Chapter Thirteen-THE SECRET WAR IN DENMARK : Nato's Secret Armies by Daniele Ganser

THE SECRET WAR IN DENMARK

The Danish secret stay-behind army was code-named 'Absalon'. Nomen est omen, the code name, highlighted the anti-Communist task of the unit for; Absalon was the name of a medieval Danish Bishop who with the sword in his hand had defeated the Russians in the Middle Ages. A large bronze statue of Absalon on horseback in battle gear is still standing in the Danish capital Copenhagen and received a sudden increase of attention when the Danish press in November 1990 headlined that 'The group "Absalon" erected by the CIA and supported by NATO prepared against a Communist take over of power in 1 Denmark.'

The history of Absalon remains fragmentary because the Danish parliament upon discovery of the network in 1990 had decided to discuss the top-secret affair behind closed doors with no official reports for the public. According to a former unnamed member of the network, the secret army had been created after the traumatic occupation experience during the Second World War and allegedly numbered not more than 360 core members. As in all stay-behind countries the network would have been enlarged in case of occupation. 'The organisation was naturally copied after the resistance movement. There were twelve districts, structured according to the cell principle, but not as tightly organised as during the War', the unnamed Danish secret soldier revealed to the Danish press. 'Each district had up to 2 30 members in its inner circle.'

According to several anonymous sources, E. J. Harder had for numerous years been the chief of the Danish stay-behind. 'Harder had the nickname "Bispen"', Danish for 'Bishop', in memoria of the medieval bishop Absalon, 3 a former Danish stay-behind member related. Next to running the Danish secret army, Harder cultivated close contacts with NATO. He worked at NATO head- quarters from 1966 to 1970, the period when NATO had been forced to set up new headquarters in Belgian after French President De Gaulle had expelled the military alliance from French soil. Danish stay-behind Director Harder already during his time at NATO headquarters in Valenciennes in France, as well as after the expulsion from France during his time at the new NATO headquarters in Brussels, was informed of the details concerning NATO secret warfare.

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Harder, in his political views, followed a right-wing agenda and to many in

Denmark was a compromised figure. Erik Ninn Hansen, a member of the Con-

servative Party and Danish Defence Minister from 1968 to 1971, attempted to distance himsell from the stay-behind commander when interviewed by the press in 1990. 'Several groups were formed after World War II. It could be true that Absalon was a group connected to the resistance movement', former Defence Minister Hansen cautiously replied to the questions of the journalists. 'I can also well remember Harder who had held many lectures. But if anybody thinks that I had expressed any sympathies with his thoughts then this is wrong. He was too chauvinistic for my taste. I have never thought of Absalon as being very influential and have never thought of it in connection with the work of the secret services.' Harder himself after the discovery of the secret armies in 1990 was not 4 available for an interview.

In 1978 - in the wake of US President Nixon's Watergate scandal and the CIA's covert war against Chile which had lead to the death of Socialist President Salvador Allende and the installation of dictator Augusto Pinochet in 1973 - former CIA Director William Colby published a book attempting to correct the heavily com- promised public image of the US foreign secret service CIA. In this book Colby revealed to the public that he himself had engaged in setting up the stay-behind networks in Scandinavia when based as junior operative at the CIA headquarters in Stockholm. 'The situation in each Scandinavian country was different. Norway and Denmark were NATO allies, Sweden held to the neutrality that had taken her through two world wars, and Finland was required to defer in its foreign policy to the Soviet power directly on its borders', Colby related. 'Thus, in one set of these countries the governments themselves would build their own stay-behind nets, counting on activating them from exile to carry on the struggle', Colby implicitly referred to NATO countries Denmark and Norway. 'These nets had to be co-ordinated with NATO's plans, their radios had to be hooked to a future exile location, and the specialised equipment had to be secured from CIA and secretly cached in snowy hideouts for later use. In the other set of countries' the CIA operative continued with implicit reference to neutral Sweden and Finland, 'CIA would have to do the job alone or with, at best, "unofficial" local help, since the politics of those governments barred them from collaborating with NATO, and any exposure would arouse immediate protest from the local Communist press, Soviet diplomats and loyal Scandinavians who hoped that neutrality or nonalignment 5 would allow them to slip through a World War III unharmed.'

