Secret Honor (Honor Bound 3)

* * *

CLASSIFICATION: MOST URGENT

CONFIDENTIALITY: MOST SECRET

DATE: 22 MAY 1943 1645 BUENOS AIRES TIME

FROM: AMBASSADOR, BUENOS AIRES

TO: IMMEDIATE AND PERSONAL ATTENTION OF THE FOREIGN MINISTER OF THE GERMAN REICH

HEIL HITLER!

MY DEAR HERR VON RIBBENTROP.

FOLLOWING IS A REPORT OF AN AUDIENCE WITH THE MINISTER OF LABOR OF THE REPUBLIC OF ARGENTINA, OBERST JUAN DOMINGO PERÓN (PERÓN), HELD AT PERÓN’S INVITATION 22 MAY 1943 IN A PRIVATE DINING ROOM OF THE OFFICERS’ CLUB ON PLAZA SAN MARTÍN. PRESENT WERE THE AMBASSADOR OF THE REICH TO THE ARGENTINE REPUBLIC (LUTZEN) AND GENERALMAJOR MANFRED RITTER VON DEITZBERG (DEITZ).

PERÓN ON 20 MAY 1943 PERSONALLY TELEPHONED LUTZEN AND

DEITZ AND SAID THERE WAS A MATTER OF GREAT PERSONAL IMPORTANCE TO HIM HE WISHED TO DISCUSS WITH US AT LUNCHEON AT OUR EARLIEST CONVENIENCE, IN THE HOPE THAT THE GERMAN EMBASSY AND OFFICER CORPS WOULD BE WILLING TO HELP IN THE RESOLUTION OF THE PROBLEM.

BOTH LUTZEN AND DEITZ, WITHOUT PRIOR CONSULTATION WITH EACH OTHER, IMMEDIATELY ACCEPTED PERÓN’S INVITATION, AND INFORMED PERÓN THEY WOULD BE AVAILABLE AT HIS CONVENIENCE. PERÓN SUGGESTED 1330 HOURS 22 MAY AT THE OFFICERS’ CLUB.

PERÓN IMMEDIATELY BROUGHT THE PROBLEM TO OUR ATTENTION, BY INFORMING US OF THE PROBLEM, AND WHAT ASSISTANCE HE SOUGHT FROM US IN ITS RESOLUTION.

SPECIFICALLY, MAJOR HANS-PETER VON WACHTSTEIN (HANS) HAS IMPREGNATED SEÑORITA ALICIA CARZINO-CORMANO (ALICIA). HER CONDITION AT THIS TIME IS KNOWN ONLY TO HER PRIEST, THE REV. KURT WELNER, S.J. (JESUIT), AND PERÓN. ALICIA IS ONE OF TWO DAUGHTERS OF SEÑORA CLAUDIA CARZINOCORMANO (MOTHER).

HANS IS THE SON OF GENERALLEUTNANT KARL FRIEDRICH VON WACHTSTEIN (OLDWACH) WHO SERVES ON THE STAFF OF THE FUHRER.

PERÓN TOOK PAINS TO POINT OUT THE CONNECTIONS OF THE PRINCIPALS. MOTHER HAD A TWENTY-YEAR-LONG RELATIONSHIP WITH THE LATE OBERST JORGE GUILLERMO FRADE (OLDFRADE), WHOM PERÓN CONSIDERS TO HAVE BEEN HIS BEST FRIEND, AND WHO LOOKED ON THE GIRLS AS HIS DAUGHTERS, AS, PERÓN SAID, HE NOW DOES. MOTHER’S ELDEST DAUGHTER ISABELA WAS AFFIANCED TO THE LATE HAUPTMANN JORGE ALEJANDRO DUARTE, ARGENTINE ARMY (JORGE), WHO FELL ON THE FIELD OF BATTLE AT STALINGRAD WHILE SERVING AS AN OBSERVER WITH VON PAULUS’S ARMY AND WHOM THE FÜHRER IN THE NAME OF GERMAN REICH POSTHUMOUSLY AWARDED THE KNIGHT’S CROSS OF THE IRON CROSS.

JORGE WAS THE SON OF SEÑOR HUMBERTO DUARTE (BANKER) AND HIS WIFE BEATRICE (BANKER’S WIFE), WHO IS THE SISTER OF THE LATE OLDFRADE.

HANS MET ALICIA IN CONNECTION WITH HIS DUTIES IN RETURNING THE REMAINS OF JORGE TO ARGENTINA. PERÓN WAS IN BERLIN AT THE TIME HANS WAS BEING PROPOSED FOR THE MISSION, AND PERÓN’S APPROVAL OF HANS FOR THE DUTY WAS SOUGHT, IF MEMORY SERVES, BY THE HERR FOREIGN MINISTER HIMSELF.

