Rudolf Abel legendary spy for the Soviet Union was exchanged in a secret “spy swap” for Francis Powers – an American U-2 pilot in 1962. Abel eventually died in 1971 and was awarded “the Order of Lenin, and three Orders of the Red banner , Red star and numerous other medals for his outstanding service to his country.
I happened across an interesting article while visiting enemy websites, in this case the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service – SVR ( Служба Внешней Разведки Sluzhba Vneshney Razvedki).
The SVR is responsible for most intelligence gathering and espionage related activities happening outside the Russian Federation against Russia’s enemies, including those activities specifically directed against the United States and its NATO allies.
As such, even today much of its work is highly classified.
With this being said, if you closely monitor the SVR’s website very carefully they often post articles about their espionage activities. These articles give us insight, not only into their espionage activities today, but those that happened in the past.
It should be noted that the SVR takes pride in its history and its espionage successes, especially those that are termed significant in the developement of their spy agency over time.
In this particular case the SVR highlighted the accomplishment of a legendary spy who even today is surrounded in a cloak of mystery and rumor. That spy was Rudolf Abel (real name – William Fisher Genrikhovich).
In 1957 Abel was actually invested and arrested by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) for espionage activities.
At the time, the Soviet leadership has stated that their country was not engaged in “espionage”. This turned out not to be true.
In the course of the FBI investigation, Abel himself also categorically denied any affiliation with the KGB, and refused to testify at trial and rejected all attempts by U.S. intelligence to persuade him to commit treason.
He was subsequently punished for that very severly and placed in solitary confinement in a prison in New York. He was eventually transferred to the federal correctional prison in Atlanta, where he spent the remainder of his time in prison.
In February 10, 1962, at the border between West and East Berlin on the Glienicke bridge, he was traded to the Americans in exchange in a secret deal between the U.S and Russia, for none other than Francis Powers a U-2 piolt shot down on May 1, 1960 near Sverdlovsk and subsequently convicted by a Soviet court for espionage activities.
What follows is a translation of an article appearing on the SVR website dealing with this legendary spy of the Soviet Union.
“Today marks 110 years since the birth of one of such legendary super agent in Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) – Rudolf Abel. “I stand in the role of unusual for me. Because people in my profession are accustomed to listen more and talk less,” – said Rudolf Abel.
Many of the episodes of his life were the basis of the film “Dead Season”, including the famous scene of the exchange agent at the bridge.
However, Abel himself did not like about this recall. Adopted daughter Lydia Boyar well remembered the covenants father. One of: silence – gold. “On the job he never spoke. This topic have been disabled” – says about his father’s adopted daughter Lydia Boyar Rudolf Abel.
In the country Abel liked to stay in his spare time. In the village of Old Bolsheviks, he was vacationing with his wife and two daughters. By Lydia on his wife’s cousin, always treated like a native. She is now 90. And she’s one of the few who called Abel by his real name – William Fisher.
“Uncle Willie, Uncle Willie And he said:” Why do not you are calling me daddy? “But I can not. I’m his whole life called Uncle Willie” – says Lydia Boyar.
William Fisher spent in the U.S. for almost 10 years. Scout gave him a slave – the ordinary signalman.
U.S. court sentence – 30 years in prison.
Soon, however, Abel was exchanged for an American pilot Powers, shot down over Yekaterinburg, and he returned to his homeland. Abel continued to work in the headquarters of intelligence.”
Source: “Time ago: spy against technological progress Vesti”, 11.07.2013 http://svr.gov.ru/smi/2013/vesti20130711.htm).
So what ever became of Rudolf Abel – you might ask? Well, it was reported that on November 15, 1971 William Fisher Genrikhovich died. He was buried at the Donskoy Cemetery in Moscow.
According to the SVR website Rudolf Abel was a hero of the Soviet Union.
They issued the following statement upon the announcement of his passing:
“For outstanding services to the national security of our country, Colonel V.Fisher awarded the Order of Lenin, three Orders of the Red Banner, two Orders of the Red Banner, Order of the Patriotic War I degree, Red Star, numerous medals, as well as the badge “Honorary Fellow of state security” (source: http://svr.gov.ru/).