Borvendég Zsuzsanna: Fabulous Spy Games. How international trade networks with the West developed after 1945 - A Magyarságkutató Intézet Kiadványai 24. (Budapest, 2021)
EMIL HOFFMAN AND HIS CIRCLES - In a jungle of secret services
EMIL HOFFMAN AND HIS CIRCLES earlier. In the meantime, Marcus was appointed mayor of the town of Rheydt by the British and was working for British intelligence. Through him, Hoffman also became a member of the Secret Intelligence Service (SIS, or MI6 as it is better known), whether he was aware of this or not. Klaus Barbie, the head of the Gestapo in Lyon, was arrested with his assistance.28 In 1946, he escaped the town as, by his own admission, the British secret service was pressuring him to collaborate. The British, however, tracked him down not much later, arrested him, and, because he was still unwilling to work for British intelligence, charged him and launched an investigation against him. He was charged with liaising with illegal Nazi circles and Russian spies.29 The first charge is hard to rebut: the business he did in the coming decades was mainly with his former fellow Nazi officers, and he had already joined a radical nationalist group in Rheydt, whose ultimate goal was to achieve autonomy for Germany and unify the country.30 The suspicion of colluding with the Soviets is, however, rather curious, and could eventually not be proven, so Hoffman was released. He was held captive by the British from April to December 1947, and, as claimed in his memoirs, was subjected to considerable pressure to cooperate, but he dug his heels in and refused to relent. This is unlikely to be true. Both the Stasi and Soviet intelligence concluded that Hoffmann did work for the British, but they did not find this out until later. According to the information from the Soviet services, Hoffmann reported to them about economic and political life in West Germany between 1949 and 1951, so he was not engaged with them in 1947 when the British accused him of collaborating.31 In 1951, however, the Soviet Ministry for State Security (MGB) carried out an inspection, which, they claimed, clearly showed that Hoffmann was working for the British.32 They did not specify whether they regarded him as a double agent or a mole, but they broke off relations. Documents of the American foreign intelligence agency, the Central 28 Selvage 2014, p. 118 29 ÁBTL 3.1.5. 0-12344/5 p. 19 Executive report, 4 March 1963 30 Selvage 2014, p. 118 31 ÁBTL 3.1.5. 0-12344/5 p. 17 Executive report, 4 March 1963 32 The Soviet secret service and state security agency was called MGB from 1946 to 1953, a predecessor to the KGB, established in 1954. 19
