The spy who was loved. The real story of Mata Hari

For works with this title, see "Mata Hari".

Wikipedia has articles about other people with the surname Zelle.

Mata Hari

(Dutch. Mata Hari; August 7, 1876(1876-08-07)[1][2][3], Leeuwarden, Netherlands - October 15, 1917, Vincennes, a suburb of Paris), real name -
Margaretha Gertrude Zelle
(Dutch. Margaretha Geertruida Zelle was an exotic dancer and courtesan of Frisian origin, a citizen of the Netherlands. In the first decade of the 20th century, she became widely known in Europe as an “oriental style” dancer[⇨]. During the First World War, she was engaged in espionage activities for Germany[⇨]. Shot by a French court for spying for the enemy during wartime[⇨].

Many documentary and fiction books, films and works of other genres are devoted to the fate of Mata Hari[⇨].

Youth

Margaretha was born in Leeuwarden (Netherlands) and was the only daughter and second child of four children of Adam Zelle (Dutch: Adam Zelle, 2 October 1840 - 13 March 1910) and Antje van der Meulen (Dutch: Antje van der Meulen, 21 April 1842 - May 9, 1891). Adam was the owner of a hat shop. In addition, he made successful investments in the oil industry and became rich enough to afford his children. Thus, until the age of thirteen, Margareta attended only upper-class schools. However, in 1889, Adam went bankrupt and soon divorced his wife. Margaretha's mother died in 1891. The family was destroyed. Her father sent Margaretha to her godfather in the city of Sneek. She then continued her studies in Leiden, intending to become a kindergarten teacher, but when the school director began to openly flirt with her, her offended godfather took Margareta away from this educational institution. After several months she fled to her uncle in The Hague.

Biography of Mata Hari

Mata Hari (life 1876-1917) was born in the Netherlands, in the city of Leeuwarden. At birth she received the name Margareta Gertrude Zelle, and only at the age of 21 she took on the artistic pseudonym Mata Hari.

Her father Adam Zelle was the owner of a hat shop and was also an investor in oil companies. This allowed him to live large and provide his children with everything they needed for a comfortable existence. Until the age of 13, Mata Hari studied only in elite schools intended for rich children.

However, in 1889 Adam Zelle went bankrupt. In addition, discord began in the family, and he divorced his wife, who died 2 years later. Her father sent young Margaret Gertrude to the Dutch province, to the city of Leiden. There she lived with her godfather and studied to become a kindergarten teacher in the future.

Here the first loud scandal in her life happened. The director was inflamed with a love passion for the young Mata Hari and began to behave openly and indecently with her. Offended by this behavior, the godfather took Margaret from the school, and a few months later she went to her uncle in The Hague.

According to another version, it was Margaret who became the culprit of this scandal, which was associated with her quick departure. Allegedly, her frivolous behavior placed the elderly and respected director at the center of a love affair.

Indonesia

Margareta Zelle.
Photo circa 1895 On July 11, 1895, in Amsterdam, at age 18, Margareta married 39-year-old Captain Rudolf McLeod (March 1, 1856 - January 9, 1928), a Dutchman of Scottish origin, whom she met through an advertisement. They moved to the island of Java (Dutch East Indies, now Indonesia), where they had two children: son Norman John (January 30, 1897 - June 27, 1899) and daughter Jeanne-Louise (Non) (May 2, 1898 - August 10 1919).

The marriage was a complete disappointment for both. Rudolph was an alcoholic; In addition, he took out all his frustrations and dissatisfaction with life on his wife, who was half his age and whom he blamed for not being promoted. He also openly kept mistresses. Disappointed, Margareta left him, temporarily moving in with Van Rheedes, another Dutch officer. She spent many months intensively studying Indonesian traditions, particularly through her work in a local dance group. In 1897 she first mentioned her artistic pseudonym - Mata Hari

, which in Malay means “sun” (“Mata” - eye, “Hari” - day, literally “eye of the day”) in one of the letters to relatives in Holland.

Margaretha McLeod-Zelle.
Photo circa 1900 After persistent persuasion from Rudolf, Margareta returned to him, although his aggressive behavior did not change. She still tried to forget herself by studying the local culture.

