Double Cross in Cairo (26 page)

1. Renato Levi’s background and his original major role in creating
CHEESE
have been discussed in previous reports. On 19 February 1944 SIME received a letter dated 10 February 1944 from Levi at present apparently employed as an interpreter-clerk by Civil Affairs Branch in Italy. This letter
is the first communication between Levi and ourselves since he left Istanbul for Rome at the beginning of June 1941.

2. The following is a summary of own account of his activities from June 1941 up to the present time (February 1944).

4 June: Left Istanbul for Rome.

12 June: Arrived Italy, reporting en route to Major Travaglio in Munich.

14 June: Arrived Rome. Reported to Helfferich who congratulated Levi for his good work, and told him that wireless communication had not yet been established with Cairo.

July: Wireless communication finally established after attempts and following an exchange of telegrams between Cairo and Rome via Istanbul.

Helfferich was delighted and was very keen that Levi should return to Egypt to pay his agents and organise a further network in Palestine and Egypt. Levi pretended he had no wish to return to Egypt, but finally yielded to Helfferich’s insistent demands and agreed to return, the date of his departure fixed for 9 August 1941. Helfferich gave Levi detailed directive of information required, a new cipher and traffic plan and a ‘large sum’ in English and American currency. Helffferich also gave him a list of a few persons living in Haifa, Cairo and Alexandria to be contacted and who would give valuable aid. One person in particular was mentioned who could put Levi in touch with a high government official.

Levi took leave of Helfferich and proceeded to Genoa on fifteen days’ leave to see his family and settle his private affairs.

2 August: Arrested by Italians in Genoa. Removed to Rome.

August – September – October: A few days after arrest interrogation commenced. He was charged with having cooperated with British Intelligence in Belgrade and Cairo. No questions were put to him concerning his work for the Deuxième Bureau in France. The first question put to Levi was ‘why the radio and receiving set erected by me in Cairo was working under the control of the British authorities?’ Levi denied the charge of cooperation with the British authorities and stated that if the set was really under British control the reason was probably that Levi’s men had been caught by the British or else they had sold their information to the British authorities. Levi stuck to his story through several interrogations, spread over a period of two and a half months. The case was regarded as non-proven and Levi was not charged before the Tribunal Speziale.

17 October: Levi sentenced to five years imprisonment to be served as a political prisoner on the island of Tremiti and to the confiscation of $3,801 and £100.

15 May: Released from Tremiti owing to ill-health, transferred to civil hospital at Foggia.

19 August: Owing to heavy air bombardments, transferred to military hospital at San Severo.

21 August: Owing to shortage of beds in the hospital Levi was transferred to the prison of San Severo.

17 October: A few weeks after the British occupation Levi was released by
Civil Affairs Branch officer Captain Cooley who engaged Levi as an interpreter and clerk.

3. While Renato’s narrative tallies in the main with the scanty information which has reached us from most secret sources there still remain a number of points which require clarification:

4. It is evident from Levi’s narrative that he was imprisoned on
suspicion
and escaped with a comparatively light sentence for treason because there was no concrete proof against him. Levi states that he was arrested on 2 August 1941, a few days after he had taken leave of Helfferich in Rome, with the understanding that Levi should return to Egypt on 5 August 1941. It is reasonable to suppose therefore that Helfferich (or the Italians?) gave the order for Levi’s arrest on information received during the ten days or so prior to 2 August 1941. (Levi does not give exact dates).
    An examination of
CHEESE
traffic of this period shows that on 21 July
CHEESE
was told ‘tell George that Levi will arrive soon with funds. In the meantime get information.’ This is consistent with Levi’s own intended return to Cairo, and one may perhaps assume that until 21 July
CHEESE
was unsuspected. There were only two other wireless contacts between the date and the date of Levi’s arrest, the evidence therefore points to the probability that the serious suspicions of the Germans or Italians were aroused by the subject matter or phrasing of one or more of the three messages sent by us on 21 and 24 and 31 July 1941. It is known from most secret sources (original not at present available in Cairo) that the hand of the British Intelligence Service was regarded by the Germans as apparent in November 1941.

5. It is difficult therefore to reconcile the fact that
CHEESE
was apparently
brulé at the end of July 1941, and certainly at some stage in November 1941, with the theory we held prior to the receipt of Levi’s letter that ‘
CHEESE
was the main source by which successful deception was achieved resulting in complete strategic surprise at the outset of the Western Desert Campaign.’ (19 November 1941) i.e. about three and a half months after Levi had been arrested.

6. The information in Levi’s letter throws no further light on the question as to how the re-establishment of
CHEESE
was effected.

7. At the beginning of April 1943 we received information from a most secret source that he was to be released from imprisonment, and Rossetti was asked by Scirombo of the Italian Intelligence Service what should be done with him. There was an obscure reference to his being transferred to the Germans. Rossetti requested that Levi be sent to Sofia to be at Rossetti’s disposal. In mid-May 1943 Rossetti in Istanbul asked Athens if Levi could be brought to Sofia. Ten days later he again asked Athens what had happened to Levi.
    We received no further information on this subject and, if Levi’s statement is true, he never was actually released from prison except to go to hospital for medical treatment in May 1943. It may well be that the Germans were considering releasing Levi for use as a courier to pay
CHEESE
, but finally decided against it.

