Arnold Deutsch

Arnold Deutsch
Born	1903
Died	c.1942 (aged c.39)
Alma mater	University of Vienna
Occupation	Soviet spy, academic
Known for	Recruiting the Cambridge Five as Soviet spies
Relatives	Oscar Deutsch, cousin

Arnold Deutsch (1903–1942?), variously described as Austrian, Czech or Hungarian, was an academic who worked as a Soviet spy, best known for having recruited Kim Philby. Much of his life remains unknown or disputed.

He was a cousin of Oscar Deutsch, the millionaire proprietor of the Odeon Cinemas chain. Though he claimed to be an observant Jew to disguise his role as a Communist agent, Deutsch was in fact lapsed in his religious beliefs.

At the age of 24, Deutsch received with distinction his PhD in chemistry from the University of Vienna. He was also a follower of Wilhelm Reich and his "sex-pol" movement. His remarkable academic record opened opportunities to penetrate the highest institutions in many Western countries.

At the same time, Deutsch embarked on his lifelong involvement with Communism and the Soviet Union. In the 1920s he was working for the OMS, the International Liaison Department of the Comintern. A co-worker of his there was Edith Suschitzky, whom he met at 1926 in Vienna and who would be instrumental in his later espionage career.

Soon after leaving university he married an Austrian woman, Josefine. The couple were both recruited by Comintern and worked for OMS, its international liaison department. Over the next couple of years they travelled around the world working as couriers.

In 1933, Deutsch was arrested by the Nazi authorities in Germany, but was freed from custody with the help of Willi Lehmann, the highly placed Soviet agent within the Gestapo.

Deutsch then travelled to Britain under his real name, so that his university credentials would be valid. Upon arriving in England, Deutsch studied psychology at the graduate level at the University of London, as his cover for espionage work in England.

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