Codename Dora (Classics of World War II)

Description: The English translation was originally published in 1977, this reprint edition is part of the Time-Life World War II Classics series, The Secret War. Sador Rado organized one of the most successful Soviet spy networks in Europe during World War II. Rado, A Hungarian cartographer, journalist and educator, joined the Communist Party in 1918 at the age of eighteen. When political winds shifted the following year, he fled to Austria, where he established Rosta Vienna, an early Soviet news agency. In 1935, while serving as the head of Geopress, a map news service, he was recruited by Soviet Military Intelligence. Using Geopress as his cover, he adopted the codename 'Dora'; and settled in Geneva. There he formed an intelligence network that reported on strategic movements of the Italian army, forewarned the Soviet high command of the Nazi attack on Danzig that launce the War in 1939, and provided detailed information on German troop movements, dispositions, and operational plans for the attack on the Soviet Union in 1941. The great irony of Rado's career was that he came close to losing his life at the hands of the regime that he had served so well. His death sentence was commuted and he spent ten years at hard labor, finally to be released with Stalin died. This copy includes the publisher's insert. BINDNG/CONDITION: from a uniformly bound series: tan marbled boards with half black imitation leather (corners and spine), all edges gilt, ribbon place marker, Very Good condition. Printed endpapers. 8vo (8.5 inches tall). 298 pages.