Born in 1895 to a German engineer and Russian mother in Baku, part of the Russian Empire, Sorge grew up in Germany during a nationalistic era, not the typical upbringing for a future Communist spy.
Serving in the German Army during World War I, Sorge was wounded three times, leaving him with a slight limp. The war influenced his beliefs, leading him to admire the Bolshevik Revolution. In 1919, he joined the German Communist Party and later earned a PhD in Political Science by 1925. Dedicated to Communism, he became part of the Soviet Comintern.
The Beginning
Sorge’s espionage career began in 1925 with Red Army intelligence and Soviet citizenship. Despite his excessive drinking and womanizing, his superiors did not seem concerned. He traveled to England to study the local Communist Party and then went to Shanghai and Nanking, where he spied on the Chinese Nationalists while posing as a journalist.
Richard Sorge, a skilled spy, established valuable connections with Japanese contacts in China, particularly the Japanese journalist Ozaki Hotsumi, who had connections to the Imperial Government. Upon returning to Germany in 1933, he was instructed to become a Nazi. Sorge adeptly portrayed himself as a committed Nazi, impressing higher-level Nazis enough to avoid a background check and conceal his Communist past. If Nazi officials had discovered his true background, he would have faced arrest and execution. Sorge even altered his behavior by abstaining from drinking and womanizing during this charade. Additionally, he married Katya, whom he met in China.
The Soviets dispatched Sorge to Japan, their primary threat, to establish a spy ring. He was hired as a senior correspondent by two newspapers. With assistance from three Comintern agents, Sorge enlisted his friend Ozaki, who held a position in the Prime Minister’s cabinet. Their mission was to determine if Japan desired war with the Soviets. Sorge convincingly portrayed himself as a staunch Nazi, enhancing his cover. Unlike China, Japan posed greater challenges due to the active pursuit of foreign agents by the Kempetai, the secret police. Although the spy ring’s coded radio signals were eventually detected, its location remained elusive.
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Richard Sorge and the Tokyo Ring
Sorge quickly integrated himself into the German expat community in Tokyo, leveraging his charm, fluency in Japanese, and social connections to smoothly transition. His journalist background helped him befriend the German ambassador, Japanese military officials, and diplomats, who viewed him as a typical Nazi – cynical, heavy-drinking, yet intelligent despite his flaws like womanizing.
Beyond Japan, Sorge’s network extended throughout the Empire, observing and gathering information. The results were swift, with the first breakthrough in 1936 through smuggled documents revealing Japan’s focus on China over the Soviet Union. This discovery, shared with the German ambassador, bolstered Sorge’s reputation.
By 1938, German authorities regularly sought Sorge’s insights on Japanese affairs. He even accompanied German diplomatic pouches, enabling him to clandestinely transmit information to Moscow. In 1938, Sorge’s spy ring provided crucial intelligence as tensions escalated between Japan and the Soviets in Manchuria. Concerns of a broader conflict grew due to Nazi anti-Communist rhetoric, but Sorge’s sources indicated Japan’s reluctance to attack Russia. Additionally, his Japanese informants supplied details on troop movements, relayed to a Siberian station.
In the late 1930s, the Soviet Union faced threats from both Germany and Japan, with the latter expanding its influence in Asia since defeating Imperial Russia in 1904. With a shared border, the two powers posed significant challenges. Sorge’s pivotal moment arrived in early 1941 during Germany’s Operation Barbarossa into the Soviet Union. Amidst the uncertainty, he and his team diligently gathered intelligence to discern Japan’s intentions through various means like surveillance and eavesdropping.
The Game Concluded
Richard Sorge’s access to German records and his friend Ozaki’s connections to the Japanese government revealed that neither Germany nor Japan desired war. Despite Germany’s initial successes, Japan decided to turn its focus southward. Sorge relayed this information to Moscow, potentially altering the course of events. With Siberia secure, Stalin was able to transfer troops to defend Moscow, ultimately saving the Soviet Union from the Nazis.
However, Sorge’s espionage activities had consequences. The Kempetai, suspicious of increased encrypted radio communications, discovered a spy ring in Tokyo. Sorge and his associates were arrested, and he confessed to his Soviet affiliations before being executed in 1944. Despite being a highly skilled spy who remained undetected for years, Sorge showed decency by negotiating the release of the women involved in the ring in exchange for his confession, which the Kempetai honored.
