Mata Hari By Alexandra Madison. Period 5.

Mata Hari’s real name was Gertrud Margarete Zelle. She lived from 1876 to 1917 & was born in the Netherlands.

Mata Hari stood out in the society of her time. She had thick black hair, black eyes and olive skin when most women had blonde hair, blue eyes and fair skin.

Mata Hari was well liked in school by students and teachers. But she later was kicked out for having a sexual encounter with a male teacher.

During her childhood, Mata Hari went from luxury to poverty. Her father’s hat business went broke and her mother died when she was 15.

When Mata Hari was 18, she married Captain Campbell Macleod. He was abusive and mean, so after having two children, one of which died from a mysterious poisoning, Mata Hari filed for divorce and surprisingly got it.

Mata Hari then travelled to Spain, Monte Carlo and Germany where she began to perform. She said that her dances were a “sacred poem in which each movement is a word and whose every word is underlined by music”.

These provocative dances brought Mata Hari many male suitors. She would change her history, saying she was the daughter of an East Indian temple dancer that died in child birth, to make the dance and herself more intriguing.

Young men claimed to come to her shows to learn about Eastern religions. She mainly danced in Paris. Her hay day was 1905 to 1912.

While dancing, it is said that a German officer offered Mata Hari money to spy on the French. While being interrogated later, she admits to giving the Germans “old, outdated information”.

Though she had many male suitors, Mata Hari fell in love with a 25 year old Russian pilot, Vadim Maslov, flying for the French. Vadim had been wounded in the war and stationed at a hospital in France. For permission to visit him, French officials had Mata Hari agree to spy on the Germans. She would also receive 1 million francs.

To do this task, Mata Hari would have to rendezvous with the crown prince. So, she traveled to Spain, then Holland to cross into Germany. However on her way to Holland she was stopped and interrogated by British officials that warned her not to go into Germany and then sent her back to Spain.

In Spain, Mata Hari had an affair with German military Attache, Maj. Kalle. It is said that after she left, he sent a secret message to Berlin saying “ spy H-21 proved valuable”.

Mata Hari then returned to Paris on January 4 th. Here she was arrested on January 13.

The French were very suspicious that Mata Hari had been spying for the Germans. However they did not have any evidence against her.

Mata Hari then admitted to taking money from the Germans. However she claimed that this money was from one of her male lovers, and not for spying.

Mara Hari was continuously interrogated by the French Secret Service. They found invisible ink, which she said was used for her make-up and an un-cashed check from the Germans, both good enough to be considered as evidence.

She was tried by a closed-court martial & found guilty. She then confessed. However, it is not for certain whether she confessed to spying for the Germans, French or both.

After being found guilty. Mata Hari was to be shot by a firing squad. On October 15, 1917, after refusing to be blindfolded or tied to the stake, Mata Hari blew a kiss to the 12-men firing squad right before their guns broke the morning stillness.

It is not for sure whether Mata Hari was a spy for the French, Germans, both or neither. However, the French were convinced that she was “one of the greatest spies of the century, responsible for the death of tens of thousands of soldiers”(Propaganda). Though she most likely was not.

Works Cited Pictures: High School- Slide 6- Slide 8- Slide 2- Slide 5- Slide Slide 3- Slide 9- Slide Slide 20- Slide 15- Slide 13- incredible-german-soldiers-010.jpg Slide 10- Slide Slide 7- Slide 14- Slide 18- Slide 16- Slide 17- Slide 4- Information: