Control not morality? Explaining the selective employment of Nazi war criminals by British and American intelligence agencies in occupied Germany

Abstract

This article reveals for the first time why a Nazi war criminal named Günter Ebeling who was employed by the American Counter Intelligence Corps (CIC) in occupied Germany was violently killed by British intelligence officers. Through analysis of hitherto unpublished Intelligence Division documents, it argues that existing debates concerning the post-war employment of Nazi war criminals in occupied Germany have been framed in the wrong light. Discussions concerning security and control, not morality, usually surrounded disputes regarding the employment of Nazis. Close and comparative analysis of Ebeling’s recruitment and ‘dismissal’ with that of several other Nazis demonstrates that hindsight, source limitations and a prevalent case study approach have prevented the identification of common reasoning concerning security and control which surrounded the post-war employment of war criminals in several areas of intelligence work. Indeed, new evidence suggests that the British and American intelligence services employed some Nazi war criminals in post-war Germany as part of a wider strategy of control designed to ensure the security of the occupation and pave the way for a future democratic Germany. Through the analytical prism of security and control, this article provides a synthesis between a multitude of case studies.