Their son Norman died in 1899, probably from complications of syphilis contracted from his parents, although the family claimed he was poisoned by servants. Some sources claim that Rudolph McLeod somehow offended and punished the husband of the maid who worked for them; in response, the maid's husband ordered his wife to poison the children of Rudolph and Margaret. The maid obeyed her husband by poisoning the children's food. This was not difficult for her, since she had access to the entire house, including the kitchen and food. The boy did not die immediately, in terrible agony, but the girl survived. Some claimed it was a miracle, others cited strong immunity, but it is still unclear how she could survive if both children ate the same poisoned food.

The couple divorced in 1903, after returning to Holland, and Rudolph took away from his wife the right to raise their daughter, who would die at the age of 21 (most likely also from complications of syphilis).

First tragedy

In 1898, Margaretha's son died at the age of 2 years. It is believed that he died from complications of syphilis passed on to him from his parents. The couple themselves claimed that their son was poisoned by the servant. Some sources have information that Rudolf insulted the maid's husband. In response, he ordered his wife to poison the son and daughter of Margaretha and Rudolf. The maid mixed poison into the food. This turned out to be quite easy, since she moved freely around the house and was allowed into the kitchen. The boy suffered terribly before his death. However, the daughter was able to survive. Some said that it was a real miracle, others pointed to the child’s strong immunity. However, to this day it remains a mystery how she was able to survive if the food of both children was poisoned. In 1903, Rudolf and Margareta divorced. At the same time, the ex-husband sued for the right to raise his daughter, who died at 21. Presumably, the cause was also a complication of syphilis.

Dancer

Mata Hari in 1906
Finding herself in poverty, Margareta Zelle went to earn a living in Paris. At first she performed as a circus rider under the name "Lady Gresha McLeod." In 1905, her great fame began as an “oriental style” dancer, performing under the pseudonym Mata Hari. Some of her dances were something close to a modern striptease, then still unusual for Western audiences: at the end of the number (performed in front of a narrow circle of connoisseurs on a stage strewn with rose petals), the dancer remained almost completely naked (according to legend, “it was Shiva’s will”) . Mata Hari herself claimed to reproduce real sacred dances of the East, supposedly familiar to her from childhood, and also mystified her interlocutors with various other fables of a romantic nature. Thus, the dancer claimed that she was an exotic princess (or the daughter of King Edward VII and an Indian princess), that she had a horse that only allowed its owner to ride, that she was raised in the East in a monastery, etc.

At the beginning of the 20th century, during a period of heightened interest in the East, in ballet (the career of Isadora Duncan can be cited as an example) and erotica, Mata Hari had great success in Paris, and then in other European capitals.

Mata Hari in 1915

Mata Hari was also a successful courtesan and had relationships with a number of high-ranking military officers, politicians and other influential people in many countries, including France and Germany. Despite the expensive gifts she received from her lovers, Mata Hari experienced financial difficulties and took out debt many times. Her passion was also card games, which may have been where her money went.

The real Mata Hari

Finding herself in an extremely difficult financial situation, Mata Hari goes to Paris. There she gets a job as a circus rider under the name "Lady Gresha McLeod."

But already from 1905 she became known as Mata Hari - an oriental style dancer. It must be said that at the beginning of the 20th century, a fascination with the East was especially noticeable in European circles. It was on this that another famous dancer, Isadora Duncan, the wife of Sergei Yesenin, earned her world fame.

What was Mata Hari’s “oriental style”? It was something between the sacred dances of the ancient East and striptease. She danced not like Duncan, in transparent robes, but completely naked. In addition to jewelry, on her seductive body there were only accessories covering her breasts, which were not very good on her.

Newspapers wrote about her: “This naked dancer is the new Salome, making any men lose their heads.” And she said about herself this way:

“I never knew how to dance well. People came in droves to look at me only because I was the first who dared to appear naked in front of the public.”

I must say that this self-esteem was close to reality. Looking at the photographs that we present at the end of the article, you can compare them with photographs of other beauties of that time. From this it becomes clear that Margaret cannot be called a beauty in the literal sense of the word. Add to this the lack of choreography, and the question inevitably arises: why was she so deified by modern men?

In 1910

Margaret Zelle herself mystified her image in every possible way. Her erotic performances attracted a lot of people to her, and she said that she was allegedly raised in a monastery, that she was the daughter of King Edward VII and was an exotic princess.

There is a known case when she paid one Indian to run up to her on stage during a performance and, falling to his knees, began to tearfully ask for something in an incomprehensible language. She later told the press that this was a messenger from her mother from India. Allegedly, he begged her to return home and marry a noble prince.

