What happened to Abel after the exchange. Thanks for reading! "I would rather die than reveal the secrets I know"

Arrested for spying in East Berlin in August 1961.

Biography

In 1920, the Fischer family returned to Russia and accepted Soviet citizenship, without renouncing English, and, together with the families of other prominent revolutionaries, at one time lived on the territory of the Kremlin.

In 1921, William's older brother Harry died in an accident.

Upon his arrival in the USSR, Abel first worked as a translator in the Executive Committee of the Communist International (Comintern). Then he entered VKHUTEMAS. In 1925, he was drafted into the army into the 1st radiotelegraph regiment of the Moscow Military District, where he received the specialty of a radio operator. He served together with E. T. Krenkel and the future artist M. I. Tsarev. Having an innate aptitude for technology, he became a very good radio operator, whose superiority was recognized by everyone.

After demobilization, he worked at the Research Institute of the Red Army Air Force as a radio technician. On April 7, 1927, he married a graduate of the Moscow Conservatory, harpist Elena Lebedeva. She was appreciated by her teacher, the famous harpist Vera Dulova. Subsequently, Elena became a professional musician. In 1929, their daughter was born.

On December 31, 1938, he was dismissed from the NKVD (due to Beria’s distrust of personnel working with “enemies of the people”) with the rank of GB lieutenant (captain) and worked for some time at the All-Union Chamber of Commerce, and then at an aircraft factory as a gunner for paramilitary security. He repeatedly submitted reports about his reinstatement in intelligence. He also addressed his father’s friend, the then secretary of the party’s Central Committee, Andreev.

Since 1941, again in the NKVD, in a unit organizing partisan warfare behind German lines. Fischer trained radio operators for partisan detachments and reconnaissance groups sent to countries occupied by Germany. During this period he met and worked together with Rudolf Abel, whose name and biography he later used.

After the end of the war, it was decided to send him to illegal work in the United States, in particular, to obtain information from sources working at nuclear facilities. He moved to the United States in November 1948 using a passport in the name of a US citizen of Lithuanian origin, Andrew Kayotis (who died in the Lithuanian SSR in 1948). He then settled in New York under the name of artist Emil Robert Goldfus, where he ran a Soviet intelligence network and, as a cover, owned a photography studio in Brooklyn. The Cohen spouses were identified as liaison agents for “Mark” (pseudonym of V. Fischer).

By the end of May 1949, “Mark” had resolved all organizational issues and was actively involved in the work. It was so successful that already in August 1949 he was awarded the Order of the Red Banner for specific results.

In 1955, he returned to Moscow for several months in the summer and autumn.

Failure

To relieve “Mark” of current affairs, in 1952, illegal intelligence radio operator Reino Heikhanen (pseudonym “Vic”) was sent to help him. “Vic” turned out to be morally and psychologically unstable, and four years later a decision was made to return him to Moscow. However, “Vic,” suspecting something was wrong, surrendered to the American authorities, told them about his work in illegal intelligence and handed over “Mark.”

In 1957, "Mark" was arrested at New York's Latham Hotel by FBI agents. At that time, the leadership of the USSR declared that it was not involved in espionage. In order to let Moscow know about his arrest and that he was not a traitor, William Fisher, during his arrest, identified himself by the name of his late friend Rudolf Abel. During the investigation, he categorically denied his affiliation with intelligence, refused to testify at trial, and rejected attempts by American intelligence officials to persuade him to cooperate.

That same year he was sentenced to 32 years in prison. After the verdict was announced, "Mark" was kept in solitary confinement at a pre-trial detention center in New York, then transferred to the federal penitentiary in Atlanta. In conclusion, he studied solving mathematical problems, art theory, and painting. He painted in oils. Vladimir Semichastny claimed that the portrait of Kennedy painted by Abel in prison was given to him at the latter’s request and then hung in the Oval Office for a long time.

Liberation

After rest and treatment, Fischer returned to work in the central intelligence apparatus. He took part in the training of young illegal intelligence officers and painted landscapes in his spare time. Fisher also participated in the creation of the feature film “Dead Season” (1968), the plot of which is connected with some facts from the intelligence officer’s biography.

William Genrikhovich Fischer died of lung cancer at the age of 69 on November 15, 1971. He was buried at the New Donskoy Cemetery in Moscow next to his father.

Awards

Memory

• His fate inspired Vadim Kozhevnikov to write the famous adventure novel “Shield and Sword.” Although the name of the main character, Alexander Belov, is associated with the name of Abel, the plot of the book differs significantly from the real fate of William Genrikhovich Fischer.
• In 2008, the documentary film “Unknown Abel” was shot (directed by Yuri Linkevich).
• In 2009, Channel One created a two-part biographical film “The US Government vs. Rudolf Abel” (starring Yuri Belyaev).
• Abel first showed himself to the general public in 1968, when he addressed his compatriots with an introductory speech to the film “Dead Season” (as an official consultant for the film).
• In the American film by Steven Spielberg “Bridge of Spies” (2015), his role was played by British theater and film actor Mark Rylance, for this role Mark received many awards and prizes, including the Academy Award “Oscar”.
• On December 18, 2015, on the eve of the Day of State Security Workers, a solemn opening ceremony of the memorial plaque to William Genrikhovich Fischer took place in Samara. The sign, authored by Samara architect Dmitry Khramov, appeared on house No. 8 on the street. Molodogvardeyskaya. It is assumed that it was here in the years

The specificity of the activities of intelligence officers is such that their true names, as a rule, become known only years after they have completed their careers or, which is also not uncommon, death. Over the years, they change many pseudonyms, and true life stories are replaced with fictitious legends. Their fate was shared by Rudolf Abel, whose biography served as the reason for writing this article.

