Adventures of a British Master Spy

by Sidney Reilly

  Colonel Bersin considered that everything could be arranged in the space of about five to six weeks. It was proposed to use, among others, the Lettish civil population for propaganda.

  Later a Committee of Letts was formed, chosen from the friends of Colonel Bersin, who organised and made arrangements for detail.

  Telegrams from Mr Lockhart and ourselves were dispatched to General Poole, informing him of what had been done, and what we proposed to do.

  All along we realised that in any plot so large the risks were very great, but that any success would be so great that we were justified in carrying on the arrangements.

  About the 22nd of August Lt Riley informed me of a conversation that he had had with Commander Bersin (at the time I was under the impression ‘with Bersin’s Committee’) but this impression has since been corrected. The gist of it was that it was considered advisable that men like Trotsky and Lenin should be assassinated for the following reasons:—

  1) Their marvellous oratorical powers would so act on the psychology of the men who went to arrest them that it was not advisable to risk it.

  2) The assassination of two of the leaders would create a panic so that there would be no resistance.

  Lt Reilly also told me that he had been very firm in dissuading them from such a course, and that in no way would he support it. He impressed upon the Colonel that the policy should be ‘not to make martyrs of the leaders but to hold them up to ridicule before the world’.

  About 20th August, the Letts had obtained a good secret flat where Lt Reilly used to visit them.

  AUGUST 12TH

  About this time, from independent agents, information came in that a great deal of unrest prevailed among many of the Lettish battalions, that the troops were generally dissatisfied and that a lot of anti-Soviet propaganda was going on. This was undoubtedly due to the funds we had put into circulation.

  At the end of August Lt Reilly considered it was necessary for him to go to Petrograd to see the Lettish organisations there and to get a personal impression of the existing conditions. He left Moscow for Petrograd on August 28th. Before leaving he gave me the complete list of his agents, places that his money was stored, passwords to his agents, and all works he had in hand. In exchange I gave him the same information about my organisations. Colonel Bersin left a day in advance of Lt Reilly to make arrangements to meet the Lettish Committee without any loss of time.

  Lt Reilly also intended to see Commander Cromie (RN) and Lt Boyce (RNVR).

  I have not given any detailed reports as to what stage the arrangements with the Letts had been brought as this will be reported fully by Lt Reilly.

  THURSDAY 29TH AUGUST

  The man in charge of the Saratoff organisations came to Moscow. His report for the month was extremely satisfactory, and sabotage and deliberate frustration of the Bolshevik military plans had gone very well. Stores, ammunition and equipment trains were derailed without doing any serious damage to the line, but causing three or four days’ blockage. (Removing one line etc.)

  FRIDAY 30TH AUGUST

  Lenin’s life was attempted at a mill where he was holding a lecture, and the papers which announced this fact on the Saturday morning also gave a description of the death of Uritzky, the chief for combating the counter-revolutionary in Petrograd. The papers at once did all they could to connect the British and French officials with these two outrages. (Note. Later transpired attempt had been instigated by SRs and the evidence cleared the Allies completely, though this was not published.)

  We later heard that on Saturday afternoon the 31st the British Embassy had been raided, Commander Cromie killed, all the members of the British Mission and Consulate in the building arrested and those who escaped arrest were being hunted. At midnight on Saturday August 31st–September 1st, Mr Lockhart’s flat in Moscow was raided, Mr Lockhart and Mr Hicks were taken off to the Extraordinary Commission for Combating Counter-Revolution, but a few hours later were released. At the same time, Commandant Devertement however escaped.

  SUNDAY 1ST SEPTEMBER

  About midday Lt Reilly’s chief girl E.E. was arrested. Her House was thoroughly searched, and she was repeatedly asked whether she had not got some friend who was likely to give her away. She posed as innocent, though showing much nervousness. Through two friends in the house the money she had in her possession was saved − she carried no documents. Just as the search party was about to leave the house with E.E., whom they assured would be allowed her freedom within a few hours, as nothing had been found against her, a girl by the name of Marie Frede, of the American HS appeared. This woman was carrying messages, and on seeing the armed guards seemed to lose her head and gave away that she was carrying documents for E.E. This girl was likewise arrested, as a few hours later were her two brothers who also belonged to the American service.

