Mata Hari, the most famous spy in the world

One hundred years ago, on the morning of October 15, 1917, a gray military vehicle pulled out of the main prison in Paris. It was ridden by a 41-year-old Dutch woman wearing a long coat and a wide-brimmed hat.

A decade ago, this woman had set foot in the capitals of Europe. It was the flame that ignited the dance and its admirers included ministers, industrialists, and generals.

But then World War I broke out, which changed the world. She still thought she could dazzle the eyes of the whole of Europe. But now the men in the upper chambers wanted something more. They no longer cared about this woman, they needed information.

She was Mata Hari and was to be executed today.

Their crime? It was alleged that they were spies who lured coalition officers, obtained secrets from them, and handed them over to the German army. Newspapers used to spice up the news that thousands of Allied soldiers had been killed because of them.

But the evidence presented in court told a different story. She was originally a double agent and was made a scapegoat.

One hundred years later, the French Ministry of Defense has released some documents that have led to new revelations about the most famous spy in the history of the world who was previously hidden from the eyes of the world.

These include documents from the 1917 Mata Hari interrogation. Some of them are on display at the Fries Museum in Leeuwarden, Mata Hari's hometown in the Netherlands.

Mata Hari's death sentence

The documents include a telegram sent to Berlin by a German military attache in Madrid that led to Mata Hari's arrest.

Margaret Zelle was born in 1876. His well-known name, Mata Hari, is said to have come from the Indonesian word meaning "eye of the day," meaning sun. After getting married at an early age and then getting rid of the marriage, she gained a great reputation as a dancer in Paris. Hans Groeneweg, the curator of the Fries Museum, says: "Mata Hari is remembered today, even without spying, for what she did in European capitals at the turn of the century.

They largely invented striptease dance. We have pictures of him and newspaper clippings. She was a celebrity of her time.

Today, Mata Hari is remembered only for his espionage. Over the years, many historians have come to his defense. Some say they were sacrificed because the French government had to justify successive failures in the war.

Women's rights activists say Mata Hari was easy to target because she was accused of "bad character" and was easily branded an enemy of France.

New documents show that Mata Hari had an affair with German military attache Arnold von Kale in Madrid. At the time, she was working for the French intelligence service to track down German networks.

However, Van Kale sent a message to Germany, which tore Mata Hari's vessel. The message mentioned a German spy named H21. It contained an address, bank details, and even the name of Mata Hari's maid. French officials had no difficulty in acknowledging that H21 was in fact, Mata Hari.

This message is also present in the exhibition. Rather, it should be said that there is an official translation of this message, and from here the whole matter seems to go awry.

The message was in code words, but the French had long since mastered the German code. The Germans also knew that the French knew their secret language.

In other words, the Germans deliberately sent the message to capture and kill the French spy.

But there is another theory.

Why is there only translation in the record? Where is the original message? Is it possible that the French themselves invented the message to catch Mata Hari? And how to catch a 'dangerous spy' and flaunt your success?

Whether it is the work of the Germans or the work of the French, Mata Hari is stuck in both cases.

The documents also include Mata Hari's confession. She told her investigators that she was indeed a German spy, but she did so for money and sympathized with the coalition forces.

However, his statement was not believed.

He was taken to the Chateau de Vincennes on the eastern outskirts of Paris, where 12 soldiers were waiting for him with guns.

Some reports say that Mata Hari refused to be blindfolded. He waved goodbye to his lawyer. The commander quickly lowered his sword, the sound of 12 rifles echoing in the air, and Mata Hari fell on his own feet.

No one came to accept Mata Hari's body. He was transferred to a medical college in Paris, where he was used to teaching students. His head is preserved in the Museum of Anatomy. However, it disappeared 20 years ago.

Someone stole it.