Robert Soblen (born Sobolevicius; November 7, 1900 – September 11, 1962) was a prominent member of the pro-Trotsky
Left Opposition
The Left Opposition was a faction within the Russian Communist Party (b) from 1923 to 1927 headed ''de facto'' by Leon Trotsky. The Left Opposition formed as part of the power struggle within the party leadership that began with the Soviet fou ...
in Germany in the 1930s. He moved to the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
in 1941 with his brother
Jack Soble
Jack Soble (May 15, 1903 – 1967) was a Lithuanian who, together with his brother Robert Soblen, penetrated Leon Trotsky's entourage for Soviet intelligence in the 1920s. Later, in the United States, he was jailed, with his wife Myra, on e ...
, and was arrested in 1960 as a
Soviet spy
The KGB (russian: links=no, lit=Committee for State Security, Комитет государственной безопасности (КГБ), a=ru-KGB.ogg, p=kəmʲɪˈtʲet ɡəsʊˈdarstvʲɪn(ː)əj bʲɪzɐˈpasnəsʲtʲɪ, Komitet gosud ...
. Convicted and sentenced to life in prison, he fled the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
while on bail and sought asylum first in
Israel
Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
, then in
Britain
Britain most often refers to:
* The United Kingdom, a sovereign state in Europe comprising the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands
* Great Britain, the largest island in the United King ...
. He committed suicide by
overdosing on barbiturates when his last appeal for asylum in Britain was denied.
Pre-trial career in Europe and the United States
Born in
Vilkaviskis,
Lithuania
Lithuania (; lt, Lietuva ), officially the Republic of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Respublika, links=no ), is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea. Lithuania ...
, both Soblen and his younger brother Jack (born Abromas Sobolevicius, also known as Abraham or Adolph Senin) were important figures in
Trotskyist
Trotskyism is the political ideology and branch of Marxism developed by Ukrainian-Russian revolutionary Leon Trotsky and some other members of the Left Opposition and Fourth International. Trotsky self-identified as an orthodox Marxist, a rev ...
circles in the 1920s and 1930s. They were very active in French and German Trotskyist movements, handling both Trotsky's secret correspondence to the Soviet Union and publication of his Opposition Bulletin. Jack Soble later claimed he and Robert began working for the Soviet
Secret Police
Secret police (or political police) are intelligence, security or police agencies that engage in covert operations against a government's political, religious, or social opponents and dissidents. Secret police organizations are characteristic of a ...
against
Trotsky
Lev Davidovich Bronstein. ( – 21 August 1940), better known as Leon Trotsky; uk, link= no, Лев Давидович Троцький; also transliterated ''Lyev'', ''Trotski'', ''Trotskij'', ''Trockij'' and ''Trotzky''. (), was a Russian M ...
in 1931. In 1932, Trotsky broke with the brothers, and Robert joined Trotsky's enemies in 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 ...
.
Soblen, Soble, and many members of their family moved to the United States in 1941. According to Jack Soble's testimony during Robert's trial, they were personally granted permission for the move by
NKVD
The People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs (russian: Наро́дный комиссариа́т вну́тренних дел, Naródnyy komissariát vnútrennikh del, ), abbreviated NKVD ( ), was the interior ministry of the Soviet Union.
...
director
Lavrenty Beria
Lavrentiy Pavlovich Beria (; rus, Лавре́нтий Па́влович Бе́рия, Lavréntiy Pávlovich Bériya, p=ˈbʲerʲiə; ka, ლავრენტი ბერია, tr, ; – 23 December 1953) was a Georgian Bolsheviks ...
, on condition that they assist in Soviet espionage activities in the United States. After arriving in the United States, Soblen set up a psychiatric practice in New York. According to testimony at his trial, Soblen's activities also included spying on the Trotskyist movement in the United States and transmitting stolen intelligence documents and military information to the Soviet Union.
Soble and Soblen Trials
Soblen's brother Jack was arrested in 1957 and charged with espionage, primarily based on the testimony of Hollywood producer
Boris Morros
Boris Morros (; January 1, 1891 - January 8, 1963) was an American Communist Party member, Soviet agent, and FBI double agent. He also worked at Paramount Pictures, where he produced films as well as supervising their music department.