All this added up into a single whole brought her unprecedented success not only in Paris, but also in other European capitals. The real Mata Hari becomes a courtesan, and has affairs with many high-ranking politicians in Europe, including Germany and France.

However, she still has money problems. Despite many precious gifts from her lovers, she continues to take on debt. There are reasonable suspicions that she spent all the money on card games, which she was very passionate about.

Double agent

During the First World War, the Netherlands remained neutral, and, as a Dutch citizen, Margareta Zelle was able to travel back and forth between France and France. The countries were divided by a front line, and Mata Hari's road ran through Spain (where the German station was active) and Great Britain; her movements attracted the attention of Allied counterintelligence.

Apparently, Mata Hari was a German spy long before the war; the exact reasons and circumstances of her recruitment are still unknown. In 1916, French counterintelligence had the first indications of her involvement in working for Germany. Having learned about this, Mata Hari herself came to the French intelligence services and offered her services to them, accidentally naming, among other things, the name of one of her lovers, well known to her interlocutors as a German recruiting agent. As a result, the French sent her early next year on a minor mission to Madrid, and suspicions of espionage were finally confirmed: a radio exchange between a German agent in Madrid and the center was intercepted, where he indicated that agent H-21, recruited by the French, had arrived in Spain and received from the German residency order to return to Paris (there is a possibility that the radio interception was specially declassified by the German side in order to get rid of the double agent by handing him over to the enemy).

Courtesan

Mata Hari began performing not only in Paris, but also in other European cities. The biography, in short, was mainly associated with wealthy fans. For example, one of them was a French rich man. He invited her to dance at the Museum of Oriental Art. Mata Hari, whose photo captivated a good part of the male population of Europe, was a very successful courtesan. She was in contact with several high-ranking military officers, politicians, and other influential figures from different countries, including Germany and France. She was given expensive gifts, but she often experienced financial problems and took on debt. According to reports, Margaretha had a passion for card games. Presumably, this is where the money went. Before World War I, Margaretha met a German police official. Some authors believe that it was then that Mata Hari came under the surveillance of the special services. “Spy” - that’s what they’ll call her later.

Arrest and execution

Mata Hari on the day of her arrest, February 13, 1917 On
February 13, 1917, Mata Hari, immediately upon returning to Paris, was arrested by French intelligence and accused of spying for the enemy in wartime.

Her trial took place behind closed doors. She was accused of transmitting information to the enemy that led to the death of several divisions of soldiers (the court materials themselves are still classified, but some information found its way into the press). The next day [ specify

] Dutch citizen Margaretha Zelle was found guilty and sentenced to death.

Prison photographs of Mata Hari before her execution
Before her execution, while Mata Hari was in custody, her lawyer tried to get her out and drop all charges. An appeal was filed - to no avail. Then the lawyer submitted a petition for clemency to the president, but R. Poincaré also remained implacable. The death sentence remained in effect. In the cell where she spent the last days of her life, the lawyer suggested that she tell the authorities that she was pregnant, thereby delaying her death, but Mata Hari refused to lie. That morning the guards came for her and asked her to get dressed - the woman was outraged that they would execute her in the morning without feeding her breakfast. While she was preparing for execution, the coffin for her body had already been delivered to the building.

The execution took place on October 15, 1917 at a military training ground in Vincennes. After the execution, a certain officer approached the body of the executed woman and, just to be sure, shot her in the back of the head with a revolver.

Mata Hari's body was not claimed by any of her relatives, so it was transferred to the anatomical theater. Her head was embalmed and preserved in the Museum of Anatomy in Paris. However, in 2000, archivists discovered that the head had disappeared; According to experts, the loss could have occurred back in 1954, when the museum moved[5]. Reports dating back to 1918 indicate that the museum also received the remaining parts of Mata Hari's body, but there are no reports of their exact location.

Execution

On the morning of October 15, 1917, guards came for Margaretha. She was asked to get dressed and prepare for execution. However, the prisoner was indignant that she was being led to execution without being fed breakfast. While Margareta was getting ready, the coffin had already been delivered. They shot her at the firing range in Vincennes. According to sources, she stood at the pillar without a trace of excitement and very calmly. Margaretha turned to the nun and hugged her. Then Mata Hari took off her coat and gave it to the woman. Margaretha refused to be tied to the post. She also did not agree to be blindfolded. There were 12 soldiers standing in front of her. Blowing them a kiss, she shouted that she was ready. 11 people were shot. The last, twelfth soldier fainted. There is information that one of the officers approached the body and shot him again in the back of the head. After the execution, the body was transferred to the anatomical theater.