Heir to a family of revolutionaries

The legendary Soviet intelligence officer Abel Rudolf Ivanovich, whose real name is William Genrikhovich Fischer, was born on July 11, 1903 in Great Britain, where his parents, Russian social Marxists of German origin, were exiled for revolutionary activities. The family received the opportunity to return to their homeland only after the Bolsheviks came to power, which they took advantage of in 1920.

Rudolf Abel, who received his primary education in England and spoke excellent English, arrived in Moscow and worked for several years as a translator in the executive committee of the Comintern, after which he entered the Higher Artistic and Technical Workshops, better known by its abbreviation - VKHUTEMAS. He was prompted to take this step by his long-standing passion for fine arts, which began in England.

Beginning of service in the OGPU

After serving in the army and receiving a radio operator's qualification there, Rudolf Ivanovich worked for some time as a radio technician at one of the research institutes of the Ministry of Defense. During this period, an event occurred that largely predetermined his future life. In April 1927, he married Elena Lebedeva, a young harpist who had recently graduated from the Moscow Conservatory. Her sister Serafima worked in the OGPU apparatus and helped her new relative get a job in this structure closed to outsiders.

Due to the fact that Rudolf Abel was fluent in English, he was enrolled in the foreign department, where he worked first as a translator, and then as a radio operator in his army specialty. Soon, or rather in January 1930, he was entrusted with the mission from which his journey as a scout began.

Departure for England

As part of the assignment he received, Abel applied to the British embassy for permission to return to England and, after receiving citizenship, moved to London, where he managed intelligence activities and at the same time liaised with the center and the station located in Norway.

By the way, one important detail should be noted - at this stage of his career and until his transfer to the USA in 1948, he acted under his real name and only at a critical moment resorted to a pseudonym, under which he later became widely known.

Unexpected dismissal from service

His highly successful activities were interrupted in 1938, after another Soviet intelligence officer, Alexander Orlov, chose not to return to his homeland and fled to the United States. To avoid failure, Rudolf Abel was urgently recalled to Moscow. He had only a few short single contacts with the defector agent, but this was enough for Beria, who was suspicious of everyone who had ever communicated with “enemies of the people,” to order his dismissal.

As a matter of fact, at that time this could be considered a very favorable outcome, since many in such situations ended up behind bars. Abel could well share their fate. Rudolf, meanwhile, did not lose hope of returning to the service he had come to love.

Service during the war

Over the next three years, as an employee of various Soviet institutions, he repeatedly submitted reports for reinstatement to his previous job. His request was granted only in 1941, when with the outbreak of war there arose an urgent need for qualified personnel with experience in intelligence activities.

Once again becoming an employee of the NKVD, Abel headed the department responsible for organizing partisan warfare in temporarily occupied territories. In this, one of the most important areas of the fight against the enemy in those years, he prepared sabotage and reconnaissance groups for their subsequent deployment to the German rear. It is known that it was then that fate brought him together with a man who actually bore the name Rudolf Abel, which became his pseudonym many years later.

New task

Unfortunately, very soon after the joint victory over fascism, the former allies turned into irreconcilable enemies, separated by the Iron Curtain, and their former military brotherhood turned into a Cold War.

In the current situation, it was vital for the Soviet leadership to have comprehensive information regarding American developments in the field of nuclear weapons, the colossal destructive power of which was demonstrated during the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. It was with this task that intelligence officer Rudolf Abel was sent in 1948 to the USA, where he lived and carried out his illegal activities, using the passport of the American citizen Andrew Cayotis, who had died shortly before in Lithuania.

Soon Rudolf Abel was forced to change his pseudonym and, according to documents issued in the name of a certain artist Emil Goldfus, opened a photo studio in Brooklyn. It, of course, was only a cover behind which hid the center of the Soviet residency, which was engaged in collecting data at various nuclear facilities in the country. A year later, he changed this name, again becoming William Fisher. For everyone who was part of his extensive network, Abel was known under the nickname Mark, and this is how his reports sent to Moscow were signed.

The closest agents who acted as Abel's liaisons were the Cohen spouses, Soviet intelligence officers of American origin. Thanks to them, the data of interest to the intelligence center was able to be obtained not only from scientific centers in America, but also from secret laboratories in Great Britain. The efficiency of the intelligence network created by Abel was so high that a year later he received a message that he had been awarded the Order of the Red Banner.

