Chapter Twelve

When Mata Hari arrived in Madrid she was almost as destitute of means as when the inhospitable doors of her Dutch home had been banged behind her, fourteen years earlier. The only difference was that the first expulsion had been at a time when she was comparatively without experience in the profession of making one’s way in the world with no other acquisition than native wit; her arts of fascination had only been exercised to procure her own gratification of vanity, her conquests of men mostly theoretical, for her practice had resulted in failure. Now she had the assurance of a varied and successful experience. With unerring instinct she chose the right spot for opening the Spanish campaign, for this redoubtable woman was very far from confessing personal defeat. The Ritz Hotel, which she chose for her residence, had the recommendation of being the most expensive in the city and accustomed to the reception of guests with a fine disregard for the days upon which bills should be paid, so accustomed were they to unlimited credit. It was also the rendezvous for the members of 199the foreign diplomatic corps and the numerous officers attached to the various embassies for special war-time duties. For these two reasons the Ritz Hotel was the most appropriate headquarters for a lady whose first requirement was an accommodating male who would alleviate her current financial straits.

But in this rendezvous of officers the task of finding a suitable companion proved more difficult than usual. It would be bad policy to openly court the friendship of the German officers, as this would naturally attract the attention of their enemies: the British would, as usual, have been warned of her coming and would avoid her like the pest; the Spaniards do not enjoy a high reputation among the frail because their devotion usually halts just before the time when hotel bills have to be paid. There remained the French. With a little manœuvring on her part Mata Hari secured a table in the dining room next to that occupied by the French military attaché. From the outset she employed the customary artless advances by which hotel acquaintances are formed, beginning with the commonplace greetings of neighbours as they take their seats for the meal. With a woman of Mata Hari’s talents it is astonishing how far a little conversation may be made to go if accompanied 200by the right gesture, and she was an artist in gesture. But on this occasion every art failed, every advance was repulsed, every tentative movement was checked by a frigid courtesy which plainly indicated that the French officer had no intention of swallowing the bait which the dancer invitingly dangled before his eyes. According to the rules of her game, the man who should most easily have fallen victim to her charm was invincible.

This attitude raised doubts in Mata Hari’s mind. Could it be possible that the French officials knew of her employment by the enemy? This made an interview with the German officials a necessity; it had already become desirable, in view of her necessity to have money. She had, and still has, many enthusiastic admirers in Spain. One ambassador from that country had cause to regret his relations with her, and a Senator is still among her staunchest adherents. Within a few days she was surrounded by her customary courtiers collected from various grades of Spanish society. But they proved the most unsatisfactory court she had ever had in attendance, and as helpers Mata Hari must have found them very inefficient, since they were unable to give her any aid in ascertaining whether she could make her way back to Paris. From the beginning it must have been apparent that the 201vigilance of the British fleet made an attempt to reach Holland well-nigh impossible. With a flat purse and an urgent need for advice and assistance, Mata Hari turned to the German officials for aid, and received it. Unfortunately, she immediately got an undesirable amount of publicity which deprived her of many former Spanish friends whose sympathies were against her employers and who were in favour of supporting the Allies. A well-known journalist, Ezequiel Endriz, published a series of articles called “The Lady of the White Furs” in the popular Madrid paper El Liberal, in which he spoke quite frankly of the relations between the chief of the German espionage service in Madrid and the dancer who was staying at the Ritz Hotel. The Allied officers in the capital were already aware that Mata Hari had been employed by von Kroon before these articles were published, but this showed that the dancer was burning her boats publicly in having herself proclaimed as a German spy.

Lieutenant von Kroon, naval attaché at the German Embassy, was the head of the German espionage service in Madrid, and promptly devoted himself to the protection of the dancer, but he does not appear to have acted with any special display 202of either generosity or tact. None of the German officials in Spain have competed for the posthumous honours of Mata Hari’s friendship; only von Kroon had the misfortune to be found out, and could not deny the honour if he would. As an easy method of providing her with finances this officer decided to employ Mata Hari in his own department until some instructions were received for her disposal from the chiefs under whom she had been serving while in France.

Von Bernstorff, von Papen, and Boy Ed in the United States were not the only accredited diplomatic agents whose privileged immunity was the cloak for illicit activities. In Holland, and Switzerland, too, the German officials were at the heads of extensive organizations controlling a horde of spies. Spain shared with these countries the doubtful honour of being a fruitful breeding-ground, only in her case she was trebly inflicted. San Sebastián was the headquarters of the famous “Big Three” who directed German propaganda in neutral countries; Madrid was the collecting station for information; and Barcelona, with its anarchistic population, was a recruiting station from which Germany was able to enroll as many spies as she desired.

