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MATA HARI: THE DANCER TURNED SPY WHO NAVIGATED CORRIDORS OF POWER WITH ELEGANCE

Mata Hari shocked the world with her intrigues and got punished for it, but was she really guilt or a victim of circumstances

BY SOMDATTA MAITY

PUBLISHED APR 8, 2024

COVER IMAGE SOURCE: Mata Hari. Private Collection. (Photo by Fine Art Images/Heritage Images/Getty Images)

World War I was the first global conflict that was described as a war to end all wars, and with multiple conflicts raging on across battleground in different parts of the world, a number of astonishing stories also emerged from the years that shaped our world. One of them is that of a Dutch dancer popularly known as Mata Hari, who was convicted of Espionage by France, and although scholars still debate if the allegations were true, she has continued to intrigue generations.

Image Source: Mata Hari (1876-1917) the Dutch dancer, who spied for Germany during the first World War. She was a member of the German secret service in Paris, and obtained military secrets from Allied officers, but was caught and executed by the French. (Photo by Hulton-Deutsch/Hulton-Deutsch Collection/Corbis via Getty Images)

Early life

Born Margaretha Zelle, the dancer and courtesan lived a life distinct from her contemporaries as she boldly pursued her dreams, even as this pursuit landed her in trouble between two countries vying for world domination.

Image Source: (Original Caption) Mata Hari (1876-1917), real name Gertrude Margarete Zelle. Dancer on French stage, executed as a spy by the French.

Time in its piece about Mata Hari informs that the performer was born in 1876 in the Netherlands, but her life turned around when her prosperous hat merchant father became bankrupt. While struggling against poverty, she came across an ad in a newspaper asking for a wife to an officer in the Dutch colonial army, as per History. She clinched the opportunity and was hitched with an older army captain named Rudolf MacLeod and shifted to Indonesia for his military duties. They had two children, but their marriage was plagued by infidelity and physical abuse.

Separation and becoming an entertainer

Image Source: Margareta Gertruida Zelle, called Mata-Hari (1876-1917). On February 13, 1917. (Photo by adoc-photos/Corbis via Getty Images)

The couple shifted back to Europe and soon separated after almost 9 years of marriage. The couple's son had died and Zelle tried her level best to get her daughter's custody but failed. Left penniless, with no family at 27 years of age, the woman decided to create a new identity. She chose Paris as the place where she wanted to restart her life. “I wanted to live like a colorful butterfly in the sun,” she later said about the change.

Zelle created a myth around her, that she was someone of a Far Eastern descent and was a master of a particular 'Hindu' dance act. Her experience in the Dutch East Indies helped her in becoming "Mata Hari." Her performances were erotic dance routines that soon became the favorites of European elites. Despite being appreciated for her moves, Zelle knew they were not what audiences came for. “I never could dance well,” she later admitted. “People came to see me because I was the first who dared to show myself naked to the public.”

Maturity allowed her to hold conversations and enhanced her appeal to the audience. Soon her shows were sold out, and she began traveling all across Europe for her performances. The performer found a legion of admirers by her side, some of whom became her lovers.

Affairs and war

Image Source: (Original Caption) The 'Freis Museum' in Leeuwarden: the 'boudoir' is devoted to Mata Hari. Gerg Kopmans, Curator of the museum. (Photo by Alain Nogues/Sygma/Sygma via Getty Images)

As her career progressed Hari was involved in many affairs. None of them were serious, but she enjoyed the gifts that powerful men brought. “Tonight I dine with Count A and tomorrow with Duke B,” she once quipped. “If I don’t have to dance, I make a trip with Marquis C. I avoid serious liaisons.” As she began to reach the age of 40, these liaisons became important for her survival, and age as well as war were proving to be a huge hindrance to her performance career. Despite being native to a country that was neutral in the war she was not allowed to travel freely from one country to another. Seeing her precarious situation, and military officers decided to capitalize on that.

While Hari was in Amsterdam, she was approached by Karl Kroemer, the honorary German consul in Amsterdam who presented her with the offer to spy for Germany. Since she moved around high-class military officials and had a neutral Dutch identity, she had a lot of potential for espionage. Mata Hari accepted the offered for a whopping 20,000 Francs as she was broke, but whether she followed through with it remains a mystery. She was bestowed with a German codename: “H 21."

Espionage career

Image Source: 1906: The infamous Dutch spy Mata Hari, real name Margarete Geertruida Zelle (1876 - 1917) who was born in Leeuwarden and became a dancer in France is reaching the finale of the Dance of the Seven Veils. (Photo by Walery/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

Over the next few months, Hari traveled to various countries, mingling with several military officials and elites. But her presence soon caught the attention of British authorities, especially since she was in Germany at the beginning of the war. She was taken into custody and investigated, but was released and allowed to go to France after no evidence was found against her. At the same time, the British contacted the French and asked them to keep an eye on her. “Although she was thoroughly searched and nothing incriminating found,” a report read, “she is regarded by Police and Military to be not above suspicion, and her subsequent movements should be watched.”

In Paris, she was approached by the French with an offer to spy on their behalf, despite the doubts the British cast on her. Mata Hari once again agreed to the proposition for more money, and promised to seduce German military officials and get confidential information. The next place she found herself in was Spain, where she came in contact with a German major named Arnold Kalle. It is not known for sure what happened between them, or whether she gave any information to him. He sent a telegram to German officials mentioning Zelle's code "H21" which got intercepted by the French. It did not take long for officials to figure out that "H21" referred to Zelle, and she was promptly arrested.

Arrest and sentencing

Mata Hari got arrested on the charges of espionage by the French and was kept in Paris’ infamous Saint-Lazare prison. The former dancer was interrogated for months, but she never admitted to being a spy. The woman agreed to the fact that she had relations with many German officials but rejected the claim that she passed information to them. “A courtesan, I admit it,” she said. “A spy, never!” On being pressed she agreed to have taken money from the German authorities but stuck to her statement. “I never considered myself a German agent with a number,” she pleaded, “because I never did anything for them.”

During the trial, evidence against her was scarce but she was still sentenced to death. She wasn't even allowed to bring witnesses that could corroborate her claims. A lot of emphasis was put on her promiscuous nature and it was used to blame her for the death of thousands of soldiers. “The evil that this woman has done is unbelievable,” prosecutor Andre Mornet concluded in his final statement. “This is perhaps the greatest woman spy of the century.”

On October 15, 1917, while being taken in front of a firing squad, she refused a blindfold. She decided to take it all bravely on the chin. It has also been claimed that she blew a flying kiss to the firing squad just before shots were fired.