Agent turned traitor

In 1952, another Soviet illegal intelligence officer was sent to help Mark, this time of Finnish origin - Reino Häyhänen, who had the pseudonym Vic. However, as practice has shown, he turned out to be unsuitable for performing such complex work that required complete dedication. Many operations entrusted to him were on the verge of failure solely because of his irresponsibility.

As a result, four years later, the command decided to recall him to Moscow, but Vic, who by that time had managed to wean himself from the gray and wretched Soviet life, did not want to return to his homeland. Instead, he voluntarily surrendered to the authorities and, collaborating with the FBI, gave all the names and addresses of Soviet agents known to him.

Failure and arrest

The head of the center was under 24-hour surveillance, and in April 1957 he was arrested at the Latham Hotel in New York. Here he first introduced himself by the name of Rudolf Abel, his longtime acquaintance, with whom he trained sabotage groups together during the war. This is how he was then listed in the official records.

To all the charges brought by the United States against Rudolf Abel, the defendant invariably responded with categorical objections. He denied participation in intelligence activities or any connections with Moscow, and when he was offered cooperation in exchange for freedom, he portrayed a complete lack of understanding of the essence of the matter.

Years spent in prison

At the end of the same year, by a decision of the Federal Court, “Mark” was sentenced to thirty-two years in prison, which he began to serve in the Atlanta Correctional Prison. It should be noted that, according to his recollections, the conditions of detention were not particularly strict, and during the years spent behind bars, he was able to fill the time with his favorite activities - mathematics, art history and even painting.

In this regard, it is interesting to note that the former chairman of the KGB of the USSR V. E. Semichasny said that the president liked the portrait of Kennedy, painted by Abel in prison, so much that, given to him, it hung in the Oval Office of the White House for a long time.

Again in the ranks of State Security

Despite such a harsh sentence, freedom came to the highly gifted prisoner much earlier. In 1962, Rudolf Abel, after exchanging him for the American pilot Francis Powers, who was shot down during a reconnaissance flight over the territory of the Soviet Union, returned to Moscow. In making this deal, the US authorities, together with Powers, also bargained for Abel one of their students, who had recently been arrested on suspicion of espionage.

After going through a period of rehabilitation, Abel continued to work in the Soviet foreign intelligence apparatus. He was no longer sent abroad, but was used to train young intelligence officers who had yet to embark on this difficult and dangerous path. In his spare time, he, as before, was engaged in painting.

The last years of the intelligence officer's life

In Soviet times, experienced professional consultants were often involved in the creation of historical and sometimes detective films. Rudolf Abel was one of them. The film "Dead Season", shot in 1968 at the Lenfilm film studio by director Savva Kulish, largely reproduces episodes of his own life. When it came out on the screens of the country, it was a huge success.

The famous Soviet intelligence officer William Genrikhovich Fischer, known to all of us under the pseudonym of Rudolf Abel, died on November 15, 1971 in one of the capital’s clinics. The cause of death was lung cancer. The hero's body was interred at the New Donskoy Cemetery, where it rested next to the grave of his father, Genrikh Matveyevich Fischer.

Exactly 55 years ago, on February 10, 1962, on the bridge separating the Federal Republic of Germany and the German Democratic Republic, an exchange took place between the illegal Soviet intelligence officer Rudolf Abel (real name William Genrikhovich Fischer) and the American pilot Francis Powers, who was shot down over the USSR. Abel behaved courageously in prison: he did not reveal to the enemy even the smallest episode of his work, and he is still remembered and respected not only in our country, but also in the USA.

Shield and sword of the legendary scout

Steven Spielberg's film Bridge of Spies, released in 2015, which told about the fate of a Soviet intelligence officer and his exchange, was recognized by film critics as one of the best in the work of the famous American director. The film was made in the spirit of deep respect for the Soviet intelligence officer. Abel, played by British actor Mark Rylance, is a strong-willed person in the film, while Powers is a coward.

In Russia, the intelligence colonel was also immortalized on film. He was played by Yuri Belyaev in the 2010 film “Fights: The US Government vs. Rudolf Abel”; his fate is partly told in the cult film of the 60s “Dead Season” by Savva Kulish, at the beginning of which the legendary intelligence officer himself addressed the audience from the screen with a small commentary .

He also worked as a consultant on another famous Soviet spy film, “Shield and Sword” by Vladimir Basov, where the main character, played by Stanislav Lyubshin, was named Alexander Belov (A. Belov - in honor of Abel). Who is he, a man who is known and respected on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean?

Artist, engineer or scientist

William Genrikhovich Fischer was a very talented and versatile person with a phenomenal memory and a very developed instinct that helped him find the right solution in the most unexpected situations.

Since childhood, he, born in the small English town of Newcastle upon Tyne, spoke several languages, played various musical instruments, was an excellent painter, sketcher, understood technology and was interested in the natural sciences. He could have turned out to be a wonderful musician, engineer, scientist or artist, but fate itself predetermined his future path even before birth.

