Red Three (espionage)

The Red Three (German: Rote Drei) was the Switzerland section of the so-called Red Orchestra (code name: Foreign Excellent Raincoat Company), the espionage network of the Soviet Union in Western Europe, from 1930 until the end of World War II. It was established and maintained by Soviet Military Intelligence Staff Division 4.[1][2]

Organisation structure

Soviet espionage network "Red Orchestra"
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Director MOSCOW (GRU, div. 4)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Switzerland
 
 
Red Three
(Alexander Rado)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Rachel-
Dübendorfer-
Group
 
 
George-
Blun-
Group
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Otto-Pünter-
Group

Name history, and activities

The terms Red Three, and Red Orchestra respectively, were coined by the Reichssicherheitshauptamt (RSHA), the counter-espionage arm of the SS. As essential part of the Red Orchestra, the Red Three (radio stations) (de: die Roten Drei (Funkstellen)) were outside the reach of German security forces, located in Switzerland. It was headed by Alexander Radó (code name: DORA), a Hungarian émigré, Communist, and geographer. The Red Three was founded in 1936, when Radó arrived in Geneva. By April 1942, the organization had been established with Radó as group leader, and also had three subgroup leaders: Rachel Dübendorfer (code name: SISSY), George Blun (code name: LONG), and Otto Pünter (code name: PAKBO).

After the imprisonment of Leopold Trepper (code name: GRAND CHEF) by the Gestapo in 1942, Radó's group became the most effective part of the Red Orchestra espionage network. It collected useful information in Switzerland and had some contacts inside Germany. Perhaps most importantly, Radó was also in touch with the Lucy spy ring, which had very valuable contacts inside Germany, and was linked to British intelligence. Some people have speculated that the Lucy ring was used by British intelligence to pass Ultra information to Soviet intelligence without revealing the codebreaking operation that was its source, but most historians do not agree with this theory.[3]

In 1944–1945, Radó was recalled to the USSR and charged with spying for Britain and the U.S. He was imprisoned for eight years, but was released and rehabilitated after Stalin's death.

See also

References

  1. ↑ The Ultimate Spy Book, by Dorling Kindersley Ltd., London), The world of secret services, H. Keith Melton; ISBN 3-453-11480-9; p. 38 „The Red Orchestra“; Switzerland, Red Three.
  2. ↑ = C3 espionage network, spy rings, in NATO terminology.
  3. ↑ "The Lucy Spy Ring". spymuseum.com.
  • Trepper, Leopold (1977). The Great Game McGraw–Hill, Inc. ISBN 0-07-065146-9
  • Brysac, Shareen Blair (2000) Resisting Hitler: Mildred Harnack and the Red Orchestra Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-513269-6
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