Church of Spies

Summary

• Prologue: Introduces Josef Müller, a key Vatican agent in Germany, highlighting his bravery and the Nazis' attempts to break him, setting the stage for the Vatican's secret war against Hitler.

• Chapter 1: Darkness over the Earth: Details the election of Pope Pius XII (Eugenio Pacelli) amidst the looming threat of World War II and his decision to secretly excavate St. Peter's tomb. It also covers the Nazi regime's assessment of the new pope and Pius XII's early secret actions, including setting up audio surveillance. The chapter concludes with the invasion of Poland and the Pope's first encyclical condemning racism and violence.

• Chapter 2: The End of Germany: Focuses on Hitler's meeting with his generals before invading Poland, where he reveals plans for ruthless occupation and the liquidation of Polish clergy. It details Admiral Canaris's horror and subsequent efforts by the German military opposition to prevent the war and overthrow Hitler, including failed attempts to leak information and assassinate him. The chapter highlights the plotters' decision to seek the Pope's help as an intermediary with the Allies.

• Chapter 3: Joey Ox: Introduces Josef Müller ("Joey Ox"), a Bavarian lawyer and key figure in the Catholic resistance, detailing his background, strong character, and early opposition to the Nazis. It recounts his recruitment into Cardinal Faulhaber's intelligence network, his role in collecting evidence of Nazi crimes, and his dangerous missions carrying secret reports to Pacelli in Rome via his private plane. The chapter culminates with Oster recruiting Müller for the Abwehr's plot against Hitler, leveraging Müller's Vatican connections.

• Chapter 4: Tyrannicide: Describes Müller's first mission to Rome for the resistance, where he conveys the plotters' request for papal mediation to Monsignor Kaas. It outlines Pope Pius XII's background in papal diplomacy and intelligence, his experiences with political conflict, and the Church's doctrine on tyrannicide. After deliberation, Pius agrees to act as a secret intermediary between the German resistance and the British, stunning his aides with the boldness of the decision.  

• Chapter 5: Someone to Kill Him: Details the pope's agreement to mediate, conveyed back to Berlin by Müller, and the establishment of a covert communication channel involving the pope, Müller, and the British. It covers the complex cover story devised by Canaris for Müller's Vatican missions and introduces the ongoing debate within the resistance, particularly between Catholics and Protestants, about the morality and method of assassinating Hitler. The chapter highlights the need for "someone to kill" Hitler, as articulated by Müller.  

• Chapter 6: Luck of the Devil: Recounts the failed assassination attempt on Hitler at the Bürgerbräukeller by Georg Elser, acting independently of the main resistance plot. It describes the subsequent Venlo incident, where British agents were tricked and captured by the SS, damaging Allied trust in the German resistance. The chapter concludes with the exposure of the pope's role in the plot to the SS through an informant, Hermann Keller, forcing Müller to temporarily halt his Vatican missions.  

• Chapter 7: The Black Chapel: Focuses on the SS investigation into the Vatican connection, spearheaded by Albert Hartl and his agent, the monk Hermann Keller, who suspects Josef Müller. Canaris cleverly deflects suspicion from Müller by feeding Hitler a fabricated intelligence report implicating others, temporarily derailing the SS probe. Despite this, SS spy chief Heydrich remains suspicious and orders continued surveillance on Müller's circle under the code name "Schwarze Kapelle" (Black Chapel).  

• Chapter 8: Absolute Secrecy: Describes the renewal of the plot through the Vatican channel, with Pius XII personally briefing the British ambassador, D'Arcy Osborne, about the resistance's plans and the imminent German offensive in the West. The pope emphasizes the need for absolute secrecy to protect the plotters. Despite papal warnings relayed to Belgium and Holland, the intelligence is largely dismissed by the Allies.  

• Chapter 9: The X-Report: Details the secret negotiations between the German resistance and the British government, mediated by Pope Pius XII in early 1940. Müller carries messages between Oster in Berlin and Father Leiber in Rome, culminating in a formal British statement of peace terms (the "X-Report") contingent on Hitler's removal. Despite the pope's efforts and initial optimism among the plotters, the German generals, particularly Brauchitsch and Halder, ultimately hesitate and fail to act, causing the plot to stall.  

