THE SLIPPERY NAZI

If you've ever relocated to a different town or city, you're probably aware of the challenges involved in making new friends. The conventional advice is to join a group or club where you can meet like-minded individuals. You might consider taking up pottery classes, joining a wine appreciation society, or becoming a member of the local Glee Club. Personally, I've formed lifelong friendships through my involvement with the Illuminati. However, for those with a more adventurous spirit, there exists the option of joining an aspiring secret clique of agents who operate under false identities and rendezvous at covert locations to exchange top-secret information and discuss the latest disguises.

One individual who pursued this path was William Siebold, a German-American who, in 1940, became part of what would eventually become the largest spy ring in U.S. history. Siebold had recently returned to America after spending a couple of years in his native country, Germany. During his visit, he was approached by the Gestapo and urged to spy on his adopted nation, the United States. Under the alias Harry Sawyer, a name assigned to him by the Gestapo, Siebold agreed to carry out their bidding, as many people did when faced with threats from high-ranking Nazis who vowed to harm their entire families.

Over the following weeks, Siebold underwent training in his newfound profession before being sent back to the United States to gather intelligence on behalf of the Fuhrer. However, unbeknownst to Hitler and his cohorts, Siebold had no intention of fulfilling their demands. While being trained in Germany, he secretly visited the American Consulate in Cologne, explaining his situation and offering to become a double agent, working with the FBI.

Upon his return to New York in February 1940, the FBI assisted Siebold in establishing a new identity as Harry Sawyer. He was provided with office space where he purportedly worked as an engineer, serving as a cover for his actual role. In reality, the premises were equipped with hidden cameras and microphones, serving as a meeting place for Siebold and other German spies. With the FBI closely monitoring their conversations, Siebold's task was to elicit information from his fellow spies.

Little did Siebold know that this clandestine operation would bring him face to face with one of the most accomplished spies and fascinating personalities in history—Frederick "Fritz" Joubert Duquesne. Duquesne, widely regarded as the leading German spy operating in the U.S. at the time, had an incredibly diverse and eventful life. His exploits made James Bond look like a geography teacher who collected stamps.

If you were to Google Fritz Joubert Duquesne, you'd come across numerous images of a man sporting different hats. But metaphorically speaking, Fritz wore many hats too. He was a South African Boer, a con man, a journalist, a movie publicist, a big-game hunter, a German soldier, a British army officer, a fictitious Australian war hero, a hippo salesman, a hunting adviser to President Roosevelt, and, of course, a spy. Yes, that list does include a hippo salesman. Can you imagine the advertisements? "Only one owner, runs well, low mileage, a real head-turner, but a bit heavy on fuel, and handling can be a challenge."

During his extraordinary life, Duquesne assumed various names and aliases. At one point, he even impersonated a real-life Russian Duke, hence his reference as "The Duke" in FBI files. He fought in multiple wars, was captured and imprisoned six times, and was sentenced to death on at least one occasion. However, he managed to escape every single time.