Hans Thomsen
Encyclopedia
Hans Thomsen was a German
diplomat
for the Third Reich. He served as Chargé d'Affaires
at the Embassy of Germany in Washington
, representing the German government from November 1938 (after the recall of ambassador Hans-Heinrich Dieckhoff
) to December 11, 1941 (termination of relations after declaration of war). In 1943 he replaced Victor zu Wied (the brother of William, Prince of Albania) at the German delegation in Stockholm
, Sweden
, remaining there to the end of the war. Thomsen was interrogated prior to the Nuremberg tribunals but was not charged with any crime. In the early 1950s he served as head of the Hamburg chapter of the Red Cross.
, and appear to have been influential: the wording of the foreign policy plank, reported Thomsen, "was taken almost verbatim" from an ad which appeared in the New York Times and other papers. Fish does not appear to have been personally involved in these efforts, though he headed the National Committee to Keep America Out of Foreign Wars which sponsored the ads.
diplomatic code (code-named Purple by the Americans) had been broken by the Americans, having been tipped off by the Soviet ambassador to the US, Konstantin Umansky
. These warnings were passed on to the Japanese government, but in the end they were not acted upon, and American cryptographers continued to read Japanese messages through the war.
, the United States
Coordinator of Information, to recruit him entirely to the American side. Thomsen had been supplying information on German military strength and movements to Malcolm Lovell, a real estate developer involved in Quaker anti-war efforts. Lovell understood himself to be an intermediary and passed the information on to Donovan. These messages included various warnings about Japanese actions and their consequences, including warnings that the Japanese Empire was compelled by its position to attack the United States; on November 13, 1940, he also passed through a message that Germany would join with Japan
if the latter were to declare war on the United States. Donovan and Roosevelt were not entirely sure what to make of this information; nonetheless, just before the attack, Donovan offered Thomsen a million dollars in exchange for a public statement distancing himself from the Nazi regime. Donovan's efforts failed, and Thomsen returned to Germany at the end of the year as America entered the war.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
diplomat
Diplomat
A diplomat is a person appointed by a state to conduct diplomacy with another state or international organization. The main functions of diplomats revolve around the representation and protection of the interests and nationals of the sending state, as well as the promotion of information and...
for the Third Reich. He served as Chargé d'Affaires
Chargé d'affaires
In diplomacy, chargé d’affaires , often shortened to simply chargé, is the title of two classes of diplomatic agents who head a diplomatic mission, either on a temporary basis or when no more senior diplomat has been accredited.-Chargés d’affaires:Chargés d’affaires , who were...
at the Embassy of Germany in Washington
Embassy of Germany in Washington
The German Embassy in Washington, D.C. is the Federal Republic of Germany's diplomatic mission to the United States.The German Chancery and Residence are located at 4645 Reservoir Road, Northwest, Washington, D.C. The Chancery was designed by Egon Eiermann, and opened on May 11, 1964.In September...
, representing the German government from November 1938 (after the recall of ambassador Hans-Heinrich Dieckhoff
Hans-Heinrich Dieckhoff
Hans-Heinrich Dieckhoff was a German diplomat best known for his service to the Nazi regime.Dieckhoff was born in Strasbourg, Alsace-Lorraine. From 1937 to November 1938 he served as German ambassador to the United States, until recalled in response to the American recall of its ambassador in...
) to December 11, 1941 (termination of relations after declaration of war). In 1943 he replaced Victor zu Wied (the brother of William, Prince of Albania) at the German delegation in Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, remaining there to the end of the war. Thomsen was interrogated prior to the Nuremberg tribunals but was not charged with any crime. In the early 1950s he served as head of the Hamburg chapter of the Red Cross.
Thomsen and the isolationists
Like Dieckhoff, Thomsen suffered no illusions about the U.S. administration's policy towards Nazi Germany, and he sent warnings to the German government advising them of President Roosevelt's hostility. Therefore, he was involved in several attempts to drum up American isolationist opinion, including efforts to get American authors to write in opposition to American involvement in the War. Thomsen also orchestrated a campaign to influence the 1940 Republican National Convention to pass an anti-war platform. Thomsen reported to the German foreign ministry on June 12, 1940 that a "well-known Republican congressman" had offered to take a group of fifty isolationists to the convention in exchange for $3000. Thomsen asked for funds for this and for full page advertisements to be placed in newspapers during the convention. These ads were written by George Viereck, a German agent on the staff of Congressman Hamilton FishHamilton Fish III
Hamilton Fish III was a soldier and politician from New York State...
, and appear to have been influential: the wording of the foreign policy plank, reported Thomsen, "was taken almost verbatim" from an ad which appeared in the New York Times and other papers. Fish does not appear to have been personally involved in these efforts, though he headed the National Committee to Keep America Out of Foreign Wars which sponsored the ads.
The Purple cipher
Thomsen warned his government, in April 1941, that the JapaneseEmpire of Japan
The Empire of Japan is the name of the state of Japan that existed from the Meiji Restoration on 3 January 1868 to the enactment of the post-World War II Constitution of...
diplomatic code (code-named Purple by the Americans) had been broken by the Americans, having been tipped off by the Soviet ambassador to the US, Konstantin Umansky
Konstantin Umansky
Konstantin Aleksandrovich Umansky , was a Soviet diplomat, editor, journalist and artist.-Biography:Umansky, who was Jewish, was born in Mykolaiv; he began studies at Moscow University in 1918, and joined the Russian Communist Party in 1919....
. These warnings were passed on to the Japanese government, but in the end they were not acted upon, and American cryptographers continued to read Japanese messages through the war.
Thomsen and Donovan
Just before the Pearl Harbor attack, Thomsen was involved in a curious attempt by William DonovanWilliam Joseph Donovan
William Joseph Donovan was a United States soldier, lawyer and intelligence officer, best remembered as the wartime head of the Office of Strategic Services...
, the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Coordinator of Information, to recruit him entirely to the American side. Thomsen had been supplying information on German military strength and movements to Malcolm Lovell, a real estate developer involved in Quaker anti-war efforts. Lovell understood himself to be an intermediary and passed the information on to Donovan. These messages included various warnings about Japanese actions and their consequences, including warnings that the Japanese Empire was compelled by its position to attack the United States; on November 13, 1940, he also passed through a message that Germany would join with Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
if the latter were to declare war on the United States. Donovan and Roosevelt were not entirely sure what to make of this information; nonetheless, just before the attack, Donovan offered Thomsen a million dollars in exchange for a public statement distancing himself from the Nazi regime. Donovan's efforts failed, and Thomsen returned to Germany at the end of the year as America entered the war.