'Berlingske Tidende can reveal that Absalon is the Danish branch of the international Gladio network. This has been confirmed by a member of Absalon to Berlingske Tidende who wishes at present to remain unnamed', a Danish daily 6 newspaper sensationally headlined its discoveries in 1990. The source, named Q by the newspaper, confirmed what Colby had revealed in his book. 'Colby's story is absolutely correct. Absalon was created in the early 1950s', the source Q related. The network, according to Q, was composed of right-wing men in order to guarantee staunch anti-Communism. 'Colby was a member of the world spanning laymen

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catholic organisation Opus Dei, which, using a modern term, could be called

right-wing. Opus Dei played a central role in the setting up of Gladio in the whole of Europe and also in Denmark', Q claimed. 'The leader of Gladio was Harder who was probably not a Catholic. But there are not many Catholics in Denmark and the basic elements making up the Danish Gladio were former [World War II] resistance people - former prisoners of Tysk Vestre Faengsel, Froslevlejren, 7 Neuengamme and also of the Danish Brigade.'

The Danish newspapers contacted Colby again in late 1990 and found that the Gladio secrets were still being guarded very closely. Then aged 70 and living in Washington, the retired CIA Director went on the defensive and claimed: 'I really know nothing on the Danish organisation. I have never been in contact with 8 them. I don't believe so. In any case I don't remember.' The Danish journalist insisted: 'But in your book it says that you were building CIA organisations in four countries!?' Colby replied: 'I have forgotten whether I have spoken of four or three or any other number. All which I could have known back then must really have been second hand knowledge. But the book was correct, judged on my knowledge at the time.' Unwilling to accept Colby's 'fading memory', the Danish journalist insisted, whereupon the former CIA Director explained: T think people have put more into it than they should have. A Soviet invasion was a real danger according to the understanding of many people and the co-operation with the resistance movements in Norway and France was a very natural way to defend the country.' He declined to comment on alleged terrorist operations or 9 manipulation of the political climate. When another group of Danish journalists insisted to be given at least the name of a Danish CIA contact person, Colby revealed that 'his Danish contact person' for the Gladio net had been Ebbe Munck, a central figure of the Danish secret service and a former member of the resistance movement who later had entered diplomacy to become an adviser to the Danish 10 Queen Margarethe.

As in all Gladio countries, in Denmark too the secret army was integrated into the military secret service FE (Forsvarets Efterretningstjeneste). According to an unnamed source, the clandestine right-wing army was staffed by military officers: 'Ninety five per cent were military people. Also many leading members of the Territorial Units were members. Furthermore a very useful extra potential to draw upon was the Reserve Officers Federation.' Allegedly selected Danish politicians were informed about the existence of the secret army for according to Q the 'connection to the conservative popular party was very close. The ideological basis was strongly anti-Communist. We were Danish and had strong national feelings based on Christian ideology. It was very important to us that it would not take two to three years as in 1940 until a resistance unit was organised.' The secret army, as Q related, had the twofold task to act in case of invasion or if the Communists seized power in Denmark without the help of the Red Army and to collect information on leftist organisations: 'It was during the time of the Cold War and a Russian invasion or take-over of power by the Danish 11 Communists was - we felt - a clear and present danger.' Despite its rightist

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conservative leanings Absalon would not recruit every right-wing activist, as a

former agent was eager to stress: ' Not everybody could become a member. Among other things the right-wing activist Hans Hetler wanted to become a member.

