He was the legendary Russian spy credited with saving President Roosevelt’s life in WWII.
His name was G.A. Vartanyan, he was both a hero of the Soviet Union and the United States.
When he died in January 2012 however he received no condolences, no letter of appreciation from the American Ambassador or U.S. Embassy in Moscow, which, in my opinion made a huge mistake in not sending dignitaries and an honor guard to his funeral.
I’m not sure if this was a political decision on the part of our government or a purposeful slap in the face to the Russian people..
When I called to inquired why we did not honor him, an official at the U.S. State Department rudely said “why should we have done that the man was a Russian spy?”
“Yes he was”, I replied “but he also is credited with saving the life of President Roosevelt during WWII.”
While he is not so well know in the United States of America, for obvious political reasons, our country owes this man a debt that can never be repaid.
As in life, even in death the U.S. found a way to sideline and ignore this man’s accomplishments. Even today, as I think about this I am not sure it was intentional or not. Few students of history have even heard his name, let alone know what he did during the war, when quite literally the entire world hung in the balance.
AN OBSCURE LIFE
Much of his adult life was classified as a secret by the Russian intelligence services (SVR).
In fact his name was only declassified December 20, 2000 in the 80th anniversary of the Russian Foreign Intelligence, so I guess it is understandable that the U.S. State Department American Ambassador, and White House knew nothing of who this man was, or the vitally important role he played in saving the life of one of our greatest Presidents during the great patriotic war, as the Russians even today still refer o it as.
He died on the eve of the Botkin Hospital in Moscow for the 88th year, in January 2012.
When he died Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin personally came to Troekurov cemetery to say goodbye to the Soviet spy G.A.Vartanyanom.
In the presence of a Russian honor guard, the Prime Minister laid flowers to the tomb of the deceased and consoled his family…the event was also reported on Russian TV.
Earlier, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin sent the family and friends G.A.Vartanyana a telegram of condolence.
The telegram reads as follows:
“Gevorg A. Vartanian lived a long, bright, full of heroic events of life. He was a professional of the highest class, put a lot of wonderful, truly legendary pages in the history of the national foreign intelligence. The memory of this strong, courageous man and a true patriot will always remain in our hearts.”
Signed
Vladimir Putin
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Gevorg Andreevich. Vartanian was born February 17, 1924 in Rostov-on-Don. His father was connected with the Soviet foreign intelligence and its job in 1930 with his family traveled to Iran. At 16 years old Gevorg decided to follow the example of his father. Despite his young age, he led a special group to identify the agents and the Nazi German spies in Tehran and other Iranian cities. Gevorg Vartanian achieved within two years his group the impossible and established about 400 people, one way or another connected with the German intelligence service. Saving many life of Soviet and western agents…
HERO OF THE SOVIET UNION
Hero of the Soviet Union G.A.Vartanyan – one of the participants in the operation to prevent the assassination of Stalin, Roosevelt and Winston Churchill in Tehran in 1943.
Three-plus years ago the SVR press office arranged a meeting between Gevorg Andreevich Vartanian and Winston Churchill’s granddaughter Celia Sandis, who flew out to Moscow to personally thank the Soviet intelligence officer for the fact that, in Tehran, he saved the life of her grandfather. In an emotional scene Looking the woman wept: “Oh, that’s the gentleman who saved my grandfather from the attack! I’ve never seen Russian spy …” Gevorg A. then replied with dignity: “I am not a spy – I spy.” And then they drank brandy together, and the first toast, which proclaimed Vartanian, was: “For Stalin, Roosevelt and Churchill – the person who saved the world from fascism …” Source: Russian Foreign Intelligence Services SVR).
See video: Gevorg Vardanyan News.armeniatv.com http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WTV6N39Q_cA
Gevorg Andreevich Vartanian –
The United States State Department refused comment on this story.