8. It is suggested that Levi should be interrogated closely on the following points:

(a) The exact date on which he took leave of Helfferich to go to Genoa.

(b) The exact details of his interrogations.

(c) Whether he heard any mention of a possible release from prison in April/May 1943.

(d) Whether it is likely to be known that he is now in Allied hands.

(e) Why did he not communicate earlier with British Intelligence in Cairo?

9. On the basis of the evidence at present available, the contents of the Levi letter do not in any way interfere with or alter the position with regard to our present use of
CHEESE
.

1. The purpose of this preliminary conversation was primarily to establish:

(a) Reasons for arrest in August 1941.

(b) To determine the attitude of the German and Italian Secret Services towards Levi both before his arrest, and during the subsequent period of the
CHEESE
operation.

(c) To decide whether or not the return of Levi and the information obtained from him has in any way added to or detracted from the reliability of the
CHEESE
link.

It is hoped that the following interim report will throw some light on the above questions. Levi is still being interrogated daily and a full report and appreciation will follow.

2. Attitude of Travaglio and other Abwehr officers towards Levi before his arrest

On about 15 June 1941 Levi met Rossetti in Naples and the latter said that he had been hearing ‘adverse reports’ about Levi. (Levi believes that his name had been blackened by an Abwehr agent in Belgrade who was afraid that Levi might have reported his inefficiency to the Abwehr and was therefore trying to get his story in first.)

When Rossetti added that Levi’s name had been coupled with that of the British Intelligence Service, Levi pretended to be deeply hurt, and handing his passport to Rossetti, said, ‘I can do no more work for you till this matter is clarified.’ At this Rossetti protested that he had complete confidence in Levi, handed him back his passport, and stated that Dr Travaglio would meet Levi in Venice the following week, and would go into the matter personally.

It is to be noted that Rossetti did not at any time actually say that had been accused of working for the British.

Levi met Travaglio in Venice as arranged. Travaglio was most friendly and insisted that the whole affair should be forgotten until they had had a week’s leave. Levi (remaining however on his dignity) agreed and they spent a pleasant week on the lido, Levi posing as Travaglio’s clerk.

At this stage, another Abwehr official, bearing like Travaglio the title ‘Dr’ joined the party. Over drinks Travaglio said that they would now settle the matter once and for all.

The unidentified Abwehr official then produced a long list of questions, of which the first was ‘Do you know a man called
JEAN
?’

Levi at first denied this, but when he perceived that his questioner
knew for certain that he had known
JEAN
, he admitted to an acquaintanceship with him. It was then revealed to him that
JEAN
– who had formerly worked for Travaglio in Holland – had stated categorically that Levi had been working simultaneously with himself for the Deuxième Bureau. Levi states that it was clear at this point that the Abwehr had positive evidence that he had been a Deuxième Bureau agent. He nevertheless parried every thrust until, to his surprise, Travaglio suddenly appeared tired of the interrogation, and, stating that he had absolute proof that Levi was 100 per cent loyal and that he had absolute confidence in him said, ‘give me the paper and I will sign it.’

Levi believes that Travaglio – whom he describes as a rather weak character who admitted himself not to be a good Nazi – saved him on this occasion in order to avoid the discovery by his superiors that he had been fooled, not only by the double agent
JEAN
, but also by Levi.

3. Arrest and interrogation of Levi

When Levi was arrested in August 1941 no formal charge was ever made against him. On 5 August a senior civilian official of the Italian CS Department said to him, ‘What about this radio set that you are supposed to have organised so well being under British control?’ Levi replied to this, ‘I know nothing about it.’

Throughout the interrogation Levi was not questioned at all about the story which had been concocted in Cairo and subsequently told to Zähringer in Istanbul about Paul Nicossof and the acquisition and establishment of the wireless set in Egypt. He is convinced that the Italians in fact knew practically nothing about his activities in Cairo, and this indicates that the Germans had no share in the responsibility for his arrest.

The interrogation took place in a friendly atmosphere, a few questions being put to him every few days. The subject of the wireless set was not brought up again after the first remark that is quoted above. He was
questioned about a number of photographs which had been found in his possession, the majority of which were of Mena House ‘lovelies’. He was also questioned about a cabaret girl whom he had taken with him to Istanbul on the first stage of his journey to Egypt (and who, in complete innocence had been arrested at the same time as himself in 1941). He was asked, in addition, about his activities in Belgrade, all of which he was easily able to explain. It was apparent throughout that the Italian officers had little or no ‘ammunition’ to use against him in the interrogation.

It is particularly noteworthy that when, after about four days of interrogation, Levi asked how long the affair would take, and urged that enquiries be made from Travaglio and from Rossetti, he was informed that this had already been done and that the information received from both Abwehr officers was excellent. They were even prepared to take Levi back into employment as soon as the matter at issue had been settled.

At this, Levi asked why, when the service for which he had been working had nothing against him, and even wanted him back, he was still detained. He was then told that for reasons which it was not possible to explain, this question could not be correctly answered. The enquiries up to that time however, were all in Levi’s favour. It was merely a question of slight suspicion (
leggero sospetto
) which, owing to the position which Levi held, had caused his arrest, and had to be cleared up before his release. He was urged not to worry, as it was only a question of a few days before he obtained his freedom.