A glorious son of the Tatar people, one of the outstanding representatives of Soviet illegal intelligence, Ishak Abdulovich Akhmerov (1901-1976) is one of the top cohort of world-class intelligence service aces. His name was kept silent in our country for decades even after his death. We have received more detailed information about him in recent years, presented, of course, by the intelligence officers themselves and, therefore, passed through the necessary “sieve.” And if you look on the Internet in English and look through numerous publications in the United States on personalities and problems of modern intelligence, you can find hundreds of references to Akhmerov. You should search in various variants: “Jung”, “Albert”, Bill Greinke, Michael Green, Michael Adamel, “Mayor”, etc. And any reader will involuntarily come to the conclusion that Iskhak Akhmerov was one of the outstanding intelligence officers of the Second World War.
Ten years in the United States on the eve and during the war (1935-1945) and continuous activity day and night as the head of an extensive network of illegal intelligence is a lot even by the standards of the intelligence service. It is enough to cancel that, according to official information from the SVR, in the last two years alone, in 1943-1945, 2,500 films with information materials on more than 75 thousand typewritten sheets were received from the residency of Iskhak Abdulovich! For this titanic work in illegal conditions, I. A. Akhmerov and his wife were awarded state awards: he - the Order of the Badge of Honor and the Red Banner, Helen ("Tanya") - the Order of the Red Star. After the end of the war, Ishak Abdulovich was awarded the second Order of the Red Banner for his work on the Manhattan Project.
Residency sources were located at many U.S. Government installations. And secrets especially protected by the Americans regularly came to Akhmerov and were then immediately sent to Moscow. From the materials published by foreign intelligence officers it is clear that even before the start of the Tehran Conference of the Great Powers, the Soviet delegation received timely information about the plans and intentions of the Americans and the steps they were planning.
A small highly qualified international group operating in various parts of the planet: Richard Sorge in Tokyo, Kim Philby in London, Yakov Reizman, Iskhak Akhmerov and Rudolf Abel in the largest centers of the USA, for a long time provided the Soviet leadership with valuable military-political information, obtained from primary sources, so to speak, first-hand. This contributed to the adoption of the right government decisions in the most difficult years of the country’s development. Under the weight of various circumstances, over time, they all “lit up”: R. Sorge and Y. Reisman died, R. Abel ended up in prison, K. Philby was forced to leave England forever. All except I. Akhmerov, who returned safely with his American wife to Moscow after successfully completing the assigned tasks. And for another thirty years until the end of his life he continued to serve his favorite cause and the interests of the state.
Hard childhood
Ishak Abdulovich Akhmerov was born on April 7, 1901 in the city of Troitsk, Orenburg province, into a poor Tatar family. He knew his father, who died suddenly when Ishak was only a few months old, only from his mother’s stories. The mother and her infant child were forced to move to her father in one of the district villages of the Kazan province. Grandfather Ishak had a large family; they themselves barely survived on bread and tea. His grandfather, a furrier, taught the smart boy to his craft, which later came in handy in his intelligence work. But more on that later.
From an early age Ishak knew the need. The grandfather died when the boy was only twelve years old. He went to work as a farm laborer for local farmers, and over the next five years mastered half a dozen professions: he was an errand boy in a haberdashery store, he worked as a grinder and an apprentice in a printing house, as an electrician’s assistant and as a baker. After the February Revolution, he “made it into the people” - he began working as a clerk in a manufacturing store, which made his mother very proud. But after the Civil War, the store closed due to lack of goods.
Thirst for knowledge
Ishak really wanted to study and acquire a useful specialty. The Soviet government helped him: with a permit from the Kazan Council, he was sent to Moscow for accounting courses, after which the seventeen-year-old young man entered the People's Commissariat of Education of Tatarstan. In 1919, he was accepted into the party, and a year later the young active worker was elected deputy of the Kazan City Council. The irrepressible Ishak felt a lack of knowledge and expressed a desire to obtain a higher education. In 1921, the Kazan residents again sent him to study in Moscow - at the University of the Peoples of the East, where he began to study Turkish. A year later, Ishak Akhmerov was transferred to the Faculty of International Relations of Moscow State University (the forerunner of MGIMO). Here, along with such general educational disciplines as the history of international relations, international public and private law, in addition to Turkish, he also studied French, which was then considered in Turkey the language of the local elite. A little later, he began studying English, which ten years later would become his second native language for many years.
The path to the top
In Moscow, his ability to master languages and his enormous talent for communication quickly emerged - extremely important traits for a future illegal intelligence officer. But for now it was necessary to quickly master two more important specialties - teacher and diplomat. After graduating from Moscow State University in 1923-1924, he worked as deputy director of the Moscow Pedagogical College. Later, his teaching skills were very useful to him, especially in recruiting activities.
