Papen, Franz von b. October 29, 1879;Werl (Westfalen), Prussia d. May 2, 1969; Oversasbach, Baden- Wurttemberg
German spy in the United States during World War I; diplomat, politician, and statesman who was responsible for the appointment of Adolf Hitler as German chancellor on January 30, 1933.
Papen received a military education and became a career soldier connected to the General Staff. He served as a spy against the United States at the German consulate in New York City from 1913 to 1916. His job was to direct the sabotage of U.S. shipping of war supplies to England. Papen established fictitious firms that accepted military orders from the Allies. To prevent the materials from reaching Allied territories he delayed or simply never shipped the orders. He also purchased gunpowder that could be used for artillery shells and grenades but prevented Allied access by hoarding the gunpowder rather than selling it.In the United States Papen worked with some inept agents sent by Germany who compromised his intelligence endeavors. One agent inadvertently left a briefcase behind in public; the documents were published and humiliated the Germans. Papen also had difficulty with a radical agent from Berlin whose plans to bomb American shipping lines and military establishments and to create a terrorist campaign were anathema to Papen’s style. Although the agent was removed, Papen’s message was intercepted and the agent was arrested by the Allies while attempting to return to Germany. The German Abwehr ordered a continuance of the scheme, but Papen refused. Instead, he ordered German saboteurs to blow up the Canadian Pacific Railway to prevent troop movement. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police caught the saboteurs before their plans could be carried out. Papen also forged documents for German nationals who wished to fight the Allies. The United States expelled Papen and sent him back to Germany in December 1915. Afterward, Papen served as a military attache in Spain in 1917.
Upon his return to Germany he served as battalion commander and fought at the battles of the Somme and Vimy Ridge. In 1918 he became a spy for Turkey, but failed to track T. E. Lawrence’s forces.After World War I, Papen entered politics. As a staunch Catholic, he was a monarchist with authoritarian and rightwing views and joined the Catholic Centre Party. He was politically engineered into the vice chancellorship in 1932 by General Kurt von Schleicher, adviser to President Paul von Hindenburg. Although Papen disagreed with Hitler’s political position, he lifted the ban on the NSDAP, hoping that this party would support his government. He also achieved the cancellation of Germany’s war reparations obligation that had crippled Germany financially. Papen’s governance style alienated many powerful people and he was forced to resign on December 4, 1932, when his policies were rejected. Determined to avenge his downfall, he worked toward Hitler’s appointment as Reich chancellor. Papen joined the first Hitler cabinet and became vice chancellor. Papen was driven by the belief that he could control the upstart and inexperienced Hitler. However, it was Hitler who quickly marginalized Papen. In 1934 Papen was demoted to ambassador to Austria and was instrumental in achieving the German Anschluβ (annexation) of Austria in 1938. In 1939 he was appointed ambassador to Turkey, where his job was to prevent friendly connections with the Allies. There he was again involved with intelligence. The Allies arrested Papen in April 1945. He was tried at Nuremberg but found not guilty of conspiracy. A German denazification court, however, sentenced him to an eight-year prison term, but he was released upon appeal in 1949.
Annette Richardson
See also Canada, Germans in (during World Wars I and II); World War I; World War I, German Sabotage in Canada during
References and Further Reading
Koeves, Tibor. Satan in Top Hat: The Biography of Franz von Papen. New York: Alliance, 1941.
Papen, Franz von. Memoirs. London: Deutsch, 1952.
Rolfs, Richard W. The Sorcerer’s Apprentice: The Life of Franz von Papen. Lanham, MD: University of America, 1996.
Turner, Henry Ashby. Hitler’s Thirty Days to Power: January 1933. London, Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley, 1996.