More precisely, the father, Heinrich Matthaus Fischer, a German subject who was born on April 9, 1871 on the estate of Prince Kurakin in the Yaroslavl province, where his parent worked as a manager. In his youth, after meeting the revolutionary Gleb Krzhizhanovsky, Heinrich became seriously interested in Marxism and became an active participant in the Union of Struggle for the Liberation of the Working Class created by Vladimir Ulyanov.

Named after Shakespeare

The secret police soon drew attention to Fischer, which was followed by an arrest and many years of exile - first to the north of the Arkhangelsk province, then a transfer to the Saratov province. Under these conditions, the young revolutionary proved himself to be an extraordinary conspirator. Constantly changing names and addresses, he continued to fight illegally.

In Saratov, Henry met a young like-minded person, a native of this province, Lyubov Vasilievna Korneeva, who received three years for her revolutionary activities. They soon married and left Russia together in August 1901, when Fischer was faced with a choice: immediate arrest and deportation in shackles to Germany or voluntary departure from the country.

The young couple settled in Great Britain, where on July 11, 1903, their youngest son was born, who received his name in honor of Shakespeare. Young William passed the exams at the University of London, but he did not have to study there - his father decided to return to Russia, where the revolution took place. In 1920, the family moved to the RSFSR, receiving Soviet citizenship and retaining British citizenship.

The best of the best radio operators

William Fisher entered VKHUTEMAS (Higher Art and Technical Workshops), one of the leading art universities in the country at the time, but in 1925 he was drafted into the army and became one of the best radio operators in the Moscow Military District. His primacy was also recognized by his colleagues, among whom were the future participant of the first Soviet drifting station "North Pole-1", the famous polar explorer and radio operator Ernst Krenkel and the future People's Artist of the USSR, artistic director of the Maly Theater Mikhail Tsarev.

© AP Photo

After demobilization, Fischer seemed to have found his calling - he worked as a radio technician at the Red Army Air Force Research Institute (now the State Flight Test Center of the Russian Ministry of Defense named after Valery Chkalov). In 1927, he married harpist Elena Lebedeva, and two years later their daughter Evelina was born.

It was at this time that political intelligence, the OGPU, drew attention to a promising young man with an excellent knowledge of several foreign languages. Since 1927, William has been an employee of the Foreign Department of Foreign Intelligence, where he worked first as a translator and then as a radio operator.

Dismissal due to suspicions

In the early 30s, he asked the British authorities to issue him a passport, because he allegedly quarreled with his revolutionary father and wanted to return to England with his family. The British willingly gave Fischer documents, after which the intelligence officer worked illegally for several years in Norway, Denmark, Belgium and France, where he created a secret radio network, transmitting messages from local stations to Moscow.

In 1938, to escape large-scale repressions in the Soviet intelligence apparatus, NKVD resident in Republican Spain Alexander Orlov fled to the West.

After this incident, William Fisher was recalled to the USSR and at the end of the same year was dismissed from the authorities with the rank of state security lieutenant (corresponding to the rank of army captain).

This change in attitude towards the quite successful intelligence officer was dictated only by the fact that the new head of the People’s Commissariat of Internal Affairs, Lavrentiy Beria, openly did not trust the employees who worked with previously repressed “enemies of the people” in the NKVD. Fischer was also very lucky: many of his colleagues were shot or imprisoned.

Friendship with Rudolf Abel

Fischer was brought back into service by the war with Germany. From September 1941, he worked in the central intelligence apparatus at Lubyanka. As head of the communications department, he took part in ensuring the security of the parade that took place on November 7, 1941 on Red Square. He was involved in the training and transfer of Soviet agents to the Nazi rear, led the work of partisan detachments and participated in several successful radio games against German intelligence.

It was during this period that he became friends with Rudolf Ivanovich (Ioganovich) Abel. Unlike Fischer, this active and cheerful Latvian came to reconnaissance from the fleet, in which he fought during the civil war. During the war, they and their families lived in the same apartment in the center of Moscow.

They were brought together not only by their common service, but also by the common features of their biography. For example, like Fischer, Abel was dismissed from service in 1938. His older brother Voldemar was accused of participating in a Latvian nationalist organization and was shot. Rudolf, like William, found himself in demand at the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, carrying out important tasks in organizing sabotage behind the lines of German troops.

And in 1955, Abel died suddenly, never knowing that his best friend was sent to work illegally in the United States. The Cold War was at its height.

The enemy's nuclear secrets were required. Under these conditions, William Fisher, who, under the guise of a Lithuanian refugee, managed to organize two large intelligence networks in the United States, turned out to be an invaluable person for Soviet scientists. For which he was awarded the Order of the Red Banner.

Failure and paint

The volume of interesting information was so great that over time Fischer needed another radio operator. Moscow sent Major Nikolai Ivanov as his assistant. It was a personnel error. Ivanov, working under the agent name Reino Heihanen, turned out to be a drinker and a lover of women. When they decided to recall him back in 1957, he turned to the US intelligence services.

They managed to warn Fischer about the betrayal and began to prepare to flee the country through Mexico, but he recklessly decided to return to the apartment and destroy all evidence of his work. FBI agents arrested him. But even in such a stressful moment, William Genrikhovich was able to maintain amazing composure.

