Hard to believe .... But apparently true !! .... it's pretty amazing to read this stuff ....... if you Google you find all kinds of "goings on " !! James Lonsdale Bryans BBC NEWS | UK | Amateur diplomat sought Nazi pact Annie
I was just reading this on the Beeb site - rather annoying that they didn't go into detail, not even proper dates etc. The following is a fuller article: Lord Halifax tried to negotiate peace with the Nazis - Telegraph Halifax's involvement, and tacit agreement, doesn't seem surprising considering his support for a negotiated peace during the Battle for France. To think that he may have become PM instead of Churchill! Though no supporter of Churchill I am less of one for Halifax. And I wonder whether Bryans actions played any part in making Hess think he could negotiate a peace after his infamous flight?
I loved the bit about: "The main point which seemed to emerge from the interrogation was that according to Anderson, Lonsdale Bryans was a personal friend of Lord Brocket and also claimed to be something in the nature of an unofficial envoy of Lord Halifax. He wished to see Hitler and with this in view....Bryans would be vouched by a number of persons including those on the list" If you knew enough high-up people you could get away with just about anything. As for influencing Hess, given that Hess was trying to contact Halifax it seems very likely that he was influenced by Bryan's mission. There would seem to be a whole network of people working for peace even at the price of compromise, for reasons ranging from the honourable but misguided, to the selfish, to the downright traitorous.
There were at least a couple more in the archives apart from Lonsdale Bryans ..... here's one of them .... as well as a woman whos name sounds familiar ....:noidea: Francis Mumme (KV 2/2848) 1943-1951 and Christine Gorman (KV 2/2850) 1943-1951 Francis Mumme´s file contains detailed accounts of his wartime career, where he repeatedly escaped or evaded capture by the Germans and did important work assisting allied escapees and evaders (for which he received the Military Medal). The file includes photographs of Mumme. Post-war press reporting dubbed him a "Scarlet Pimpernel", but the Security Service´s interest in him derives from the various reports, included here, that he had passed information to the Germans which led to the capture of British escapees. These arise chiefly from his association with Christine Gorman, who had been the mistress of a Gestapo officer and had supposedly changed her allegiance under pressure from her parents. There are detailed reports taken by MI9 in 1941 (serial 1a) and the Security Service in March 1944 (serial 20a), and Mumme gives his account of his relationship with Gorman in 1951 (serial 47a). The suggestions of information passing were never confirmed and no action was taken against Mumme. A summary of Mumme's military career, which includes the detail that he was trained to return as an agent to France in January to September 1942, but was not considered suitable, is at serial 66a of the file of Christine Gorman. This documents Gorman´s claims that she had changed her loyalties, in addition to her approach to the American military in Paris in 1944 with offers to provide intelligence and continue as an agent in Lille. The Americans did not take up her offer and she was handed over to the French authorities. She was eventually sentenced to hard labour for life in 1946 for denouncing British escapees to the Germans. The National Archives | DocumentsOnline | Image Details
Interestingly Mumme was commissioned into the Royal Armoured Corps in 1945, and made Honorary Captain in the REME in 1950. A Francis Mumme is reported as having died in the Times on 10 Nov 1978
Heres another interesting site K ... that tells of some others with familiar names ! MI5 | Releases of 2 September 2008 And as to Mumme - he didn't give his account of his relationship with Gorman until 1951 :noidea:
Now that is a great site Annie. Definately one to bookmark for a proper read later (BTW, I have changed the title of the thread for ease of searching)
Security Files The KV2 Files are very interesting as a few months ago I wanted to read the Files on De Zitter. The Dutch traitor who ran bogus escape lines in Belgium. It was quite reasonable to download both Files at £7. Over 200 pages. There is a Personnel File on the man which can only be read under lock and key.Not worth the bother as it contains nothing more than in the other two files. What I was looking for was a British P.O.W. who was said to be assisting De Zitter. He was mentioned several times in the File and there were indications that there was more Evidence available that wasn't in the File. You can't sit with the original paper copy and browse,just a digital copy. I think the term used is the file appears to have been "weeded". The man is not mention in any Courtmartial Files or by C.W.G.C. He didn't appear to have made a report on Liberation. For all intents and purposes the man just disappeared. The work was being done for a Pilot from 51 Sqn. who had been a victim of the deception.
Have you seen this Brian ? www.belgiumww2.info - Escape and Evasion in wartime Belgium - George Prosper De Zitter Annie
De Zitter Hi Annie, thanks for that, I had seen the site as my contact made some contribution to it. He is also named as being a De Zitter victim. The man I am looking for was in the Royal Signals.He had been acting as a "Stool Pigeon" in various camps trying to obtain information from those who had spent some time evading before being captured. De Zitter aka The Captain used to visit the Camps and collect any such information obtained. The"Ratweek File"was quite interesting as people were getting shot at and either being wounded or killed while our authorities were asking each other if they were they responsible. So it looks as though a lot of old scores were being settled by the Belgians.
That whole site is amazing ...... it will take days to go through it and inwardly digest ! ... the amount of research and time that has gone into it is nothing short of phenomenal !! Hope you eventually find what you're looking for Brian !
