his official appointment as head of Atlas-NAF, it became clear that he had to be eliminated before he found out what was really going on.
- I understand your reasons, but... How do you say... Wouldn't that give them a hint?
- No, because it was officially one of the six agents who landed on December 3rd by plane, and the Germans took Vaugrand's assassination as a settling of scores between Lavalists and Doriotists! As the Abwehr doesn't like Doriot very much, it's just that they didn't ask us to congratulate the supposed killer.
The English colonel nods his head in satisfaction. Froment flips through a file, then: "We have thus entered phase two of Medusa. The goal is now to carry out a major military disinformation. In agreement with the allied high command, we must push the enemy to overestimate our forces and to be mistaken about the location of the landing in Italy, which now seems inevitable, even if it was not necessarily in our plans before the elimination of our great friend Mussolini.
Commander Lagny asks to speak.
- Commander?
- Didn't we have to convince them that the landing would take place somewhere other than Italy?
- We also spread information about a landing in Sardinia, Greece and even in Provence. But let's say that Atlas considers them unreliable. Curiously, it appears that the Germans were sure that we had taken Sicily to invade Italy, well before we had decided to do so! So, we are going in their direction, which gives us credibility...
- I understand.
Froment resumes his presentation.
- Three days ago, we sent this message to the Germans: "Important preparations throughout NAF. All the French, British and American troops who had taken part in the operations in Sicily [followed a detailed list of units which will not tell them anything] are preparing for a very forthcoming amphibious operation. Possible destinations: Sardinia and Corsica, Italy, Southern France."
Yesterday, we went up a notch: "EMERGENCY. Large amphibious operation imminent. Intense naval movements. Strong aeronautical activity. The Dissenters [that's what Atlas members call our national army, isn't that something?] bring many British and American reinforcements."
Tomorrow we will send the following message: "EXTREME EMERGENCY. Landing in the south of Italy in preparation, near the Strait of Messina. Another landing further north is planned later, to trap the Axis forces.
- What is the expected effect?" asked the head of the A force.
- Obviously, they were not going to rush forces far to the south, with Italians who could not be less reliable. When they see our predictions come true, they'll believe in whatever we tell them next... On the other hand, they asked us what the Allies think of Badoglio.
- And what did you answer?
- We hesitated. We had to answer, though! So we explained that the French thought nothing but bad things about him, that they were certain that Italy would remain in the Axis and that the Marshal was no better than Mussolini. But we added that the Americans thought that Badoglio was going to betray Germany and that the British were between the two!
A light laugh runs through the audience...
.........
According to "Atlas médusé - The response of French counter-espionage to the activities of spies of the NEF and the Axis in North Africa", by A. Naxagore, Paris, 1946.
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