He, who continued to paint in the United States, asked American counterintelligence officers to erase the paint from the palette. Then he quietly threw a crumpled piece of paper with a coded telegram into the toilet and flushed it. When detained, he identified himself as Rudolf Abel, thereby making it clear to the Center that he was not a traitor.

Under someone else's name

During the investigation, Fischer resolutely denied his involvement in Soviet intelligence, refused to testify at trial, and suppressed all attempts by American intelligence officers to work for them. They got nothing from him, not even his real name.

But Ivanov’s testimony and letters from his beloved wife and daughter became the basis for a harsh sentence - more than 30 years in prison. In prison, Fischer-Abel painted oil paintings and worked on solving mathematical problems. A few years after this, the traitor suffered punishment - a huge truck crashed into a car driven by Ivanov on a highway at night.

The intelligence officer's fate began to change on May 1, 1960, when the pilot of the U-2 spy plane, Francis Powers, was shot down in the USSR. In addition, the newly elected President John Kennedy sought to ease tensions between the United States and the USSR.

As a result, it was decided to exchange the mysterious Soviet intelligence officer for three people at once. On February 10, 1962, at the Glienicke Bridge, Fischer was handed over to Soviet intelligence services in exchange for Powers. Two American students previously arrested on espionage charges, Frederic Pryor and Marvin Makinen, were also released.

Abel Rudolf Ivanovich (real name Fisher William Genrikhovich) was born on July 11, 1903 in Newcastle-upon-Tyne (England) into a family of Russian political emigrants. His father is a native of the Yaroslavl province, from a family of Russified Germans, and an active participant in revolutionary activities. Mother is a native of Saratov. She also participated in the revolutionary movement. For this, the Fisher couple were expelled abroad in 1901 and settled in England.

From childhood, Willie had a persistent character and was a good student. He showed particular interest in the natural sciences. At the age of 16 he successfully passed the exam at the University of London.

In 1920, the Fischer family returned to Moscow. Willie is hired as a translator to work in the international relations department of the Comintern Executive Committee.

In 1924, he entered the Indian department of the Institute of Oriental Studies in Moscow and successfully completed the first year. However, then he was called up for military service and enlisted in the 1st radiotelegraph regiment of the Moscow Military District. After demobilization, Willie goes to work at the Red Army Air Force Research Institute.

In 1927, V. Fisher was hired by the INO OGPU for the position of assistant commissioner. He carried out important assignments from management through illegal intelligence in two European countries. He performed the duties of a radio operator in illegal stations, whose activities covered several European countries.

Upon returning to Moscow, he received a promotion for successfully completing the assignment. He was awarded the rank of state security lieutenant, which corresponded to the rank of major. At the end of 1938, without explanation, V. Fisher was fired from intelligence. This was explained by Beria’s distrust of the personnel working with “enemies of the people.”

V. Fisher got a job at the All-Union Chamber of Commerce, and later moved to an aircraft industrial plant. He repeatedly submitted reports about his reinstatement in intelligence.

In September 1941, his request was granted. V. Fischer was enrolled in a unit engaged in organizing sabotage groups and partisan detachments behind the lines of the Nazi occupiers. During this period, he became friends with a work comrade, Abel R.I., whose name he would later use when arrested. V. Fischer trained radio operators for partisan detachments and reconnaissance groups sent to countries occupied by Germany.

At the end of the war, V. Fisher returned to work in the illegal intelligence department. In November 1948, it was decided to send him to work illegally in the United States to obtain information from sources working in nuclear facilities. The Cohen spouses were appointed as liaison agents for “Mark” (the pseudonym of V. Fisher).

By the end of May 1949, “Mark” had resolved all organizational issues and was actively involved in the work. It was so successful that already in August 1949 he was awarded the Order of the Red Banner for specific results.

To relieve “Mark” of current affairs, illegal intelligence radio operator Heikhanen (pseudonym “Vic”) was sent to help him in 1952. “Vic” turned out to be morally and psychologically unstable, abused alcohol, and spent government money. Four years later, a decision was made to return to Moscow. However, “Vic” committed betrayal, informed the American authorities about his work in illegal intelligence and betrayed “Mark”.

In 1957, "Mark" was arrested at a hotel by FBI agents. At that time, the leadership of the USSR declared that our country was not engaged in “espionage.” In order to let Moscow know about his arrest and that he was not a traitor, V. Fischer, during his arrest, called himself by the name of his late friend R. Abel. During the investigation, he categorically denied his affiliation with intelligence, refused to testify at trial, and rejected attempts by American intelligence officers to persuade him to betray.

After the verdict was announced, “Mark” was initially held in solitary confinement at a pre-trial detention center in New York and then transferred to the federal penitentiary in Atlanta. In conclusion, he studied solving mathematical problems, art theory, and painting. He painted oil paintings.

On February 10, 1962, on the border between West and East Berlin, on the Glienicke Bridge, he was exchanged for the American pilot Francis Powers, who was shot down on May 1, 1960 near Sverdlovsk and convicted by a Soviet court of espionage.

After rest and treatment, V. Fisher returned to work in the central intelligence apparatus. He took part in the training of young illegal intelligence officers.

