Heinrich "Gestapo" Muller

[Emerson Begolly]

Does anyone have an idea about what happened to Gruppenfuhrer Heinrich "Gestapo" Muller (the SS Gestapo cheif) after the war? I have heard many theories: went to South America, suicide, killed, worked for US government, worked for USSR, and others. I am open to all ideas, theories, beliefs, and suggestions. I know that no one knows for sure (except for Muller), but I would like to know what people think.

Thanks,
Em.

[Walter Schellenberg]

In my opinion, he went either to USA to work with the US, or to USSR to work with the KGB.

I would tendto think he went to the KGB rather because he was a communist in his mind, and also the US had Rinehard Gehlen already a USSR specialist - if they also had Muller, there would havebeen some talks of collabotation etween Gehlen and Muller .

Yet there is none - although the Gehlen - CIA link was not a secret at all.

So i assume he went perhaps rather to USSR.

W-S

[Emerson Begolly]

Thank you. Who was Rinehard Gehlen? Was he ex-gestapo?
Was he ever charged with crimes?

Thanks.
Em.

[Redbaron1908]

i don t remember exactly what walter schellenbergs memoris say but i think he metioned that muller was a comunist and after the war went to the ussr i might be wrong it s been a long time scince i ve read his memoris

[Walter Schellenberg]

Gehlen was not Gestapo - he was a veryable officer from the FHO section in the Abwehr (miltary espionnage) and had extensive knowlegde on the Russian military strenght, as well as agents.

The Abwehr, who dealt more with military espionnage was always in competition with the RSHA ( = SD + Gestapo + other things), who dealt more with intrigue and politics.

Gehlen from my point of vue and as far as i know was not more than a very able spymaster - no war crimes at all.

There are posts dealing with him in this forum if you perform a search.
He surrendered to the Americans and bargened his knowlegde: which was tons of archives on the USSR "hidden somewhere" in Germany.
US officers immediatelly accepted to protect him and brought him to USA where he did marvels helping the CIA.

I read also the story from the Schell. memoirs. But i think that Schellenberg said many things in his memoirs that are doubtful.
I also think he had some personal grief against Muller - so he might have exagerated this "Communist" story - although it is possible - but I think it is "too big" to be true.

I would rather say USA - but again, i find it strange that while Gehlen was a known recruit, there is no trace of an (inevitable) collaboration with Gestapo Muller.

Mabye the Americans were very good at hidding this embarrasing (warcriminal) recruit ?

I doubt - sooner or later, these things reveal themselves in the very little International Scret Service community.

On the other hand, theRussian secret service is known as more impenetrable: these guys keep secrets absolute for dozens of years !
So perhaps they quietly took Muller away ?


So again, a BIG QUESTION MARK on this matter (Muller to US or USSR).

Howevrer i would rule out any "inactive role" from Muller (killed, or went to south america ...): havingread some stuff on the guy, and having read some accounts and rumors about whet he did after the war, I am more or less convinced that he continued after the war to work for another secret service.

[WTW26]

Müller is allegedly mentioned in a post-war Abakumov's letter to Stalin. According to this letter, Müller lived somewhere at Ural. Abakumov asks in his letter if Müller should be further worked with or liquidated. Of course, it could be some other Müller, but it's doubtful.

[Walter Schellenberg]

who was Abakumov ?

[WTW26]

From 1946 to 1951 he was the State Security Minister of the USSR.

[Emerson Begolly]

Does anyone think that Muller was excuted or died naturally?

Em.

[Redbaron1908]

like i said before i think on schellenbergs memoris he said muller was killed by the russians after the war not sure though

[David Thompson]

Walter Schellenberg --

Abakumov, Colonel-General Viktor S. (1908-1954)(NKVD):
43 : Head Counter-intelligence Directorate SMERSH
46-52: Minister of State Security
54 : Condemned to death and executed as traitor

(from Steen Ammentorp, The Generals of WWII: Soviet Generals, at:

http://www.generals.dk/Soviet.htm)

There's a lot more about Abakumov in various books on the KGB/NKVD.

[Geheime Feldpolizei]

Read an article about Heinrich Mueller by Richard Breitman and Tim Naftali in one of the 2002 issues of Holocaust and Genocide Studies. This should be of interest to those of you who harbor illusions that Mueller survived the war.