 Skorzeny afterwards maintained that the US authorities had aided his escape, and had supplied the uniforms.Skorzeny hid out at a farm in Bavaria which had been rented by Countess Ilse Lüthje, the niece of Hjalmar Schacht (Hitler's former finance minister), for around 18 months, during which time he was in contact with Reinhard Gehlen, and together with Hartmann Lauterbacher (former deputy head of the Hitler Youth) recruited for the Gehlen Organization.Skorzeny was photographed at a café on the Champs Elysées in Paris on 13 February 1950.