Life and c ...
. Morros first worked with Soble's organization providing business cover for Soviet agents, but later agreed to act as a double agent for the
FBI
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and its principal Federal law enforcement in the United States, federal law enforcement age ...
. Soble pleaded guilty to the espionage charges, made a detailed statement of his activities, and was sentenced to seven years in prison.
Robert Soblen was not indicted until 1960. He was charged with providing the Soviet Union with secret
OSS documents in
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 opposin ...
and photographs of a U.S. nuclear testing site in 1950. Soblen pleaded not guilty. His trial, at which Jack was a primary witness, ended with his conviction. The judge deferred sentencing until August, and stated that the severity of the sentence would depend on whether Soblen was willing to provide a full account of his espionage to the government. Soblen remained defiant and refused to cooperate, and on August 7, 1961, was sentenced to life imprisonment. Soblen, suffering from
leukemia
Leukemia ( also spelled leukaemia and pronounced ) is a group of blood cancers that usually begin in the bone marrow and result in high numbers of abnormal blood cells. These blood cells are not fully developed and are called ''blasts'' or ' ...
, was released on $100,000 bail pending an appeal. His conviction was upheld by the
U.S. Court of Appeals
The United States courts of appeals are the intermediate appellate courts of the United States federal judiciary. The courts of appeals are divided into 11 numbered circuits that cover geographic areas of the United States and hear appeals fr ...
in March 1962, and an appeal to the
Supreme Court
A supreme court is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts in most legal jurisdictions. Other descriptions for such courts include court of last resort, apex court, and high (or final) court of appeal. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...
was rejected in June 1962. Soblen was ordered to report to prison to begin his sentence on June 28, 1962.
Asylum attempts and suicide
Following the rejection of his last appeal, Soblen jumped bail and flew to
Israel
Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
, using a forged
Canadian passport
A Canadian passport (french: passeport canadien) is the passport issued to citizens of Canada. It enables the bearer to enter or re-enter Canada freely; travel to and from other countries in accordance with visa requirements; facilitates the p ...
. Once there, he immediately hired legal assistance and claimed Israeli citizenship as a Jew under the
Law of Return
The Law of Return ( he, חֹוק הַשְׁבוּת, ''ḥok ha-shvūt'') is an Israeli law, passed on 5 July 1950, which gives Jews, people with one or more Jewish grandparent, and their spouses the right to relocate to Israel and acquire Isra ...
, and claimed immunity from extradition as an Israeli citizen. He was arrested in his hotel room shortly after his arrival, and the Israeli government declared that the Law of Return was not an open invitation for Jewish criminals to immigrate to Israel. Soblen was denied citizenship, and his appeals were rejected. Although Israel and the United States did not have an extradition agreement at the time, Soblen faced expulsion from Israel and deportation to the United States on charges of illegal entry, due to his having used a false passport to enter the country.
Soblen was deported from Israel on a flight to the United States on July 1. During a stopover in
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
, Soblen slashed his wrist and abdomen with a dinner knife. He was removed from the airplane and hospitalized. He then hired lawyers and filed a claim for political asylum, or the right to go to any country other than the United States. He also admitted that his actions had not been a suicide attempt, but were rather a ruse to gain admittance to Britain. After Soblen underwent a medical examination in a prison hospital, doctors determined that his leukemia was dormant, that he did not face imminent death from the disease, and that he had a life expectancy of several years rather than several months. British courts denied a series of appeals, and in September 1962, ordered him deported back to the United States. On the day of his deportation, Soblen took an
overdose
A drug overdose (overdose or OD) is the ingestion or application of a drug or other substance in quantities much greater than are recommended. of
barbiturate
Barbiturates are a class of depressant drugs that are chemically derived from barbituric acid. They are effective when used medically as anxiolytics, hypnotics, and anticonvulsants, but have physical and psychological addiction potential as we ...
s. It is unclear whether this was a legitimate suicide attempt or another attempt to delay deportation. He fell unconscious while being escorted to the airport, and was taken to a hospital. He never regained consciousness, and died on September 11, 1962.
