Henry Robinson (8 May 1897 – 1944), sometimes known as Henri Robinson, was a Belgian Communist and later intelligence agent of the
Communist International
The Communist International (Comintern), also known as the Third International, was a Soviet-controlled international organization founded in 1919 that advocated world communism. The Comintern resolved at its Second Congress to "struggle by a ...
(Comintern). Robinson was a leading member of the Red Orchestra in Paris. Robinson used a number of code names(Andre, Lucien, Leo, Giocomo) and aliases (Otto Wehrli, Albert Gottlieb Bucher, Alfred Merian, Harry Leon, Alfree Duyen, Harry Merian)
Life
![Robinson_Group](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/23/Robinson_Group.png)
Born in Brussels, Robinson grew up in Belgium and was the child of David Robinson (born in
Vilna Governorate
The Vilna Governorate (1795–1915; also known as Lithuania-Vilnius Governorate from 1801 until 1840; russian: Виленская губерния, ''Vilenskaya guberniya'', lt, Vilniaus gubernija, pl, gubernia wileńska) or Government of V ...
) and Anna Cerhannovsky (born in Warsaw).
During
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, he studied in Geneva.
After the war, Robinson was associated with German communist
Willi Münzenberg
Wilhelm "Willi" Münzenberg (14 August 1889, Erfurt, Germany – June 1940, Saint-Marcellin, France) was a German Communist political activist and publisher. Münzenberg was the first head of the Young Communist International in 1919–20 and est ...
and Swiss communist
Jules Humbert-Droz
Jules-Frédéric Humbert-Droz (23 September 1891, La Chaux-de-Fonds – 16 October 1971) was a Swiss pastor, journalist, Socialist and Communist. A founding member of the Communist Party of Switzerland, he held high Comintern office through the 192 ...
in the
Young Communist International
The Young Communist International was the parallel international youth organization affiliated with the Communist International (Comintern).
History
International socialist youth organization before World War I
After failed efforts to form an i ...
,
In 1923, Robinson was in charge of the AM-Apparat for military and political work in the
Rhineland
The Rhineland (german: Rheinland; french: Rhénanie; nl, Rijnland; ksh, Rhingland; Latinised name: ''Rhenania'') is a loosely defined area of Western Germany along the Rhine, chiefly its middle section.
Term
Historically, the Rhinelands ...
and was Political Director of the
Young Communist League of Germany
The Young Communist League of Germany (, abbreviated KJVD) was a political youth organization in Germany.
History
The KJVD was formed in 1920 from the Free Socialist Youth () of the Communist Party of Germany, A prior youth wing had been forme ...
's
Ruhr
The Ruhr ( ; german: Ruhrgebiet , also ''Ruhrpott'' ), also referred to as the Ruhr area, sometimes Ruhr district, Ruhr region, or Ruhr valley, is a polycentric urban area in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. With a population density of 2,800/km ...
district and attended conferences in Berlin, where he met his partner
Klara Schabbel He took part in the fighting against the
occupation of the Rhine and Ruhr area by French troops. Robinson became a member of the
Communist Party of Germany
The Communist Party of Germany (german: Kommunistische Partei Deutschlands, , KPD ) was a major political party in the Weimar Republic between 1918 and 1933, an underground resistance movement in Nazi Germany, and a minor party in West German ...
(KPD) and made several visits to the Soviet Union with Schabbel.
In 1924, Robinson was director of the AM-Apparat for
Central
Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object.
Central may also refer to:
Directions and generalised locations
* Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known as ...
and
Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe is a subregion of the Europe, European continent. As a largely ambiguous term, it has a wide range of geopolitical, geographical, ethnic, cultural, and socio-economic connotations. The vast majority of the region is covered by Russ ...
.
In 1924, Robinson published a leaflet, under a pseudonym,''Harry'', along with
Grigoriy Zinoviev
Grigory Yevseyevich Zinoviev, . Transliterated ''Grigorii Evseevich Zinov'ev'' according to the Library of Congress system. (born Hirsch Apfelbaum, – 25 August 1936), known also under the name Ovsei-Gershon Aronovich Radomyslsky (russian: Ов ...
, director of Comintern, titled: ''L'I.C.J. en luttle contre l'occupation de la Ruhr et la guerre'' ('' The I.C.J. fights against the occupation of the Ruhr and the war'').
Between 1928 and 1930, Robinson assisted General Muraille, Chief of Soviet espionage in France.
From about 1930, both worked for the intelligence service of the Comintern, which later merged with the Red Army's
GRU
The Main Directorate of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, rus, Гла́вное управле́ние Генера́льного шта́ба Вооружённых сил Росси́йской Федера́ци ...
intelligence service, and the
Young Communist International
The Young Communist International was the parallel international youth organization affiliated with the Communist International (Comintern).
