518:"I was assigned to act as the cryptographer for a notorious spy, Heinz August Luning, who had a radio set he had built from parts purchased in Habana and who operated by 1#01 to Hamburg. He was caught, through his own ineptness; and the FBI Wished to run him as a double agent, and they had hopes of getting data on assignments given him by Abwehrste lIV Hamburg; and they hoped to feed a few items of deception through him to the Nazis. This did not last very long, however, for the Cubans decided that they would shoot this known spy. They had little patience and could not be convinced that a double agent could be run to advantage so, with the approval of President Fulgencio Batista, Agusto Luni, who was in reality Heinz August Luning, was put against the wall and shot. This ended my second job in Habana."
448:
574:
322:
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instead so that he could avoid fighting on the frontline. In June 1941, Lüning was recruited into the organization by Alfred
Hartmann, who was connected to a friend of Lüning's uncle Gustav. As for language skills, with an Italian mother Lüning could already speak Italian. After having lived in New
408:
However, Thomas D. Schoonover writes that Lüning could not figure out how to use his radio, so he never communicated with any German naval forces while in Cuba. He states that Lüning was also given specific directions not to initiate any contact with Abwehr agents located in the
Caribbean, and was
400:
Due to the dangers posed to the allied supply line to Europe from the
Americas by Abwehr activity in Latin America, the Allied intelligence agencies were extremely concerned with Lüning's presence in Cuba. Their suspicion was that he might be involved in feeding shipping information to German
396:
noted that most of the information Lüning sent in these secret letters was from the local newspaper, and could have been obtained by anyone. None of this information was timely or relevant to the Abwehr, they noted, because most of the events he mentioned in his letters had already happened.
507:, the capture of Lüning proved to be a press field day, and they used this event each to provide legitimacy for their organizations in the media. However, most of the officials in these organizations might have known that Lüning had no value as an intelligence asset to the Germans.
510:
After his capture, Lüning was subjected to interrogation by the
Batista regime on over 30 separate occasions. Most of his information was reliable, because he did not like the Nazis, so he gave the Cubans everything that he could think of to provide.
416:
instructing him to change frequencies on his radio "in which he transmitted and received messages." These Cuban sources note that
Schoonover did not perform any of his research inside of Cuba, due to Cuban travel restrictions on American citizens.
554:, which is what the network would sign their communiques with. Prior to Lüning's arrest, American intelligence officials were aware of the PyL, but could not locate them in Chile. They were known only to operate somewhere to the east of
276:
In 1939, Lüning did not want to be drafted into the German army. He used his status as a
Resident of the Dominican Republic to avoid conscription into the Wermacht in 1939, 1940, and 1941. He decided to join the
369:
His alias in Havana was "Enrique
Augusto Luni," a Jewish refugee who had fled the Nazis. In his letters back to headquarters, his alias was sometimes "Rafael Castillo," but he also used many other names.
256:. When Helga was close to expecting the birth of her son, Lüning and Helga returned to Hamburg, where Adolf Bartholomae was born in November 1936. In 1937, he returned to Santo Domingo for a brief time.
259:
Lüning did not enjoy the rise of Hitler, and applied for citizenship in the
Dominican Republic in an attempt to escape. However, from 1937 to 1941, Lüning remained in Hamburg and worked for the
194:, Lüning was publicly executed. His decision to join the Abwehr was motivated primarily by his desire to avoid dying on the frontline in Europe as a soldier, and the fact that he was an avowed
377:
writes that while he was living in Old Havana, those who knew him described him as "...a man of fine manners, well dressed and kind... a perfect gentleman, of few words and a hurried walk."
282:
York, Lüning could speak
English. After being tutored, Lüning could now speak Spanish, and was at that time learning some Portuguese. These languages were in addition to his native German.
971:
341:
on
September 29, 1941. One of the other men on this ship was an Abwehr agent named Ricardo Dotres, but the two men would not maintain contact. His first residence in Havana was the
187:
as mediocre and subpar. The Cuban government at the time maintained that his incompetence was a ruse, and that the Cuban intelligence apparatus had captured a genuine master spy.
