Taplow, England
Feuermacht reread the wire he had just received.
MUST TEST PRODUCT BEFORE
BRINGING IT TO MARKET STOP
PLEASE ADVISE STOP
Feuermacht had never seen the “product” in action, but now, the Nazis wanted him to give them a demonstration. He called I. G. Farben and asked to speak to Gerhardt Schrader.
More than ten minutes passed before Schrader finally took his call.
“Herr Schrader, may I congratulate you on the recent creation of your new pesticide. I believe it’s called Tabun?”
Schrader’s answer was cautious. ”I don’t know you Herr Feuermacht and I don’t know how you learned about Tabun. The results of our research have not been publicized. But I will tell you this: it will be quite some time before it’s marketable. There is still much testing to be done.”
“Ah… then I have the perfect opportunity for you. The Reich is very interested in seeing Tabun at work. Perhaps, you could perform one of your tests for the Führer?”
“You represent the Führer?”
“In a manner of speaking. And I know the Führer very much wants to see how Tabun can help improve Germany’s future.”
Schrader did nothing to hide the disdain in his voice. “The Führer would come all the way to Leverkusen just to see how long it takes leaf lice to die?”
“We were hoping to see its effect on something larger.”
“Like a lab rat?”
Feuermacht paused a moment. Schrader was not as receptive as he had hoped and he could sense the scientist’s hesitation in using the pesticide on anything more than its intended target. “Yes. Yes, I think that would do quite nicely!” Feuermacht replied with feigned enthusiasm. “If Tabun is effective on something as big as a lab animal, the Führer will see how wonderful your discovery is. I will call you again with details about the Führer’s visit.”
Feuermacht’s next call was to Berlin.
Hess took the call. He told Feuermacht that merely killing a rodent in a lab did not merit Hitler’s time or consideration. “The Führer wants to see a field test, not a lab test. And he wants to see the effect the chemical will have on humans, not rats. The Führer will be visiting Wiesbaden next week. Perhaps you could arrange for a test to be done, nearby.”
Feuermacht assured Hess he would make the necessary arrangements, even though he knew it would be a tough sell on the already wary Schrader.
When Feuermacht called Schrader to schedule a demonstration, he knew he could not take “No” for an answer. “The Führer would like to see the new chemical tested at a field near a small lake in Losheim.”
“That is totally out of the question.” Schrader replied. “It’s an uncontrolled environment. Is the Nazi leadership prepared to die a horribly painful death if the wind blows the wrong way?”
“Nothing is that powerful!”
“Yes, Herr Feuermacht, something is that powerful and must only be used in a tightly controlled area. I have already seen one man die from this poison and do not wish to see others die needlessly.”
Feuermacht sighed. Schrader obviously wasn’t aware of the chemical’s military application. “What kind of experiment do you propose?”
“We can show its effectiveness on leaf lice in the lab.”
“You would deny the Führer his request?” Feuermacht’s voice turned icy. “That would be foolish. And I believe, Herr Schrader that it is out of your hands. What the Third Reich wants, it gets without argument.
“But you needn’t worry. The location we have in mind is remote enough so no one will get hurt, even though it’s not in the controlled environment of a lab. And it will show the Führer the efficacy of your pesticide in a real world situation.”
It would be suicide to argue with a direct request from the Führer, and Feuermacht allowed Schrader to believe that was where the request originated.
Feuermacht continued, “You are to arrange for a protected shipment of the product to Losheim.” He gave Schrader an address and hung up before the scientist could argue further.
Feuermacht placed another call, directly to Hess. It was answered almost immediately. “I hope whatever news you have for me, Herr Feuermacht, is something that I’m interested in hearing.”
“The demonstration has been set up. We shall conduct our experiment at a pond near Losheim. I will send you the exact coordinates.”
“Let’s hope this experiment is not a waste of the Führer’s time.”
