Albert Bachmann (civil servant)

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Albert "Bert" Bachmann (born November 26, 1929 in Albisrieden , today part of Zurich ; † April 12, 2011 in Cork , Ireland ) was a Swiss intelligence officer.

Life

Bachmann sympathized with communism in his youth , but turned away from the youth organization Free Youth and its mother party PdA in 1948 . During the Cold War he saw Switzerland threatened by the Soviet Union . He was the last head of Bureau Ha , co-author of the 1958 Soldiers' Book and main author of the 1969 Civil Defense Book. During the Biafra War he was a delegate of the ICRC .

In 1976 Bachmann became head of the special service (code name: "Tom") within the intelligence and defense (UNA) subgroup of the Federal Military Department (EMD, now VBS ). His area of ​​responsibility included the continuation of the resistance preparations in the event of an occupation of Switzerland (later P-26 ) and the establishment of an extraordinary intelligence service (later P-27 ). Bachmann succeeded in convincing private circles to buy a hotel (Liss Ard Estate in Cork) in Ireland. He wanted to use the hotel as a meeting point for employees of the extraordinary intelligence service. He also suggested using the hotel as a location for a possible government in exile in the event of an occupation of Switzerland. Bachmann's plans also included the evacuation of the Swiss National Bank's gold reserves by Swissair . His supervisor described Bachmann in a report from 1980 as a "dazzling personality" with "adventurous features" and a "forward-thrusting imagination", which "constantly created new security risks".

Bachmann / Schilling affair

In the autumn of 1979, Bachmann sent his colleague Kurt Schilling on a secret mission to the Austrian Armed Forces Defense Exercise 79 to find out how long the Austrian Army could withstand an attack by the Soviet Union in an emergency. Schilling carried out this assignment in such a conspicuous and amateurish manner that it was immediately noticed and taken up by the counterintelligence in St. Pölten . In the subsequent interrogation by the Austrian authorities, Schilling revealed his espionage assignment and client. Bachmann was thus exposed and was given early retirement by the head of the Federal Military Department, Federal Councilor Chevallaz . A short time later, his assistant , Rudolf Moser (1942–2009) had to leave the special service.

Pensioner Bachmann moved to his Irish estate and died there on April 12, 2011 at the age of 81.

Works (selection)

  • Soldiers book. It depends on you , Ed .: Group for Training, Red .: Richard Merz; Albert Bachmann, Bern: Federal Printing and Material Center 1958.
  • Civil defense , written and designed by Albert Bachmann and Georges Grosjean, ed .: Federal Justice and Police Department on behalf of the Federal Council, Aarau: Miles-Verlag 1969.

literature

  • Markus Ahmadi: The Colonel and his secret realm - The Bachmann affair. In: Heinz Looser u. a. (Ed.): Switzerland and its scandals. Limmat, Zurich 1995, ISBN 3-85791-236-7 , pp. 131-150.

Individual evidence

  1. ^ William Grimes: Albert Bachmann, a Colorful Swiss Spymaster, Dies at 81. In: New York Times , May 7, 2011.
  2. ↑ Martin Matter: P-26. The secret army that wasn't. Verlag hier + now, Baden 2012, ISBN 978-3-03919-247-2 , p. 34 f.
  3. ^ Committee to End the Snooping State (Ed.): Snooping State Switzerland: Hundred Years Are Enough , p. 142. Limmat, Zurich 1990, ISBN 3-85791-170-0 .
  4. ^ GPK des Nationalrat: Colonel Bachmann affair . Ed .: Working Group of the Business Audit Commission. Bern January 19, 1981, p. 504 .
  5. ↑ Albert Bachmann died. In: NZZ Online . April 20, 2011. Retrieved April 21, 2011.
  6. ↑ [The bizarre Colonel and his Ireland Connectionhttps: //www.nzz.ch/schweiz/der-skurrile-oberst-und-seine-irland-connection-ld.1407067 The bizarre Colonel and his Ireland Connection], NZZ, July 28, 2018 (title of the print edition)
  7. ↑ Downright chatty. , In: Der Spiegel 53/1979, December 31, 1979, p. 108.
  8. ↑ Obituary in the Tages-Anzeiger from April 20, 2011, p. 24.

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Bachmann, Albert
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Black Hand (alias); Bachmann, Bert
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Swiss secret service agent
DATE OF BIRTH November 26, 1929
PLACE OF BIRTH Albisrieden , today Zurich
DATE OF DEATH April 12, 2011
Place of death Cork , Ireland