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Fellgiebel and the 1944 Plot MUNINN Volume 2 (2013)was already arresting SS personnel in a few locations across Germanyand Austria to help the coup. Fromm did not believe Olbricht and triedcontacting the Wolf’s Lair himself, and to their surprise General Keitel,the head of OKW, answered.Fromm: What in the world is going on at headquarters? Here inBerlin the wildest rumors are afloat.Keitel: What is supposed to be going on? Everything is all right.Fromm: I have just received a report that the Fuehrer waskilled by assassination.Keitel: Nonsense. There was an attempted assassination, butfortunately it failed. The Fuerhrer (sic) is alive andreceived only superficial injuries. Where, by the way, isthe chief of your staff, Colonel Stauffenberg?Fromm: Stauffenberg is not here yet. 21It was a call that should not have gone though. In his book, WithoutEngima (2000), historian Kenneth Macksey blamed Thiele for thefailure to prevent the call from going through from Berlin to the Wolf’sLair. 22 This call assured that General Fromm and the Home Army’srebellion would be short-lived, as Fromm feared for his own life nowthat his chief of staff, Colonel Stauffenberg, was suspected.As we might expect, more recent historiography contains moredetails from more sources becoming available. Historian KennethMacksey provided more details on what Fellgiebel did that afternoon asFellgiebel contacted Berlin through his own chief of staff, Colonel KurtHahn, to tell him that the bomb successfully exploded but the Führerwas alive. Hahn received these orders from Fellgiebel as relayedthrough Sanders: “Attempt on Fuhrer’s life. Fuhrer is alive and ordersyou to send for the Reichsmarschall and Reichsfuhrer. Not a word is toleak out.” 23 Macksey pointed-out that although Fellgiebel was uncertainon what to do, he did promptly follow Hitler’s orders and send theinformation out, which was actually what he needed to do so theconspirators could be informed as well. Fellgiebel then disconnected alltelephone calls and stopped all deliveries by postal personnel, againseemingly following the orders of Hitler “not a word is to leak out,” butin doing so also isolated the Wolf’s Lair from receiving news. Timesimply ran out for Fellgiebel who tried to isolate the Wolf’s Lair on hisown. Fellgiebel had trouble contacting his assistant General FritzThiele, who was missing from his office at the signal corpsheadquarters in Berlin, and it was impossible to prevent high rankingGeneral Fromm, who tried to cover his own involvement, ordered the execution. Alsonote: Author Gisevius went into hiding after the plot and was later a key witness at theNuremberg Trials when this book was first published in 1946.21Gisevius, 177-178.22Macksey, 138-139.23Macksey, 137.38