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Intelligence in Occupied Belgium: The Business of Anglo-Belgian Espionage and Intelligence Cooperation during the Two World Wars (1914–1918, 1940–1944)

2013; Taylor & Francis; Volume: 28; Issue: 3 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1080/02684527.2013.789635

1743-9019

Emmanuel Debruyne,

Historical Geopolitical and Social Dynamics

Abstract During both World Wars, one of the most powerful weapons Belgian citizens possessed in resisting German occupation of their country was the gathering of intelligence on the enemy for the allied armies. But Belgian's first and second secret wars were different in several respects, one of the most important being the relationship between the Belgian secret services in exile and their British counterparts. If the First World War was essentially a story of bitter concurrency between them, the Second was mostly a tale of 'jealous' partnership. The relations with the intelligence networks in occupied Belgium formed a delicate but crucial issue, where money played an important role. This article explores these dynamics and how they affected the main mission of gathering intelligence on the Germans. Notes 1 Regarding intelligence in occupied Belgium during the Great War, see Laurence van Ypersele and Emmanuel Debruyne, De la guerre de l'ombre aux ombres de la guerre. L'espionnage en Belgique durant la guerre 1914–1918. Histoire et mémoire (Bruxelles: Labor 2004). For the post-war testimonies of Belgian agents, see also Emmanuel Debruyne and Jehanne Paternostre, La résistance au quotidien. 1914–1918. Témoignages inédits (Bruxelles: Racine 2009). 2 Sophie De Schaepdrijver, La Belgique et la première guerre mondiale (Bruxelles: Peter Lang 2004); John Horne and Alan Kramer, German Atrocities. A History of Denial (New Haven, CT and London: Yale University Press 2001). 3 Michaël Amara, Des Belges à l'épreuve de l'Exil. Les réfugiés de la Première Guerre mondiale. France, Grande-Bretagne, Pays-Bas (Bruxelles: Editions de l'Université de Bruxelles 2008). 4 Kirke diaries, Book 1, 25 February 1915 (Imperial War Museum, Kirke diaries). 5 On the British side, we should mention the smallest 'Church' organization, run by a Lieutenant O'Caffrey, which specialized in the aviation issues, and for the French and the Belgians, some networks linked to the diplomatic and consular posts in Netherlands. Regarding the British intelligence services (and the various incidents due to their rivalry) during the Great War, see especially Christopher Andrew, Secret Services. The Making of the British Intelligence Community (London: Viking 1985) and Michael Occleshaw, Armour against Fate. British Military Intelligence in the First World War (London: Virgin Books 1989). I also have to thank Dr James Beach for his help on this topic (and for having corrected the first draft of this text). 6 Regarding Tinsley, see Frans Kluiters, R.B. Tinsley, a Biographical Note (The Hague: 2004) < http://www.nisa-intelligence.nl/PDF-bestanden/Tinsley.pdf>(accessed 12 March 2010). 7 Regarding occupied Belgium and the government-in-exile, see the articles, each of them a high quality work of synthesis, in Paul Aron and José Gotovitch, Dictionnaire de la Seconde Guerre mondiale en Belgique (Bruxelles: André Versailles Editeur 2008). Regarding the government-in-exile, see also Thierry Grobois, Pierlot 1930–1950 (Bruxelles: Racine 2007). 8 Regarding the Belgian intelligence services and resistance networks during the Second World War, see Emmanuel Debruyne, La guerre secrète des espions belges. 1940–1944 (Bruxelles: Racine 2008). On the Administration de la Sûreté de l'Etat in exile, see also Emmanuel Debruyne, 'Un service secret en exil. L'Administration de la Sûreté de l'Etat à Londres, novembre 1940–septembre 1944', Cahiers d'Histoire du Temps présent 15 (2005) pp.335–55; and Etienne Verhoeyen and Emmanuel Debruyne, 'Les années Londoniennes', in Marc Cools, Koen Dassens, Robin Libert and Paul Ponsaers (eds.) De Staatsveiligheid. Essays over 175 jaar Veiligheid van de Staat. La Sûreté. Essais sur les 175 ans de la Sûreté de l'Etat (Bruxelles: Politeia 2005) pp.75–92. Archives of the Administration de la Sûreté de l'Etat in exile are to be found in Brussels, at the Centre d'Etude et de Documentation Guerre et Sociétés contemporaines (CEGES), AA1333, Archives de la Sûreté de l'Etat. 9 Archives of the Deuxième Section du ministère de la Défense nationale are to be found in Evere in the Service général du Renseignement et de la Sécurité (SGRS). Section Archives. 10 Regarding the Belgian point of view on those discussions, see Musée royal de l'Armée et d'Histoire militaire, Fonds 185, dossier 14-2354. 11 Francis Balace, 'Nos services discrets', in Jours de Guerre (Bruxelles: Crédit communal), no. 1, pp.132–41. 12 Translated from French by the author. Letter from Camille Gutt to Georges Theunis, 3 September 1941 (Archives générales du Royaume (AGR), Archives Georges Theunis). 13 Historique de la 2 e Section du Ministère de la Défense Nationale […], n.s., n.d. (SGRS. Section Archives, Archives de la Deuxième Direction (Londres), box 3, no. 3). 14 Verhoeyen and Debruyne, 'Les années Londoniennes', pp.85–6. 