1079:
218:
merchant and came from a family of tobacco merchants. He did not perform well in school. In 1924, when he was 13 years old, his mother died after a long battle with illness.
366:
At the Wonder Bar and other bars and taverns around the city, he also plied information from off-duty drunken sailors while their ships were docked in the port of Havana.
388:, who went by the name of "Mr. Mutz." His letters were sent with innocuous text, and additional text in invisible ink which the British had chemical methods to expose.
1074:
1054:
198:, and came from a family of Anti-Nazis. Ultimately, this decision led to him becoming the only German spy executed on espionage charges in all of Latin America during
1064:
237:. His aunt and uncle raised him in Hamburg until he finished school and got a job with an American businessman named Albert Schilling at Classen Berger & Co.
539:, was reluctant to move on this information because he had consistently denied the existence of German agents in Chile, and had actually arrested the journalist
293:. His training lasted for six weeks, and he was given special training assignment under the direction of Hartmann. He learned how to communicate using
992:
591:
The journalists present at his execution noted that he remained calm, did not say a word, and did not even flinch as the soldiers took aim and fired.
891:
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where he would attempt to gain information from locals and pick up women. By all accounts, he was a prolific womanizer throughout most of his life.
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Cuban investigators, court bailiffs, and members of the Havana police pose with Lüning while he is awaiting trial in the Fifth court of Havana.
796:
435:
After reading this letter, MI6 officers and FBI agents flew to Havana and began coordinating with the Cuban authorities, and especially with
489:
171:
and was later executed by Cuba. It is unclear whether Lüning was incompetent or if he was on a personal mission to sabotage the
550:
moved on Lüning's information, arresting a large number of members of what had previously been known only as PYLREW or the
527:
The greatest impact that his interrogations had on the war is the fact that he had knowledge of German spies operating in
313:. Lüning was a mediocre student at this school and his ability with a radio was not optimal for an intelligence officer.
532:
547:
854:
585:
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at a guest house by where he was staying in Old Havana, on Teniente Rey Street. The police seized two inoperable
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Lüning's cover name became "Lumann." Lüning was then sent for training at the Abwehr training school (AST) at
1011:
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Foreign Minister Jarpa resigned as a result of the backlash and scandal surrounding the arrest of the PYL.
260:
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536:
425:
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Modern Cuban sources question Schoonover on this: they point to a telegram that was sent to Lüning from
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248:, the famous American Broadway director and playwright. Briefly in 1936, Gustav sent Lüning to
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In 1936, Lüning married his stepsister Helga - who he had gotten pregnant - and they moved to
191:
972:"Cryptologic Aspects of German Intelligence Activities in South America during World War II"
829:
531:, and confessed to receiving a wire transfer for $ 1,500 that originated there. The Chilean
253:
222:
496:
460:
183:, but the result is that his work as an Abwehr intelligence officer was described by the
229:
and was married to an American Chicagoan woman named Olga Bartholomae. Gustav owned the
103:
420:
One letter was of particular interest to the Bermuda station. The letter was from the
1033:
786:
623:
555:
474:
467:
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Fake Honduran passport issued in the name of Lüning's alias "Enrique Augustino Luni."
298:
249:
241:
225:, his father committed suicide. Lüning was adopted by his uncle Gustav, who lived in
180:
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199:
172:
127:
588:, only hours after he discovered that his request for pardon had been rejected.
463:
27:
993:"SPY EXECUTED IN CUBA; Luning, Convicted German, Faces Firing Squad at Havana"
788:
Hitler's man in Havana : Heinz Lüning and Nazi espionage in Latin America
577:
Last photograph ever taken of Heinz Lüning, only hours before he was executed.
473:
That special pistol - a pistol in the shape of an ink pen that fired a single
360:
310:
294:
421:
413:
334:
195:
176:
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In a closed-door trial, five judges unanimously sentenced Lüning to death.