WITH THE EXCEPTION OF OLDFRADE’S SON, CLETUS HOWELL FRADE (YOUNGFRADE), WHO IS BELIEVED TO BE AN AGENT OF THE AMERICAN OFFICE OF STRATEGIC SERVICES, PERÓN FEELS THE ENTIRE FAMILY IS VERY SYMPATHETIC TO THE GERMAN CAUSE, OR AT THE WORST NEUTRAL. IN PERÓN’S OPINION, ALTHOUGH HE ASSURED US HE WILL DO HIS BEST TO CONTROL YOUNGFRADE, YOUNGFRADE, WHO FEELS AN ANIMOSITY TOWARD HANS, IS CAPABLE OF TURNING PUBLIC OPINION, AND MORE IMPORTANT, THAT OF THE ARGENTINA OFFICER CORPS, AGAINST HANS, AND THUS THE GERMAN OFFICER CORPS AND THE GERMAN CAUSE ONCE HE LEARNS OF ALICIA’S CONDITION, AND THE IDENTITY OF THE FATHER.

IN VIEW OF THE FOREGOING, LUTZEN AND DIETZ ARE FORCED TO AGREE WITH PERÓN THAT THE MATTER IS MORE THAN THE PRIVATE BUSINESS OF HANS AND ALICIA. THAT IN FACT IT AFFECTS THE GOOD RELATIONS PRESENTLY EXTANT BETWEEN THE GERMAN REICH AND THE REPUBLIC OF ARGENTINA.

PERÓN IS AWARE THAT HANS IS IN GERMANY, AND BELIEVES HANS IS ASSISTING IN THE INVESTIGATION OF THE DEATHS OF OBERST GRÜNER AND STANDARTEN-FÜHRER GOLTZ. IN THIS CONNECTION, PERÓN TOLD US IN CONFIDENCE THAT HE BELIEVES THE MURDERS WERE PERPETRATED BY FORMER SUBORDINATES OF OLDFRADE, ALTHOUGH HE HAS NO PROOF.

PERÓN REQUESTS THAT IF HANS CAN BE SPARED FROM HIS DUTIES IN CONNECTION WITH THE GRÜNER/GOLTZ INVESTIGATION THAT HE IMMEDIATELY BE RETURNED TO HIS DUTIES IN ARGENTINA, HIS OBLIGATIONS AS AN HONORABLE GERMAN OFFICER BE MADE CLEAR TO HIM, POSSIBLY BY OLDWACH, AND THAT HE ENTER INTO A MARRIAGE WITH ALICIA.

ALTERNATIVELY, PERÓN SUGGESTS THE POSSIBILITY OF ALICIA GOING TO GERMANY, THERE TO ENTER INTO MARRIAGE WITH HANS.

DEITZ FEELS THAT INASMUCH AS HIS INVESTIGATION OF HANS HERE HAS SHOWN NO CONNECTION BETWEEN HANS AND THE GRÜNER/GOLTZ MURDERS, THE FIRST REQUEST OF PERÓN SHOULD BE SERIOUSLY CONSIDERED, FOR THE FOLLOWING REASONS:

(1) PERÓN ALMOST CERTAINLY WILL BE THE NEXT PRESIDENT OF ARGENTINA. GRANTING HIS REQUEST WOULD BE PROOF THAT THE GERMAN OFFICER CORPS DEEPLY REGRETS THE UNFORTUNATE DEATH OF OLDFRADE, AND IS WILLING TO MAKE AMENDS IN ANY WAY IT CAN.

(2) THE MARRIAGE OF HANS TO ALICIA WOULD BE A MAJOR SOCIAL EVENT IN ARGENTINA AND REFLECT WELL ON GERMAN INTERESTS.

(3) THE MARRIAGE OF HANS WOULD VERY LIKELY BE USEFUL IN CONNECTION WITH A CERTAIN PROJECT THAT HAS RECENTLY UNDERGONE CERTAIN REVERSALS. BANKER MIGHT VERY WELL BE USEFUL IN THIS CONNECTION AS BANKER AND BANKER’S WIFE HAVE BECOME INTIMATE FRIENDS OF HANS.

(4) WHATEVER INFLUENCE YOUNGFRADE HAS WITH ALL OTHERS WOULD BE GREATLY DIMINISHED BY A MARRIAGE BETWEEN HANS AND ALICIA.

(5) JESUIT HAS EXPRESSED CONCERN THAT TRAVELING TO GERMANY WOULD SUBJECT ALICIA TO SOME RISK TO HER PERSON AND THE UNBORN CHILD.

LUTZEN CONSIDERS THAT EITHER OF PERÓN’S REQUESTS BE GIVEN CONSIDERATION AT THE HIGHEST LEVELS, AND FURTHER SUGGESTS THAT WHICHEVER SOLUTION IS DECIDED UPON BE ACTED UPON AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.