Die Nachhut: Three Monkeys as the Logo of a Former Abwehr Officers’ Magazine (1967–1975)

This is not a hypothesis but documented evidence.

The German-language Wikipedia, in the entry Arbeitsgemeinschaft ehemaliger Abwehrangehöriger (AGEA) — the association of former Abwehr officers — describes their internal bulletin “Die Nachhut” (1967–1975) and states:

“Als Logo trugen die Hefte auf der Titelseite eine graphische Darstellung der Drei Affen.”
(“On the title page, the issues featured a graphical representation of the Three Monkeys.”)

Important linguistic note:
From the phrase “die Hefte … trugen” (plural), it follows unambiguously that more than one issue had this logo on the cover.
However, it does not imply that all 32 issues had it.
Thus, at least several issues of “Die Nachhut” featured the Three Monkeys logo on their covers.

(As of 6 September 2025: the Wikipedia entry is available in German only.)

What We Know for Sure

Title of the bulletin: Die Nachhut — an internal, non-public “information bulletin for former members of the Abwehr.” It was not available on the open book market.

32 issues: published from April 1967 to February 1975 (usually around 22 pages; starting in 1971, there were also double issues of about 44 pages).

Cover: featured the Three Monkeys logo.

Publisher / community: AGEA (Arbeitsgemeinschaft ehemaliger Abwehrangehöriger) — a small group (about 14 people) of former Abwehr officers, established around 1966/1967; they also organized regular community meetings.

Canaris theme: the issues contained numerous, richly illustrated materials about Admiral Wilhelm Canaris, presented from an internal, apologetic perspective.

Archival trace: AGEA materials are registered in the Bundesarchiv, collection Bestand B 472 — this is the most reliable lead to locate covers, scans, and tables of contents.

Indicative reconstruction of the cover of “Die Nachhut”, no. 10 (February 1969) — AGEA bulletin, 1967–1975.
Could this be what one of the 32 issues looked like? On how many covers was the Three Monkeys (Drei Affen) motif actually used, and have any copies survived?
If you have leads or scans, please get in touch: welcome [at] threemonkeys.center

Why This Matters to Us

This is not about making a bold claim — it’s about verifying the facts:

Did the Three Monkeys motif actually appear on the covers of Die Nachhut — and in how many issues?

In which variant was it used: the classic “see no evil / hear no evil / speak no evil”, or the active arrangement “listen – look – keep silent” (aligned with the European motto Audi, vide, tace)?

How did the motif relate to the content of the issues — for example, texts on discretion, intelligence work, or community memory?

AGEA Archives – We’re Looking for Access

We are searching for original copies or scans of the Die Nachhut covers and tables of contents.
We would be grateful for any tips regarding access to the Bundesarchiv, collection Bestand B 472 (AGEA).

Useful catalogues: archivportal-d.de, portal.ehri-project.eu.

Do you have access to these materials or any leads?
Write to us at welcome[@]threemonkeys.center or use the contact form on our website.

Citation Data / Sources

Arbeitsgemeinschaft ehemaliger Abwehrangehöriger (AGEA) – description of the organization and the bulletin Die Nachhut (including the Three Monkeys logo on the cover; publication years and issue sizes; the Canaris theme).
Source: Wikipedia (DE), entry “Arbeitsgemeinschaft ehemaliger Abwehrangehöriger”.

Bundesarchiv, collection Bestand B 472 – archival catalogue entries related to AGEA.

Editorial Note

Wikipedia serves here only as a starting point; in particular, the sentence about the Three Monkeys logo points us towards a specific archival path (B 472) and tangible objects (covers of the 32 issues).
Our goal is to access the originals or scans and confirm both the graphic variant of the motif used and the frequency of its appearance.

Die Nachhut – All Issues (1967–1975)

No.	Year	Issue Type	Contents / Notes
1	1967	Single	First issue. Rudloff’s article, Buchheit’s polemic “Wichtiger Hinweis!”.
2	1967	Single	Content not confirmed – possibly AGEA’s program materials.
3	1968	Single	Content to be verified in Bundesarchiv, Bestand B 472.
4	1968	Single	Details unknown – possibly reports from AGEA members.
5	1968	Single	Likely reports on international contacts and relations.
6	1969	Single	Possibly analyses of former Abwehr structures.
7	1969	Single	Content unknown, data to be confirmed.
8	1969	Single	First inside page – editorial and AGEA structural changes.
9	1970	Single	Content unknown, to be checked in index 13/14.
10	1970	Single	Details require verification in Bundesarchiv.
11/12	1971	Double	F. Seubert’s article: AGEA’s development; editorial change.
13/14	1971	Double	Includes table of contents for issues 1–12 and G. Henke’s article on the BND.
15/16	1972	Double	Report on the Würzburg meeting (1971), detailed documentation, pp. 2–22.
17/18	1972	Double	Content to be confirmed in index 29/30.
19/20	1972	Double	Polemic – response to Buchheit’s article, pp. 22–25.
21/22	1973	Double	Content to be verified in Bundesarchiv.
23/24	1973	Double	Likely conference materials, confirmation required.
25/26	1973	Double	Report on Würzburg meeting (1973), pp. 2–15; neutral decline of participation.
27/28	1974	Double	Content to be confirmed in index 29/30.
29/30	1974	Double	Includes table of contents for issues 13–28, key source for reconstruction.
31/32	1975	Double	Editorial committee members; summary of AGEA’s activities.