Mata Hari: SEZ or the hapless schemer?
15 October 1917 the verdict of the French military court for spying for Germany, was executed Mata Hari — perhaps the most famous scout in history.
In fact, it is believed that most of the great scouts — those about whom we do not know. The share of Mata Hari fame fell with a vengeance, although, of course, no one wants to buy it that way.
Her name became a household word, but it sounds so with irony, saying that it is not so prominent spy, and more noise.
Often there are Parallels with what happened in Russia a year earlier high-profile case about the betrayal of Colonel Myasoedov — according to some researchers, a bloated and politicized.
A country girl
Margareta Gertruda Zelle, by nationality and Dutch nationality, was born on 7 August 1876 in the town of Leeuwarden.
Her father owned a prosperous hat shop and invested in oil stocks. The girl studied at the privileged school. But when she was 13 years, the business went bankrupt after two years his mother died.
Margareta entered the school, let the kindergarten teachers, but after three months, escaped to his uncle, allegedly due to sexual harassment Director of the school.
In 18 years, according to an ad in the newspaper, she married 39-year-old officer assigned to Dutch Indonesia.
The couple lived poorly. Husband is pretty drunk, that, in principle, it was not uncommon for Europeans in the tropics. The son died two-year-old daughter after the divorce by their father.
In Indonesia, she became fascinated by Oriental dance and in 1897, in a letter to his family first mentioned it invented the pseudonym “Mata Hari” — a poetic name of the Sun, in a literal translation from the Malay “eye of the day”.
Pop star
In 1903, she left her husband and went to Paris, she said, “the city is attracting all the women escaped from their husbands”.
Dabbled as a model and circus rider, but soon made a bid for exotic dancing and hit the bull’s-eye: fame, touring throughout Europe, the bankers lovers.
Ex-husband, who returned at that time in Holland, and was indignant: “How can she dance when she’s flat-footed!”.
The video did not exist, so it is difficult to judge whether what were doing on stage Mata Hari, was an authentic art romantic Islands. A resounding success was caused, not least, the fact that the rooms are Mata Hari was a partial Striptease.
The artist has spread the legend that she is the daughter of the Prince of Wales and the Indian Princess, and was brought up in a Buddhist monastery.
Despite the generous gifts and fees (in the fall of 1906 for performance in the Parisian hall “Olympia” Mata Hari received 10 thousand francs, or approximately 50 thousand modern dollars, a lot by the standards of that time), she often needed money, and delayed payment of debts due to the love of clothes, jewelry and gambling.
Spies
These people automatically attract attention of the security services.
With the outbreak of war, the mystery, the extravagance, freedom and cosmopolitanism, on what has always built your image of Mata Hari, began to awaken the interest of a different kind.
People with the beginning of the war he became a miser, and the formalities of nevynosimaja Hari
She often (according to French counter-espionage too often) went home, in neutral Holland, and as between Paris and Hague ran the front line and German-occupied Belgium, traveled through Spain, where he acted strong German residency.