But we did not want him. He had been compromised and we did not think that he 12 had the necessary qualities.' Former CIA Director Colby was correct to highlight that, as all secret armies, the Danish stay-behind Absalon also had independent supplies. 'Also a number of arms caches were erected across Denmark. I do not want to say how many. But they were less than ten', former Danish Gladiator Q claimed. 'Two of them were for instance in big forests, Bribskov and Dronninglund Storskov. I do not want to 13 say how the arms were hidden and whether they still exist.' Unlike Italy the arms and explosives in Denmark were never used for domestic terror operations as Q stressed: 'Such things have never happened in Denmark. We have never used weapons. But we have taken part in military exercises. For instance in a military 14 exercise on the northern flank of NATO in Troms [Norway].' During such inter- national exercises the officers of the Absalon stay-behind together with other secret armies from other countries and personnel from NATO, CIA and MI6 trained covert action operations and secret warfare. Furthermore, as the Danish press was surprised to learn, the secret army Absalon had engaged in sensitive covert action operations on the other side of the iron curtain in the Communist countries 15 'in Eastern Europe'. functions. First and foremost it had to be ready in case of a Russian invasion or a Communist take-over. But it also gathered information on leftist organisations 16 and gathered intelligence in Eastern Europe.' Absalon member Q confirmed: 'Absalon had all kinds of

When the secret army was set up at the end of the Second World War, arms and explosives to supply the unit were readily available. 'The weapons holdings resulted from the unequal distribution of arms after the liberation of Denmark, when several military groups received a large number of Swedish arms, while the Communists received none,' Q said. Later the CIA sent further equipment to the Danish stay-behind, as the former agent carefully suggested. T do not want to exclude the possibility that new equipment was added later. These were probably 17 American.' The claim was confirmed in 1991 when the Danish press headlined 'CIA sent weapons to Denmark' quoting from a document on CIA arms shipping found in the US national archives. The handwritten memorandum of US General G. C. Steward, who in the 1950s had been responsible for US military aid to Europe, was dated February 10, 1953 and directed to the chief of the Military Assistance Advisor Group (MAAG) in Copenhagen. The MAAG at the time possessed a whole fleet of ships to transport military equipment and brought arms from the United States to Denmark. The Steward memorandum was entitled 'Concerns the assistance of the CIA in special deliveries to Denmark through channels of the MAAG'. The document did not specify exactly what material was sent to which group in Denmark. 'The Danish government until now has declined allegations that the CIA in the early 1950s had set up a network of arms caches and men designed to fight a Soviet invasion of Denmark', the Danish

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press lamented. While as late as February 1991 Defence Minister Knud Enggaard

in an ill-advised cover-up claimed that 'The government has no knowledge of 18 such an organisation in Denmark.'

The members of the Danish secret army like most of their colleagues in the secret armies of other countries were secretly trained in the United Slates, presumably at CIA covert action training centres or at the headquarters of the US Special Forces in Fort Bragg. 'Several members of the Danish Gladio allegedly took part in CIA training courses relating to intelligence and sabotage in the United States', the Danish press revealed without giving the exact location of the secret trainings 19 in the United States. Next to the CIA also contacts to NATO were intimate. For the Danish military secret service FE, next to directing the Absalon stay-behind, was also revealed to have linked the stay-behind network to NATO in very much the same manner as in Italy, Belgium and France where the military secret services guar- anteed the cooperation of the secret armies with the NATO Special Forces com- mand. Erik Fournais, Director of the Danish military secret service FE form 1963 to 1973, allegedly held a prominent role within the Danish secret army Absalon. He left his position as chief of FE in 1973 to become coordinator of the NATO intelligence services in Brussels, an office he held until 1977. An anonymous former member of Absalon stressed: 'Also Fournais was in the very inner circle of the organisation Absalon. I do not exactly know whether Fournais was a direct mem- ber. But he led a shadow existence in close vicinity of Absalon. He must have been in the very inner circle.' Gladio commander Harder, who had worked at NATO headquarters from 1966 to 1970 and functioned as the contact person between NATO and Absalon during that time, allegedly was replaced in that function by Fournais in the early 1970s. 'When Fournais got a top post within NATO he replaced Harder as the contact person between Absalon and NATO', Q relates.

