Countless films have been shot about the most mysterious and secret profession, thousands of art and journalistic books have been written. But we know very little about the people living among us and about their activities.
But time passes, secret archives are declassified, and people from a mysterious profession come out of the shadow of the past. And here we have the most famous scouts in the history of espionage.
1
Richard Sorge
Let's start with a legendary man named Richard Sorge. Perhaps, many experts and historians agree that this is the most famous Soviet intelligence officer, and his information significantly influenced the course of history.
On the eve of World War II, he was and worked in Japan, and it was Sorge who transmitted information to Moscow about the exact date of the German attack on the USSR. In 1941, he was declassified by the Japanese secret police and after lengthy proceedings was sentenced to death.
He was executed in 1944, and twenty years later, the Motherland recognized her scout, and Sorge was awarded the Star of a Hero of the Soviet Union.
2
Robert Hanssen
Since 1979, an FBI officer has acted in the interests of the USSR, and after the events that resulted in the Union disintegrating, continue to transmit information to Russia, but only began to transmit information in 1985.
After the disclosure, US intelligence agencies managed to prove only 13 episodes of Robert's espionage in favor of the Soviet state. Hanssen, on the advice of his lawyer, went to cooperate with the investigation and pleaded guilty, which allowed him to avoid the death penalty.
An interesting fact is that while working for the USSR, he earned $ 1 million, the same amount he received during this period and at his main job at the FBI.
3
Mata Hari
The real name of this woman is Margaret Gertrude Seele and she was born in Holland. The performer of exotic dances, a courtesan, did not hesitate to act naked, and most importantly, using the talent of the actress and female charm, she easily joined the high society and began to communicate with influential politicians and the military.
The First World War began and Mata Hari became the ideal person for collecting classified information. It is believed that she was a double agent, but France still does not recognize that she acted in the interests of French intelligence.
She was arrested in Paris in February 1917 and was shot in October of the same year on charges of spying for Germany.
4
Bellie boyd
Isabella Maria Boyd is another woman who went down in history as an agent who worked for the Confederate army during the US Civil War.
A seventeen-year-old girl became a scout by accident, having killed a soldier of the Northern Army, who broke into their house and insulted his mother. Belli was taken into custody, but acquitted.
Once in the occupied territory, she began to actively communicate with the military of the North Army, collecting information. With a messenger, she sent letters directly to General Jeb Stewart.
She was arrested twice, but released, and Isabella died of typhus at the age of fifty-six.
5
Kim philby
One of the main chiefs of British intelligence, a communist and the son of a well-known world-famous scientist, the famous Kim Philby since 1933 was an agent of the Soviet state.
And Kim was born in India, received an excellent education and began to engage in anti-fascist activities. Perhaps this was the main motivation for cooperation with the USSR.
After the war, he worked closely with US officials. And thanks to his activities, many special operations against the Soviet state were prevented. Kim died in 1988 in the capital of Russia. Among the awards of Philby is the honorary title of Hero of the Soviet Union.
6
Anthony Blunt
The British art historian and historian Blunt was a member of the recently declassified Cambridge Five, and from 1937 to 1951 he worked as an informant of Soviet intelligence.
The world only found out about his secret activities in 1979, although the British authorities had received this information earlier. But in exchange for collaborating with MI5, Anthony received immunity.
During the Second World War, he conveyed to the USSR valuable information about the plans of the Wehrmacht, which the British authorities tried to hide from an ally.
After confessing about his secret life and work for the USSR, Blunt was fired, and Elizabeth deprived him of a knighthood.
7
Christopher Boyce
A US citizen actively opposed his country's war in Vietnam. This was the main motivating factor in the beginning of Christopher's work on the Soviet intelligence agencies.
An informant agent transmitted valuable information about satellites, receiving most of the information at work, which his father, an aerospace security officer, arranged for him.
The Falcon, such was Christopher's call sign, was arrested in 1977 and sentenced to 40 years in prison. Once he managed to escape, and he was already preparing for a secret move to the USSR, but was again detained by special services.
After serving 24 years, Christopher was released ahead of schedule in 2002.
8
Aldrich Ames
Occupying a high post in the Central Intelligence Agency, Aldrich for ten years passed important information to the Soviet services. Thanks to his work in the USSR, a whole network of CIA agents was discovered who worked in the ranks of the KGB and the Intelligence Directorate.