  MONDAY 2ND SEPTEMBER

  This was the first day of the Red Terror, and it looked like the Bolsheviks were prepared for massacre on a very large scale.

  The papers were extremely bitter again at the supposed attempt on Lenin on the part of the Allies, and openly accused them of having been mixed up with the killing of Uritzky. No news was to be obtained as to why E.E. had been arrested. Mr Lockhart had been allowed his liberty after three hours’ arrest, while the British and Allied Consulates had in no way been violated.

  TUESDAY 3RD SEPTEMBER

  Leading articles in the papers exposed the so-called Lockhart conspiracy, stating that he was the originator of the Lettish plot that was intended to raise the Letts against the Bolsheviks, murder the leaders of the Soviets and restore a monarchy in Russia. They cited Lt Reilly as Lockhart’s spy and admitted the arrest of E.E. and Frede. They also gave an account of the raiding of Commandant Devertement’s flat, and a full account of the raid at the British Embassy in Petrograd, and Captain Cromie’s death. From the Press one gathered that Lt Reilly had been caught in Petrograd during the raid. Later on Tuesday afternoon I sent the message to Mr Lockhart that ‘I had been over the network of our organisation and found everything intact, but that there was undoubtedly a fair amount of nervousness among some of the agents. That I had got all Lt Reilly’s affairs under my own control, and provided I could get money it would be possible to carry on.’ That we had the greatest difficulty in getting up our messages to the north, and unless the new chain organisation produced a better result than single messenger service had done it would be useless to carry on. However, I thought a lot might yet be done in destruction. My messenger arrived at Mr Lockhart’s flat just after he had been arrested for the second time. Captain Hicks received my message and said that he considered that it would be imperative for us to lie low for some days to come, and that as far as he knew there would be no money available for the purposes that I required it, as our source for obtaining same had completely dried since the crash. He also had no news about Lt Reilly and supposed that he had been arrested. Sent off a message through the new chain service informing General Poole of what had taken place at Moscow.

  WEDNESDAY 4TH SEPTEMBER

  It was evident that the Bolsheviks were in a panic and were purging themselves of bourgeois and officers employed by them in the various governmental departments and it looked as if our large source of information from these channels would be no longer available for us. Mr Lockhart was re-arrested, and his flat had been searched from ‘top to bottom’ and things stolen from it. Some French and Allies had been arrested. Arrest had taken place in the streets, and general panic prevailed. In the morning a girl of Lt Reilly’s came to say that he was safe and in Moscow, having travelled in a first class compartment from Petrograd. He had arrived on Tuesday the 3rd September, but beyond the fact of knowing that Commander Cromie had been killed and the Embassy raided, he had no suspicion that the Bolsheviks knew of the plans or attempt that was being made to use the Letts against the Soviet. On arrival at the Nicolai Station he had been informed that his chief girl had been arrested, but beyond knowing this he was in entire igno
rance of what the morning papers were printing. He received his paper on the Tuesday morning and saw that the Lettish affair was known, and his name cited as Mr Lockhart’s spy. For want of a better place he slept at his own flat on the night of Tuesday the 3rd. His message reached me at midday on Wednesday, and I went off to see him at two rooms his agent had found for him at the back end of the town. He had changed his name but had the same disguise and was not going out during the day or night, not having any documents to prove his identity. He made the following statement about his visit to Petrograd.