For outstanding services in ensuring the state security of our country, Colonel V. Fisher was awarded the Order of Lenin, three Orders of the Red Banner, two Orders of the Red Banner of Labor, the Order of the Patriotic War, 1st degree, the Red Star, many medals, as well as the badge "Honorary State Security Officer" .

Rudolf Ivanovich then really risked his life, while from a professional point of view he behaved impeccably. Dulles' words that he would like to have three or four people like this Russian in Moscow do not require comment.

The former deputy head of the First Main Directorate (Intelligence) of the KGB of the USSR, consultant of the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service, Lieutenant General Vadim KIRPICHENKO, talks about Rudolf Abel.

- Vadim Alekseevich, were you personally acquainted with Abel?

The word "familiar" is the most accurate. No more. We met in the corridors, greeted each other, shook hands. You should take into account the age difference, and we worked in different areas. I knew, of course, that this was “the same Abel.” I think, in turn, Rudolf Ivanovich knew who I was and could have known my position (at that time - head of the African department). But, in general, everyone has their own area; we did not intersect in professional matters. This was in the mid-sixties. And then I went on a business trip abroad.

Later, when Rudolf Ivanovich was no longer alive, I was unexpectedly recalled to Moscow and appointed head of illegal intelligence. Then I got access to the questions that Abel was leading. And he appreciated Abel the scout and Abel the man.

"We still don't know everything about him..."

In Abel’s professional biography, I would highlight three episodes when he provided invaluable services to the country.

The first - during the war years: participation in Operation Berezino. Then Soviet intelligence created a fictitious German group under Colonel Schorhorn, supposedly operating in our rear. It was a trap for German intelligence officers and saboteurs. To help Schorhorn, Skorzeny dropped more than twenty agents, all of whom were captured. The operation was based on a radio game, for which Fischer (Abel) was responsible. He carried it out masterfully; the Wehrmacht command did not understand until the very end of the war that they were being led by the nose; The last radiogram from Hitler's headquarters to Schorhorn is dated May 1945 and sounds something like this: we can no longer help you, we trust in the will of God. But here’s what’s important: the slightest mistake by Rudolf Ivanovich - and the operation would have been disrupted. Then these saboteurs could end up anywhere. Do you understand how dangerous this is? How many troubles for the country, how many of our soldiers would pay with their lives!

Next is Abel’s participation in the hunt for American atomic secrets. Perhaps our scientists would have created a bomb without the help of intelligence officers. But scientific research is an expenditure of effort, time, money... Thanks to people like Abel, we managed to avoid dead-end research, the desired result was obtained in the shortest possible time, we simply saved a devastated country a lot of money.

And of course, the whole epic with Abel’s arrest in the USA, trial, and imprisonment. Rudolf Ivanovich then really risked his life, while from a professional point of view he behaved impeccably. Dulles' words that he would like to have three or four people like this Russian in Moscow do not require comment.

Of course, I am naming the most famous episodes of Abel's work. The paradox is that many others, very interesting ones, still remain in the shadows.

- Classified?

Not necessary. The secrecy label has already been removed from many cases. But there are stories that, against the backdrop of already known information, look routine and inconspicuous (and journalists, of course, are looking for something more interesting). Something is simply difficult to restore. The chronicler didn’t follow Abel! Today, documentary evidence of his work is scattered across many archival folders. Bringing them together, reconstructing events is painstaking, long work, who will get around to it? It’s just a pity that when there are no facts, legends appear...

- For example?

Didn’t wear a Wehrmacht uniform, didn’t take Kapitsa out

For example, I had to read that during the war Abel worked deep behind German lines. In fact, at the first stage of the war, William Fisher was busy training radio operators for reconnaissance groups. Then he took part in radio games. He was then on the staff of the Fourth (Intelligence and Sabotage) Directorate, the archives of which require separate study. The most that happened was one or two deployments to partisan detachments.

- In Valery Agranovsky’s documentary book “Profession: Foreigner”, written based on the stories of another famous intelligence officer, Konon Molodoy, such a story is described. A young fighter of the reconnaissance group, Molodoy, is dropped into the German rear, he is soon captured, brought to the village, there is some colonel in a hut. He looks with disgust at the obviously “leftist” Ausweiss, listens to confused explanations, then takes the arrested man out onto the porch, gives a kick in the ass, throws the Ausweiss into the snow... Many years later, Young meets this colonel in New York: Rudolf Ivanovich Abel.

Not confirmed by documents.

- But Young...

Konon could have mistaken himself. He could have told something, but the journalist misunderstood him. There could have been a deliberately launched beautiful legend. In any case, Fischer did not wear a Wehrmacht uniform. Only during Operation Berezino, when German agents were parachuted into the Schorhorn camp and Fischer met them.

- Another story - from Kirill Khenkin’s book “Hunter Upside Down”. Willy Fischer, during a business trip to England (the thirties), was introduced into Kapitsa's laboratory in Cambridge and contributed to Kapitsa's departure to the USSR...

Fischer was working in England at that time, but did not infiltrate Kapitsa.