Aftermath
The Soble/Soblen trials revealed a great deal about Soviet espionage directed against Trotsky and his followers. They also revealed a number of aspects of Soviet espionage against the United States in the 1940s and 1950s, and were one of the more successful espionage prosecutions in the early Cold War period. The extent to which the
Venona
The Venona project was a United States counterintelligence program initiated during World War II by the United States Army's Signal Intelligence Service (later absorbed by the National Security Agency), which ran from February 1, 1943, until Octob ...
decryption project assisted in the case is not clear. The project was never mentioned during either of the brothers' trials, but according to
Klehr and
Haynes Haynes may refer to:
People
*Haynes (surname)
Places
In Australia:
* Haynes, Western Australia
In Canada:
* Haynes, Alberta
In the United Kingdom:
*Haynes, Bedfordshire
** Haynes Church End
In the United States:
*Haynes, Arkansas
* Haynes, Nort ...
, a number of cables deciphered by the Venona project mention Soblen under the covername ROMAN, the pseudonym he used in Germany. Soblen's expulsion from Israel was controversial enough to provoke a no-confidence vote against
David Ben-Gurion
David Ben-Gurion ( ; he, דָּוִד בֶּן-גּוּרִיּוֹן ; born David Grün; 16 October 1886 – 1 December 1973) was the primary national founder of the State of Israel and the first prime minister of Israel. Adopting the name ...
's government. The vote failed, but the controversy may have contributed to the passing of Israel's "Offenses Committed Abroad Act" in 1978, which sharply restricted the circumstances under which Israeli citizens could be extradited. Soblen's asylum request in England also generated controversy and calls for reform.
[See Thornberry (1963) for a summary.]
References
Sources
* Abramovsky, Abraham and Jonathan I. Edelstein. "The Sheinbein Case and the Israeli-American Extradition Experience: A Need for Compromise," ''
Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law
Vanderbilt University Law School (also known as Vanderbilt Law School or VLS) is a graduate school of Vanderbilt University. Established in 1874, it is one of the oldest law schools in the southern United States. Vanderbilt Law School has consiste ...
'' 32 (1999): 305
* Anderson, David. "Soblen Branded Spy by Brother" ''
New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...
'', June 22, 1961, p. 11.
*
Deutscher, Isaac. ''The Prophet Outcast: Trotsky, 1929-1940'',
Oxford University Press
Oxford University Press (OUP) is the university press of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world, and its printing history dates back to the 1480s. Having been officially granted the legal right to print books ...
(1963)
* Haynes, John Earl, and Harvey Klehr. ''Venona: Decoding Soviet Espionage in America'',
Yale University Press
Yale University Press is the university press of Yale University. It was founded in 1908 by George Parmly Day, and became an official department of Yale University in 1961, but it remains financially and operationally autonomous.
, Yale Universi ...
(1999)
* Haynes, John Earl, and Harvey Klehr. ''Early Cold War Spies: The Espionage Trials that Shaped American Politics'',
Cambridge University Press
Cambridge University Press is the university press of the University of Cambridge. Granted letters patent by Henry VIII of England, King Henry VIII in 1534, it is the oldest university press
A university press is an academic publishing hou ...
(2006)
* Schafranek, Hans. "Kurt Landau," ''Cahiers Leon Trotsky'', Paris #5, First Trimester 1980, 74.
* Thornberry, Cedric H. R. "The Soblen Case," ''
Political Quarterly
''The Political Quarterly'' is an academic journal of political science that first appeared from 1914 to 1916 and was revived by Leonard Woolf, Kingsley Martin, and William A. Robson in 1930. Its editors-in-chief are Ben Jackson (University of Ox ...
'' 34, no. 2 (April 1963): 162-173.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Soblen, Robert
1900 births
1962 suicides
American people convicted of spying for the Soviet Union
American people of Lithuanian-Jewish descent
American refugees
American spies for the Soviet Union
Drug-related suicides in England
Barbiturates-related deaths
Espionage in the United States
Lithuanian Jews
People from Vilkaviškis
People convicted under the Espionage Act of 1917
1962 deaths