  He had left Moscow according to plan on Monday the 5th August and had arrived at Petrograd without any hitch (the passes he had being excellent), although his train was extremely late in arriving at Petrograd. He drove direct from the station to his flat and on his way there met Colonel Bersin of the Letts, who had been to his flat by appointment, having arrived in Petrograd 24 hours previous to the arrival of Lt Reilly. He returned with Lt Reilly and reported to him, telling him all that he had done and arranging another meeting at the flat. Lt Reilly then sent a messenger to Lt Boyce informing him of his arrival, and requesting him to let him know where they could meet. He then went about openly doing the work he had decided to do there when in Moscow.

  A hitch occurred in the transmission of his message to Lt Boyce, and therefore he did not see him on Thursday, but owing to a misunderstanding they did not meet. However, about midday on the 31st August he got into touch with Lt Boyce, and they had a conference together. Lt Reilly explained to him the whole of the Lettish plan, and Lt Boyce said he considered the whole thing was extremely risky but agreed that it was worth trying, and that failure of the plan would drop entirely on the neck of Lt Reilly. He considered that it was extremely important for Lt Reilly to meet Captain Cromie as Captain Cromie had had a great deal to do with the Letts. He left Lt Reilly at his flat to go to the British Embassy with the intention of returning by three o’clock with Commander Cromie. Lt Reilly waited in his flat until after six o’clock, but no one turned up. He afterwards heard of Captain Cromie’s death, but in no way connected it with the Letts affair. On Monday Lt Reilly booked a sleeper for Moscow. He used the same passes that he had done on his journey north and arrived in Moscow as already described and only then got the first news of the crash.

  At this meeting Lt Reilly said that his mind was entirely open, and that if it was thought better for him to come forward and be openly arrested he was willing to do so. I told him I did not consider this at all necessary, and would in no way clear up the affair, and suggested that it would be the safest thing for him to try and work through to the East via Ukrainia. He strongly objected to taking this step, saying he would lose a lot of time on that trip and bring no one any good, and that if he had to go he should make for the north, either via Finland and out to a neutral port, or direct through a courier line. He wanted passports, some new clothing and as the place he was staying in was entirely unsuitable, a fresh lodging. He had already sent to Mr Lockhart his official report and what he considered had happened. He also told him that there had been no documents or anything of our work found by the Bolsheviks. However, Mr Lockhart had been arrested before he received this message, though I believe Captain Hicks had it.

  THURSDAY 5TH SEPTEMBER

  Moved Lt Reilly into new quarters at a Soviet office. Owing to the visible shortage of funds in the near future, and as our expenses were going up daily we felt that the work could not be carried on, and that I was in no way suspected, it would be best to come to life and try to get out of Russia as an official. Lt Reilly’s position being different he decided to go to Petrograd and travel by the best available route.

  I had a conference on this day with the chief of my couriers, and we considered that at least six or seven of our couriers had been executed by the Soviet Commissions of the North. I informed him that I should probably discontinue that service, but would want all the men for other work.

  FRIDAY 6TH SEPTEMBER

  The British Consul General, Mr Wardrop, found that it was impossible for me to be included on his official staff, as he said he did not dare risk having my name on the paper, and thereby endanger the whole of his party. This was after I had explained to him that to the best of my knowledge I was in no way under suspicion, that none of my acts could be traced back to me. Captain Hicks, however, took up the matter, and it was thanks to him after a consultation with his American colleagues, that I was put on Mr Lockhart’s list as an official member. I took off my disguise on the Friday afternoon and appeared again under my own name and papers. I had meanwhile given my original GB paper to Lt Reilly, and it was with these papers that he finally got out from Russia and into Finland.

  FRIDAY EVENING

  H.1 received a letter from one of our agents saying that he was being blackmailed by a man called G., in the employ of Lt Webster, and that unless he paid the sum of R10,000, he would notify the Soviet authorities of our address, and also that he had been asked by Lt Boyce if he was prepared to do away with one or two prominent members of the Soviet government. As this agent and the agent through whom it came, belonged to the former MI1c, the matter was forwarded on to Lt Webster for his consideration. Under the existing conditions, and not knowing the fate of our mission in Petrograd, of whom we were receiving most disquieting news, he felt it was advisable to pay up rather than have anything fresh brought up against us. He sent by return messenger the sum required and nothing more was heard.