In 1925, Ishak Akhmerov was transferred to the People's Commissariat of Foreign Affairs of the USSR and, after a short internship, was sent to the city of Termez, to the USSR Embassy in the Bukhara Republic. After the reunification of this republic with Uzbekistan, I. Akhmerov, as an expert in the Turkish language, was appointed secretary of the Consulate General of the USSR in Istanbul. In 1928-1929, Ishak Akhmerov served as Consul General of the USSR in Istanbul. Essentially, in three years he went from trainee to consul general. Under normal circumstances, current Russian diplomats travel this path in about 25-30 years!
It is safe to assume that the beginning of I. Akhmerov’s cooperation with foreign intelligence dates back to this period. He established extensive contacts with influential representatives of the Turkish elite, made useful contacts with representatives of a foreign colony, gained experience communicating with foreigners, became acquainted with the basics of recruiting work, and improved his knowledge of Turkish, French and English.
Scout-orientalist
After returning from Turkey to Moscow, I. Akhmerov worked for several months at the People's Commissariat of Foreign Affairs: he had to “check in” and show that he really was a representative of the diplomatic department. At the beginning of 1930, Akhmerov enlisted in the counterintelligence unit of the OGPU as an operative and was sent to Bukhara, where for a year he actively participated in the fight against the Basmachi.
After returning from a business trip, he was recruited to work at the OGPU INO and sent to study at the Institute of Red Professors, since in those days there was no special intelligence school. At the Faculty of World Economy and World Economy, I. Akhmerov improves the knowledge necessary to work in intelligence, and at the same time studies English. This is followed by a short internship in the foreign department of the OGPU. In January 1933, the young intelligence officer was invited to a conversation with the intelligence chief A. Artuzov. He announced the management’s decision to send I. Akhmerov to work in China through illegal intelligence.
Ishak Abdulovich had to go to Beijing as a Turkish student of oriental studies, legalize himself in the country and begin acquiring sources that could inform foreign intelligence about the situation in the country and the plans of the Whites and Japanese regarding the USSR. It was a bold and at the same time very risky decision: the “transformation” of the former Soviet consul in Istanbul into a Turkish student in Beijing - in a den of international espionage!
To Beijing, “Jung” (operational pseudonym of I. Akhmerov) had to travel through Europe, where the “Turkish citizen” had to obtain a Chinese visa and travel by steamer from Rome to one of the Chinese ports. When he contacted a travel agency in Rome to organize a trip to China, they explained to him that most Europeans go to China through the USSR because it is faster, cheaper, and most importantly, safer. At the Chinese embassy he easily obtained an entry visa, but he was warned that to travel to Beijing he must also obtain a Soviet transit visa. This wasn't too difficult either. But after leaving the Soviet embassy, the Italian carabinieri took him to the police for questioning. They were interested in why he visited the Consulate. After a sensible explanation, the Turkish citizen was released.
A small episode was also unsafe when I. Akhmerov crossed the Russian-Chinese border in Japanese-occupied Manchuria. The Japanese, who knew Russian, interrogated the “Turkish citizen” through a Tatar translator about the purposes of his visit to China. He translated from Turkish into Russian and back. At some point, the Tatar translator had a suspicion: was it really a Turk standing in front of him, and not a Tatar with knowledge of the Turkish language? Tracing the entire translation process, Ishak Abdulova quickly realized that at all costs he must “convince” the doubting Tatar that they were facing a 100% citizen of the Turkish Republic. What a plot for an adventure novel or a documentary! And he succeeded. Scout "Jung" arrived in Beijing safely and entered the most prestigious American university, where mainly foreign students and representatives of the then Chinese elite studied. He quickly established trusting contacts with the necessary media. From an English student who maintained contacts with the British Embassy, he received information about Japan's plans in China, and a Swedish student supplied Akhmerov with interesting information about Japanese activities in Manchuria. This information received a positive assessment at the Center. A project was already brewing there to transfer “Jung” from East to West.
Iskhak Akhmerov - resident of the USA
In 1934, the intelligence leadership decided to send I. Akhmerov to work illegally in the United States. After some preparation in Moscow, “Jung” left for Europe in 1935. After a few days in Geneva, he received an American visa and soon departed Cherbourg for New York on the French high-speed liner Normandy. Immediately after arriving in New York, he began studying at Columbia University -
for the purpose of smooth legalization and to improve knowledge of the English language. After some time, he acquired documents as a US citizen. From now on, he is one hundred percent American in all respects: in culture and mentality, in habits and knowledge of the language.
