to override his proposal. He also unsuccessfully promoted a propa-
ganda scheme devised by Ignácz Trebitsch-Lincoln. Concerned as
well with the security of the German embassy and charged with the
investigation of Richard Sorge, Meisinger established a congenial
relationship with the Soviet spy and protested his arrest by the Japa-
nese in October 1941. In another major miscalculation, Ivar Lissner,
the most valuable agent of the Abwehr working in the region, was
apprehended two years later at Meisinger’s instigation on the basis of
rash and distorted charges. Nevertheless, he remained at his post in
Japan until his capture by U.S. forces in September 1945. Returned
to Poland, he was found guilty of war crimes by a Warsaw court and
hanged on 7 March 1947.MELDUNGEN AUS DEM REICH. The secret wartime public opin-
ion reports compiled by the Reichssicherheitshauptamt (RSHA),
Meldungen aus dem Reich (Reports from the Reich) owed their
conception and direction to Otto Ohlendorf. As head of Office III
of the RSHA, he not only oversaw a research staff of 24 persons
well-versed in various disciplines but relied on a battery of carefully
chosen, unremunerated confidential agents in diverse occupational
groups. Their task was to compile remarks overheard in public and
private settings about such issues as the fall of France, the invasion
of the Soviet Union, food rationing, Allied bombing, and attempts on
Adolf Hitler’s life.
Beginning in early October 1939, the reports appeared in mimeo-
graphed form several times a week and were normally 15–20 typed
pages. The first 34 issues were called Berichte zur innenpolitischen
Lage (Reports about the Domestic Situation) before the new title
was adopted. Written in a sober and candid tone, they contained an
assessment of the public mood regarding current events along with
individual stories and examples. Crime statistics—strictly banned
from the public press—also found their way into these reports. Taken
as a whole, they charted larger trends in German society, notably the
lack of enthusiasm for the war from the outset and the growing desire
for a peaceful settlement.
The Meldungen had considerable influence on many in the Nazi
leadership as Germany’s prospects for victory worsened. But to Ohlen-
dorf’s frustration, they—in contrast to the steady stream of battlefield
294 • MELDUNGEN AUS DEM REICH