Double Cross in Cairo (27 page)

4. Attitude of the Italians and Germans towards Levi during the period of his imprisonment

During 1942 Levi’s relations met Travaglio in Genoa, and asked for his favourable intervention. He replied that the matter was out of his hands and that he could not help. Rossetti, in contrast, showed himself favourably disposed towards Levi, and it was as a result of a letter written to
Rossetti and Scirombo that Levi was granted leave in mid-August 1942 to go to Mont Cattini.

When he went on leave Levi was informed by two Brigadieri of the CS (Rome Section) that the cause for which he had been imprisoned was not really of very great importance and that the decision against him had only been reached as a result of one man’s vote. The CS official responsible for this casting vote remains unidentified.

In November 1942 a Sardinian named Pirie was released from the island and subsequently arrested in Cagliari. Among the documents found on this man was Levi’s address, which Levi had given him simply in order to help him find work after his release. As a result a CS official already known to Levi was sent expressly from Rome to interview him on the island. Nothing was discovered against him, and at the questioning approached him on the subject of his release. The official replied that Levi was only on the island for a reason which he was unable to explain to him. Later on, one of the guards informed Levi that the Rome official said to him that he ought in reality to be released.

5. The story told to Zähringer in Istanbul

After his various experiences Levi had some difficulty in remembering the details of the story he told Zähringer nearly three years ago. He was emphatic however that the picture he had painted of
CHEESE
was almost exactly that which had been agreed upon in Cairo. He gave no physical description of
CHEESE
, as he was not asked for it. All he said about him was [that he was] a Syrian, supposed to be a former Merchant Service wireless operator.
CHEESE’S
motive for working he gave as mainly financial. He had found
CHEESE
through the intermediary of an Italian who had been responsible for producing the wireless set after sufficient financial inducement.

It seems certain that if the Abwehr have any picture of
CHEESE
at all in their minds, it must be an extremely vague one.

6. Present acquaintances in Cairo

The only persons likely to recognise at the present time are George Khouri (interned); the porter at the National Hotel (whom will avoid) and the journalist Habib Jamati (about whose present whereabouts enquiries are being made, and out of whose way Levi will also be instructed to keep.)

7. Conclusions

(a) On the basis of the evidence so far available there seems much to support Levi’s own theory that he was imprisoned by the Italians as the result of the jealousy of the Italian Secret Service against the Abwehr. Levi thinks that the most jealous of all was probably Scirombo, who had seen his own original espionage plans for Egypt go completely to ground, so that the ‘Germans had to take over and compensate for his own failure.’

(b) It is clear that at least one Abwehr official (Travaglio) must have known that Levi was, or had been, a double agent. There is no evidence however that Travaglio or anyone else knew him to be a British double agent, and whatever the Abwehr knew it is clear from the visit to the Lido in June 1941 that Travaglio was sufficiently scared of the Gestapo or the Russian Front to keep his views to himself.

(c) It may be surmised that Levi’s continued detention, when nothing at all had been proved against him, was probably due to Travaglio’s guilty knowledge. It made no difference to the
CHEESE
link whether Levi was in prison or not; and as long as he was in prison, an Italian prison, there was less likelihood of Travaglio’s dishonesty becoming apparent.

The following detailed narrative of Mr Rose’s return to Italy in 1941, his arrest and imprisonment by the Italians, and his final liberation by British forces, is based on a written statement made by Levi and on a series of conversations held with Levi since his arrival in Cairo from Italy on 1 March.

1. Levi left Egypt on 4 June 1941, travelling to Italy via Burgas, Sofia, Belgrade Vienna, Munich and Venice. On arrival in Vienna, he was instructed to proceed to Munich to report to Major Travaglio at Marien Theresien Strasse No. 4. This Levi did, telling Travaglio the story previously arranged with the British authorities in Cairo and Istanbul. Levi continued to Rome where he arrived on 14 June 1941 and immediately got in touch with Colonel Helfferich, whom Levi describes as Chief of the German Wehrmacht Nachrichtendienst in Italy, and whose office was in the Italian Ministry of War in the Via XX Settembre.
    Levi verbally explained in detail the result of his mission to Egypt, and was warmly congratulated by Helfferich who requested him to make a written report. Helfferich informed Levi that up to that time wireless contact between Cairo and Rome or Naples had not yet been established; Helfferich was accordingly very pleased that Levi had returned as he could pursue
enquiries via Istanbul with a view to establishing contact with the minimum delay. Should these efforts prove abortive, [he] would then return to Egypt to make a further attempt.

