Alliance of Enemies: The Untold Story of the Secret American and German Collaboration to End World War II

by Agostino von Hassell, Sigrid MacRae, Simone Ameskamp (Contributor)

Alliance of Enemies tells the thrilling history of the secret World War II relationship between Nazi Germany's espionage service, the Abwehr, and the American OSS, predecessor of the CIA. The actors in this great as-yet-untold story were often at odds with their respective governments. Working in the face of competing ideologies and at great personal risk, these unorthodox collaborators struggled to bring about an early peace.

By mining secret World War II files that were only recently declassified, as well as personal interviews, diaries, and previously unpublished accounts to unearth some of history's surprises, Agostino von Hassell and Sigrid MacRae shed new light on Franklin Roosevelt's surprising stance toward Hitler before the U.S. entered the war, and on the relationship of American business to the Third Reich. They offer vivid details on the German resistance's desperate efforts to at first avert war and then to make common cause with enemy representatives to end it. And their work details the scope and depth of German resistance and its many plots to eliminate Hitler and why they failed.
New names and incredible wartime plots reveal the titanic power struggles that took place in Istanbul and Lisbon---cities crawling with spies. Intense, clandestine communications and spy rings come clear, as do the self-serving neutrality of Switzerland and Portugal and the shocking postwar scramble for German spies, scientists, and more, all to aid in the fight against a new communism.

Alliance of Enemies fills a huge void in our knowledge of the hidden, layered warfare---and the attempts for peace---of World War II. It will fascinate and excite historians, spy and policy enthusiasts, and anyone concerned with the uses of intelligence in trying times. Nowhere has such a complete and provocative history of the wars behind World War II been told---until now.

Genres: History, World War II, Germany

416 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2006

Reviews

[Bruce · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is great that a lot of the documents from WW II have been declassified so the truth comes out. Early in the reign of Hitler several high ranking Germans knew he was bad for Germany and the world. They began plotting and seeking aid and encouragement from outside Germany. Unfortunately, the Brits thought of them as ungentlemanly because they were 'traitors' ignored or dismissed them out of hand. (And the Brits had also been infiltrated by Soviet spies which didn't help). FDR hated all Germans so they was little encouragement from the US.
As with all intelligence some good information is disregarded or ignored or just not thoroughly thought through. In early 1941 a list of questions a German 'resister' had obtained that German intelligence wanted answered by its agents in the US concentrated heavily on Hawaii. The Brits had obtained the list and shared it with US intelligence but didn't bring the Hawaii concentration to the fledgling US intelligence service. So the US ignored the broad hint at where Japan would attack.
Throughout the book one is apprised of all the plots against Hitler and all the requests those opposed to Hitler made but were denied by the allies. It is an interesting book on intelligence and its use and non-use.

[jeffrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a tough read, but well worth the effort. The book details the many heroic, and often unrewarded and mostly unsuccessful efforts of individuals of many nationalities, to topple the Nazi regime through intrigue and espionage. So interesting and tragic how the allies often eschewed valuable information provided them by these means. I found the last third of the book to be the most intriguing, concerning the "end game" of the war, and particularly about how ideals of morality proved to be flexible when it came time to dividing up the material and personnel spoils of war.

[Khepera Bowlin-Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

Khepera Bowlin-Jones
A3 Eng.
Alliance of Enemies is a World War 2 era book written by Agostino von Hassell and Sigrid MacRae. It doesn’t follow any characters in particular, but rather a description of events that happened in the war that are not common knowledge. It is a book about how Germany’s unrest and its resistance when Hitler came to power. Many Germans didn’t want to join the Nationalist Socialist Party and support Hitler’s regime. There even were coup attempts to rebel against him that ultimately failed. There were heroes on both sides, but the Nazi party had grown into power and Germans who wanted to fight it could not, because they had become so strong. The narrator mentions that many people were and still are ignorant of the German resistance. During the war, the Abwehr, the German intelligence agency, decided to take action to halt the regime. They contacted and collaborated with the OSS, the predecessor to the CIA, and delivered information about upcoming battles to each other.
The author’s purpose for this book was to inform about WWII and the previously untold collaborations that occurred during this time. It has an informative style, describing and detailing events and people that had impact over the course of the war. The style of this book is effective in its form because it doesn’t follow anyone in particular. The theme of this book definitely seems focused on war in real life not being just on good or evil. People on one side can either be forced there or made to think that they are doing the right thing. This quote shows this: “He was referring to the failed 1944 Stauffenberg coup attempt against Hitler, which in his view was treason.” If you tried to fight back against Hitler and didn’t believe in him, then you were seen as a traitor and hung for your treasonous actions, even if they were the right actions. If you didn’t believe in him but didn’t do anything, then you were letting your country slip into a perception of evil. You couldn’t win if you didn’t believe in him and was a resident of Germany. Another quote shows this: “Opposition to a totalitarian regime is a double-edged sword; there is not comfortable way to grasp it.”
I thought it was a very well-thought out book and satisfied my expectations. It flowed easily and could give one a plethora of information about not only the war but some of the people who were involved and never were seen as heroes like they should’ve been. People who wanted to stop the killing and stop the war and the Nationalist Socialist Party of stripping away at Germany’s structure and integrity. I liked the style and the point of view that the book took on. If I’m to be honest, there’s nothing I disliked. The book is a worthy source of knowledge for people who want to learn more about the era and its events. If I had to change something, I would add more details from other countries involved to make this even more informative. This is the first book that I have read like this, and I happened to enjoy it very much.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

I only put this book aside because I've been immersed in this era and topic for some time and just don't have the time or passion to finish this. I read the 14 pages of introductory material, the 12 pages of conclusion and epilogue, and the 14 pages of very useful glossary and biographical material. Also skimmed the extensive bibliography and dipped into a few spots in the main text of the book -- that's easy to do because it's broken up into quite small bits.

Bottom line -- and this was clear from other reading I've done -- is that the Allies' "unconditional surrender" demand and lack of interest in dealing with any German opposition prolonged the war. Brits get blame for not even wanting to listen, and when American OSS folk like Allen Dulles and Wild Bill Donovan DID listen, the policy makers, mainly Roosevelt, had no interest is doing anything.

Good book, overall, with material going back to just after WW I and through pre-WW II period, but bulk deals with activities during WW II, as is to be expected.

I could come back to this in the future, but doubtful, thus "start-and-parked" rather than "behind the wall."

[Colton Carter · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book Alliance of Enemies makes me stop and think, and almost challenge what I have learned about the relationship between Germany and the United States during World War II. The authors present personal accounts through interviews, diaries and declassified files from World War II to represent an unusual relationship between Franklin D. Roosevelt and Hitler. They also give details about how the German resistance (those who were against Hitler) to try to prevent the war. But once the war started this same German resistance sought out enemies to help end it and destroy Hitler. The authors also reveal the different many spy rings and the wars behind the war in order to achieve peace.

[Anne Nelson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Important research published by Agostino von Hassell, grandson of resistance figure, and historian Sigrid McRae, on heart-breakingly failed attempts to bring down Hitler through secret diplomatic initiatives.

[J. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent!

[Katie Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

In depth perspective on the politics and "behind-the-scenes" of WWII. Certainly a different view of the war that what one usually is presented with. Not for the casual reader, though.