Deuxième Bureau

The 1866 campaign isn't a story about Austrian intelligence succeeding, but the institution survives the defeat, which is the point.

France creates the Deuxième Bureau on the 8th of June 1871.

Germany's Abteilung IIIB follows in 1889.

Italy's Ufficio Informazioni goes permanent in 1900.

My rank number on leaving the Ecole entitled me to be detailed as stagiaire, probationer, on the General Staff of the Army.

I took service in the Second Bureau of the General Staff, the Intelligence Bureau, on the 1st of January 1893.

A brilliant and easy career was open to me.

The future appeared under the most promising auspices.

End of Part 1 Part 2 The Arrest The year 1893 passed without incidents.

My daughter Jean came to shed a new ray of sunshine in our home.

The year 1894 was to be the last of my service in the Second Bureau of the General Staff of the Army.

During the last quarter of the year, I was named for the regulation term of service in an infantry regiment stationed in Paris.

My rank number on leaving the Ecole entitled me to be detailed as stagiaire, probationer, on the General Staff of the army.

I took service in the Second Bureau of the General Staff, the intelligence bureau, on the first of January eighteen ninety three.

A brilliant and easy career was open to me.

The future appeared under the most promising auspices.

The year eighteen ninety three passed without incidents.

My daughter Jeanne came to shed a new ray of sunshine in our home.

The year eighteen ninety four was to be the last of my service in the Second Bureau of the General Staff of the army.

During the last quarter of the year I was named for the regulation term of service in an infantry regiment stationed in Paris.

My rank number on leaving the cole entitled me to be detailed as stagiaire, probationer, on the general staff of the army.

I took service in the second bureau of the general staff, the intelligence bureau, on the first of January, eighteen ninety-three.

A brilliant and easy career was open to me the future appeared under the most promising auspices.

After my day's work I found rest and delight at home.

Part two The Arrest The year eighteen ninety-three passed without incidents.

My daughter Jeanne came to shed a new ray of sunshine in our home.

The year eighteen ninety-four was to be the last of my service in the second bureau of the general staff of the army.

During the last quarter of the year I was named for the regulation term of service in an infantry regiment stationed in Paris.

My rank number on leaving the cole entitled me to be detailed as stagiaire, probationer, on the General Staff of the army.

I took service in the second bureau of the General Staff, the Intelligence Bureau, on the first of January, eighteen ninety three.

A brilliant and easy career was open to me.

The future appeared under the most promising auspices.

The year eighteen ninety three passed without incidents.

My daughter Jeanne came to shed a new ray of sunshine in our home.

The year eighteen ninety four was to be the last of my service in the second bureau of the General Staff of the army.

During the last quarter of the year, I was named for the regulation term of service in an infantry regiment stationed in Paris.

My first sorrow was the Franco Prussian War It has never faded from my memory When peace was concluded my Father chose the French nationality And we had to leave Alsace I went to Paris To continue my studies.

In eighteen seventy eight I was received At the Ecole Polytechnique Which in the usual Order of things I left in eighteen eighty To enter As cadet of artillery The École d Application of Fontainebleau Where I spent the regulation two years After graduating On the first of October Eighteen eighty two I was brevetted lieutenant In the thirty first regiment Of artillery in the garrison At Limoges At the end of the year eighteen eighty three I was transferred to the horse batteries Of the first independent cavalry division At Paris On the twelfth of September eighteen eighty nine I received my commission of captain In the twenty first Regiment of Artillery And was appointed on special service at the École Centrale des Pyrotechnie Militaires at Bourges It was in the course of the Following winter That I became engaged to Mademoiselle Lucie Audemard My devoted and heroic wife During my engagement I prepared myself for the École Supérieure de Guerre School for staff officers Where I was received the twentieth of April eighteen ninety The next day April Twenty first I was married I left the École Supérieure de Guerre in eighteen Ninety two With the degree Very good And the brevet of Staff officer My rank number on leaving the école Entitled me to be detailed as stagiaire Probationer On the general staff of the Army I took Service in the second bureau of the General staff The intelligence Bureau On the first of January eighteen ninety three A brilliant and easy career was open to me The future appeared under the most promising auspices After my days work I Found rest and delight at home Every manifestation of the human mind was of profound interest to Me I found pleasure in reading aloud during the long evenings Passed at my wife's side We were perfectly happy And our first child A boy Brightened our Home I had no material cares And the same deep affection united me to the family of my Wife as to the members of my own Family Everything in life seemed to smile on me End of part Part two, the arrest.

The year 1893 passed without incidents.

My daughter Jean came to shed a new ray of sunshine in our home.

The year 1894 was to be the last of my service in the Second Bureau of the General Staff of the Army.

During the last quarter of the year, I was named for the regulation term of service in an infantry regiment stationed in Paris.

I began my term on the first of October.

Do you remember when I used to tell you how happy we were? Everything in life smiled on us; Then of a sudden came a thunderbolt which left my brain reeling To be accused of the most monstrous crime that a soldier can commit Even today I feel that I must be the victim of some frightful nightmare But I trust in God's justice In the end Truth must prevail My conscience does not reproach me I have always done my duty Never have I turned from it Crushed down in this somber cell alone with my reeling brain I have had moments when I have been beside myself but even then my conscience was on guard "Hold up thy head" It said to me Look the world in the face Strong in thy consciousness of Right Rise up Go straight on This trial is frightfully bitter but it must be endured I embrace you a thousand times As I love you as I adore you my darling Lucy A thousand kisses to the children I dare not say more about them to you The tears come into my eyes when I think of them Alfred The day before the trial opened I wrote her the following letter which expresses the entire confidence I had in the loyalty and conscientiousness of the judges Quote I am come at last to the end of my sufferings Tomorrow I shall appear before my judges my head high my soul tranquil I am ready to appear before soldiers as a soldier who has nothing with which to reproach himself They will see in my face they will read in my soul they will know that I am innocent as all will know who know me The trial I have undergone terrible as it has been has purified my soul I shall return to you better than I was before I want to consecrate to you to my children to our dear families all that remains of life to me Devoted to my country to which I have consecrated all my strength all my intellect I have nothing to fear Sleep quietly then my Darling And do not give way to any apprehension Think only of our joy when we are once more in each other's arms Alfred On the nineteenth of December eighteen ninety-four began the trial which in spite of the strong protests of my lawyer took place behind closed doors I ardently desired that sitting should be public in order that my innocence might shine forth in the full light of day When I was brought into the courtroom accompanied by a lieutenant of the Republican Guard I saw hardly anything and understood nothing Unmindful of all that was passing around me my mind was completely taken up with the frightful nightmare which had been weighing on me for so many long weeks With that monstrous accusation of treason the inane emptiness of which I was to prove My only conscious impression was that on the platform at the end of the room were the members of the court martial Officers like myself comrades before whom I was at last to be able to make plain my innocence Behind them against the wall stood the substitute judges and Commandant Picquart who represented the Minister of War Monsieur Lepine Prefect of Police was there also And facing the judges on the opposite side of the room from me sat Commandant Brisset, Judge Advocate and the clerk Valcarl.