2. Levi proceeded to Naples, where he was interviewed on about 16/17 June 1941. During the course of conversation Rossetti mentioned that he had been hearing ‘adverse reports’ about Levi concerning his association with the British Intelligence Service. Levi believes that his name had been blackened by a minor Abwehr agent in Belgrade who was nervous that Levi might report his inefficiency and therefore tried to get his story about Levi in first.
    Levi gave a suitable display of injured innocence and handed his passport to Rossetti stating that he could do no further work for the Germans until his name had been cleared. Rossetti reacted as Levi had intended that he should, by returning the passport to Levi protesting all the while that he had complete confidence in him. He went on to inform Levi that Travaglio would meet Levi in Venice the following week to clear up the matter.

3. Levi met Travaglio in Venice as arranged. Travaglio was extremely friendly and gave Levi a warm welcome, insisting that they should forget the accusation against him until they had taken a week’s leave together. Levi remained slightly on his dignity, pointing out that a very serious charge had been levelled at him and that he wished to clear his name. Travaglio persuaded Levi that he had nothing to worry about and the two spent a pleasant holiday together on the Lido, Levi posing as Travaglio’s clerk.

4. One week later a German whose name Levi does not recall but who he believes was an Abwehr official, appeared on the scene. After introductions, drinks were ordered and Travaglio said that they would settle the case against him once and for all. The visiting official asked Levi several questions, of which the first was whether or not Levi knew a certain individual called
JEAN
. Levi replied that he did not remember him, whereupon the
official, to refresh Levi’s memory, reminded Levi of the man with microscopic handwriting. Levi had no alternative at this point but to admit to an acquaintance with
JEAN
. The official stated that
JEAN
had been arrested in Paris, having been working all along for the Deuxième Bureau. Levi feigned astonishment at this information. The official then asked Levi whether
JEAN
had brought Levi a letter to Genoa. Levi admitted this but turned to Travaglio and asked Travaglio to confirm that had passed on this letter to him. Travaglio confirmed this (in point of fact
JEAN
had brought two letters, one for Travaglio, the other a secret communication for Levi from the Deuxième Bureau in Paris.)

5. The official then stated that
JEAN
had made a statement to the effect that Levi himself had been employed by the Deuxième Bureau and had paid frequent visits to the British Embassy in Paris. [Levi] defended himself indignantly: he admitted going to the British Embassy, but this had been merely for routine passport formalities. He insisted that he had had absolutely no contact with the Deuxième Bureau, neither had he entertained any suspicion that
JEAN
was working for the French.

