The Greatest Spy Of The 20th Century: Richard Sorge Stalin's James Bond
Richard Sorge set up an international spy ring, convinced Japan tp change plans for a Russian invasion and attack Pearl Harbor and survived Stalin's purge of spies!
You are looking at the spy who created a network so vast, so powerful, that he was able to influence our decisions from the 1930's on. It even outlived him! Richard Sorge used Communist Party's all over the world to recruit spys and influence the highest levels of government. Of course what he didn't know, was that under Franklin Roosevelt the state would become paralysed and unable to remove any of the spys. The longer FDR was President, the more decisions that were made that impact us to this day. No one wanted to lose their job during a depression, so no one wanted to rock the boat.
There is no question that no spy ever had the reach and power he did, made all the more frightening because our government was powerless to stop him or Stalin.
Liberalism had a dangerous flirtation with Stalin and communism- and in nations where "progressive liberalism" had taken hold Communist spys found protection, encouragement and love. Too bad the goal of those spys was the destruction of western democracy for a dictatorship, and not their often stated public beliefs of justice, fairness and peace.
Communists discovered by talking about justice, fairness and peace they completely obliterated any sense of reason liberals had.
In England a labor party member from Brixton Col. Marcus Lipton had discovered a spy ring and its leader Kim Philby. The other spies in the ring were Donald Maclean, Guy Burgess, Anthony Blunt, James Kluggman and others all from the University of Cambridge. It was Harry Macmillan who rushed to defend the spies. He claimed to have reviewed the evidence and felt it was a smear campaign, that the Col. was paranoid and using smear tactics. How could these men, who espoused progressive ideas do anything against their country? The press had a field day ridiculing Col. Marcus Lipton, just as they would McCarthy later. This wasn't just gross negligence; this was destroying a whistle blower for telling the truth.
For years Kim Philby would continue to spy on the West, without anyone trying to stop him. Here in an hour and 11 minutes, the story of Richard Sorge:
Richard Sorge would create a nest of agents worldwide at first over China including U.S. Communist Party leader Earl Browder, Michael Borodin and many others. From here he was able to set up spy rings not only in the U.S., but Japan, and would recruit the writer Agnes Smedley who would during the war find herself a confidant of General Joseph Stilwell the commander of allied forces in Asia. Spy Guenther Stein would recruit a man named John Service to the Communist cause. And thus would begin the Amerasia scandal which would eventually interest one Joe McCarthy.
As you can see, there really was a worldwide conspiracy.
Photo: Earl Browder head of The Communist Party USA
Members of Browder's family were involved in work for Soviet intelligence. According to a 1938 classified letter from Browder to Georgi Dimitrov, in the Soviet archives, Browder's younger sister Marguerite was an agent working in various European countries for the NKVD. Browder expressed concern over the effect it would have on the American public if his sister's secret work for Soviet intelligence were to be exposed: "In view of my increasing involvement in national political affairs and growing connections in Washington political circles"..."it might become dangerous to this political work if hostile circles in America should obtain knowledge of my sister's work." He requested she be released from her European duties and returned to America to serve "in other fields of activity." Browder's request was followed in short order by a classified letter from Dimitrov to "Comrade Yezhov," ( Nikolai Yezhov, then head of the NKVD) requesting Marguerite Browder's transfer.
Browder's niece, Helen Lowry, (aka Elza Akhmerova, also Elsa Akhmerova) worked with Iskhak Akhmerov, a Soviet NKVD espionage controller from 1936 - 1939 under the code name ADA (later changed to ELZA)). In 1939, Helen Lowry married Akhmerov. Lowry was named by Soviet intelligence agent Elizabeth Bentley as one of her contacts; she and Akhmerov and their actions on behalf of Soviet intelligence are referenced in several Venona project decryptions as well as Soviet KGB archives.
It was good that his sister got out when she did. Stalin decided to execute all the heads of Soviet intelligence in Europe and Asia before he made peace and allied with Hitler. Members of spy rings and members of Communist Parties would follow orders to praise Hitler and his “new form of socialism”, but heads of Intel might be shocked and question the alliance. It was easier to call them back to Moscow and execute them. Richard Sorge realized he would be murdered if he went back and came up with the excuse he was waiting for reports on Japan in Mongolia. He wasn’t, but the ruse worked and kept him alive.
The Germans had pleaded for Japan to attack Russia, which was not ready to fight off an attack and the Japanese saw Russia as their natural enemy. They had fought before. Sorge’s spy ring had members who met with the Japanese military and heads of state and they began pushing for Japan to attack Pearl Harbor instead. This is how they did it:
Sorge received intelligence that Germany had tricked Stalin and was going to attack Russia. Stalin was outraged. No one could deceive him.
Inaction by Stalin would lead to Sorge being caught and executed in Japan. He was arrested before Pearl Harbor and Stalin abandoned him. Yet his worldwide spy ring which Joe McCarthy never knew the extent of would survive his death and even promote a U.S. Vice President to run for President. Henry Wallace would urge America to have Stalin type show trials of Republicans accusing them of treason for being against the use of atomic bombs. The shadow of Sorge would manipulate the world for years after his execution. His spy ring based from Communist Parties worldwide would last until the Soviet Union fell.
Pro-Soviet propaganda flowed uncensored into the U.S. the duration of the war because they were our allies (the same way Pakistan where Osama bin Laden was hidden was our "ally"), which led to many college students to incorporate Soviet ideals into their thinking. What had started in the 1930's with spies infiltrating our government became a tidal wave. Time bombs were being set to explode in our face for decades to come.
Behind the paywall: The 2003 Japanese film Spy Sorge, directed by Masahiro Shinoda, details his exploits in Shanghai and in Japan. In the film, he is portrayed by the Scottish actor Iain Glen. The film won multiple awards at the Japanese version of the Oscars. No American studio would touch the film with a ten foot pole.
Best Art Direction for Hajime Oikawa at the Awards of the Japanese Academy in 2004
Also nominated at the same awards in the following categories:
Best Cinematography for Tatsuo Suzuki
Best Director for Masahiro Shinoda
Best Editing for Hiroshi Okuda
Best Film
Best Lighting for Hideshi Mikami
Best Music Score for Shin’ichirō Ikebe
Best Screenplay for Masahiro Shinoda and Robert Mandy
Best Sound for Tetsuo Segawa
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