Richard Sorge, King of Spies (2)

Sorge is in China

After Sorge became a Soviet spy, he was mainly responsible for collecting intelligence and was sent to different countries to carry out missions, and set up a foreign spy network. After a series of successful missions, the Soviet spy chiefs of the time decided to send Sorge on a special mission to the East, to China.

And the Soviet Union also wanted to know the strategic intentions of Britain, America, France, and especially Japan in China; It was also necessary to send people to organize the reconstruction of the Comintern intelligence network, which had been destroyed by the Kuomintang government. So it was up to Sorge to gather enough information for the Soviet authorities to analyze, and rebuild their intelligence network in China.

At the beginning of 1930, Sorge came to Shanghai, and from then on, he formed a mysterious relationship with China. After coming to China, with his German doctor status and a large number of recommendation letters from various German departments, Sorge soon got in close contact with the officials of the German Embassy in China and the high level of the Chinese government.

In addition, because Sorge is fluent in English, French, and Russian, and in a short time, he also mastered Chinese and Japanese, so he came into contact with many of the most influential people in Shanghai, including in China. And in the process, Sorge recruited many brilliant people to join his spy network, including Hideoru Ozaki, then a correspondent for Japan's Asahi Shimbun newspaper in China. This man became Sorge's best assistant in Japanese intelligence and was responsible for much of the most important information.

Having built a network of contacts and a spy organization, Sorge was very successful in getting all the information he wanted. The information included the capabilities of the national army, its weapons, the disputes between factions, and the general foreign policy; At the same time, it also includes the United States, Britain, France, Japan, Germany, and other foreign powers' policies toward China, and their strength comparison in China.

In his summary, Sorge highlighted the possibility that Japan could further escalate its war with China. When the Soviet government received such a detailed report, it was pleased with his WORK and ordered Sorge to pay more attention to Sino-Japanese relations. While Sorge is on his next mission, something happens that eventually forces him to leave China.

In June 1931, the Communist International stationed in China Niu LAN and his wife were arrested, and Chinese and foreign celebrities including Soong Ching Ling, Einstein, and others are involved in the rescue of Niu LAN and his wife in the operation. In the end, Sorg himself in the middle of the circle saves the lives of Niu LAN and his wife. In the course of his rescue, however, Sorge came to the attention of the national authorities, and he had to leave China at the end of 1932 for his safety.

Sorge's relationship with China did not end there. When he set foot on Chinese soil again, the country was suffering from unprecedented hardships.

After the fall of Nanjing in late 1937, Sorge came to China on a business trip and witnessed the heinous crimes committed by Japanese troops in China. Outraged by this, he took numerous photographs of the Japanese atrocities, which are now important evidence of the Nanjing Massacre.

Tokyo and net

Soon after returning to Moscow, Sorge was given a new assignment.

At that time, Japan showed an aggressive posture after occupying the three northeastern provinces of China. The Soviet Union was worried about the attack on Japan, so it urgently needed to know the strategic trend of Japan, so it decided to strengthen the intelligence organization in Japan. Sorge, who had worked in China, became the perfect candidate.

But when Sorge set foot on Japanese soil in September 1933, his intelligence-gathering efforts faced enormous challenges. At that time, Japan was completely under the control of the military, practicing fascist rule at home and preparing for war and expansion abroad. So Tokyo, Japan, was arguably the most heavily guarded place in the world at that time, especially considering every foreigner as a potential enemy.

The quick-witted Sorge quickly found a breakthrough. Sorge approached Colonel Eugene Otter, then a military attache at the German embassy in Japan. Sorg's leg and Iron Cross from World War I came into play. Colonel Otter, who had fought in World War I, became close to Sorg and the two quickly became good friends. Not only that, but Sorg helped OTT get a promotion, which made OTT trust and rely on Sorg even more.

Sorge uses his connections in Japan to help Colonel Otter with his intelligence work, and Otter shares Sorge's insight into the situation with his boss, much to his praise. Otter soon succeeded him as ambassador to Japan. It was through this way that the door of the German Embassy in Japan was completely opened to Sorge, who could easily obtain any valuable information. And to further disguise his identity, he joined the Nazi Party, forming a spy network at the German Embassy. At the same time, Sorge also cast a more important net -- Sorge reached the highest levels of Japanese decision-making.

Sorge fully enlisted Hideoru Ozaki, a Japanese journalist he had already met in China, into his spy organization. Back in Japan, Ms. Ozaki earned the attention of the then prime minister, Japanese Prime Minister Gowen Shigeru, for a series of sensational commentary she published. Appreciation, Wei wen mill will be hired as their consultant and private secretary, Ozaki became a member of the Japanese high-level think tank.

Having access to the highest levels of decision-making in Japan paved a very important way for Sorge to acquire a lot of important information. On top of that, Sorge, as well-read and disheveled as he was, still frequented high-class social Settings, collecting scraps of intelligence from the gossiping, gossiping conversations of politicians and aides. Therefore, Sorge built a perfect intelligence network in Tokyo within a short period. Once this network was closed, there would be a steady stream of intelligence "automatically sent to your door".