Spain was a regular battle-ground for all the 203secret services during the war, and some of the most thrilling dramas of spies and counter-spies are buried in the unwritten history of that country during the four years of world conflict. The German authorities made strenuous efforts to swing the country over to the side of the Central Powers. How nearly they succeeded has only recently been made public, but the English and French Intelligence Departments were under no illusions during the time the efforts to influence the Spaniards were being made; they knew that nothing short of the personal influence of King Alfonso, with the support of a relatively few loyal but influential adherents, saved the country from participation in the war on the side of the Central Powers. While much has been written on the skilful diplomacy displayed by the Allied representatives in restraining the Spanish people from taking the step which would have caused Spain to sink from the position of a second rate power to one still lower, no one has ever done justice to the lady who accomplished more than the entire Diplomatic Corps in keeping the country neutral. The inimitable Mistinguette, still the idol of Parisian theatre-goers, was by far the most effective diplomatist in the field. Her startling exploits in Switzerland as a French secret agent would make a 204volume of delightful adventure, spiced with ready wit, but her task in Spain was a graver affair, calling for an infinite tact, charm, and intelligence. One day the French nation, not usually ungenerous in its tribute to these qualities and never ungallant to ladies of spirit, might remove a reproach by acknowledging the invaluable services performed by Mlle. Mistinguette, even if it does not reward her for them.

Lieutenant von Kroon took Mata Hari into his employ as well as into the intimacy of his friendship. He sent her on another delicate mission to Barcelona which affected the internal relations of his department, and also to remove her from the close observation of the French and English agents. During her absence, efforts were made to learn whether it was safe for the Red Dancer to return to Paris, where her services could be more advantageously employed. Spain was not the stage for such a talented performer. The replies being favourable, if any were received, the spy was recalled from Barcelona and given instructions to proceed to her post. As Mata Hari was thoroughly convinced that this was not a safe proceeding, she consulted the Dutch consul, Mr. de With, to learn whether he had received any notification that she would not be received favourably in France.

205This interview took place at the Ritz Hotel and the talk began by Mata Hari requesting the official to procure for her some funds which stood to her credit at a Paris bank. This service, she was informed, could only be performed by the authorities on the spot, but the dancer never appealed to them for aid or advice. She entertained the representative of her native land to a detailed (though not more than usually authentic) account of her entire life, and finally invited him to furnish her with a special letter of recommendation to the French authorities in Madrid, as she had some doubts about her reception at the frontier. The consul wisely declined to do this, advising Mata Hari that if she had a tranquil conscience there was nothing to fear, but that this tranquil state of mind was a necessity for all neutrals who desired to travel in the belligerent countries. The spy indignantly retorted that she was in no need of advice of that nature, her assumed anger only serving to convince an official who had come to the meeting ready armed with suspicion of her innocent intention, because in 1915 he had seen her frequently in the society of German officers in the Hotel Victoria in Amsterdam.

However, the authorities in Amsterdam wanted their powerful spy back in Paris, where she had 206to make the fullest use of her wiles in obtaining information on the production of tanks as a weapon of war. The accommodating von Kroon may or may not have been reluctant to part with an intelligent collaborator and a charming companion. Their friendship had ripened now to affection, for they occupied adjoining rooms at the Ritz Hotel. The young naval officer had given her tangible tokens of this affection in the form of jewellery, but when the time came for her departure Mata Hari became a practical woman of affairs (she was known among the German agents in Spain as “The Business Man”) and returned the jewels to her lover with the request that he convert them into cash. Von Kroon either could not or would not finance her from his private purse. Mata Hari wanted more convenient payment for her favours and her labours. Either at her suggestion or upon his own initiative the naval attaché sent a message to Amsterdam, which was headquarters of the spy’s section, requesting the dispatch of 15,000 marks (about $3,000) for her use. This satisfied both parties.

There was no real indiscretion in the dispatch of this message. Everything possible was done to make its transmission safe. When distant Legations desired to communicate with each other 207speedily they made use of radio, but since all these messages could be picked from the air by an enemy receiving station, von Kroon put this particular message into his private diplomatic cipher, so that it would be unintelligible to any listener unprovided with the key to his code. In addition, since the utmost secrecy is maintained even in intra-departmental correspondence in the Intelligence service, the wording was chosen with special care to be baffling to anyone who was not familiar with their methods. Von Kroon simply asked that money be sent to the spy H21 through the usual channels.

Seemingly no blame is attached to him for the outcome of his commonplace demand. Yet, when he put his name to that radio message he had signed Mata Hari’s death warrant.

208