Salon Kitty
Encyclopedia
Salon Kitty was a Berlin brothel
used by the SD
for espionage
purposes before and during World War II.
In the 1930s Berlin, Salon Kitty was a high-class brothel in 11 Giesebrechtstrasse. Its usual clientele included German dignitaries and foreign diplomat
s. Its owner and madame was Kitty Schmidt.
, but SD chief Walter Schellenberg
did most of the work. Instead of infiltrating the brothel, Schellenberg decided to take it over.
Kitty Schmidt had been sending money to British banks with fleeing refugees ever since the Nazis
took over. When she eventually decided to leave the country on June 28, 1939, SD agents arrested her at the Dutch border and took her to Gestapo
HQ. There Schellenberg made her an offer she could not refuse: either cooperate with the Nazis or be sent to a concentration camp.
The SD closed the brothel for repairs and refurbished it with multiple concealed microphones in every conceivable place. Wires were led to a cellar and from there to a room with five monitoring desks and recording turntables. The idea was to entertain prominent guests with wine and women so they would disclose secrets or talk about their real opinions.
Berlin's vice squad
("Sittenpolizei") arrested dozens of Berlin prostitutes and selected 20 potential agents for their use. They were put through seven weeks of rigorous indoctrination
and training. Among other things, they were trained to recognize military uniforms, and to glean secrets from innocuous conversation. They were not told about the microphones but had to make a report after every encounter.
In March 1940, Schmidt was told to continue as if nothing had happened - except that now she had a special book of twenty additional girls she should show only to a specific kind of clientele. If a customer would use a phrase "I come from Rothenburg
", she was instructed to show him the book and then let him make his decision and call for the girl he had selected. The girls would spend the night with the guest and depart later.
, Foreign Minister
of Italy, whose forthright opinions about the Führer
were not particularly positive. Another one, SS commander Sepp Dietrich
, wanted all the 20 girls for an all-night orgy
but he dropped no secrets. Additionally, Goebbels
had been marked as a client by some. He, apparently, enjoyed the 'lesbian displays' that were otherwise considered anti-social acts outside of that context.
Reinhard Heydrich also made a number of "inspection tours" although the microphones were turned off on those occasions.
However, British agent Roger Wilson, under his cover identity of Romania
n press secretary
Ljubo Kolchev, noticed when the wires were rerouted to another listening position. He became a regular customer of Salon Kitty, with a regular girl, and later arranged a wiretap to three cables. Now British intelligence
heard some of the same conversations SD did. Wilson was later captured and sent to a POW camp.
Kitty Schmidt did not talk about the matter even after the war. She died in 1954.
, directed by Tinto Brass
and starring Helmut Berger
as Walter Schellenberg (re-named Helmut Wallenberg) and Ingrid Thulin
as Kitty Schmidt (re-named Kitty Kellermann.)
Also, the concept of the Gestapo
using a brothel full of spies to find traitors within the Nazi regime has been recycled numerous times in various European nazisploitation
films.
Brothel
Brothels are business establishments where patrons can engage in sexual activities with prostitutes. Brothels are known under a variety of names, including bordello, cathouse, knocking shop, whorehouse, strumpet house, sporting house, house of ill repute, house of prostitution, and bawdy house...
used by the SD
Sicherheitsdienst
Sicherheitsdienst , full title Sicherheitsdienst des Reichsführers-SS, or SD, was the intelligence agency of the SS and the Nazi Party in Nazi Germany. The organization was the first Nazi Party intelligence organization to be established and was often considered a "sister organization" with the...
for espionage
Espionage
Espionage or spying involves an individual obtaining information that is considered secret or confidential without the permission of the holder of the information. Espionage is inherently clandestine, lest the legitimate holder of the information change plans or take other countermeasures once it...
purposes before and during World War II.
In the 1930s Berlin, Salon Kitty was a high-class brothel in 11 Giesebrechtstrasse. Its usual clientele included German dignitaries and foreign diplomat
Diplomat
A diplomat is a person appointed by a state to conduct diplomacy with another state or international organization. The main functions of diplomats revolve around the representation and protection of the interests and nationals of the sending state, as well as the promotion of information and...
s. Its owner and madame was Kitty Schmidt.
