Walter Krivitsky
| Walter Krivitsky | |
|---|---|
| Allegiance | Soviet Union |
| Active | 1920-1937 |
| Codename(s) | Walter Krivitsky |
| Walter Thomas | |
| Walter Poref | |
| Schoenborn | |
| Val'ter Germanovich Krivitsky | |
| Walter G. Krivitsky | |
| Other work | Samuel Ginsburg, Samuel Ginzberg, Shmelka Ginsberg |
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| Birth name | Samuel Ginsberg |
| Born | June 28, 1899 Podwołoczyska (Pidvolochysk), then in Galicia, Austria-Hungary |
| Died | 10 February 1941 (aged 41) Washington, DC, USA |
| Cause of death |
bullet to the temple |
| Nationality | Austrian (first), French (last) |
| Spouse | Antonina (AKA "Tonya Krivitsky" AKA "Tonia Krivitsky," AKA "Antonina Thomas") |
| Children | Aleksandr ("Alek") |
| Occupation | spy, espionage, intelligence |
Walter Germanovich Krivitsky (Ва́льтер Ге́рманович Криви́цкий; June 28, 1899 – February 10, 1941) was a Soviet intelligence officer who revealed plans of signing the Molotov–Ribbentrop pact before defecting weeks before the outbreak of World War II.
Born to Jewish parents as Samuel Ginsberg in Podwołoczyska (Pidvolochysk, then Galicia, Austria-Hungary), he adopted the name "Krivitsky" (a name based on the Slavic root for "crooked, twisted") as a revolutionary nom de guerre when he entered the Bolshevik intelligence around 1917.
He operated as an "illegal" (agent with false name and papers) in Germany, Poland, Austria, Italy and Hungary, and rose to the rank of control officer. He is credited with stealing plans for submarines and planes, intercepting Nazi-Japanese correspondence, and recruiting many agents, including Madame Lupescu and Noel Field.
In May 1937, Krivitsky was sent to The Hague to operate as the rezident, or regional control officer, operating under cover of an antiquarian. It appears that he coordinated intelligence operations throughout Western Europe.
At that time the General Staff of the Red Army was undergoing a purge in Moscow, which Krivitsky and close friend, Ignace Reiss, both abroad, found deeply disturbing. Reiss wanted to defect, but Krivitsky repeatedly held back.
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Wikipedia