Carl Jacob Karsten Petersén (18 April 1883 – 14 April 1963) was a Swedish Army officer. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

he served as head of the intelligence agency C-byrån. He later served as Secretary General of the

International Road Transport Union The International Road Transport Union (IRU) is the global road transport organization, which upholds the interests of bus, coach, taxi and truck operators to ensure economic growth and prosperity via the sustainable mobility of people and good ...

Early life

Petersén was born on 18 April 1883 in Stockholm, Sweden, the son of deputy assistant Carl Petersén and Ingeborg Tanberg. He passed ''

studentexamen Studentexamen (Swedish for "students' examination" or "students' degree"), earlier also ''mogenhetsexamen'' ("maturity examination") was the name of the university A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and r ...

'' at in Bromma in 1901.

Career

He became a second lieutenant in the

Uppland Artillery Regiment Uppland Artillery Regiment ( sv, Upplands artilleriregemente), designation A 5, was a Swedish Army artillery unit which operated between 1894 and 1927. The unit was based in Uppsala Garrison in Uppsala, Sweden. History Uppland Artillery Regiment ...

(A 5) in 1903 and was promoted to lieutenant in 1906. He attended the Royal Central Gymnastics Institute in 1907. Petersén was major and instructor in the

Persian Gendarmerie The Iranian Gendarmerie, also called the Government Gendarmerie ( fa, ژاندارمری دولتی, Žāndārmirī-ye Daulatī), was the first rural police force, and subsequent modern highway patrol, in Iran. A paramilitary force, it also playe ...

from 1911 to 1913 and participated in the Gallipoli Campaign in 1915. The same year he was promoted to captain in the Swedish Army and did the certificate exams for

balloon A balloon is a flexible bag that can be inflated with a gas, such as helium, hydrogen, nitrous oxide, oxygen, and air. For special tasks, balloons can be filled with smoke, liquid water, granular media (e.g. sand, flour or rice), or light so ...

license. Petersén participated in the

Finnish Civil War The Finnish Civil War; . Other designations: Brethren War, Citizen War, Class War, Freedom War, Red Rebellion and Revolution, . According to 1,005 interviews done by the newspaper ''Aamulehti'', the most popular names were as follows: Civil W ...

in 1918 as a lieutenant colonel in the White Guard. He was then attaché in

Warsaw Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officia ...

from 1919 to 1920, was in the Commission Concerning the Exchange of Greek and Turkish Populations from 1923 to 1925, the Bulgarian Refugee Commission from 1926 to 1928, in Syria in 1929 and the

League of Nations The League of Nations (french: link=no, Société des Nations ) was the first worldwide intergovernmental organisation whose principal mission was to maintain world peace. It was founded on 10 January 1920 by the Paris Peace Conference that ...

border control commission in Syria and Iran in 1932. In 1932, Petersén was promoted to major in the Swedish Army. He was Head of Department at the

International Red Cross The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC; french: Comité international de la Croix-Rouge) is a humanitarian organization which is based in Geneva, Switzerland, and it is also a three-time Nobel Prize Laureate. State parties (signato ...

in Paris from 1921 to 1937, the general secretary of the Royal Swedish Aero Club from 1937 to 1939 and was legation counsellor in

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and List of cities in Germany by population, largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European Union by population within ci ...

and worked at the B Department of the

Ministry for Foreign Affairs In many countries, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is the government department responsible for the state's diplomacy, bilateral, and multilateral relations affairs as well as for providing support for a country's citizens who are abroad. The entit ...

from 1939 to 1940. Petersén was head of the intelligence agency C-byrån from 1940 to 1946. In 1944, he led the Swedish side of the

Operation Stella Polaris Operation Stella Polaris was the cover name for an operation in which Finnish signals intelligence records, equipment and personnel were transported into Sweden in late September 1944 after the end of combat on the Finnish-Soviet front in the Se ...

