Berlin, The British Embassy, Thursday, 22 July 1948
Captain Alfred Burcough, the naval attaché, received little mail bearing local postmarks, compared with his other colleagues at the chancery – the clerks in the commercial section received far more. He was thus intrigued with the rather heavy envelope that appeared on his desk that morning. He carefully examined it before even attempting to open it. Sent from the town of Stettin, it bore no return address or other indication who might have sent it. To his eye, it did not look as if German postal inspectors, or other inquisitive Germans, had fiddled with it. So he allowed his curiosity to get the better of him and slit open the envelope. Out slid several photographs – rather good shots of German landing craft exercising somewhere – and a typewritten sheet with a laconic message:
“If you like the product be at the Romanisches Café in the Auguste-Viktoria-Platz tomorrow afternoon.”
Berlin, The Wilhelmstraße, Friday, 23 July 1948
Heinz Alfred Kissinger was one of the young globalists that Otto von Hapsburg had brought into the Foreign Ministry to leaven the old-guard of the German diplomatic establishment. The foreign minister frequently would use the Kissinger as a sounding board.
“What should we do regarding this island discovered by the
Komet in her latest expedition?” von Hapsburg asked rhetorically.
“It is a knotty problem Excellency,” Kissinger replied. “The island is reported to be a volcanic wasteland, without a good anchorage or life of any sort. It is worthless to us.”
“But will other nations come to the same conclusions?” Von Hapsburg few doubts regarding the cupidity of other countries with interests in the region.
“It is probable”, Kissinger opined, “that the Dutch, whose possessions lie near it, may have already come to the same conclusion. Less likely, though not impossible, the British – and they have far more attractive possessions in the Indies to a gas-spewing volcanic lagoon. The Chinese however…”
“Quite so,” von Hapsburg said, seizing on the open question. “They have seen a squadron to cruise the Indian Ocean, announcing their ambitions in the region. They might be tempted to assert a claim to these otherwise dangerous rocks.”
“Were they to do so,” Kissinger replied, “the Dutch and the English would not be happy one iota.”
For a moment both men smiled. “Then we shall assert no claim,” von Hapsburg concluded. “Of course, we will offer no encouragement for anyone else to do so.”