Abteilung III b

The initial responsibilities of Sektion III b consisted solely of counterintelligence; it had limited foreign-intelligence capabilities. Its counterintelligence efforts focused on France and on Russia - the Imperial German Navy had responsibility for intelligence on the United Kingdom. During the First World War of 1914–1918, III b additionally acquired roles in censorship and propaganda.[1]

In 1917 Abteilung III b gained authorization for domestic intelligence (German: Inlandsaufklärung). The secret activities of III b developed under the head of Abteilung III b, Walter Nicolai (in office: 1913–1918), as war made the need for a secret-police force more pressing. Never before had a German intelligence group held such influence in the German Reich. At the end of the war, the division was disbanded.

When the war began, the network of agents in enemy countries quickly evaporated as belligerent nations arrested the agents. The Secret Service could not provide information about enemy intentions and operational-deployment plans. At the General Staff, within the News Department, the 'enemy editor' grew more suspicious of information delivered as facts, as the intelligence reports often proved to be wrong. In the assessment of the enemy situation, there was one mishap after another. The fundamental error lay in the separation of news gathering and analysis.

As the war progressed, Abteilung III b increasingly established itself as a secret-police and propaganda organization. The left-wing press often referred to Nicolai, the head of the secret police, as the "father of lies" and disinformation, among other things.

In addition, Abteilung III b competed with German Naval Intelligence, also called the "News Department", and the intelligence operations of the Foreign Office became exposed.

During the First World War, the division was significantly upgraded and divided into press, propaganda, intelligence and defense:

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