The madam and the spymaster The secret history of the most famous brothel in wartime Berlin

Historians Brunner and Jones, along with journalist Schrammel, present the story of a brothel in wartime Berlin, "Salon Kitty," run by Kitty Schmidt, an elusive madam. Reinhard Heydrich, one of Hitler's spymasters and chief lieutenants, maneuvered the salon to support espionage efforts, not only to obtain secrets from visiting foreign dignitaries, but to spy on members of the Third Reich itself. Heydrich, nothing if not an opportunist, envisioned state secrets being spilled over pillow talk with carefully recruited "spy hostesses," who would utilize hidden microphones. The authors spend a lengthy section of the book exploring the mores of the Weimar Republic, the history of prostitution in Berlin, and the sexual proclivities of various Nazi henchmen. A prolonged discussion of Hitler's own sexual tastes, much speculated upon, may try the reader's patience. The authors acknowledge that the history of this brothel, and Kitty Schmidt herself, required a great deal of detective work and no small amount of conjecture. Was Kitty herself a Nazi sympathizer or a mere tool of the Third Reich? It will be up to the reader to decide.