History
International socialist youth organization before World War I
After failed efforts to form an i ...
. Robinson became the section leader for Switzerland, France, and Great Britain. Schabbel maintained links to Berlin and, through the Soviet commercial agency there, provided communications to Moscow until June 1941.
In 1936, Robinson moved to Paris, where he worked with the Soviet Military attaché at the Soviet embassy.
While he was there, he was in contact with
Maria Josefovna Poliakova and
Rachel Dübendorfer in Geneva, Switzerland
where he liaised between groups in France, Switzerland and the Great Britain.
During the period he was in Paris, another agent, who was not identified was running his own espionage network in France and the United Kingdom.
British intelligence gave the unknown agent the moniker ''HARRY II''.
HARRY II was responsible for an agent in Great Britain, known as
Ernst David Weiss who had been recruited in 1932.
In May 1936, HARRY II introduced Weiss to two other Soviet agents who worked at the
Royal Aircraft Establishment
The Royal Aircraft Establishment (RAE) was a British research establishment, known by several different names during its history, that eventually came under the aegis of the Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom), UK Ministry of Defence (MoD), bef ...
in
Farnborough Farnborough may refer to:
Australia
* Farnborough, Queensland, a locality in the Shire of Livingstone
United Kingdom
* Farnborough, Hampshire, a town in the Rushmoor district of Hampshire, England
** Farnborough (Main) railway station, a railw ...
,
Hampshire
Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants) is a ceremonial county, ceremonial and non-metropolitan county, non-metropolitan counties of England, county in western South East England on the coast of the English Channel. Home to two major English citi ...
.
In the same period, HARRY II introduced Weiss to
Germaine Schneider a courier for the Soviet espionage network run by
Leopold Trepper
Leopold Zakharovich Trepper (23 February 1904 – 10 January 1982) was a Polish Communist and career Soviet agent of the Red Army Intelligence. With the code name Otto'','' Trepper had worked with the Red Army since 1930. He was also a resistance ...
in France, Belgium and the Low Countries.
In 1937, the unknown agent Harry II handed his espionage network in the Great Britain over to Robinson.
Robinson arranged with Weiss to meet him in
Jersey
Jersey ( , ; nrf, Jèrri, label=Jèrriais ), officially the Bailiwick of Jersey (french: Bailliage de Jersey, links=no; Jèrriais: ), is an island country and self-governing Crown Dependencies, Crown Dependency near the coast of north-west F ...
.
During 1938 Robinson visited the Great Britain several times to meet other agents. He also visited Belgium and Switzerland for the same purpose during 1938.
From 1940, Robinson had been promoted to head of the AM Apparat for Western Europe.
Robinson ran an espionage network, known as group ''Harry'', whose remit was to collect intelligence from French military and political groups, from within the
Deuxième Bureau
The Deuxième Bureau de l'État-major général ("Second Bureau of the General Staff") was France's external military intelligence agency from 1871 to 1940. It was dissolved together with the Third Republic upon the armistice with Germany. Howeve ...
and within
Vichy
Vichy (, ; ; oc, Vichèi, link=no, ) is a city in the Allier Departments of France, department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of central France, in the historic province of Bourbonnais.
It is a Spa town, spa and resort town and in World ...
intelligence, from the Central Committee of the
French Communist Party
The French Communist Party (french: Parti communiste français, ''PCF'' ; ) is a political party in France which advocates the principles of communism. The PCF is a member of the Party of the European Left, and its MEPs sit in the European Unit ...
, from
Gaullist groups and from UK groups.
Trepper network
In September 1941, Robinson met with Soviet
Red Army Intelligence agent,
Leopold Trepper
Leopold Zakharovich Trepper (23 February 1904 – 10 January 1982) was a Polish Communist and career Soviet agent of the Red Army Intelligence. With the code name Otto'','' Trepper had worked with the Red Army since 1930. He was also a resistance ...
, who at the time was technical director of Soviet Red Army Intelligence in western Europe.
Trepper had been ordered to take over command of Robinson's espionage network.
There was an intense dislike between the two men due to Robinson being forced to hand over his network to Trepper when he arrived in France, even though Robinson was senior to Trepper. The Comintern organisation had lost prestige with Stalin who suspected it of deviating from Communist norms and Robinson was suspected of being an agent of the Deuxième Bureau and who was subsequently in ideological conflict with the aims of Soviet intelligence. This changeover had been facilitated in a meeting organised by General
Ivan Susloparov. The group provided Trepper with intelligence on General
Henri Giraud
Henri Honoré Giraud (18 January 1879 – 11 March 1949) was a French general and a leader of the Free French Forces during the Second World War until he was forced to retire in 1944.