. During the war, Petersén and his colleague Algot Törneman had organised private arms trades. They had sold weapons via a private firm, Skandiastål, to the

Norwegian Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to: *Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe * Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway * Demographics of Norway *The Norwegian language, including ...

and Danish resistance movements. After the war Petersén moved to Switzerland where he continued to represent the weapons firm Skandiastål. He became a major in the reserve of

Bergslagen Artillery Regiment The Bergslagen Artillery Regiment ( sv, Bergslagens artilleriregemente), designation A 9, is a Swedish Army artillery unit which has operated in various forms from 1943 to 2000 and again from 4 December 2022 after the Swedish government decided ...

in 1945 and a lieutenant colonel in 1947. Petersén later served as secretary general of the

Geneva , neighboring_municipalities= Carouge, Chêne-Bougeries, Cologny, Lancy, Grand-Saconnex, Pregny-Chambésy, Vernier, Veyrier , website = https://www.geneve.ch/ Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevr ...

Personal life

Petersén got engaged to Esther Warodell (1886–1978) on 23 August 1909 and they married on 22 February 1910. Esther was the daughter of Oscar Andrén (1858–1918) and his wife Ellen Andersson (1863–1952). Esther was adopted by her stepfather Carl Warodell (1847–1902), a captain of the Göte Life Guards. One daughter was born in

Tehran Tehran (; fa, تهران ) is the largest city in Tehran Province and the capital of Iran. With a population of around 9 million in the city and around 16 million in the larger metropolitan area of Greater Tehran, Tehran is the most popul ...

, Iran on 19 October 1912. They also had on son, ambassador (1914–1976). He had a total of four children: Carl Henrik, Ingeborg, Rurik and Kerstin.

Death

Petersén died on 14 April 1963 in

, Switzerland. He was interred on 27 June 1963 at

Norra begravningsplatsen Norra begravningsplatsen, literally "The Northern Cemetery" in Swedish, is a major cemetery of the Stockholm urban area, located in Solna Municipality. Inaugurated on 9 June 1827, it is the burial site for a number of Swedish notables. Notabl ...

i Stockholm.

Dates of rank

Sweden

*1903 – ''

Underlöjtnant ''Underlöjtnant'' (from the German word ''Unterleutnant'') was the lowest officer rank in the Swedish Army from 1835 to 1937 instead of the previous ranks of ''fänrik'' and cornet. was reintroduced in 1914 with the same position as , from 192 ...

'' *1906 –

Lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often ...

*1916 – Captain *1932 – Major *1947 – Lieutenant colonel

Finland

*1918 – Lieutenant colonel

Awards and decorations

Swedish

Knight of the

Order of the Sword The Royal Order of the Sword (officially: ''Royal Order of the Sword''; Swedish: ''Kungliga Svärdsorden'') is a Swedish order of chivalry and military decoration created by King Frederick I of Sweden on February 23, 1748, together with the ...

(1925) *

Order of the Polar Star - Ribbon bar, pre 1975

Knight of the

Order of the Polar Star The Royal Order of the Polar Star ( Swedish: ''Kungliga Nordstjärneorden'') is a Swedish order of chivalry created by King Frederick I on 23 February 1748, together with the Order of the Sword and the Order of the Seraphim. The Order of t ...

(1937) *

Swedish Red Cross The Swedish Red Cross ( Swedish: ''Svenska Röda Korset'') is a Swedish humanitarian organisation and a member of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is a humanitarian m ...

' Silver Medal

Foreign

Orders

Commander of the Order of Saint Alexander with swords * FIN Order of the White Rose Commander BAR

Commander of the

Order of the White Rose of Finland The Order of the White Rose of Finland ( fi, Suomen Valkoisen Ruusun ritarikunta; sv, Finlands Vita Ros’ orden) is one of three official orders in Finland, along with the Order of the Cross of Liberty, and the Order of the Lion of Finland. ...

LVA Order of the Three Stars - Commander BAR

Commander of the

Order of the Three Stars Order of the Three Stars ( lv, Triju Zvaigžņu ordenis) is the highest civilian order awarded for meritorious service to Latvia Latvia ( or ; lv, Latvija ; ltg, Latveja; liv, Leţmō), officially the Republic of Latvia ( lv, Latvija ...

Commander of the Order of the Dannebrog * Order of the British Empire (Military) Ribbon

Commander of the

Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

Officer of the

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon ...

Order of the Lion and the Sun Ribbon Bar - Imperial Iran

2nd Class of the

Order of the Lion and the Sun The Imperial Order of the Lion and the Sun ( Persian: نشان سلطنتی شیر و خورشید) was instituted by Fat’h Ali Shah of the Qajar dynasty in 1808 to honour foreign officials (later extended to Iranians) who had rendered disting ...