Performance evaluation

Most historians believe that the harm from the actions of Mata Hari (that is, her effectiveness as an intelligence officer) was greatly exaggerated - it is unlikely that the information actually obtained by her (if any) was of serious value to one side or another.

Lieutenant Colonel of the British and Dutch counterintelligence Orest Pinto believes that “Mata Hari has certainly gained great fame. In the eyes of the public, she became the personification of the charming female spy. But Mata Hari was a stupid, expansive creature. If she had not been executed, she would not have been known as a martyr and no one would have even heard of her.”

[6].

Historian E.B. Chernyak focused on Mata Hari’s connections with representatives of the French military and political elite, the danger of publicity of which could become the motive for her death sentence[7].

In culture and art

Mata Hari in a portrait by the Dutch artist Isaac Israels (1916)
The role of a high-society spy, played by her with complete fearlessness and leading to a tragic death, fit into the “cinematic” biography of the exotic dancer and “femme fatale” that she created; this provided Mata Hari with much greater fame than other, more effective intelligence officers of the 20th century.

• Already in 1920, the film “Mata Hari” was made about her with Asta Nielsen in the title role, and later several remakes were released.
• In 1982, the German group Dschinghis Khan dedicated a song to her (album "Helden, schurken und der dudelmoser"
  ).
• In 1982, Leina Lowicz, Chris Judge Smith and Les Chappell's musical Mata Hari premiered at the Lyric Theatre, Hammersmith, London.
• In 2009, director Evgeny Ginzburg staged the musical “Mata Hari” to the music of A. Kiselev (libretto by A. Kiselev, A. Vulykh), in which the main roles were played by T. Dolnikova, V. Lanskaya, N. Gromushkina, O. Akulich, E. Vitorgan and singer Alexander Fadeev.[8][9]
• In 2010, the musical “Love and Espionage” to the music of M. Dunaevsky, based on the play “Eyes of the Day” by E. Gremina, starring Larisa Dolina and Dmitry Kharatyan, started in Moscow.
• On September 16, 2010 in Moscow, on the big stage of the Theater of the Moon (artistic director Sergei Borisovich Prokhanov), the premiere of the play “Mata Hari: “Eyes of the Day”” (directed by Daria Popova) took place.
• The computer game “Secret Missions” has been released. Mata Hari and the Kaiser's submarines."
• The song “Mata Hari Mambo” was performed in Polish by the famous pop singer of the 60-80s of the 20th century, Anna German.
• In Episode 8 of Season 2 of Warehouse 13, Mata Hari's stockings were an artifact that had the ability to seduce men who touched them.
• Mentioned in the novel "It's Only a Matter of Time" by D.H. Chase.

In literature

• Mark Aldanov
  published the essay “Mata Hari” in 1932
• Leila Wertenbaker
  . The Life and Death of Mata Hari, novel. - Moscow, Press Publishing House, 1992, circulation 100,000 copies, translation from English. V. V. Kuznetsova
• Elena Gremina
  . The play "Eyes of the Day"
• Paulo Coelho. Mata Hari. Spy - M.: AST, 2020. - ISBN 978-5-17-099182-2
• Mata Hari is one of the heroes of the books “Hunters” and “Hunters-2” of the literary project “Ethnogenesis” of the publishing houses “Popular Literature” and “AST”, which began in the spring of 2009
• The image of Mata Hari is present in the series of books “We, the Gods” (2004), “Breath of the Gods” (2005), “The Secret of the Gods” (2007) by the French writer and philosopher Bernard Werber