15 Substantial information about these networks is readily available in Brussels at the AGR, Archives des services patriotiques. Most of the details in this article about the networks and their agents derive from this collection. 16 The amount of 6000 agents for the sole GHQ services (CF and WL), advanced just after the war by Lieutenant Colonel Reginald Drake, intelligence officer of the GHQ, is probably overrated. R.J. Drake, History of Intelligence (B), British Expeditionary Force, France, From January 1917 to April 1919, 5 May 1919 (The National Archives, Kew WO 106/45). Christopher Andrew's figure of 2000 agents is probably closer to the reality. Andrew, Secret Services, p.141. 17 About the Dame blanche ('White Lady'), see Henri Bernard, Un géant de la résistance. Walthère Dewé (Bruxelles: La Renaissance du Livre 1971); Pierre Decock, La Dame Blanche. Un réseau de renseignement de la Grande Guerre. 1916–1918, unpublished dissertation (Université libre de Bruxelles 1981); Henry Landau, Secrets of the White Lady (New York: Putnam 1935); and Tammy Proctor, Female Intelligence. Women and Espionage in the First World War (New York and London: New York University Press 2003). 18 Annette Hendrick, ORAM. Un réseau de renseignement allié pendant la première guerre mondiale, unpublished dissertation (Université catholique de Louvain 1982). A lot of information about the Moreau family and the Oram service can also be found in the Archives de l'Université de Louvain (UCL), Fonds Moreau. 19 Translated from French by the author. Henri Duclos, 'Comment on devient agent secret', in Revue des Deux Mondes 23 (1961) p.414. 20 Translated from French by the author. Note entitled Instructions centrales pour les chefs de service, by 'Evelyn' [Cameron], s.l., [October 1915], (AGR, Archives des Services patriotiques, no. 43). 21 Verhoeyen and Debruyne, 'Les années Londoniennes', p.86. 22 Regarding Martiny-Daumerie, see Etienne Verhoeyen, 'Missions britanniques et réseau Martiny-Daumerie' in Jours de Guerre (Bruxelles: Crédit communal), no. 6, pp.7–18. 23 Letter from Lepage to Pierlot, 19 January 1942 (CEGES, AA 1333, Archives de la Sûreté de l'Etat, no. 1). 24 Letter from Menzies to Pierlot, 23 February 1942 (CEGES, AA 1333, Archives de la Sûreté de l'Etat, no. 25). 25 Quoted in M.R.D. Foot, SOE in the Low Countries (London: Saint Ermin's Press 2001) p.225. Unfortunately, this book makes very little use of the Belgian historiography, and suffers from mistakes on the situation in occupied Belgium and on the Belgians in exile. 26 Etienne Verhoeyen makes a good synthesis of these services in La Belgique occupée, de l'an 40 à la Libération (Bruxelles: De Boeck 1994). 27 Regarding this crisis, see Etienne Verhoeyen, 'La Résistance belge vue de Londres. Ententes et divergences entre Belges et Britanniques: le cas du S.O.E.', in Institut d'Histoire du Temps présent, La Résistance et les Européens du Nord (Bruxelles: CREHSGM 1995) vol. 2, pp.156–82. See also, over these events and, more generally, the action of the SOE in Belgium and the Netherlands, Foot, SOE in the Low Countries. 28 Decock, La Dame Blanche, pp.61–6. 29 The Dutch–Belgian border was protected by a high-voltage electric fence. See Alex Vanneste, 'Le premier "Rideau de fer". La clôture électrisée à la frontière belgo-hollandaise pendant la Première Guerre mondiale', Bulletin de Dexia Banque 214 (2000) pp.39–82. 30 On M.25, see AGR, Archives des Services patriotiques, no. 14 and UCL, Fonds Moreau, no. 29. 31 On Bordeaux, see AGR, Archives des Services patriotiques, nos. 149–152. 32 The crucial issue of the relations between money and the agents is discussed for WW1 in Emmanuel Debruyne, 'Patriotes désintéressés ou espions vénaux? Agents et argent en Belgique et en France occupées. 1914–1918', Guerres mondiales et conflits contemporains 232 (2008) pp.25–45; and for WW2 in Emmanuel Debruyne, 'Le nerf de la guerre secrète. Le financement des services de renseignements en Belgique occupée, 1940–1944', Cahiers d'Histoire du Temps Présent 13/14 (2004) pp.223–65. 34 Henry Landau, All's Fair. The Story of the British Secret Service behind the German Lines (NY: Putnam 1934) p.135. 33 Decock, La Dame Blanche, pp.110–14. 35 Hendrick, ORAM, pp.173–4. 37 Translated from French by the author. Note entitled Gédéon se plaint [November 1943], (CEGES, AA 1333, Archives de la Sûreté de l'Etat, no. 227). 36 Regarding Tégal, see Emmanuel Debruyne, C'était Tégal. Un service de renseignements en Belgique occupée (Bruxelles: Labor 2003). 38 Regarding the BCRA, see Sébastien Albertelli, Les services secrets du général De Gaulle. Le BCRA, 1940–1944 (Paris: Perrin 2009). 39 Over the Polish secret service in exile, see J. Tebinka, 'British and Polish Intelligence Services in the 20th Century. Co-operation and Revelry', Acta Poloniae Historica 83 (2001) pp.101–35. On this affair, see A. Pepłoński, Wymiad Poslkich Sil Zbrojnych na Zachodzie 1939–1945 (Warsaw: AWM 1995) pp.226–30 and AGR, Archives du cabinet du Premier ministre à Londres, no. 824. 40 Regarding the Belgian part of the Rote Kappelle network, see Etienne Verhoeyen, 'L'Orchestre Rouge en Belgique, 1939–1942', in Jours de Guerre (Bruxelles: Crédit communal), no. 14, pp.141–60. 41 Over this affair, see CEGES, AA 1333, Archives de la Sûreté de l'Etat, nos. 11, 83, 85 and 86; CEGES, AA 1311, Archives du Haut Commissariat à la Sécurité de l'Etat, nos. 187 and 495.