429:
263:. His Spanish language lessons continued with a coworker at the company.
791:. Internet Archive. Lexington, Ky. : University Press of Kentucky.
514:
The CIA officer assigned to serve with General Benitez wrote of Lüning:
381:
290:
226:
215:
432:, in which Bienvenido used Lüning's real name and address in Havana.
402:
385:
338:
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to learn the business of the Dominican Tobacco Company, and to learn
211:
164:
96:
76:
60:
946:"Heinz August Luning: el espía nazi -y antinazi- condenado a muerte"
572:
528:
446:
355:
Later, he went into partnership with a Cuban in the management of
320:
306:
116:
The only German spy executed in Latin America during World War II
384:
intercepted 44 of Lüning's letters addressed to his handler in
393:
389:
184:
470:, letters, maps, documents, and a specially designed pistol.
214:, to a German father and an Italian mother. His father was a
543:
only the month prior for printing a story that stated such.
871:"Emisora Habana Radio » Un espía nazi en La Habana"
244:. While in New York, they lived with Olga's brother,
950:
Semana.com Últimas Noticias de Colombia y el Mundo
150:
120:
112:
102:
90:
82:
66:
54:
34:
18:
492:, where he remained as an inmate until his death.
409:not given access to the standard radio code book.
830:"[Hitler's Man in Havana] | C-SPAN.org"
516:
329:On September 10, 1941, Lüning boarded the ship
914:"IT CAME TO LITTLE | CIA FOIA (foia.cia.gov)"
856:Falange: the axis secret army in the Americas
455:On 5 September, 1942, Lüning was arrested by
8:
558:. "PyL," in Spanish is an abbreviation for "
1080:People executed for spying for Nazi Germany
26:
15:
892:"J. E. HOOVER PRAISES CUBA ON SPY ARREST"
742:"Espía nazi capturado en la Habana Vieja"
190:After his discovery by the government of
163:was an espionage agent who spied for the
562:or in English "Fatherland and Liberty."
1075:People executed by Cuba by firing squad
1055:Abwehr personnel killed in World War II
859:. Internet Archive. G.P. Putnam's Sons.
643:
485:. It was featured on display in 2018.
210:Lüning was born on March 28, 1911, in
1065:Military personnel from Bremen (city)
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633:, 1959 film adaptation of the novel
14:
785:Schoonover, Thomas David (2008).
584:On November 10, 1942, Lüning was
466:, radio tubes, invisible ink, a
161:Heinz August Adolf Sirich Lüning
1050:20th-century executions by Cuba
1010:Lucky Dip Cinema (2023-01-11).
1070:Nazis executed by firing squad
1:
1060:German people executed abroad
359:, a women's fashion store in
185:British Secret Services (MI6)
691:"The Abwehr's Man in Havana"
533:Minister of Foreign Affairs
477:shot - is currently in the
345:, down the street from the
1096:
853:Allan Chase (1943-01-01).
546:Chilean Interior Minister
479:Museo Oscar María de Rojas
363:at 314 Industria Street.
231:Dominican Tobacco Company
86:Execution by firing squad
25:
1013:Our Man in Havana (1959)
979:National Security Agency
970:Mowry, David P. (2011).
748:(in Spanish). 2018-09-04
630:Our Man in Havana (film)
606:Cuba during World War II
586:executed by firing squad
488:Lüning was taken to the
309:. He also learned basic
169:Cuba during World War II
138:Cuba during World War II
695:Warfare History Network
380:The British station in
44:Enrique Augustino Lunin
601:Operation Bolívar#Cuba
578:
520:
505:General Manuel Benitez
452:
437:General Manuel Benitez
326:
944:Semana (2021-12-17).
873:(in European Spanish)
576:
548:Raúl Morales Beltramí
541:Benjamín Subercaseaux
490:Castillo del Príncipe
457:Captain Mariano Faget
450:
324:
261:B. Schoenfeld Company
1022:– via YouTube.