- Henkin was friends with Abel...

He's confused. Or he makes it up. Abel was an amazingly bright and multifaceted person. When you see someone like that, when you know that he is a scout, but you don’t really know what he was doing, myth-making begins.

"I would rather die than reveal the secrets I know"

He drew excellently, at a professional level. In America he had patents for inventions. Played several instruments. In his free time, he solved complex mathematical problems. He understood higher physics. He could literally assemble a radio out of nothing. He worked as a carpenter, a plumber, a carpenter... A fantastically gifted nature.

- And at the same time he served in a department that does not like publicity. Did you regret it? He could succeed as an artist, as a scientist. And as a result... He became famous because he failed.

Abel didn't fail. It was failed by the traitor, Reino Heihanen. No, I don’t think that Rudolf Ivanovich regretted joining intelligence. Yes, he did not become famous as an artist or scientist. But, in my opinion, the work of an intelligence officer is much more interesting. The same creativity, plus adrenaline, plus mental tension... This is a special state that is very difficult to explain in words.

- Courage?

If you want to. In the end, Abel went on his main business trip to the USA voluntarily. I saw the text of the report asking to be sent to work illegally in America. It ends something like this: I would rather accept death than give away the secrets I know, I am ready to fulfill my duty to the end.

- What year is this?

- Let me clarify this why: in many books about Abel it is said that at the end of his life he was disappointed in his previous ideals and was skeptical about what he saw in the Soviet Union.

Don't know. We were not close enough to take the liberty of assessing his moods. Our work does not lend itself to special frankness; at home you can’t say too much to your wife: you proceed from the fact that the apartment can be bugged - not because they don’t trust you, but simply as a preventative measure. But I would not exaggerate... After returning from the USA, Abel was given performances at factories, institutes, even on collective farms. There was no mockery of the Soviet regime there.

Here's something else you should keep in mind. William Fisher's life was not easy, he would like to be disappointed - there were enough reasons. Don’t forget, in 1938 he was fired from the police and suffered it very painfully. Many friends were imprisoned or shot. He worked abroad for so many years - what prevented him from defecting and playing a double game? But Abel is Abel. I think he sincerely believed in the victory of socialism (even if not very quickly). Don't forget - he comes from a family of revolutionaries, people close to Lenin. Belief in communism was imbibed with mother's milk. Of course, he was a smart man, he noticed everything.

I remember the conversation - either Abel spoke, or someone spoke in his presence, and Abel agreed. It was about exceeding plans. The plan cannot be exceeded, because a plan is a plan. If it is exceeded, it means either the calculation was incorrect or the mechanism is unbalanced. But this is not disappointment in ideals, rather constructive, cautious criticism.

- A smart, strong person constantly travels abroad during Soviet times. He couldn’t help but see that people live better there...

In life there is not only black or only white. Socialism means free medicine, the opportunity to educate children, and cheap housing. Precisely because Abel had been abroad, he knew the value of such things too. Although, I do not rule out that many things could irritate him. One of my colleagues almost became anti-Soviet after visiting Czechoslovakia. He was trying on shoes in a store, and suddenly the then Czechoslovak president (I think Zapotocki) sat down next to him with his shoes. “You see,” a friend said, “the head of state, just like everyone else, calmly goes to the store and tries on shoes. Everyone knows him, but no one fusses, the usual polite service. Can you imagine this with us?” I think that Abel had similar thoughts.

- How did Abel live here?

As everybody. My wife also worked in intelligence. Once she comes in shocked: “They threw out the sausages at the buffet, do you know who was standing in front of me in line? Abel!” - "So what?" - “Nothing. I took my half a kilo (they don’t give more to one person) and went away happy.” The standard of living is normal average Soviet. Apartment, modest dacha. I don't remember about the car. Of course, he didn’t live in poverty, after all, he was an intelligence colonel, a decent salary, then a pension - but he didn’t live in luxury either. Another thing is that he didn’t need much. Well-fed, clothed, shod, a roof over your head, books... This is the generation.

Without a Hero

- Why wasn’t Abel given the title of Hero of the Soviet Union?

Then the scouts - especially the living ones who were in the ranks - were not given a Hero at all. Even the people who obtained American atomic secrets received Gold Stars only at the end of their lives. Moreover, they were already awarded Heroes of Russia by the new government. Why didn't they give it? They were afraid of information leakage. A hero is additional authorities, additional papers. Can attract attention - who, for what? Extra people will find out. And it’s simple - a man walked around without a Star, then he was gone for a long time, and appears with the Star of the Hero of the Soviet Union. There are neighbors, acquaintances, the inevitable question is - why? There is no war!

- Abel tried to write memoirs?

Once he wrote memoirs about his arrest, his stay in prison, and his exchange for Powers. Something else? I doubt. Too much would have to be revealed, but professional discipline was ingrained in Rudolf Ivanovich, what can be said and what cannot be said.

- But an incredible amount has been written about him - both in the West, and here, and during Abel’s lifetime, and now. Which books to believe?