6. According to Levi,
JEAN
had worked for Travaglio in the Netherlands, although really serving the Deuxième Bureau. He was arrested by the Germans after their occupation of Holland, but at a later date
JEAN
had apparently re-established himself in Travaglio’s confidence and the latter (then in Italy) re-engaged him.
    Levi recalls that
JEAN
’S
second arrest occurred through a certain Karl (Charles) Kurt (alias Charles Masson), an Alsatian German (technically a French subject) who was arrested in Paris in 1938 by the French authorities, and, after a prolonged trial, sentenced to death for espionage.
    Levi was introduced to Kurt in Rome about October 1940. In the course of conversation Kurt told Levi that he had been betrayed by a Frenchman (unnamed) who was a Deuxième Bureau agent but who pretended to be working for the Germans. Fourteen other persons who formed a German espionage network in Metropolitan and Colonial France were arrested at the same time as a result of this Frenchman’s activities. Kurt himself had had a ‘miraculous’ escape. According to his own statement, he was being removed by the Vichy French authorities soon after the armistice from the German-occupied zone to the non-occupied zone, together with some petty criminals. At the frontier Kurt shouted out to some German troops, who stepped on the train and removed Kurt and some political prisoners whom the Vichy French authorities had tried to smuggle into the non-occupied zone as ordinary criminals. Kurt was later sent to Italy to work with Travaglio.
    At a later meeting with Kurt and Travaglio in Rome (about October 1940) Travaglio read out a message he had received from Paris stating that a certain
JEAN
had presented himself to the German authorities in Paris alleging that he belonged to Travaglio’s Section. Travaglio’s opinion was
asked concerning
JEAN
’S
disposal. Travaglio told Kurt and Levi that he did not recall who
JEAN
was and asked whether he remembered him. Levi pretended that the name meant nothing to him but Kurt chipped in suddenly and asked Travaglio whether this
JEAN
might be a person whose reports were all written in microscopic handwriting. Travaglio turned to Levi and asked Levi if he remembered such a person. Levi replied that it must have been the person that Travaglio had engaged in Genoa some time ago and who had previously been employed by Travaglio in the Netherlands. It was agreed that this must be the man. Kurt became extremely agitated and asked Travaglio to give immediate instructions for
JEAN
’S
arrest and execution, because it was
JEAN
who had been responsible for the arrest of Kurt and fourteen other German agents. Kurt said that he could give definite proof that
JEAN
had been working all along for the Deuxième Bureau. Levi interrupted at this point and told Travaglio that it would be advisable to take further enquiries before giving definite instructions for
JEAN
’S
arrest. Kurt insisted with some heat that there was no need for this as he was absolutely certain that
JEAN
was a traitor. Travaglio accordingly ordered Levi to draft a message for transmission to Paris containing instructions for
JEAN
’S
arrest. Levi was to have this message transmitted to Paris from Bari, when he returned to that city.
    The next day Kurt left Rome for Milan leaving Levi and Travaglio together. Levi interceded on behalf of
JEAN
and told Travaglio that, after careful consideration, he did not think that
JEAN
could be the person mentioned by Kurt. Travaglio, who respected Levi’s opinions, accordingly cancelled the message Levi had drafted the previous day and instructed Levi to send a message solely stating that he, Travaglio, no longer required
JEAN
’S
services. Levi states that
JEAN
’S
final arrest, despite this message, may have been due to Kurt’s insistence with the German authorities in Milan; alternatively, Levi’s message may have arrived too late and the German authorities in Paris may have arrested
JEAN
on their own initiative. Some time later Travaglio was told that
JEAN
had been sent to a concentration camp in Germany.
    When Kurt returned to Rome a week later he and Levi reported together to Helfferich. Kurt was given definite instructions for the future. As far as Levi can remember, it was planned that Kurt should make his way alone, by whatever route he chose, to reach Palestine or possibly Syria, to work his way into pipeline territory where he could organise sabotage. Kurt refused to take a wireless set with him, as he asserted that he could construct his own set by buying the component parts locally.
    Levi states that Kurt stood very highly in the Germans’ estimation and was very well paid by them. Kurt is of medium height, stoutish, heavily built, brown hair, usually well dressed, [an] expert wireless operator [who] ‘looks like a Frenchman’.
    Levi met Kurt again in Rome in June or July 1941 and gathered that the original plans for Kurt to go to the Middle East had not materialised. Kurt told him, however, that he was flying to Tripoli (Libya) with another agent and that they were to be dropped somewhere behind the British lines in the Western Desert, equipped with wireless sets. A few days later Levi saw Kurt and asked him how it was that he had returned so soon from Tripoli. Kurt explained that he and the other agent had been arrested by the German authorities on arrival in Tripoli and had been flown back to Italy in handcuffs. Levi got the impression that this incident had been caused through Travaglio (for whom Kurt was working) trespassing in territory which was the responsibility of a different Abwehr Section. Kurt was apparently highly amused over the whole business.

7. Levi believes that on the occasion of the Venice meeting in June 1941 Travaglio saved him in order to avoid the discovery by his superiors that he (Travaglio) had been fooled, not only by the double agent
JEAN
, but also by Levi.

8. Wireless contact between Italy and Cairo was finally established in July 1941 after a series of trials and following an exchange of telegrams between
Cairo and Rome via Istanbul in accordance with the pre-arranged plan. Helfferich sent for Levi and was apparently highly delighted with the successful establishment of wireless communication. He pressed Levi to return to Egypt to pay the agents he had recruited and to organise a further espionage network in Palestine and Egypt. Levi feigned complete disinterest in this scheme, but gradually yielded to Helfferich’s insistent demands and agreed to return to British occupied territory. The date of Levi’s departure was fixed provisionally for 6 August 1941, although Helfferich would have preferred him to have left earlier. Levi insisted, however, on being granted some leave to return to Genoa ‘and settle outstanding family and private affairs’. Before leaving Rome for Genoa on about 16/17 July 1941, he was given a detailed directive by Helfferich for his new mission. This included the type of information required, a new cipher and traffic plan and a ‘large sum’ in American and British currency. He was also given the names of certain individuals living in Haifa, Cairo and Alexandria who could be relied upon to provide assistance. The name of one person in particular was stressed, who could put him in touch with a high Egyptian Government official. Levi cannot remember these names.