In 1994, it was discovered, and a big political scandal erupted in the United States. Ems was fired, and the court sentenced him to life imprisonment, which he is serving now.
It is interesting that Aldrich decided to work as a fashion agent because of a lack of money, considering that selling secret information is quite profitable.
9
Klaus Fuchs
A native of Germany, from the beginning of the thirties he became a member of the Communist Party and an active anti-fascist. After Hitler came to power, he was forced to flee to England.
The best theoretical physicist of his time worked on the creation of the atomic bomb, and for ideological reasons and political views began to transmit information to the USSR. Some information about working with uranium was received from Klaus and US intelligence agencies.
For espionage, British authorities sentenced Fuchs to 14 years in prison, of which he served nine. He returned to the GDR and lived in this country until his death.
10
Conon Young
The Soviet cadre intelligence officer who was illegal as a child traveled a lot around the world. After the death of his father he moved to the United States, where he lived with his aunt. Then he returned to the Soviet Union and after participating in the Great Patriotic War, he entered the Academy of Foreign Trade.
Undercover and with a new name, Gordon Lonsdale worked in Canada, the USA and the UK, collecting critical information about bacteriological weapons projects.
The activities of Konon Trofimovich allowed his homeland to save a lot of money, and after the failure, his involvement in espionage activities did not prove.
11
Julius and Ethel Rosenberg
Of course, it is necessary to mention the couple, who for many years passed information in the field of radio electronics and military technology. They were arrested and executed for espionage in 1953.
Julius and Ethel were communists and worked more for ideological reasons, rather than for monetary rewards. Their group also included brother Ethel and his wife Ruth.
And today, information about the military secrets of America given to this Rosenberg couple remains closed. But experts acknowledge that their activities had a significant impact on the development of domestic radio electronics.
12
Sydney Railay
A more adventurous and smart spy in history still needs to be looked for, because it was not for nothing that he became the prototype of the famous movie hero James Bond. And Rozemblum (real name) was born in Odessa and told many facts of his biography himself.
At the end of the XIX century, having moved to America, and then to Europe, he took a new name for himself and began to work in favor of the British special services. Having moved to Petrograd, his main goal of his activity was the struggle against the Bolsheviks.
Working undercover, he created a whole espionage network, and even helped A. Kerensky escape from the RSFSR. In 1925 he was arrested and shot.
13
Elizabeth Bentley
This woman’s espionage passions are full of drama and curious twists. Started working in a fascist organization, but then Elizabeth moved to the position of the Communists.
Her agent nicknames “Fox” and “Mirana” fully met adventurous and risky nature. In 1945, she requested meetings with the head of the FBI, Hoover, and turned in all Soviet agents.
Many note that it was after this transition to FBI service in America that the witch hunt campaign began, a well-known persecution of the Communists.
14
Rudolph Abel
The real name and surname of this man is William Genrikhovich Fisher, and his parents were Russian revolutionaries whom the tsarist authorities expelled from the Russian Empire at the beginning of the 20th century.
After the victory of the revolution, the Fischers returned to their homeland, but did not renounce British citizenship. Rudolph worked in many countries of Europe, where he installed secret radio points. During the war years, he trained radio operators for partisan groups that operated in the territories occupied by the Nazis.
He was arrested by the Americans and sentenced to 32 years in prison, but the Soviet authorities exchanged Abel for a pilot. A reconnaissance aircraft shot down over the Urals.
15
Anna Chapman
We conclude with fighters of our time. A talented and beautiful woman today successfully and well works as a TV presenter. And before that, she was a Russian undercover agent in the United States.
But Anna was declassified and deported from the North American continent, although many express doubts about her connection with the Russian special services.
But be that as it may, the Americans found enough reason to expel and no longer let the girl into their country, and now she is involved in various television and political projects in her homeland. According to TheBiggest.ru, her exposure is more a failure than a victory, but nevertheless, the girl gained fame and popularity, which apparently she also likes.
Conclusion
As a child, you always wonder: spy or scout? Both teachers and adults explained that working for the good of your Fatherland is a scout, and an agent of an enemy state is a spy.
But there were double and triple agents, and some are not declassified today, and continue their invisible activities on the invisible front. But from time to time, more and more new names appear from the folders labeled “Top Secret”.
TheBiggest.ru editors are asking you to write in the comments on this article about what other well-known scouts should be on our list.
Article author: Valery Skiba