Born to an Alsatian family in Paris, Giraud graduated from ...
, the
Dieppe Raid
Operation Jubilee or the Dieppe Raid (19 August 1942) was an Allied amphibious attack on the German-occupied port of Dieppe in northern France, during the Second World War. Over 6,050 infantry, predominantly Canadian, supported by a regiment o ...
, coverage of Allied bombings in France and planning for
Operation Torch
Operation Torch (8 November 1942 – Run for Tunis, 16 November 1942) was an Allies of World War II, Allied invasion of French North Africa during the Second World War. Torch was a compromise operation that met the British objective of secu ...
.
Arrest
In December 1942 Robinson was arrested in Paris by the
Sonderkommando Rote Kapelle
Sonderkommando Rote Kapelle was a German special commission that was created by German High Command in November 1942, in response to the capture of two leading members of a Soviet espionage group that operated in Europe, that was called the Red ...
. According to British records, the
RSHA
The Reich Security Main Office (german: Reichssicherheitshauptamt or RSHA) was an organization under Heinrich Himmler in his dual capacity as ''Chef der Deutschen Polizei'' (Chief of German Police) and ''Reichsführer-SS'', the head of the Nazi ...
had become aware of Robinson from information obtained from
Leopold Trepper
Leopold Zakharovich Trepper (23 February 1904 – 10 January 1982) was a Polish Communist and career Soviet agent of the Red Army Intelligence. With the code name Otto'','' Trepper had worked with the Red Army since 1930. He was also a resistance ...
, whom they had previously arrested. According to
Horst Kopkow Horst Kopkow (29 November 1910, Ortelsburg, East Prussia, Germany (now Szczytno, Poland) – 13 October 1996, Gelsenkirchen, Germany) was a Nazi German SS major who worked for German Security police and, after the war, was concealed by Briti ...
of
Reich Security Main Office
The Reich Security Main Office (german: Reichssicherheitshauptamt or RSHA) was an organization under Heinrich Himmler in his dual capacity as ''Chef der Deutschen Polizei'' (Chief of German Police) and ''Reichsführer-SS'', the head of the Nazi ...
AMT IV A2, Robinson was held in custody in France, where he was repeatedly tortured, before being brought to the
Moabit
Moabit () is an inner city locality in the borough of Mitte, Berlin, Germany. As of 2016, around 77,000 people lived in Moabit. First inhabited in 1685 and incorporated into Berlin in 1861, the former industrial and working-class neighbourhood i ...
detention centre in Germany to stand trial by General Judge of the
Luftwaffe
The ''Luftwaffe'' () was the aerial-warfare branch of the German ''Wehrmacht'' before and during World War II. Germany's military air arms during World War I, the ''Luftstreitkräfte'' of the Imperial Army and the '' Marine-Fliegerabtei ...
Manfred Roeder
Manfred Roeder (6 February 1929 – 30 July 2014) was a German lawyer and Neo-Nazi terrorist. Roeder was a prominent Holocaust denier. He has also been described as an early representative of the ''Reichsbürger'' movement.
Life
Born in Berl ...
at the same time as
Harro Schulze-Boysen
Heinz Harro Max Wilhelm Georg Schulze-Boysen (; Schulze, 2 September 1909 – 22 December 1942) was a left-wing German publicist and Luftwaffe officer during World War II. As a young man, Schulze-Boysen grew up in prosperous family with two sibli ...
.
At the time of his arrest, four false passports were found in the possession of Robinson, as well as the famous ''Robinson Papers''.
Robinson papers
The Robinson papers were over 800 papers contained in briefcases, that were found underneath the floorboards of a hotel room that Robinson had regularly used.
The originals had been lost but photostats had survived and these were sent by Abwehr IIF in France to Abwehrstelle Belgium, where they were captured during the British advance.
In 1966, British intelligence comment:
:''the Robinson papers, apart from
rnest DavidWeiss, did not give any positive lead to spies in the UK. They do, indicate that Robinson played an important part in running Russian operations in the UK in the 1930s and it seems... ''
Many of the code names in the documents have never been identified.
References
Further reading
* Gilles Perrault, ''Auf den Spuren der Roten Kapelle'' (In the footsteps of the Red Orchestra). Vienna: Europaverlag, 1994, .
{{DEFAULTSORT:Robinson, Henry
Red Orchestra (espionage)
Communist members of the French Resistance
GRU officers
World War II spies for the Soviet Union
1897 births
1944 deaths
Executed spies
Resistance members killed by Nazi Germany