9. Towards the end of July 1941, during the period which Levi spent in Genoa, prior to his intended departure for the Middle East, an incident occurred which Levi considers may have a bearing on his arrest. An individual arrived at the same hotel in which Levi was staying in and introduced himself as Captain Alessi of the Italian Air Force. He was wearing civilian clothes and told that he had been sent to him by Rossetti’s secretary, Annabella. Alessi did not give Levi any written message from Annabella but, judging from his conversation, he was apparently fairly well-informed of the German’s affairs. Alessi also mentioned that his visit to Genoa was partially in connection with a private business transaction.
    Levi and Alessi became friendly and went out together on several occasions. Alessi explained his intention of going abroad to work for the same
section as Levi and asked him for advice. On one occasion he asked Levi abruptly whether he could keep a secret. Levi assured him that anything he said would go no further, whereupon Alessi told Levi point-blank that he did not like the Nazis or Fascists and wanted Levi to help him by backing up his attempts to go abroad. Alessi stated that, once out of Italy, his real intention was to stay away for the duration of the war. (While out with on previous occasions Alessi had often spoken favourably of the Americans and stated that he was a personal friend of an American official in the American Embassy in Rome.)
    Levi asked Alessi why he was not on active service, to which he replied that he had had some trouble with a Fascist official and had left the Air Force of his own accord, for personal reasons. He did not pursue this any further. Up to this point of their acquaintanceship, Levi had been favourably impressed with Alessi, and had not entertained any suspicions that Alessi was an agent provocateur. Alessi’s self-confessed anti-Nazi anti-fascist attitude, however, naturally aroused Levi’s doubts. Accordingly, he was in the difficult position of having to frame his reply to Alessi in such a way that he would not incriminate himself in the event of Alessi being an agent provocateur, but at the same time not scare Alessi away in case his anti-Fascist attitude was a genuine one, in which event Levi realised that he might be of considerable value to the Allies once in Allied-occupied territory. Levi accordingly told Alessi that, whatever he had said, he could rest assured that it would not go ‘any further’, whether or not Alessi was sincere in what he had told Levi. Levi did not care what Alessi did once he got abroad. Levi pointed out that as far as he was concerned, he could not be of any assistance in expediting Alessi’s departure as this matter would depend on a decision upon Naples. All he could do would be to inform Naples that he had had a conversation with Alessi and that as far as he, Levi, was concerned, they could engage Alessi in whatever way they thought best.
    Alessi thanked Levi for his advice and begged him to exert his influence on Rossetti through Annabella with a view to getting him sent away as soon
as possible. He asked whether he would help him once he was abroad, and whether they could arrange some rendezvous, in view of the fact that he was hoping to leave about the same time as Levi (early August 1941). Levi replied that if they should he might be able to assist him in obtaining visas for Palestine or Egypt by introducing Alessi to the British authorities in Turkey as a Jewish refugee. Levi told Alessi that should he assist him in this way, he would not be concerned as to whether Alessi did his duty towards the Germans or not, as Levi had taken it upon himself to spy upon other agents, or to gossip to the Germans about their activities. Levi amplified this by stating that if, on return to Egypt, he found out that the people he had engaged had ‘gone wrong’, he would not create trouble for them, although it was arguable that his duty would be to report it immediately to his German masters.
    Levi told Alessi that he had always done his duty up to that time and even assuming, for the purpose of argument, that he might not be 100 per cent friendly towards the Nazis or the Fascists, this would not make any difference to his work. He would look upon it as a question of doing his duty for an employer he disliked. All this did not mean, of course, that Levi did actually dislike the Nazis or the Fascists – he was merely looking at it from Alessi’s angle.
    Some time after this interview, Levi spoke to Annabella on the telephone and told her of Alessi’s visit. She knew about him and asked Levi to arrange an appointment for her to meet Alessi somewhere in Rome. Levi gave her Alessi’s address in that city. Annabella told Levi that she thought Alessi might be very useful and that it might be profitable if Levi and Alessi teamed up. Levi replied that he preferred to work alone as far as possible.
    Before Alessi left Genoa on about 25 July 1941, Levi asked him not to betray him to the British should he (Alessi) throw in his lot with the other side once he got abroad. Alessi assured him that he would respect his attitude exactly as Levi respected his, and would continue to do so if he succeeded in getting away from ‘this blasted country’. He would certainly not betray Levi.
    Levi describes Alessi as follows: about 6 feet tall, fair hair, English looking,
possibly blueish eyes, good looking, pleasing personality, good manners and well educated, considerable savoir faire, obviously a man of the world, always smartly dressed. Spoke fluent French, English and Italian, Anglo-Saxon drinking habits (fond of whisky, gin, cocktails, etc.)

10. In the late evening of 1 August 1941, the day before his arrest, Levi received a telephone call from Annabella in Rome, who wished to know on behalf of Rossetti when he was going to leave for the Middle East. Apparently Rossetti wanted him to leave as soon as possible. Levi explained to Annabella that there had been a slight delay owing to passport formalities.