CIC Operative Planted Seed For German Unification

Joseph E. Rosen, a Cincinnati attorney, provided a reluctant

Konrad Adenauer with his first post-war governmental position.

During and after World War II, Rosen was a special agent for the

U.S. Army’s CIC (Counter Intelligence Corps).

Because he thought that repercussions against his son, a captain

in the disbanded German army, might take place if he cooperated

with the occupying force, Adenauer was extremely apprehensive

about becoming the American-appointed mayor of Cologne.

One of his tasks was to locate “untainted” Germans, who would be

willing to work for the military administration.

He described his experience finding Adenauer: “I and a colleague had been ordered to look for Adenauer and one day we found out from a German where Adenauer was living. On the 19th or 20th of March (1945), we took off in our Jeep to look for him.”

The CIC agents searched the demolished city and “we started

knocking on doors,” Rosen said. “At last a man shouted, ‘Go away or I’ll call the police,’” Rosen explained to the German reporter. “Rosen answered ‘Sorry, we are the police.’

“An elderly man opened the cellar door. He was unshaven and he

weighed no more than 80 pounds, but he had the demeanor of a

gentleman and I knew definitely that this was a man of

integrity–our man.”

Apprehensive about working with the Americans, “his fears were

justified a few days later (when) the mayor of Aachen, installed

by the Americans, was murdered.”

Adenauer was taken to the office of the military commander and

the former mayor repeated his misgivings about taking on that

responsibility. “We all agreed that for the time being he was to

act as an advisor only.

Shortly before the end of the war in May 1945, Adenauer was

officially appointed mayor. However, a few weeks later, the

British replaced the Americans as the occupying power and

dismissed Adenauer because of “incompetence.”

As time passed, Adenauer regained political power and

eventually became chancellor of West Germany.