I am editing "Essays on Foreign Intelligence" - the professional activities of Rudolf Ivanovich are most accurately reflected there. What about personal qualities? Read "Strangers on a Bridge" by his US lawyer Donovan.

- I don’t agree. For Donovan, Abel is an iron Russian colonel. But Evelina Vilyamovna Fischer, her daughter, remembers how her father argued with her mother over the garden beds at the dacha, was nervous if papers were rearranged in his office, and whistled contentedly while solving mathematical equations. Kirill Khenkin writes about his soulmate Willie, who ideologically served the Soviet country, and at the end of his life thought about the degeneration of the system, and was interested in dissident literature...

So, after all, we are the same with our enemies, different with our family, different at different times. A person must be judged by specific deeds. In Abel's case - making allowances for time and profession. But any country will always be proud of people like him.

Rudolf Abel. Homecoming. Excerpt

"...The road went downhill, water and a large iron bridge were visible ahead. Not far from the barrier, the car stopped. At the entrance to the bridge, a large board announced in English, German and Russian: “You are leaving the American zone.”

We've arrived!

We stood there for a few minutes. One of the Americans came out, walked up to the barrier and exchanged a few words with the man standing there. A few more minutes of waiting. They gave us a signal to approach. We got out of the car, and then it turned out that instead of two small bags with my things, they took only one - with shaving accessories. The second, with letters and court cases, remained with the Americans. I protested. They promised to give them to me. I received them a month later!

With leisurely steps we passed the barrier and along the easy rise of the bridge approached the middle. Several people were already standing there. I recognized Wilkinson and Donovan. There were also several people standing on the other side. I recognized one - an old work friend. Standing between the two men was a tall young man - Powers.

The representative of the USSR said loudly in Russian and English:

Wilkinson took some document out of his briefcase, signed it and handed it to me. I quickly read it - it certified my release and was signed by President John F. Kennedy! I shook hands with Wilkinson, said goodbye to Donovan, and went to join my comrades. I crossed the white line between the two zones, and my comrades hugged me. Together we walked to the Soviet end of the bridge, got into our cars, and after some time drove up to a small house where my wife and daughter were waiting for me.

The fourteen-year business trip is over!

Reference

Abel Rudolf Ivanovich (real name - Fisher William Genrikhovich). Born in 1903 in Newcastle-upon-Tyne (England) in a family of Russian political emigrants. My father is from a family of Russified Germans, a revolutionary worker. Mother also participated in the revolutionary movement. For this, the Fisher couple were expelled abroad in 1901 and settled in England.

At the age of 16, Willie successfully passed the exam at the University of London. In 1920, the family returned to Moscow, Willie worked as a translator in the apparatus of the Comintern. In 1924 he entered the Indian department of the Institute of Oriental Studies in Moscow, but after the first year he was drafted into the army and enrolled in a radiotelegraph regiment. After demobilization, he went to work at the Research Institute of the Red Army Air Force, and in 1927 he was accepted into the INO OGPU for the position of assistant commissioner. Performed secret missions in European countries. Upon returning to Moscow, he was awarded the rank of state security lieutenant, which corresponded to the military rank of major. At the end of 1938, he was dismissed from intelligence without explanation. He worked at the All-Union Chamber of Commerce and at a factory. He repeatedly submitted reports about his reinstatement in intelligence.

In September 1941, he was enrolled in a unit involved in organizing sabotage groups and partisan detachments behind the lines of the fascist occupiers. During this period, he became especially close friends with his work comrade Rudolf Ivanovich Abel, whose name he would later use when arrested. At the end of the war, he returned to work in the illegal intelligence department. In November 1948, it was decided to send him to work illegally in the United States to obtain information about American nuclear facilities. Nickname - Mark. In 1949 he was awarded the Order of the Red Banner for successful work.

To relieve Mark from current affairs, illegal intelligence radio operator Heikhanen (pseudonym Vic) was sent to help him in 1952. Vic turned out to be morally and psychologically unstable, drank, and quickly went downhill. Four years later, a decision was made to return to Moscow. However, Vic informed the American authorities about his work in Soviet illegal intelligence and betrayed Mark.

In 1957, Mark was arrested by FBI agents. At that time, the leadership of the USSR declared that our country “does not engage in espionage.” In order to let Moscow know about his arrest and that he was not a traitor, Fischer gave the name of his late friend Abel during his arrest. During the investigation, he categorically denied his affiliation with intelligence, refused to testify at trial, and rejected attempts by American intelligence agencies to persuade him to cooperate. Sentenced to 30 years in prison. He served his sentence in a federal prison in Atlanta. In the cell he studied solving mathematical problems, art theory, and painting. On February 10, 1962, he was exchanged for the American pilot Francis Powers, convicted by a Soviet court of espionage.

After rest and treatment, Colonel Fischer (Abel) worked in the central intelligence apparatus. He took part in the training of young illegal intelligence officers. He died of cancer in 1971. He was buried at the Donskoye Cemetery in Moscow.

He was awarded the Order of Lenin, three Orders of the Red Banner, the Order of the Red Banner of Labor, the Order of the Patriotic War 1st degree, the Red Star and many medals.