Film incarnations

The shooting of Mata Hari. Still from the 1920 reconstruction film

Mata Hari. Sculpture in Leeuwarden

• Asta Nielsen - “Mata Hari” (Germany, 1920), “The Spy” (1921)
• Magda Sonia - “Mata Hari, die rote Tänzerin” (Germany, 1927)
• Greta Garbo - "Mata Hari" (1931)
• Delia Col - “Marthe Richard au service de la France” (France, 1937)
• Merlie Oberon - “General Electric Theater” (TV series, USA, 1957)
• Betty Marsden - "Carry on Regardless" (England, 1961)
• Greta Shea - “The Queen of Chantecler” / “La reina del Chantecler” (Spain, 1962)
• Françoise Fabian - “La caméra explore le temps” (TV series, France, 1964)
• Jeanne Moreau - “Mata Hari” / “Mata Hari, agent H21” (France, 1964)
• Louise Martini - “Der Fall Mata Hari” (Germany, 1966)
• Carmen de Lirio - “Operation Mata Hari” / “Operación Mata Hari” (Spain, 1968)
• Joan Gerber - “Lancelot Link: Secret Chimp” (TV series, USA, 1970)
• Zsa Zsa Gabor - "Up the Front" (England, 1972)
• Helen Kallianiotes - "Shanks" (USA, 1974)
• Josine van Dalsum - "Mata Hari" (TV series, Netherlands, 1981)
• Jeanne-Marie Lemaire - “Légitime violence” (France, 1982)
• Sylvia Kristel - “Mata Hari” (USA, 1985)
• Domitian Giordano - “The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles” (TV series, USA, 1993)
• Mabel Lozano - “Blasco Ibáñez” (Spain, 1997)
• Joana Kelly - “Mentors” / “Mentors” (TV series, Canada, 2002)
• Marushka De (France, 2003)
• Suvarhala Narayanan - “The Curse of King Tut's Tomb” (USA, 2006)
• Phoebe Halliwell (Alice Milano) - “Charmed” season 6 episode 13 “Used Karma” (TV series, USA, 1998-2006)
• Vaina Jokante - “Mata Hari” (TV series, Russia, 2016)

Notes

1. ↑ 1 2 3 German National Library, Berlin State Library, Bavarian State Library, etc.
   Record #118578774 // General regulatory control (GND) - 2012-2016. https://wikidata.org/Track:Q27302″>https://wikidata.org/Track:Q304037″>https://wikidata.org/Track:Q256507″>https://wikidata.org/Track:Q170109 ″>https://wikidata.org/Track:Q36578″>
2. ↑ 123
   SNAC

   https://wikidata.org/Track:P3430″>https://wikidata.org/Track:Q29861311″>

3. ↑ 12
   Find a Grave - 1995. - ed. size: 165000000

   https://wikidata.org/Track:Q63056″>https://wikidata.org/Track:Q4752572″>https://wikidata.org/Track:P535″>https://wikidata.org/Track:P2025 ″>

4. Margaretha Geertruida Zelle - 2009.
   https://wikidata.org/Track:Q1868372″>https://wikidata.org/Track:P651″>
5. Mystery of how Mata Hari lost her head (disappeared from macabre museum)
   Archived October 1, 2006. Museum Security Mailing List, 13. July 2000
6. Orestes Pinto.
   Spy Hunter // Secret Missions: collection / ed. Sominsky E. M. - M.: Military Publishing House of the USSR Ministry of Defense, 1964. - P. 224. - 680 p. — 100,000 copies.
7. Lib.Ru: Efim Borisovich Chernyak - Five centuries of secret war From the history of secret diplomacy and intelligence
8. The best photos. Social news - Musical "Mata Hari"
9. Radio Russia - Musicals about Mata Hari and Barack Obama (inaccessible link)

Literature

• Waagenaar S.
  [de] Mata Hari / Trans.
  with him. V. Kryukov
  .
  “Military literature”, 2005 // Waagenaar, Sam
  .
  Sie nannte sich Mata Hari. West-Berlin: Ullstein Verlag, 1968. First edition: Sam Waagenaar
  , Mata Hari; 1964; Mata Hari. Vollständig überarbeite und erweiterte Fassung, Lübbe, Bergisch Gladbach, 1983. - ISBN 3-404-61071-7.

The truth is even more incredible!

The fact of Mata Hari's death did not raise any official doubts. Although it is impossible to find her remains - and this is also a well-known fact. Having had such powerful friends during her lifetime, from the French banker Xavier Rousseau to members of the family of the German Kaiser Wilhelm II, she lost their favor after her death. Nobody agreed to pay for Mata Hari's funeral. That's why there was no funeral.

The body was transferred to the Faculty of Medicine of the Sorbonne University. Here the trail is lost. According to some reports, her dissected head was kept for some time in the Anatomical Museum in Paris. After the Second World War, the head mysteriously disappeared.

Mata Hari in prison before execution. Photo: Wikipedia