Smith Journal – January 2019

027 SMITH JOURNAL

Chart

Pujol created a labyrinthine

network of fictional double

agents – each tasked with

recruiting extra sub-agents

• to help him feed the Nazis
  disinformation. This org chart
  shows the extent of his ‘spy ring’.

Page 024

Garbo in one of his many

not-very-elaborate disguises.

Image: The National Archives

Welshman

7(7)

Recruited

Feb. 1944

Welshman

7(6)

Recruited

Feb. 1944

Relative of

7(2) 7(5)

Recruited

Feb. 1944

Indian

7(4)

Recruited

Feb. 1944

W.R.E.N In

London

7(3)

Recruited

Feb. 1944

Ex-Seaman

7(2)

Recruited

6-12-43

Soldier 9thDiv.
7(1)
Contact
16-9-43 Sub Chief 7
Ex-Seaman
Recruited
9-12-42

Officer M o l

J(3)

Contact

16-5-42

Censor M o l

J(4)

Contact

10-4-43

Secretary

Min. of War

J(5)

Contact

4-9-43

killed off. Gerbers was supposedly based in

Liverpool, which had a strong naval presence.

MI5 argued this was no place for a fake

spy, fearing Gerbers’ failure to pass crucial

information on to Germany could bring

the entire network down. Gerbers ‘died’ on

November 19, 1942, but as luck would have

it, he was survived by his wife, who went on to

pass information to Germany from London.

By the end of 1943, Pujol was well placed for

his pivotal role in Operation Fortitude, the

campaign of confusion the Allies hoped would

buy them enough time to land at – and defend

• Normandy. Using fake planes, inf latable
  tanks and Pujol’s messages, the Allies sought
  to make Normandy look like the last beach
  on earth you’d want to retake Europe from.
  Even after D-Day, Pujol convinced Germany
  the attack was a ruse; Pas-de-Calais was the
  ‘real’ target. A major armoured counter-attack
  heading to Normandy was called back after
  being warned of another army in England’s
  south-east, and Germany’s high command
  received the following summary: “The reports
  received in the last week from the Arabel
  undertaking have been confirmed almost
  without exception and are to be described
  as especially valuable.”

Itmightbereasonable to assume Pujol’s

word wasn’t worth much following the

Normandy landings, but for some reason his

connections in Madrid still trusted him. After

telling them he was under suspicion and would

have to lie low for a while, one particularly

lovelorn message sent on December 12, 1944

read: “I should like to be a writer in order

that I should have facility to find the words

which might fully give you to understand

the high esteem which we all have for you,

and the desire we and our headquarters

have to collaborate with you.”

At the war’s end, Pujol was eager to leave

Europe, fearing the fractured peace between

the U.S. and the USSR wouldn’t last. Though

Garbo became legendary, the name Juan

Pujol García wouldn’t be known for years to

come. Many believed Garbo died suddenly in

Angola. In reality, Pujol settled in Venezuela

to become a language teacher. He lived a

quiet life until author Nigel West tracked

him down in 1984. (West is yet another

codename of sorts, being the nom de

plume of former British Conservative

Party politician Rupert Allason.)

Garbo’s earlier death was the result of Pujol’s

final major act of deception: he had asked

his friend Tommy Harris to kill him off.

After all, South America was said to be

a new home for many Nazis. Retirement,

he felt, could be short for spies. •