Fournais, confronted with the allegations of Q by journalists in 1990, nervously denied that he had had any connection to the secret right-leaning army, while wrongly stressing that NATO was definitively not involved in secret stay-behind operations: 'I and the military secret service kept a ten feet distance from Absalon. Absalon had no contact whatsoever to NATO and the Danish military secret service', Fournais claimed. 'But I have heard of Absalon, especially because politicians have stressed that we [of the Danish secret service] should also keep an eye on the right-wing groups. But we did not observe and investigate Absalon. That 20 would have been ridiculous.' Indeed it would have been unusual if Fournais the military secret service Director, had investigated Fournais the Absalon member, to report on alleged illegal activities of the latter.

Within the Danish military secret service FE the stay-behind army was set up within the secret covert action department, the Special Operations (SO) unit directed by Gustav Thomsen. 'FE had a secret Special Operations (SO) department the tasks of which were not even known to other personnel within FE outside the Special Operations department', a former Danish secret soldier revealed. 'When bugging had to be undertaken SO provided the equipment. The chief of SO was Gustav

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21
Thomson.' Also former anonymous Absalon member Q confirmed that the

Danish stay-behind was linked through SO to the military secret service: 'I do not want to mention a name. But this is correct. It was there [in the SO] through 22 which we had the contact.' Former SO Commander Gustav Thomsen was less inclined to speak about the secrets of the state and in 1990 explained: 'I went into 23 retirement in 1975. Since then many years have gone by. I remember nothing.' In the absence of an official investigation by the Danish parliament, specific trainings and operations carried out by SO and Absalon during the Cold War remain largely unknown. But allegations have been made that secret operations, as in other countries, included the supervision of Danish Communists and left-wing organisations and the setting up of personal files. Based on unnamed sources the Danish press reported that 'Absalon had among other tasks the order to collect 24 information on leftist organisations.' In the late 1950s FE agent Arne Sejr caused a scandal in the country after it was discovered that he had been bugging 25 and observing the prominent leading Danish Communist Alfred Jensens. Allegedly this and other domestic operations had been carried out with the support of SO and Absalon, although already at the time the secret army 'did everything to 26 escape media attention'. After Absalon had lain dormant in the early 1950s the domestic operations allegedly increased towards 1960. Absalon commander Harder allegedly had his difficulties and 'could not make Absalon function well in the 1950s. It was only in 1960 and 1961 that the dynamics increased', former Danish Gladiator Q relates. 'This happened after 18 Danish Absalon members had been to a meeting at the NATO headquarters then located at Valensciennes 27 near Paris.'

As the secret army operated in the dark its traces were covered up. The only time when the wider public also noticed domestic operations of Absalon was in 1974. In that year Absalon had tried in vain to prevent a group of leftist academics from becoming members of the directing body of the Danish Odense University which the secret army considered to be left leaning. When the cover of this Absalon operation was blown, it caused much media attention and a hype over this 'mystic underground organisation'. At the time nobody was able to reveal the links 28 between NATO, the CIA and the international stay-behind framework. the Odense University scandal Absalon allegedly withdrew to the underground and formed front organisations to promote its ideology. 'This [the Odense operation] means that Absalon withdrew from the public. Instead a new organism, called Pindsvinet (hedgehog) was created to put forward the legitimate arguments of Absalon in the public debate' Q remembered, explaining that the symbol hedgehog was chosen to underline the ideological links to NATO: 'Pindsvinet is the name of an operation of General Eisenhower but also the symbol of the Atlantic Union. 29 The Defence of Denmark after 1981 also used the hedgehog as a symbol.' After

The next shock for the Danish secret army came but four years later. In 1978 a huge stay-behind arms cache was discovered in neighbouring Norway and Norwegian Defence Minister Rolf Hansen was forced to confirm the existence of a secret NATO army in front of the Norwegian parliament. This was a highly critical

