2019/12/06 by Tobias Schmitt · 1 citation
Social Sciences · Arts and Humanities · #Communism, Protests, Social Movements #European history and politics #German History and Society #German #Covert #Cold war #Context (archaeology) #Military intelligence #Government (linguistics) #Political science #Nazi Germany #German government #Population #Law #Sociology #History #Politics #Demography
paper · doi:10.1080/16161262.2019.1697547
openalex publication_date 2019/12/06 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2025/11/06
The rearmament of West Germany was an important goal of U.S. foreign policy during the early 1950s. However, this was a contested issue among the German population. In this context, former professional soldiers played a crucial role. U.S. intelligence agencies initiated covert operations that were designed not only to influence this key group but also to set up clandestine personnel pools for paramilitary action. The core of this endeavor was their cooperation with former Waffen-SS general Felix Steiner and the founding of the ‘Gesellschaft für Wehrkunde’ (GfW), a network of ex-officers that was dedicated to defense studies. This organization quickly developed into an important propaganda tool and a military think tank. After U.S. intelligence terminated its support, the German Federal Government took over GfW and used it as a means to establishing the West German armed forces. The case of the GfW also sheds light on the problematic cooperation between former Nazi functionaries and U.S. intelligence and highlights the divergence of German and American concepts for paramilitary operations.