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A MOSQUE IN MUNICH: NAZIS, THE CIA, AND THE RISE OF THE MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD IN THE WEST
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

This was by far the most complicated project I have worked on. It consumed three years of research and another year of writing, taking me to a dozen countries and even more archives. I say this only to point out that it wouldn't have been possible without the extraordinary help of many different people. Most readers can skip this section, but I feel it is absolutely necessary to thank ...

Especially:

When I returned to Berlin in 2001, I had the good fortune of working with Almut Schoenfeld, a researcher and reporter in the Wall Street Journal's Berlin bureau. Her contagious enthusiasm and genuine interest resulted in many incredible finds among the living and the dead. Without her work this book would not have been possible.

David Crawford, also of the Journal's Berlin bureau, has been a friend and colleague for over twenty years. Together we covered the initial stories on Islamic terrorism in Germany. More important, David showed me that there was a bigger story to write.

Steve Merley, an outstanding investigative researcher, helped me with innumerable points regarding the Muslim Brotherhood. He is easily the best-informed person on the modern Saudi-Muslim Brotherhood nexus in the West. The last section of the book would not have been possible without his help.

In Europe:

Special thanks to Ahmet Senyurt, a leading expert on contemporary Islam in Germany. Ahmet was a constant reminder that the problem has never been Islam; it is the religion's misuse by opportunists, politicians, and misguided idealists.

I was helped greatly by the expertise and camaraderie of Dr. Stefan Meining, a journalist with Bavarian Broadcasting. It was Stefan who first looked in the Bavarian state archives for clues to the history of the mosque. He also produced an hour-long documentary on the mosque for German public television.

I would also like to thank the following people, in alphabetical order:

  • Malik Aoudia and Samir Benyounes for companionship and research help, especially at the fatwa council meeting in London and in Paris's banlieues
  • Sylvain Besson, of the Swiss newspaper Le Temps, for pointing to files in the Swiss national archives
  • Abby Collins, of Harvard University's "Berlin Dialogues," for sponsoring my talk in 2007 on the Munich mosque and for many stimulating conversations
  • Johannes Kandel, of the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung in Berlin, for hosting discussions on Islam in Europe
  • Gilles Kepel, at the Fondation Nationale des Sciences Politiques in Paris, for discussions on Islamism in Europe
  • Kristina Klein, Nicole Menck, and Ruth Scherpf of the Journal's Berlin bureau
  • Bertil Lintner (of Sweden, via Chiangmai) for helping identify Ahmad Kamal's work in Burma
  • Dr. Juergen Micksch, of the Interkultureller Rat in Deutschland e.v., who allowed me to attend several discussions on Islamism
  • Dr. Herbert Landolin Muller, at the Landesamt fur Verfassungsschutz in Baden- Wurttenburg, an expert on the Muslim Brotherhood, who exemplifies the true meaning of intelligence work
  • Gary Smith, of the American Academy in Berlin, for encouraging me to write a piece on Islamic law for the academy's Berlin Journal and who also organized many stimulating discussions on the topic that enriched my thinking
  • Assistant Professor Riem Spielhaus, of Berlin's Humboldt University, for many patient conversations
  • Professor Dr. Ursula Spuler-Stegemann, at Marburg University, an early and prophetic writer on Islamism in Germany
  • Dr. Guido Steinberg, of the Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik, for conversations on Islamism
  • Michael Whine, of the Community Security Trust in London, for his inspiring evenhandedness
  • Raimund Wolfert, a historian of Norway, for insights into von Mende's wife, Karo Espeseth

In Egypt:

  • researcher extraordinaire Mandi Fahmy
  • Gamal al-Banna, who shared ideas and insights into his brother, Hasan

In the archives:

Much of this book is based on archives and was possible only because many archivists went out of their way to track down files. I would especially like to thank, alphabetically:

  • Salim Abdullah of the Islam-Archiv Deutschland in Soest
  • Simon Braune of the Middle East Institute in Washington
  • Dr. Caroline Gigl at the Bayerisches Hauptstaatsarchiv in Munich
  • David Haight and Chalsea Millner of the Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library in Abilene, Kansas
  • Scott Koch, the CIA's information and privacy coordinator
  • Dr. Ingo Loose and Ilona Kalb at Humboldt University's archive
  • Mr. Knud Piening and Johannes Freiherr von Boeselager in the German Foreign Office's political archive in Berlin
  • Anatol Shemelev of the Hoover Archive in Palo Alto, California
  • Ruth Stalder of the Swiss Federal Archives
  • John Taylor, Sammy Popat, Matthew Olsen, Paul Brown, and William Cunliffe at NARA in Washington
  • Scott S. Taylor and Nicholas B. Scheetz of Georgetown University's Special Collection

Emigre families:

This book would also not have been possible without the friendly support of many individuals and families who opened their personal archives to me, even though it sometimes meant revisiting painful memories. I would like to thank, alphabetically:

  • the late Dr. Baymirza Hayit
  • the family of Ahmad Kamal, whose recollections helped illuminate their mysterious and mercurial patriarch
  • the late Professor Dr. Gerhard Kegel for his personal file on Said Ramadan
  • Professor Dr. Erling von Mende for making available part of his father's files
  • Ehrenfried Schutte, a tireless campaigner on behalf of the victims of the Yalta agreement, who shared valuable reminiscences and documents on the Ostministerium
  • Garip Sultan, who in the true spirit of Tatar hospitality invited me into his home numerous times
  • Karin West, who made available priceless reminiscences and her tape recording of Bob Dreher's farewell party

In the United States:

Because I was based in Berlin during the initial phase of my research, I was aided by several American researchers. One, Chris Law, formerly a reporter with the National Security News Service in Washington and now an investigator with the Senate Committee on Finance, helped obtain FOIA information from the CIA and army intelligence, a feat for which I remain in awe. He also helped track down CIA agents from that period. Many thanks also to Chris's former colleagues at NSNS, David Armstrong and Joseph Trento, for valuable advice. In addition, Chris Conkey, a news assistant and later reporter in the Journal's Washington bureau, helped get files from various archives.

I would also like to thank, alphabetically:

  • Zeyno Baran, Eric Brown, Hillel Fradkin, and S. Enders Wimbush, of the Hudson Institute, for discussions on contemporary Islamism and for sponsoring my talk and paper in 2007 on the Munich mosque
  • Daniel Benjamin, of the Center for Strategic and International Studies, for discussions on terrorism
  • Professor Richard Breitman, of American University, for helping navigate archival releases through the Nazi War Crimes Disclosure Act
  • Ron Bright, who helped crack parts of the Ahmad Kamal story. Ron, through FOIA, obtained Kamal's FBI papers; thanks to him for sharing that information, and to Ric Gillespie, executive director of the International Group for Historic Aircraft Recovery, which published Ron's paper.
  • Jeffrey Burds, at Northeastern University, for his advice on covert operations in the early Cold War
  • Stephen L. Crane, author of a little-known masterpiece on the Turkic Nazi soldiers, who shared his archive
  • Jim Critchlow for a scrupulously honest book on Radio Liberty and for guidance as I tried to fathom the world of 1950S broadcasting and exile politics
  • Bob Dreyfuss, who shared his files on Said Ramadan's trip to Princeton
  • Jim Engell, of Harvard University's English department, for discussions on writing
  • Jenny Fichmann, a freelance researcher in Palo Alto, for help in the Hoover archives
  • Merle and Marshall Goldman, of Harvard University, for support and ideas
  • Hope Harrison, at George Washington University, for many fruitful discussions and for sponsoring a talk that highlighted flaws in my original thesis
  • Stephanie Ho and David Hathaway for hospitality and support
  • Nancy Kobrin for discussions on psychology and terrorism
  • Anita Kolaczkowska and family for discussions on Ahmad Kamal
  • Mark Kramer, the writer and former head of the Nieman Foundation's narrative writing program, for editing work and discussions on how to frame the book. Also thanks to members of Mark's narrative writing class, who were unstinting in their criticism.
  • Professor Mark Kramer, head of Harvard University's Cold War Studies Program, for advice and discussions
  • Andreas Krueger, then of the German embassy in Washington, for helping organize a talk I gave to the U.S. Congress on Islamism.
  • Jonathan Laurence, of Boston College, for public and private debates about engaging the Muslim Brotherhood
  • Robert Leiken, of the Nixon Center, for stimulating conversations on the Muslim Brotherhood
  • Jim Mann, writer-in-residence at Johns Hopkins University-SAIS, for FOIA advice
  • Tom McIntyre, of San Francisco, for discussions on writing as well as support and hospitality
  • the Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard and its director, Bob Giles, for sponsoring me during the 2006-2007 academic year. The stay there helped immeasurably in broadening the book.
  • Kenneth Osgood, of Florida Atlantic University, for his expertise on covert propaganda
  • Christian Ostermann, of the Wilson Center's Cold War International History Program, for advice and criticism
  • Richard Pipes for recollections of Soviet-Islamic studies in the Cold War.
  • Glenn R. Simpson, of the Journal, for sharing ideas and notes
  • Gene and Gloria Sosin for their generous time and for Gloria's small gem of a book
  • Scott T. Taylor and family for insights into Washington
  • Roger Thurow, of the Journal, for companionship and reporting advice in Switzerland
  • Tim Weiner, of the New York Times, for generously sharing material and advice

Readers, critics, and family:

I am grateful to a number of readers and editors who helped guide this project over several years, including Leslie T. Chang and Peter Hessler of Skinflint, Colorado; Doug Hunt of the University of Missouri; Lorne Blumer of Toronto; James Scott of Charleston and Craig Welch of Seattle; Yaroslav Trofimov of the Journal; the Journal's editing staff, especially Mike Miller and Mike Allen, and above all former chief editor Paul Steiger, who in an era of declining news holes recognized the value of the initial story, gave me time to work on it, and found the space to run six thousand words.

Special thanks to Andrea Schulz and Tom Bouman at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, whose insightful editing and support shaped the book; manuscript editor Susanna Brougham for a very close reading; and, as always, my agent, Chris Calhoun, of Sterling Lord Literistic, who made it all happen.

Finally I owe a great debt to family members: my father, Denis, who read and discussed this book from its inception; my sister Cathy and her family for support, especially with Longmorn on Darß; and Elke, for years of help and support.

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