Josef Jakobs was many things – son, brother, father, grandfather, dentist, bootlegger, philanderer, black marketer, criminal and spy. Can we add “liar” to that list? Josef told his British interrogators many stories during his incarceration at Camp 020, MI5’s secret wartime interrogation centre. Fantastic stories of German cabaret singers, Finnish bootleggers, black market passports, gold counterfeiters, French spies. In reading those statements, I always wonder… how much is fact? how much is fiction? Are his stories true? How can we find out?
One of the stories featured a French Jewess, Yvonne Sommerfeld, whom he met during his gold-counterfeiting escapade in Switzerland in 1934 with Werner Goldstein. I’ve just completed a four-part series on Werner Goldstein, another story of Josef’s that has turned out to be true. (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4) As for how Yvonne Sommerfeld fits into the story… I’ll let Josef fill us in on that via several statements and interrogations during his time at Camp 020.
Josef’s Statement on 15 April 1941
After being released from Dulwich Hospital in mid-April, having recovered from his broken ankle and septicemia, Josef was “encouraged” to write down his story by the MI5 officers. In his first statement, Josef wrote…
In April 1934, I then went with the Jew, Werner GOLDSTEIN, to Switzerland. Werner GOLDSTEIN got into touch with the French Intelligence Service through the introduction of the Jewess Yvonne SOMMERFELD, Geneva-Saconnex, Rue Moilbaeu, later Nice, Rue des Fleures 5. Apart from this, we transacted illegal business in Switzerland. GOLDSTEIN and I were arrested on the 4th September, 1934, and were sentenced later to two years and three months’ imprisonment. (PRO KV 2/25, folio 65a – 15/4/1941)
As noted above, I have been able to confirm that Werner Adolf Goldstein was a real person, and that he and Josef were both arrested for the gold counterfeiting business in Switzerland. Readers who wish for more information on this episode can start with Part 1 of the Werner blog series.
Josef’s Interrogation on 21 April 1941
At Josef’s second interrogation, Lt. George Frederick Sampson questioned Josef more closely on his time in Switzerland. Sampson learned that…
JAKOBS went to Switzerland in April, 1934. He was asked why he had undertaken this journey. He said that his friend GOLDSTEIN was a chemist and had the idea of mixing gold with base metal, melding an alloy would could be passed off as 14-carat gold. He had been successful in doing so on several occasions in Germany. GOLDSTEIN then sent an expose on this experiment to Hitler and the matter was taken up by the German Treasury. JAKOBS told GOLDSTEIN that he was stupid to deal with the German Government in this connection, because if the German Government found the experiment successful, they would never allow him to leave the country, which GOLDSTEIN wanted to do as he was a Jew, while if after analysis the gold was found to be less valuable, he would be treated very harshly, all the more so as he was a Jew.
Jakobs then suggested that they should do this business in Switzerland, especially as it had become difficult to buy up old gold in Germany. They then went to Zurich and took about 3,000 R.M. with them. This was more than they were allowed under the currency regulations, but they had taken the risk of smuggling the rest. On the first occasion when trying to sell their adulterated gold in Biel, they were told that they must have a permit to sell gold in Switzerland. They replied that it was refugee gold and they received a Permit. On the second occasion they also received the necessary Permit, but for the third time they were refused one. They had sold an ingot to a jeweller in Zurich, who sent it to Geneva for analysis, where the fraud was discovered.
The interrogating officer said he did not understand why the Germans had not also discovered the fraud, but JAKOBS said that they hand not assayed the gold, an operation which took about eight weeks but had only tested it with a touchstone.
JAKOBS lived in Zurich but went to Geneva several times.
He was questioned about Yvonne SOMMERFELD, and said that she lived in a villa at Chemin de Moillebeau, Geneva. Her father had been for thirty years in Switzerland and owned a publishing house in Basle [likely Basel]. He had two daughters – Marge and Yvonne. They all had Swiss nationality. He did not know whether they worked for the French Intelligence Service, but he believed so. He was asked why he had mentioned them in his Statement, and he replied that they were mentioned in a lawsuit against GOLDSTEIN. He did not now how GOLDSTEIN was connected with Yvonne SOMMERFELD in this matter. The Swiss authorities suspected GOLDSTEIN and SOMMERFELD of working together against Switzerland. JAKOBS stated that GOLDSTEIN had in fact denounced Yvonne SOMMERFELD to the authorities. They (JAKOBS and GOLDSTEIN) had been arrested, not on account of their gold transactions, but on account of their being friendly with Yvonne SOMMERFELD, who was suspected by the Swiss Police. The Swiss authorities only found out about their gold transactions after they had been arrested. JAKOBS stated that he had certainly not had anything to do with SOMMERFELD. GOLDSTEIN had wanted to marry her. She was a very beautiful woman.
JAKOBS did not transact any business in Geneva. He went there four or five times for three to eight days, and stayed with the SOMMERFELDS. Yvonne SOMMERFELD went to Nice and she was still there as far as he knew. He had heard nothing further from her or from GOLDSTEIN. JAKOBS’ wife visited him in July, 1934, and they stayed together in the Hotel Wilson in Geneva, their children remaining in Berlin. They then went to Zurich, where they stayed at his boarding house. They had made up the gold in a self-contained flat they had rented specially for the purpose, as it was necessary to have one for smelting purposes. Otherwise they had always lived in a boarding house. His wife stayed with him for seven weeks, and during this time they drove to Rome and back.
He was in prison for two and a quarter years in Switzerland and he was then deported. (PRO KV 2/25, folio 65a – 21.4.1941 – pages 3-4)
A Phantasmagorical Story?
With all due respect to Josef, this entire story sounds like an inflated creation of an over-active imagination. Gold counterfeiting with a man named Goldstein (Gold-stone)? A French Jewess involved with the French Intelligence Service, living in Switzerland? Hmmmm… sometimes I find it really hard to believe Josef’s stories. And yet… ultimately, as I uncover more and more information, his stories always come out as being… true.
Much to my surprise, Werner Goldstein was a real person. But what about Yvonne Sommerfeld? A real person or not?
A Message from Yvonne Sommerfeld’s Great Nephew
In mid July of this year, I received a comment on one of my blog posts from Stephan H. He shared that he was the great nephew of Yvonne Sommerfeld, being a descendent of Yvonne’s sister, Margarethe! Stephan asked if I was familiar with the online Swiss Archives and the documents available there. I was not! But I have gotten a crash course in this amazing resource!
There are several dossiers on the Sommerfeld family and knowing now, that the woman exists, I thought it was time to see what I can uncover. Was she a member of the French Intelligence Service? Or an informant? Who was she? What became of her? Soooo many questions! Let’s find some answers.