• Chapter 10: Warnings to the West: Recounts the final, desperate attempts by the German resistance, via Müller and the Vatican, to warn the Western Allies (Britain, France, Belgium, Holland) of the exact dates for Hitler's planned invasion in May 1940. Despite precise intelligence relayed through figures like Father Leiber and Monsignor Montini (future Pope Paul VI), the warnings are largely ignored or disbelieved by the Allies due to previous false alarms. Hitler invades on May 10th, leading to the fall of France and Pius XII issuing public condolences but facing intimidation from Mussolini.  

• Chapter 11: The Brown Birds: Describes the discovery by Nazi counterintelligence of decrypted Belgian diplomatic telegrams (the "Brown Birds") revealing the Vatican leak of Hitler's invasion plans. Müller is urgently summoned to Berlin, fears exposure, and is tasked by Canaris to lead the investigation into the leak—essentially investigating himself. In Rome, Müller and Father Leiber successfully frame an absent Belgian Jesuit and Italian Foreign Minister Ciano's circle for the leak, temporarily saving the resistance network.  

• Chapter 12: Forging the Iron: Introduces Helmuth James von Moltke, an Abwehr officer disturbed by Nazi brutality, who begins forming the Kreisau Circle to plan for a post-Hitler Germany based on Christian values. Moltke seeks Catholic Church involvement, leading to a crucial meeting with Jesuit Provincial Father Augustinus Rösch, who agrees to collaborate. This marks the beginning of forging Catholic-Protestant unity within the resistance, aiming to create a moral and political foundation for the eventual coup.  

• Chapter 13: The Committee: Details the formation and operation of the "Orders Committee," a secret Jesuit-Dominican intelligence network led by Father Rösch, coordinating resistance efforts within the German Catholic Church under papal guidance. Key operatives like Father Lothar König use clandestine methods to gather intelligence and link various resistance cells, including labor unions. The chapter highlights the Committee's crucial role in planning for a post-Nazi Germany and its direct connection to the Vatican.  

• Chapter 14: Conversations in the Crypt: Focuses on the deepening collaboration between Catholic and Protestant resistance figures, exemplified by Dietrich Bonhoeffer's talks with Father Leiber and Monsignor Kaas in the Vatican crypt, fostering ecumenical unity against Hitler. Meanwhile, the Abwehr's operation to rescue Jews (U-7) becomes compromised through Willy Schmidhuber's black market dealings, threatening to expose the entire resistance network, including Müller and Dohnanyi. Amidst growing reports of the Holocaust, Pius XII struggles with public silence versus secret action, ultimately making a veiled condemnation in his 1942 Christmas message.  

• Chapter 15: Shootout in the Cathedral: Narrates the assassination of SS leader Reinhard Heydrich in Prague by Czech resistance agents, an act which Hitler suspected involved the Catholic Church. It details the agents' subsequent hiding in the crypt of Prague's Orthodox cathedral and their final stand against the SS. The event intensifies Nazi paranoia about clerical involvement in resistance plots.  

• Chapter 16: Two Bottles of Cognac: Describes the renewed impetus for a coup following the Stalingrad disaster, led by Major-General Tresckow. It covers the consolidation of civilian resistance groups, facilitated by Jesuit Father Delp, overcoming internal divisions, particularly regarding Carl Goerdeler's leadership. The chapter culminates with Tresckow and Schlabrendorff's plan to assassinate Hitler by planting a bomb disguised as cognac bottles on his plane during a visit to Smolensk.  

• Chapter 17: The Siegfried Blueprints: Recounts the failure of the Smolensk bomb plot due to a faulty fuse, likely caused by the cold, and Schlabrendorff's harrowing retrieval of the unexploded device. It details a second, quickly aborted suicide bomb attempt by Colonel von Gersdorff during a weapons exhibition in Berlin. The chapter ends with the SS beginning to close in on the Oster-Dohnanyi-Müller circle due to Schmidhuber's testimony, discovering incriminating documents including blueprints for Hitler's bunker obtained via Jesuit Father König.  

• Chapter 18: The White Knight: Details the arrest of Hans von Dohnanyi and the house arrest of Hans Oster, dealing a severe blow to the Abwehr resistance circle. It describes Josef Müller's arrest and interrogation, his refusal to betray contacts, and the discovery of the Siegfried bunker blueprints in his desk. The chapter introduces Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg, recovering from severe war wounds, his Catholic faith fueling his resolve to assassinate Hitler and lead the coup.  

