Assassination Attempt

Eddie Chapman wanted to go down in history as the man who killed Hitler but was talked out of the plan by British domestic security service MI5, Ben Macintyre, who has just penned a book on him, wrote in the London newspaper The Times.

Macintyre wrote that recently released wartime archives in Britain revealed an extraordinary conversation between Chapman and Ronnie Reed, his case officer.

During interrogation by MI5, then 27-year-old Chapman reportedly said his German spymaster -- referred to by Chapman as "Dr. Graumann" -- had promised to take him to a Nazi rally as a reward for completing his first British mission and would place him in the first or second row, near Hitler.

"He believes I am pro-Nazi," Chapmann told Reed. "I believe Dr. Graumann will keep his promise. Then I will assassinate Hitler ... with my knowledge of explosives and incendiary material, it should be possible."

However, Reed pointed out that any attempt to kill Hitler would be suicidal.

"Whether or not you succeeded, you would be liquidated immediately," Reed said.

"Ah, but what a way out!" Chapman replied.

No "wild enterprises"

In a report back to his superiors, Reed reportedly advised against following up on Chapman's idea.

"He (Chapman) can think of no better way of leaving this life than to have his name prominently featured throughout the world's press and to be immortalized in history books for all time." Reed also believed that Chapman was motivated by patriotism as well as a desire to make amends for his criminal past.

Macintyre said that Winston Churchill, Britain's wartime prime minister, would have been made aware of the offer. But Chapman was explicitly told "not to undertake any wild enterprises" by his British spymaster, Colonel Tommy Robertson.

New evidence suggests that Chapman's German spymaster was a bitter opponent of Hitler who may have been aware of the plan and given it his backing, Macintyre wrote.

Chapman, a professional criminal and safe-cracker, was reportedly serving a sentence in Jersey prison when the Nazis invaded the Channel Islands in June 1940.

He was recruited by German military intelligence and parachuted back into Britain in December 1941. He immediately defected to M15.

Chapman died in 1997.