Ludwig Carl Moyzisch (born 1905) was a diplomatic attaché of the

Nazi German Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...

Embassy in

Ankara, Turkey Ankara ( , ; ), historically known as Ancyra and Angora, is the capital of Turkey. Located in the central part of Anatolia, the city has a population of 5.1 million in its urban center and over 5.7 million in Ankara Province, mak ...

in 1943. Under this cover, he led the work of the German secret services in Turkey, including

Elyesa Bazna Elyesa Bazna (), sometimes known as Ilyaz and Iliaz Bazna (; 28 July 1904 – 21 December 1970), was a secret agent for Nazi Germany during World War II, operating under the code name Cicero. Born in Pristina, Bazna attended a military ...

, codename 'Cicero'. Moyzisch wrote the book ''Operation Cicero'' in part to explain his role and activities working for the

Sicherheitsdienst ' (, ''Security Service''), full title ' (Security Service of the '' Reichsführer-SS''), or SD, was the intelligence agency of the SS and the Nazi Party in Nazi Germany. Established in 1931, the SD was the first Nazi intelligence organization ...

(SD). The book was subsequently adapted into the film ''

5 Fingers ''5 Fingers'', known also as ''Five Fingers'', is a 1952 American spy film directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz and produced by Otto Lang. The screenplay written by Michael Wilson was based on the 1950 book ''Operation Cicero'' (original German: ' ...

'', starring James Mason as the spy.
Supposed photos of Elyesa Bazna and Ludwig Carl Moyzisch

Biography

Moyzisch was born in Austria, and raised under the Catholic faith. His maternal grandmother was Jewish, which made him a second degree ''mischling'' ixed race Moyzisch was a journalist in

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

prior to becoming a member of Nazi Germany's intelligence services during World War II. Although Moyzisch had some Jewish heritage, he was still accepted into the Nazi

(SD). This was accomplished in part by becoming a member of the Nazi party. He had an official title of commercial attaché in Ankara, while secretly working there as SD chief. He reported to

Walter Schellenberg Walter Friedrich Schellenberg (16 January 1910 – 31 March 1952) was a German SS functionary during the Nazi era. He rose through the ranks of the SS, becoming one of the highest ranking men in the '' Sicherheitsdienst'' (SD) and eventually a ...

while in Ankara during 1941–1944. Moyzisch lived in Ankara with his wife and son, but he was unable to get his mother and sister out of Germany. Schellenberg and Himmler were quite impressed by the efficient, professional, and friendly manner in which he worked. An SS officer intervened when an anonymous letter was sent to the regime stating that Moyzisch was part Jewish.

Cicero Affair

'Cicero' is the SD code name given by the Germans to Elyesa Bazna, a valet for the British ambassador Sir Hughe Knatchbull-Hugessen in the city of Ankara in Turkey, a neutral country during most part of World War II. The information that he leaked is believed to have been potentially among the more damaging disclosures made by a Second World War spy but conflicts inside the highest echelons of the German government meant that little if any of it was acted upon.

After the war

At the end of the World War II, he was aggressively interviewed by the Allies and gave witness during war trials at Nuremberg, after which he wrote a book to address rumors and explain his role during the war. He was never charged with a war crime.

''Operation Cicero''

Moyzisch published his memoirs in 1950 with a book named ''Operation Cicero.'' Richard Wires, author of ''The Cicero Spy Affair'' stated that he found the book to be a "sensational narrative" with misrepresentations and omissions. Wires speculated that Moyzisch may not have known that Bazna was still alive. Franz von Papen and Allen Dulles, wartime head of the OSS, suggested that there was more to the story than what had emerged in the book. Neither elaborated. Twelve years later, in 1962, ''I was Cicero'' was published by 'Cicero' himself. A film based on the book ''Operation Cicero'' by L.C. Moyzisch was released by

20th Century Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc. (previously known as 20th Century Fox) is an American film production company headquartered at the Fox Studio Lot in the Century City area of Los Angeles. As of 2019, it serves as a film production arm of Walt Dis ...

in 1952. It was titled ''

'' and directed by

Joseph L. Mankiewicz Joseph Leo Mankiewicz (; February 11, 1909 – February 5, 1993) was an American film director, screenwriter, and producer. Mankiewicz had a long Hollywood career, and won both the Academy Award for Best Director and the Academy Award for Best A ...

. Bazna, renamed Ulysses Diello, was played by James Mason.

Later years

Moyzisch returned to Austria where he wrote his book and worked as a businessman.

Notes

Online references

picture of Ludwig Carl Moyzisch
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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Moyzisch, Ludwig Carl Officials of Nazi Germany German diplomats 1905 births Diplomats from Vienna World War II spies for Germany Year of death missing Commercial attachés