History
The idea to use Salon Kitty for espionage purposes came from Reinhard HeydrichReinhard Heydrich
Reinhard Tristan Eugen Heydrich , also known as The Hangman, was a high-ranking German Nazi official.He was SS-Obergruppenführer and General der Polizei, chief of the Reich Main Security Office and Stellvertretender Reichsprotektor of Bohemia and Moravia...
, but SD chief Walter Schellenberg
Walter Schellenberg
Walther Friedrich Schellenberg was a German SS-Brigadeführer who rose through the ranks of the SS to become the head of foreign intelligence following the abolition of the Abwehr in 1944.-Biography:...
did most of the work. Instead of infiltrating the brothel, Schellenberg decided to take it over.
Kitty Schmidt had been sending money to British banks with fleeing refugees ever since the Nazis
Nazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
took over. When she eventually decided to leave the country on June 28, 1939, SD agents arrested her at the Dutch border and took her to Gestapo
Gestapo
The Gestapo was the official secret police of Nazi Germany. Beginning on 20 April 1934, it was under the administration of the SS leader Heinrich Himmler in his position as Chief of German Police...
HQ. There Schellenberg made her an offer she could not refuse: either cooperate with the Nazis or be sent to a concentration camp.
The SD closed the brothel for repairs and refurbished it with multiple concealed microphones in every conceivable place. Wires were led to a cellar and from there to a room with five monitoring desks and recording turntables. The idea was to entertain prominent guests with wine and women so they would disclose secrets or talk about their real opinions.
Berlin's vice squad
Vice Squad
Vice Squad is a punk band formed in 1978 in Bristol, England. The band formed from two other local punk bands, The Contingent and TV Brakes. Songwriter and vocalist Beki Bondage was a founding member and is currently with the band, although there was a period of time when the band had a different...
("Sittenpolizei") arrested dozens of Berlin prostitutes and selected 20 potential agents for their use. They were put through seven weeks of rigorous indoctrination
Indoctrination
Indoctrination is the process of inculcating ideas, attitudes, cognitive strategies or a professional methodology . It is often distinguished from education by the fact that the indoctrinated person is expected not to question or critically examine the doctrine they have learned...
and training. Among other things, they were trained to recognize military uniforms, and to glean secrets from innocuous conversation. They were not told about the microphones but had to make a report after every encounter.
In March 1940, Schmidt was told to continue as if nothing had happened - except that now she had a special book of twenty additional girls she should show only to a specific kind of clientele. If a customer would use a phrase "I come from Rothenburg
Rothenburg
-Places:*Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Bavaria, Germany*Rothenburg, Oberlausitz, Saxony, Germany*Rothenburg, Saxony-Anhalt, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany*Rothenburg, Switzerland, Canton of Lucerne, Switzerland*Rothenburg an der Oder, the German name of Czerwieńsk, Poland...
", she was instructed to show him the book and then let him make his decision and call for the girl he had selected. The girls would spend the night with the guest and depart later.
Guests
Salon Kitty became even more popular when selected guests in the military and diplomatic corps were told the "secret codeword" and monitors made thousands of records. One of the customers was Count Galeazzo CianoGaleazzo Ciano
Gian Galeazzo Ciano, 2nd Count of Cortellazzo and Buccari was an Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Benito Mussolini's son-in-law. In early 1944 Count Ciano was shot by firing squad at the behest of his father-in-law, Mussolini under pressure from Nazi Germany.-Early life:Ciano was born in...
, Foreign Minister
Foreign minister
A Minister of Foreign Affairs, or foreign minister, is a cabinet minister who helps form the foreign policy of a sovereign state. The foreign minister is often regarded as the most senior ministerial position below that of the head of government . It is often granted to the deputy prime minister in...
of Italy, whose forthright opinions about the Führer
Führer
Führer , alternatively spelled Fuehrer in both English and German when the umlaut is not available, is a German title meaning leader or guide now most associated with Adolf Hitler, who modelled it on Benito Mussolini's title il Duce, as well as with Georg von Schönerer, whose followers also...
were not particularly positive. Another one, SS commander Sepp Dietrich
Sepp Dietrich
Josef "Sepp" Dietrich was a German SS General. He was one of Nazi Germany's most decorated soldiers and commanded formations up to Army level during World War II. Prior to 1929 he was Adolf Hitler's chauffeur and bodyguard but received rapid promotion after his participation in the murder of...
, wanted all the 20 girls for an all-night orgy
Orgy
In modern usage, an orgy is a sex party where guests engage in promiscuous or multifarious sexual activity or group sex. An orgy is similar to debauchery, which refers to excessive indulgence in sensual pleasures....
but he dropped no secrets. Additionally, Goebbels
Goebbels
Goebbels, alternatively Göbbels, is a common surname in the western areas of Germany. It is probably derived from the Old Low German word gibbler, meaning brewer...
had been marked as a client by some. He, apparently, enjoyed the 'lesbian displays' that were otherwise considered anti-social acts outside of that context.
Reinhard Heydrich also made a number of "inspection tours" although the microphones were turned off on those occasions.
However, British agent Roger Wilson, under his cover identity of Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
n press secretary
Press secretary
A press secretary or press officer is a senior advisor who provides advice on how to deal with the news media and, using news management techniques, helps their employer to maintain a positive public image and avoid negative media coverage....
Ljubo Kolchev, noticed when the wires were rerouted to another listening position. He became a regular customer of Salon Kitty, with a regular girl, and later arranged a wiretap to three cables. Now British intelligence
Intelligence (information gathering)
Intelligence assessment is the development of forecasts of behaviour or recommended courses of action to the leadership of an organization, based on a wide range of available information sources both overt and covert. Assessments are developed in response to requirements declared by the leadership...
heard some of the same conversations SD did. Wilson was later captured and sent to a POW camp.
End
As the war progressed, the clientele of Salon Kitty decreased. In July 1942 a bomb demolished the building the brothel was in and Salon Kitty had to move to the ground floor of the same building. Within the year SD abandoned the project and handed Salon back to Schmidt - with the threat that she would keep silent or face retaliation. The 20 girls stayed with her.Kitty Schmidt did not talk about the matter even after the war. She died in 1954.
Film
In 1976, these events were turned into the highly controversial film, Salon KittySalon Kitty
Salon Kitty was a Berlin brothel used by the SD for espionage purposes before and during World War II.In the 1930s Berlin, Salon Kitty was a high-class brothel in 11 Giesebrechtstrasse. Its usual clientele included German dignitaries and foreign diplomats...
, directed by Tinto Brass
Tinto Brass
Giovanni Brass , better known as Tinto Brass, is an Italian filmmaker. He is noted especially for his work in the erotic genre, with films such as Così fan tutte , Paprika, Monella and Trasgredire...
and starring Helmut Berger
Helmut Berger
Helmut Berger is an Austrian-born German film and television actor. He is most famous for his work with Luchino Visconti, particularly in his performance as King Ludwig II of Bavaria in Ludwig, for which he received a special David di Donatello award.He appears primarily in European cinema, but...
as Walter Schellenberg (re-named Helmut Wallenberg) and Ingrid Thulin
Ingrid Thulin
Ingrid Lilian Thulin was a Swedish film actress.-Biography:Thulin was born in Sollefteå, Ångermanland, northern Sweden, the daughter of Nanna and Adam Thulin, a fisherman...
as Kitty Schmidt (re-named Kitty Kellermann.)
Also, the concept of the Gestapo
Gestapo
The Gestapo was the official secret police of Nazi Germany. Beginning on 20 April 1934, it was under the administration of the SS leader Heinrich Himmler in his position as Chief of German Police...
using a brothel full of spies to find traitors within the Nazi regime has been recycled numerous times in various European nazisploitation
Nazi exploitation
Nazi exploitation is a subgenre of exploitation film and sexploitation film that involves villainous Nazis committing criminal acts of a sexual nature often as camp or prison overseers in World War II settings...
films.
External links
- Salon Kitty from "Spy Fact of the Day".
- Salon Kitty (1976) at IMDB
- Paul Lewis, 2008: Review of the AWE DVD release of Salon Kitty. DVDCompare