THE HAZY STORY OF A REAL SPY

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP88B00443R001003860177-2
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: December 20, 2016
• Document Release Date: June 21, 2006
• Sequence Number: 177
• Publication Date: June 22, 1981
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

Approved For Release 2006/06/21: CIA-RDP88B00443R001003860177-2
ARTICLE APPEARED
ON PAGE 3
,?
REVIEW I BOOK
THE 3OST `i GLOBE
.22 June 1981
The:.hazysthry
of re
MASTER SPY: A True Story of Allied Espio-
nage in Bolshevik Russia, by Edward Van Der
Rhoer. Scribners: 260 pp. $1495: ''
By Margaret Manning. Globe Staff.
,
The real-life.fact I&that spies are known.to
their protective governments, no matter what
the latter say. Western nations tried from the
beginning, though not with solid perseverance,
to undermine. the Bolsheviks,-. to destroy their
revolution, not just by force but by infiltration.-
This'is the-story. of ane. of the infiltrators,. a.
British agent named Sidney George Reilly, who
did exist. In-fact, Ian Fleming is said:to have,.
invented James Bond after reading about Reilly
in the archives of the intelligence services..
Reilly, of course, was not his name. He was a
Russian, or perhaps a. Pole, who purported to.
detest Marx and Lenin. Edward Van Der. Rhoer?
himself an espionage expert. tells us that Reilly
was probably born Sigmund Georgievich . Ro-
Senblum, but Reilly lied about, that, asabout ev-
erything else. - -- , _ :. ; .....
No one in the West knows' when or how he.
got into intelligence. He was indubitably a free-
lance spy who worked for (probably) several
countries, (probably) simultaneously. .
What Is known is that the. British sent him
to Russia in 1918 to try to keep. the Bolshevik&
in the war or to topple them in favor of a govern-
ment that would continue to fight:., .
As we know,. Reilly did not succeed: He was,
however, a witness to and sometime participant
in the diplomatic mapeuverings of the English,,
French and Americans in : Moscow and Petro
grad. The three major allies were. not, prepared
to recognize. the. Soviet government But many
of their representatives on the spot favored rec-
ognition on grounds that- Lenin and Trotsky
were the only people tough--enough. to control
Russia and that- recognition, mighty persuade
them not to sign a, separate., peace. with Ger-.
many. The . in-fighting between the pros, and
cons was intense. Reilly was a con, or at least he,
said so. ._ -r;' .t?.ce.;., -:,;,->.
In 1918 the Soviets did not really have a grip
on the. country, and it was easy to move around:
Reilly ostensibly spent his time recruiting men
for fits ostensible planned overthrow of the re-
gime. There. was a minor Allied intervention at
Archangel and there were anti-Soviet uprisings
In which Reilly was involved, but there are
questions `about those. Van Der Rhcen' traces
Reilly's movements. through these abortive
coups d'etat; he opines that these failures real;
sured the Soviets about their ability to succeed,
and,. probably were- partly responsible for the
bloodbath that followed. .
When most of the Allied respresentatives
left..Reilly went underground and continued his
putative efforts to subvert the. Soviet govern-
ment. Narrow escapes, safe houses,. murdered
colleagues, terrorism and treachery. ;It's heady
stuff. But it. too, failed..
Van Der Rhcen. finally asks why; after giving
us a straight-forward account of chat is on the
record. His conclusion Is that Reilly. was. arid al-
ways had been a double agent, another in the
sad string of British spies who served, two mas-
ters.
HeVbelieves that?Reilly was allowed to escape
Russia, to go back to London, where he lived the
life of Riley, gambling, womanizing and show-
ing off. British Intelligence was worried about
his, notoriety - but not worried enough. In 1925
they sent him back to Russia, where Reilly "dis-
appeared," probably into the OGPU.
All one can say about this episode Is that,
like most spy stories, it is disturbing.
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