Q&A ยท 1:01:27-1:02:53

Canaris and fears for postwar Germany

Speculation about Wilhelm Canaris is placed in the context of German resistance and Allied proposals to weaken or partition Germany after the war.

Question

Could Wilhelm Canaris have worked with Catholic and British intelligence to extract anti-Nazis from Germany?

Short answer

Covert cooperation is plausible given Canaris's concern for Germany's survival, but it remains speculation.

Notes

Covert cooperation is plausible because Canaris looked beyond the Nazi regime and feared Germany's destruction or partition. French and other Allied proposals contemplated territorial losses or a deliberately weak federal structure. Those plans lost force as the emerging confrontation with Stalin made a viable western Germany strategically useful.