Alexander Scotland - Later Years

Later Years

Scotland's efforts to obtain publication of The London Cage were opposed by British intelligence officials, on the grounds of the Official Secrets Act. In 1955, Special Branch detectives searched his home and seized all three copies of the manuscript, as well as Scotland's notes and records, some of which were official files he had retained at the end of the war. Scotland responded by threatening to publish the book in the United States. The New York Times reported that the British government was "unwilling to have the bugbear of German atrocities revived at this time, when official policy is to support the Bonn government and the ratification of the Paris agreements to arm West Germany."

An expurgated version of the book was published in Britain in 1957, with the disclaimer "The War Office wishes to make it clear that the views and facts stated in this book are the Author's own responsibility. Further, the War Office does not in any way vouch for the accuracy of the facts and does not necessarily accept any opinions expressed in this book."

In 1957, Scotland was technical advisor to the movie The Two-Headed Spy, starring Jack Hawkins as a British intelligence agent named Scotland who poses as a general of the German Wehrmacht named "Schottland".

Scotland does not mention the movie in London Cage but says that false stories of his serving on the Nazi general staff circulated in the British press after his testimony at the 1947 trial in Italy of Field Marshal Albert Kesselring. He had testified at the trial that he had served in the German army early in the century. Scotland said in London Cage that he planned to call a press conference to deny the allegations, but was told by Whitehall "'Say nothing. Let the story rip.' I have never discovered the official reason for this intriguing ban."