2nd of the

Order of the Cross of Liberty The Order of the Cross of Liberty ( fi, Vapaudenristin ritarikunta; sv, Frihetskorsets orden) is one of three official state orders in Finland, along with the Order of the White Rose of Finland and the Order of the Lion of Finland. Organisation ...

with swords * JPN Hokan-sho blank BAR

3rd Class of the

with swords * POL Polonia Restituta Kawalerski BAR

Knight 2nd Class of the

Order of Polonia Restituta The Order of Polonia Restituta ( pl, Order Odrodzenia Polski, en, Order of Restored Poland) is a Polish state order established 4 February 1921. It is conferred on both military and civilians as well as on foreigners for outstanding achievement ...

Officer of the ''de l'Instruction publique'' * EST Order of the Cross of the Eagle 4th Class BAR

Knight 4th Class of the

Order of the Cross of the Eagle The Order of the Cross of the Eagle ( et, Kotkaristi teenetemärk; french: Ordre de la Croix de l'Aigle) was instituted in 1928 by the Estonian Defence League to commemorate the tenth anniversary of Estonian independence. It was adopted as a st ...

Medals and crosses

Liakat Medal The Liakat Medal ( tr, Liyakat Madalyasi) translated as "Medal of Merit," was a decoration of the Ottoman Empire established in 1890. It could be awarded in two classes, gold or silver. The medal was a common military decoration of the late Ottoma ...

King Haakon VII Freedom Cross King Haakon VII's Freedom Cross ( no, Haakon VIIs Frihetskors) was established in Norway on 18 May 1945. The medal is awarded to Norwegian or foreign military or civilian personnel for outstanding achievement in wartime. It is ranked fifth in the ...

Military Cross The Military Cross (MC) is the third-level (second-level pre-1993) military decoration awarded to officers and (since 1993) other ranks of the British Armed Forces, and formerly awarded to officers of other Commonwealth countries. The MC ...

* Finnish War Memorial Medal * Tampere Medal * Iranian Gold Medal *

French Red Cross The French Red Cross (french: Croix-Rouge française), or the CRF, is the national Red Cross Society in France founded in 1864 and originally known as the ''Société française de secours aux blessés militaires'' (SSBM). Recognized as a public ...

' Silver Medal *

Italian Red Cross The Italian Red Cross (IRC, it, Croce Rossa Italiana or ''CRI'') is the Italian national Red Cross The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is a humanitarian movement with approximately 97 million volunteers, members and staff w ...

' Silver Medal *

Polish Red Cross Polish Red Cross ( pl, Polski Czerwony Krzyż, abbr. PCK) is the Polish member of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. Its 19th-century roots may be found in the Russian and Austrian Partitions of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwe ...

' Medal * Netherlands Red Cross' Cross of Merit *

Norwegian Red Cross The Norwegian Red Cross (''Norges Røde Kors'') was founded on 22 September 1865 by prime minister Frederik Stang. In 1895 the Norwegian Red Cross began educating nurses, and in 1907 the Norwegian Ministry of Defence authorized the organization f ...

Badge of Honour * 2nd Class of the

German Red Cross The German Red Cross (german: Deutsches Rotes Kreuz ; DRK) is the national Red Cross Society in Germany. With 4 million members, it is the third largest Red Cross society in the world. The German Red Cross offers a wide range of services withi ...

Badge of Honour

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Petersen, Carl 1883 births 1963 deaths Swedish Army colonels Swedish expatriates in Iran Military personnel from Stockholm People of the Finnish Civil War (White side) Knights of the Order of the Polar Star Knights of the Order of the Sword Commanders of the Order of the Dannebrog Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Officiers of the Légion d'honneur Recipients of the Order of the Cross of Liberty, 2nd Class Recipients of the Order of the Cross of Liberty, 3rd Class Knights of the Order of Polonia Restituta Recipients of the Liakat Medal Recipients of the King Haakon VII Freedom Cross Burials at Norra begravningsplatsen People of the C-byrån Iranian Gendarmerie personnel Swedish expatriates in Finland