• Chapter 19: Prisoner of the Vatican: Covers the period after Mussolini's fall in July 1943, detailing the complex diplomatic maneuvering involving the Vatican, the Badoglio government, and the Allies. Hitler, blaming the Pope for Mussolini's ouster, orders plans drawn up to invade the Vatican and abduct Pius XII, though the plan is ultimately postponed. Meanwhile, the German resistance, encouraged by events in Italy, renews its plotting, with Stauffenberg emerging as the key figure and establishing contact with the Pope via new intermediaries like Albrecht von Kessel.  

• Chapter 20: It Must Happen: Focuses on the final preparations for the Stauffenberg coup attempt in the summer of 1944, following the Allied D-Day landings. It describes Father Delp's meeting with Stauffenberg in Bamberg shortly after D-Day to discuss the coup and the role of the Church. The chapter highlights the readiness of the plotters, the pre-arranged plan for Müller to fly to Rome post-coup to secure papal mediation, and the heightened sense of urgency expressed by Delp's phrase, "It must happen".  

• Chapter 21: Holy Germany: Provides a detailed account of the 20 July 1944 assassination attempt on Hitler at the Wolf's Lair, led by Stauffenberg. It describes the planting of the bomb, the explosion, Stauffenberg's belief that Hitler was dead, and his return to Berlin to initiate the Valkyrie coup. The chapter concludes with the failure of the coup in Berlin due to confusion and delays, and Stauffenberg's execution, shouting "Long Live Holy Germany".  

• Chapter 22: The Trove: Describes the immediate aftermath of the failed 20 July plot, including Hitler's radio address, the fear among surviving conspirators like Father König, and Father Delp's arrest despite warnings. The chapter details the SS's discovery of the resistance's secret archives (the "trove") hidden in a safe at Zossen, revealing the extent of the conspiracy and its connections to the Vatican, which deeply shakes Hitler. This discovery leads to the transfer of key prisoners like Müller and Oster to the Gestapo prison on Prinz-Albrecht Strasse.  

• Chapter 23: Hell: Recounts the harrowing experiences of Josef Müller and other conspirators in the Gestapo's basement prison ("Hell") on Prinz-Albrecht Strasse following the discovery of the Zossen files. It details Müller's interrogation by SS officer Sonderegger, who confronts him with the Zossen documents, including Father Leiber's incriminating note on papal stationery, which Müller manages to swallow. The chapter also covers the trial and condemnation of Moltke and Father Delp by the People's Court under Roland Freisler.  

• Chapter 24: The Gallows: Focuses on the final days leading up to the executions of the key conspirators. It describes Father Rösch's interrogation and survival tactics in Lehrterstrasse prison. Father Delp is tortured and hanged at Plötzensee prison after refusing to implicate the Pope. Canaris, Oster, and Bonhoeffer are transferred from Berlin to Flossenbürg concentration camp, summarily tried, and executed.  

• Chapter 25: A Dead Man: Opens with the discovery of bones believed to be St. Peter's in the Vatican crypt. It juxtaposes this with Hitler's final days, his brief elation at Roosevelt's death, and orders to execute remaining political prisoners. Müller narrowly escapes execution at Flossenbürg due to a last-minute intervention possibly orchestrated by Rattenhuber via Kaltenbrunner, and is transferred to Dachau, where his wife is told he is dead but he is eventually found alive by fellow prisoners.  

• Chapter 26: The Emerald Lake: Details the final chaotic days of the war for Müller and other prominent prisoners as they are evacuated by the SS from Dachau towards the Alps. A factional split within the SS guards, intervention by a Wehrmacht unit, and the prisoners' own initiatives lead to their liberation by American troops at the Hotel Pragser Wildsee in the Italian Tyrol. The chapter parallels this with Hitler's suicide in his Berlin bunker and Rattenhuber's capture by the Soviets.  

• Epilogue: Describes Müller's postwar debriefing by the OSS on Capri, his audience with a grateful Pius XII upon returning to Rome, and his subsequent role in rebuilding Germany and founding the Christian Democratic Party. It addresses the controversy over Pius XII's wartime silence, presenting Müller's explanation that the German resistance itself requested papal restraint. The epilogue also touches upon the fates of other figures like Albert Hartl and Father Rösch, and resolves the mystery of Müller's survival, crediting his friendship with Rattenhuber.