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moment for the secret Absalon stay-behind as revelations in Norway could ea s i l y

have blown also the cover of the Danish network. According to Absalon member Q, the secret army thereafter was scaled down considerably in 1978 and l979. At that time Danish Gladio chief Harder and his assistant Hemming Norgaard emigrated 30 to Spain 'and we were all getting older', as Q claims. Absalon after 1978 had been replaced by a new organisation with new people. And the academic Nils Gleditzch of the Oslo-based International Peace Research Institute observed in 1990 with reference to the 1978 Norwegian exposures that, 'It is a little surprising that no one in the other NATO countries picked up on it 31 and raised questions about their own countries.' Q himself alleged that

Harder's assistant Flemming Norgaard, as Q stressed, had been an important member of the Absalon network, functioning above all as 'an important money collector for the organisation'. Norgaard, who had emigrated to France, in 1990 was confronted by Danish journalists with the allegations of Q. Norgaard confirmed that he had been a member of Absalon but insisted that there had been no connection between Absalon and the compromised Italian secret army Gladio. Furthermore Jorgen Svenne, who died recently, had allegedly been an important figure of the inner circle of Absalon with excellent international contacts and close ties to the Danish Conservative Party. 'Svenne was the grey eminence who travelled a lot', Q recalled. 'Nobody really knew what he did. But hardly ever the most visible 32 are the most important.'

At the time of the discovery of the Italian Gladio army in 1990 the Danish secret network was still active and therefore Danish Defence Minister Knud Enggaard was forced to take a stand in front of the surprised and curious Danish parliament Folketing. On November 21, 1990 the Defence Minister in the first public official statement on the secret Danish army claimed that it was not true that 'any kind' of NATO-supported CIA organisation had been erected in Denmark. Thereafter, to the confusion of the parliamentarians, he said: 'Further pieces of information on a secret service operation in case of an occupation is classified material even highly classified material, and I am therefore prohibited from giving any further information in the Danish parliament'. Member of Parliament Pelle Voigt who had raised the Gladio question thought the Defence Minister's answer to be 'contradictory and an indirect confirmation of the fact that Denmark, too, 33 had its secret network'.

As the press started to question former Ministers, journalists found that they were most reluctant to talk about the sensitive affair. Erling Brondum, Defence Minister from 1973 to 1975, claimed in 1990 that 'So many years have gone by. 34 The name Absalon says nothing to me.' Thereafter the press was happy to highlight that in 1974 Brondum had in front of parliament used the name 'Absalon' that he now no longer remembered while refusing allegations concerning connections between the Danish stay-behind and the Defence Department. Social Democrat Poul Sogaard, Danish Defence Minister from 1978 to 1982, remembered his time in office more clearly and stated unambiguously: 'I can well remember Absalon. It was a circle of regular officers', the former Defence Minister claimed. 'In case Defence

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lacked in one or another equipment then Absalon could provide money for the

purchase of these things. I have been briefed in this way by General Andersen.'

However, General Andersen, who according to Sogaard had been part of the

Gladio conspiracy, issued a denial and declared to the press: 'Poul Sogaard must be 35 mistaken in his recollections. The name Absalon says nothing at all to me.' At the insistence of acting Defence Minister Enggaard, the stay-behind matter in 1990 was moved for further debate to the committee of the Danish parliament concerned with the supervision of the Danish secret service whose records are classified and not accessible to the public. Thus only selected parliamentarians were informed while the public was being kept in the dark. 'All ministers knew of the activities of Absalon. This is a hundred and twenty percent sure. We had a member highly placed in the ministry who in turn was in contact to the Prime Minister', former Danish stay-behind member Q emphasized. 'What we did was right. But now so many years have passed that for history's sake it is right now to 36 reveal the main features.'

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14
THE SECRET WAR IN NORWAY