999:. November 11, 1945.
537:Ernesto Barros Jarpa
443:Arrest and execution
221:In 1929, during the
898:. November 1, 1942.
569:Trial and execution
560:Patria y Libertad,"
523:Wrapping up the PYL
373:Rolando Ancieto at
303:Wireless telegraphy
83:Cause of death
612:In popular culture
579:
453:
426:Bienvenido Alegría
327:
246:Philip Bartholomae
235:Dominican Republic
175:war effort in the
798:978-0-8131-2501-5
619:Our Man in Havana
501:Fulgencio Batista
337:, and arrived in
317:Stationed in Cuba
192:Fulgencio Batista
158:
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133:Operation Bolívar
70:November 10, 1942
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622:, 1958 novel by
386:Lisbon, Portugal
287:Klopstockstrasse
223:Great Depression
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497:J. Edgar Hoover
461:shortwave radio
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331:Villa de Madrid
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212:Bremen, Germany
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75:
71:
59:
50:
47:Rafael Castillo
21:
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5:
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997:New York Times
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912:Maxwell, Ian.
901:
896:New York Times
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834:www.c-span.org
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483:Cárdenas, Cuba
468:false passport
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113:Known for
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104:Service number
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74:(aged 31)
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58:March 28, 1911
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624:Graham Greene
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535:at the time,
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475:12 mm caliber
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343:Siboney Hotel
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299:Invisible ink
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250:Santo Domingo
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242:New York City
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181:Latin America
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40:
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37:
33:
29:
24:
17:
1017:. Retrieved
1012:
1005:
996:
987:
981:. p. 6.
978:
965:
954:. Retrieved
952:(in Spanish)
949:
921:. Retrieved
917:
895:
886:
875:. Retrieved
865:
855:
848:
837:. Retrieved
833:
787:
750:. Retrieved
745:
698:. Retrieved
694:
629:
617:
590:
583:
580:
564:
559:
545:
526:
517:
513:
509:
494:
487:
472:
464:transmitters
454:
434:
424:businessman
419:
411:
407:
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379:
375:Habana Radio
374:
372:
368:
365:
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347:
346:
330:
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284:
275:
272:Abwehr agent
267:World War II
258:
239:
220:
209:
200:World War II
189:
160:
159:
154:Helga Lüning
128:World War II
121:Battles/wars
72:(1942-11-10)
20:Heinz Lüning
1045:1942 deaths
1040:1911 births
918:www.cia.gov
552:PyL Network
35:Nickname(s)
1034:Categories
1019:2024-09-22
956:2024-09-22
923:2024-09-23
877:2024-09-22
839:2024-09-22
752:2024-09-21
700:2024-09-20
638:References
556:Valparaiso
361:Old Havana
357:La Estampa
348:Wonder Bar
311:Tradecraft
295:Morse code
206:Early life
746:Granma.cu
422:Falangist
414:Argentina
335:Barcelona
196:Anti-Nazi
177:Caribbean
151:Spouse(s)
595:See also
392:and the
91:Service/
403:U-Boats
382:Bermuda
291:Hamburg
289:2-8 in
254:Spanish
233:in the
227:Hamburg
216:tobacco
795:
503:, and
339:Havana
279:Abwehr
165:Abwehr
108:A-3779
97:Abwehr
93:branch
77:Havana
61:Bremen
41:Lumann
975:(PDF)
529:Chile
430:Gijón
307:Radio
793:ISBN
495:For
305:and
179:and
173:Nazi
67:Died
55:Born
481:in
428:in
394:FBI
390:MI6
333:in
167:in
1036::
995:.
977:.
948:.
932:^
916:.
904:^
894:.
832:.
807:^
761:^
744:.
709:^
693:.
646:^
499:,
439:.
405:.
301:,
297:,
202:.
959:.
926:.
880:.
842:.
801:.
755:.
703:.
350:,
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
