Leeuwarden, the Netherlands, on 7 August 1876, the daughter of a
prosperous tradesman who went bankrupt. Following her marriage
to a much older Dutch colonial officer, Rudolf MacLeod, the couple
moved to Java and had two children. They divorced in 1902, and
Zelle sought her fortune in Paris. Unsuccessful as a studio model,
she began to develop an expressive dance style posing as a Javanese
princess, inspired by her vision of a secret Hindu temple ceremony.
The Indian name she adopted—Mata Hari, or Eye of the Dawn—had
already been chosen prior to coming to France. After making her de-
but in March 1905 at the Musée Guimet, a private establishment for
oriental art, she performed to enthusiastic audiences at the Trocadero
and L’Olympia as well as in several exclusive Parisian salons. Her
success spread abroad and was mirrored by her likeness in numerous
commercial objects. Yet just as rapid as her rise to prominence was
her decline. Facing younger competition and subject to increasing
criticism, she began to use prostitution as a means to support her
impulsive and lavish lifestyle.
At the outbreak of World War I, living in Berlin, she came under
suspicion of being a spy for Russia. Following her return to Hol-
land, she made two trips back to Paris. Just prior to the latter one in
May 1916, a relationship developed with the German consul in The
Hague, Karl Cramer, who was also connected to the secret service
headed by Walter Nicolai. She may have received the designation
Agent H 21 at that time. For roughly six months, French counterin-
telligence officials from the Deuxième Bureau monitored all of Mata
Hari’s movements in Paris, concluding that she had ample funds at
her disposal and that most of her escorts were military officers. After
her most significant attachment, a Russian captain named Vladimir
Maslov, became injured, she sought permission to visit him at a clinic
in a restricted military zone. The Deuxième Bureau agreed to her
request on the condition that she work for France as an undercover
agent. One million francs would be paid to her in addition. Although
the head of the Deuxième Bureau, Georges Ladoux, later claimed
that she once had a romantic liaison with Crown Prince Wilhelm, no
evidence connects her to any member of the Hohenzollern family.
Lacking a clearly defined set of instructions from either France
or Germany, Mata Hari began to work on her own initiative. One
of her major new acquaintances was the German military consul
MATA HARI • 289