Maj. Truman Smith Returns to Berlin (AUG 1935)
Before his second assignment in Berlin, Smith had served as both an infantry officer and an intelligence observer. During World War I, he served as a company and battalion commander, being awarded a Silver Star during the Battle of the Meuse-Argonne. Immediately after the war, he spent several years as assistant military attaché in Germany, where he formed friendships with influential German officers and gained firsthand experience with German politics and society. In the following decade, he completed his professional education at the Infantry School, Command and General Staff School, and Army War College. By 1935, he possessed a combination of experience, personal connections, and cultural knowledge that prepared him to observe Germany’s military rebuilding with unusual skill.
As the American military attaché, Smith relied on several major sources of information. One of the most productive sources came from his long-standing relationships with German officers, such as Maj. Adolf von Schell, a military writer, and General Werner von Blomberg, the German Minister of War. Earning their trust in the early 1920s, many of the officers candidly spoke to Smith about military developments. Through these conversations, he learned about changes in the German army, including increases in officer training, expansion of conscription, and evolving doctrines. His contacts even granted him access to German officer schools, where he gained insight into the curriculum used to train the new army. These connections helped him produce detailed reports describing the growth of German land forces.
Another important source of intelligence came from Smith’s integration into German social life, aided by Katherine, his talented and capable wife. Articulate and observant, she took an active interest in the cultural and social environment in Berlin, skillfully gathering information during social events held by officials, military families, and diplomats. She shared this information with Smith, which gave him a better understanding of public sentiment within broader German society. Although these observations were not official, they added valuable context for Smith.
He also collected intelligence through direct observation. He attended public parades, inspected training grounds, and followed German press releases and speeches. Based on these open sources, he submitted informative reports that gave nuanced analysis of Germany’s increasing military readiness. Smith’s reports from 1935 and 1936 alerted Washington to the rapid pace of Germany’s rearmament, and they were recognized as both “startling” and “remarkably accurate.”
In addition, Smith relied on information that came from individuals who could help him gain special access to German facilities. The most prominent example was Charles Lindbergh, whose international reputation allowed him to inspect German aircraft factories and Luftwaffe installations. Lindbergh’s observations provided Smith with valuable air-power intelligence. The resulting reports gave assessments of German aircraft production, new fighter designs such as the Messerschmitt Bf 109, and Luftwaffe tactical development. One later specialist praised these reports as “the finest example of intelligence reporting that I have ever seen.”
In his three years as military attaché, Smith’s reports offered Washington not just data about Germany’s military forces, but also insight into the strategic intentions behind them. Their quality came from his effective use of diverse sources—professional contacts, social networks, direct observation, external observers, and sharp political analysis. By combining these streams of information, he produced clear, well-supported assessments of Germany’s military growth. Although his reports did not always receive full attention when they arrived in Washington, historians later recognized they provided the United States with an exceptionally accurate picture of Germany’s rearmament. His success showed how an attaché who skillfully uses a variety of sources can create meaningful intelligence.
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Article by Michael E. Bigelow, INSCOM Command Historian. New issues of This Week in MI History are published each week. To report story errors, ask questions, request previous articles, or be added to our distribution list, please contact: TR-ICoE-Command-Historian@army.mil.
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