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Otto John (19 March 1909 – 26 March 1997) was a German lawyer and intelligence official. During
German Language Service and in black propaganda at The Rookery, in the village of Apsley Guise, in England, and towards the end of the conflict for Soldatensender Calais.
After the war, he helped British authorities to categorise the degree of Nazi ideology of German wartime leaders and appeared as a witness at the
"The Man with 1,000 Secrets"
Time Magazine, August 2, 1954. {{DEFAULTSORT:John, Otto 1909 births 1997 deaths People from Marburg Jurists from Hesse German resistance members West German defectors to East Germany Members of the 20 July plot People convicted of spying for East Germany
Otto John (19 March 1909 – 26 March 1997) was a German lawyer and intelligence official. During World War Two
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
, he was a conspirator in the 20 July plot to assassinate Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Nazi Germany, Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his death in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the le ...
. Following the war, he became the first head of West Germany
West Germany is the colloquial term used to indicate the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG; german: Bundesrepublik Deutschland , BRD) between its formation on 23 May 1949 and the German reunification through the accession of East Germany on 3 O ...
's domestic intelligence service, the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution
The Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (german: Bundesamt für Verfassungsschutz or BfV, often ''Bundesverfassungsschutz'') is Germany's federal domestic intelligence agency. Together with the Landesämter für Verfassungss ...
. In July 1954, he surfaced in East Germany
East Germany, officially the German Democratic Republic (GDR; german: Deutsche Demokratische Republik, , DDR, ), was a country that existed from its creation on 7 October 1949 until its dissolution on 3 October 1990. In these years the state ...
, where he made public appearances criticizing the government in Bonn and Chancellor Konrad Adenauer
Konrad Hermann Joseph Adenauer (; 5 January 1876 – 19 April 1967) was a German statesman who served as the first chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany from 1949 to 1963. From 1946 to 1966, he was the first leader of the Christian Dem ...
. After his return to West Germany in 1955, despite maintaining that he was drugged and kidnapped, John was convicted and sentenced to prison for treason.
Life
Otto John was born inMarburg
Marburg ( or ) is a university town in the German federal state (''Bundesland'') of Hesse, capital of the Marburg-Biedenkopf district (''Landkreis''). The town area spreads along the valley of the river Lahn and has a population of approxima ...
. He earned a doctorate of law from the University of Marburg
The Philipps University of Marburg (german: Philipps-Universität Marburg) was founded in 1527 by Philip I, Landgrave of Hesse, which makes it one of Germany's oldest universities and the oldest still operating Protestant university in the wor ...
. He married Lucie Manén in 1949.
John was involved in the plot of 20 July 1944 to assassinate Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Nazi Germany, Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his death in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the le ...
, for which his brother, Hans, was executed. At the time, he worked as a lawyer at the Deutsche Lufthansa
Deutsche Lufthansa AG (), commonly shortened to Lufthansa, is the flag carrier of Germany. When combined with its subsidiaries, it is the second- largest airline in Europe in terms of passengers carried. Lufthansa is one of the five founding m ...
legal office in Madrid
Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the Largest cities of the Europ ...
and used contacts he had made with British intelligence
The Government of the United Kingdom maintains intelligence agencies within three government departments, the Foreign Office, the Home Office and the Ministry of Defence. These agencies are responsible for collecting and analysing foreign and d ...
to escape to England and avoid certain execution. He worked for the BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...Nuremberg War Crimes Trials
The Nuremberg trials were held by the Allies of World War II, Allies against representatives of the defeated Nazi Germany, for plotting and carrying out invasions of other countries, and other crimes, in World War II.
Between 1939 and 1945 ...
. During the Trial of Erich von Manstein he worked as an interpreter.
On 4 December 1950, he was appointed president of the West German Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (''Bundesamt für Verfassungsschutz''). His appointment went against the will of Chancellor Konrad Adenauer
Konrad Hermann Joseph Adenauer (; 5 January 1876 – 19 April 1967) was a German statesman who served as the first chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany from 1949 to 1963. From 1946 to 1966, he was the first leader of the Christian Dem ...
but was supported by British officials.
On 20 July 1954, after a ceremony remembering the conspirators of 1944, he left his hotel and disappeared. He reappeared three days later in East Berlin, stating that he had decided to move to East Germany
East Germany, officially the German Democratic Republic (GDR; german: Deutsche Demokratische Republik, , DDR, ), was a country that existed from its creation on 7 October 1949 until its dissolution on 3 October 1990. In these years the state ...
and criticizing Adenauer's policies of remilitarisation and integration into the Western Bloc
The Western Bloc, also known as the Free Bloc, the Capitalist Bloc, the American Bloc, and the NATO Bloc, was a coalition of countries that were officially allied with the United States during the Cold War of 1947–1991. It was spearheaded by ...
, which in his view hampered German reunification. He also criticized the appointment of former Nazis to high offices, such as Theodor Oberländer and Reinhard Gehlen
Reinhard Gehlen (3 April 1902 – 8 June 1979) was a German lieutenant-general and intelligence officer. He was chief of the Wehrmacht Foreign Armies East military intelligence service on the eastern front during World War II, spymaster of the ...
.
From August to December, he was interrogated by the KGB
The KGB (russian: links=no, lit=Committee for State Security, Комитет государственной безопасности (КГБ), a=ru-KGB.ogg, p=kəmʲɪˈtʲet ɡəsʊˈdarstvʲɪn(ː)əj bʲɪzɐˈpasnəsʲtʲɪ, Komitet gosud ...
in Moscow before he returned to East Berlin, where he resumed his criticism of West Germany
West Germany is the colloquial term used to indicate the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG; german: Bundesrepublik Deutschland , BRD) between its formation on 23 May 1949 and the German reunification through the accession of East Germany on 3 O ...
as a speaker. During that time, he was surveilled by East Germany's security service, the '' Staatssicherheit''.
On 12 December 1955, John defected to West Germany where he was instantly arrested. He now claimed that his move to East Berlin was not voluntary but that he was abducted by the KGB
The KGB (russian: links=no, lit=Committee for State Security, Комитет государственной безопасности (КГБ), a=ru-KGB.ogg, p=kəmʲɪˈtʲet ɡəsʊˈdarstvʲɪn(ː)əj bʲɪzɐˈpasnəsʲtʲɪ, Komitet gosud ...
. As his explanations were not believed, he was charged with treason and sentenced to four years' imprisonment but was released on 28 July 1958. John expressed bitterness about the fact that in the court that found him guilty, there were judges who had been on the bench during the Hitler era. According to Markus Wolf, head of the DDR's foreign intelligence service, John had been drugged and abducted through an acquaintance, Dr. Wohlgemuth. John did not want to defect but considered after his kidnapping that he was irreparably compromised.
John died in 1997, at an Innsbruck sanatorium
A sanatorium (from Latin '' sānāre'' 'to heal, make healthy'), also sanitarium or sanitorium, are antiquated names for specialised hospitals, for the treatment of specific diseases, related ailments and convalescence. Sanatoriums are often ...
, after years of trying to get rehabilitation for his treason conviction.
Books
*''Twice Through the Lines'' - Futura Publications (1974).References
External links
"The Man with 1,000 Secrets"
Time Magazine, August 2, 1954. {{DEFAULTSORT:John, Otto 1909 births 1997 deaths People from Marburg Jurists from Hesse German resistance members West German defectors to East Germany Members of the 20 July plot People convicted of spying for East Germany