  On Saturday the 7th, on arrival at the American Consulate, I discovered that the place was under siege, but owing to a friendly warning of a chauffeur, I managed to get away without being arrested, I later heard that Lt Tamplin, 2nd Lt Tomling, Lt Pinder and Mr Higgs had been arrested outside the consulate.

  Final preparations were made for Lt Reilly to leave. We had up to this date only lost one girl, E.E., the rest of our organisations being intact.

  SUNDAY THE 8TH

  Lt Reilly left for Petrograd, travelling in a sleeper with new documents to conform with the papers I had given him. I spent that night at the British Consulate.

  MONDAY THE 9TH

  I saw the chief of the couriers, and gave him instructions to withdraw the whole of his work on Moscow.

  TUESDAY THE 10TH

  I sent off H.1 to Sweden as I considered it was no longer safe for her to remain behind. However, I continued to use one of my old lodgings as it had not been raided.

  SECOND WEEK OF SEPTEMBER

  Kalematiano, Chief of the American SS, was arrested. All his documents were found. Lt Reilly’s last flat was raided and his agent ‘O’ arrested at the Kremlin. Nothing was found in his flat, nor any information or papers obtained from ‘O’.

  It was extremely difficult at this period to judge how deep the Lettish affair had gone, and whether there was any truth in the Bolshevik statements that they had staged the plot themselves. There was a feeling that the Lettish troops had bitter feelings against the Soviet.

  By the end of the week I had a series of conflicting reports, but the tend of them made me decide that as we had already spent so much money, it was worth spending some more to save something of wreck, I therefore collected half a dozen Letts personally known to me, and sent them off on an anti-Bolshevik campaign showing what possibilities there had been for the Letts and the harm Latvia had done for herself in the supposed treachery and double dealing with the Allies, I sent a small section of pro-Ally Letts to work in Riga, Mitau, Pernau, and also made attempts to get into touch with the Pastor of the Lettish church, one or two of the prominent Letts in Moscow, and a Captain Dzegus, who did excellent work.

  From September 3rd all British officers with the exception of one or two panic-stricken Consuls, were either imprisoned or besieged in the American Consulate so that it was impossible to get any advice or to confer with anyone, I followed general principles.

  DESTRUCTION

  I instructed the destruction gangs at Saratoff to commence operations. About four trains of material w
ere derailed a week, preparations were made for the destruction of fuel and oil supplies here, and a section was sent to work on the Varonish line.

  THIRD WEEK IN SEPTEMBER

  The courier chain organisation was back in Moscow. It was reported to me that 12 of our couriers had been shot, as had also one or two of my independent agents. Great credit is due to this body of men and to those shot, who could all have saved their lives by giving away the HQ address in Moscow. This address was never given away, and every man shot showed the spirit of the 1914 Russian officers. I employed them collectively on one or two jobs in Moscow. As two of them came from the Baltic provinces, they were sent there, and finally the remainder were paid two months’ money and sent to the East where I hope to pick them up again and resume work.

  I tried to clear up the arrest of Lt Reilly’s agent E.E., and had carefully discussed the matter with him, and all other matters connected with the Lettish affair.

  1) The reason for E.E.’s arrest:—

  Lt Reilly remembered that on the 22nd August at the American Consulate he met the SS agents of France and USA for the purpose of establishing contact. In giving the address of E.E. as a connecting link to Commandant Devertement (alias Henry), the Commandant had taken the name down in his note-book as a French name, and Lt Reilly pointed out that it was a Russian name and should be spelt in a different way. The Commandant said he would put that right when he got home and transferred it into code. Now on making enquiries, it was found that the ‘warrant for arrest’ was made out in the name of ‘Elisabeth’ and not ‘Elisaveta’. We supposed that the Commandant had failed to transfer the address into code or that his notebook had been found when his house had been searched (we were under the impression that Com. Devertement had been arrested).