Orbach, Danny Fugitives. A History of Nazi Mercenaries During the Cold War

After the Second World War, the Allies vowed to hunt down Nazi war criminals "to the ends of the earth". But many escaped - or were protected by the West in return for co-operation in the looming confrontation with communism. Reinhard Gehlen, founder of the West German foreign intelligence service, took SS agents into his ranks, overestimating their supposed capabilities. This short-sighted decision nearly brought down his esteemed service, as the KGB could easily turn or expose its Nazi agents. Gehlen was not alone in this cynical strategy, however; the intelligence services of the US, Soviet Union, France and Israel, as well as nationalist organisations and independence movements, all used former Nazi agents during the early Cold War. Fugitive Nazis became freelance arms dealers, spies and assassins and played a crucial role in the secret competition between the superpowers. From posh German restaurants, smuggler-infested Yugoslav harbours and fascist bases in Franco's Spain to Damascus safe houses and Egyptian country clubs, these spies created a bustling network of influence and information, a uniquely explosive ingredient in the covert struggles of the post-war decades. Historian Danny Orbach unveils newly declassified revelations from the Mossad and other archives, revealing this long-forgotten arena of the Cold War and its colourful characters. Shrouded in official secrecy, clouded by myth and propaganda, the extraordinary story of these Nazi agents has never been properly told - until now.