During the first year of his stay in the USA, I. Akhmerov restored contact with a number of previously “mothballed” agents. But it turned out that a considerable part of them had already lost their reconnaissance capabilities. He had to create and acquire new sources of information, which he did brilliantly. By the beginning of 1936, six American employees, including two women, were already actively working in the illegal Jung station.
In 1938-1939, the illegal Soviet residency in the United States, headed by Ishak Abdulovich, had about two dozen sources in the US military and diplomatic departments, as well as in other important government agencies. According to information recently published in our press, I. Akhmerov received military-political information valuable for our country from the “Nord” agent he recruited, who worked in the War Ministry and had access to reports of US military attaches abroad, as well as to decisions taken on these reports to government decisions. “Jung’s” extremely valuable source was Agent Kord, who held a senior position in the US State Department. He was recruited on an ideological and political basis. Being an anti-fascist by conviction, he believed that only the USSR could stop Hitler’s aggression in Europe, so he consciously went to deepen cooperation with Soviet intelligence.
Secret information coming from Kord, i.e., from the State Department, was highly valued at the Center and was regularly reported to the top Soviet leadership. In the pre-war years, it allowed the Kremlin to be aware of the US position on the most pressing international issues. Among the information were copies of political reports of US ambassadors in Berlin and London, Paris and Rome, as well as in other European capitals.
Most of the sources knew that they were working for the Soviet Union and deliberately provided us with assistance, considering this their contribution to the joint struggle against the common enemy - fascism. Many of them worked for free.
Soon after arriving in the United States, I. Akhmerov recruited American Helen Lowry (operational pseudonym “Tanya”), the niece of the then General Secretary of the US Communist Party, Earl Browder, to cooperate as the owner of a safe house. Helen turned out to be not only an excellent liaison and the owner of several safe houses, but also took an active part in efforts to obtain reliable American documents for newly arriving employees of the illegal station of “Jung.” Moreover, she soon smoothly joined in the “extraction” of interesting information first-hand, using her charm and personal connections among the White House administration staff.
The elegant and intelligent Tatar "Jung", who often met with Helen, fell in love with his American assistant. The young and beautiful girl reciprocated his feelings, and they decided to get married.
It must be said that Helen occupied a special place among I. Akhmerov’s closest assistants and provided enormous assistance in all the work of the Soviet station. She became a faithful wife and an indispensable assistant in both American and Moscow life of Akhmerov. And here he made an absolutely unmistakable choice: out of love and out of necessity! But a risky test had to be passed. Stalin's repressions affected diplomats and intelligence officers. On the instructions of People's Commissar of Internal Affairs Beria, in 1939 the Center recalled almost all legal and illegal residents from abroad, including Akhmerov. Ishak Abdulovich received the instructions about his recall with a heavy heart and bewilderment. How to give up everything when the results of his work are impeccable and the information he obtains is extremely necessary for our state, especially on the eve of the Second World War?
In September 1939, a report from illegal intelligence officer “Jung” from Washington landed on Lavrentiy Beria’s desk. In response to the order of the all-powerful People's Commissar of the NKVD to mothball the residency he headed and leave for the Center, Colonel Akhmerov asked for permission to marry “Tanya” and return to Moscow with her. The case, it must be said, is extraordinary in the world practice of intelligence services, especially the Soviet one at that time. Beria was furious. He called the head of foreign intelligence, General Fitin, and scolded him, saying that “American spies had infiltrated the illegal residency of the NKVD in the United States.”
According to the memoirs of General Pavel Fitin, he had to spend a lot of effort and energy to dissuade the People's Commissar. The certificate he prepared for Beria gave a high assessment of the information coming from “Jung”. It emphasized that Helen (“Tanya”) is the niece of the leader of the American communists, whom Stalin himself highly values. Obviously, it was this argument that played a decisive role in the fact that Akhmerov survived. Beria was afraid of angering the leader and gave the go-ahead for the marriage.
True, in the future Beria still took revenge on “Jung”. When at the beginning of 1940, the head of the illegal residency in the United States, I. Akhmerov, arrived with his wife at the Center, Beria ordered that “Jung” be demoted to the lowest rank - to an intern in the American foreign intelligence department, and his combat deputy Norman Borodin was generally dismissed from intelligence. Over the next two years, I. Akhmerov was carefully checked, which means that his rich operational capabilities remained unrealized until an urgent need for him arose immediately after the start of the war.
Return of the resident
In July 1941, it was decided to introduce the illegal residency mothballed by Jung in the United States and urgently send I. Akhmerov there again as the head of the illegal intelligence network. By this time, Helen (“Tanya”) had accepted Soviet citizenship and became a full-fledged employee of Soviet foreign intelligence. In September 1941, Ishak and Elena, illegal intelligence officers, departed for their place of work in the United States by a roundabout route through the East.
The route overseas lay through China and Hong Kong. From here they arrived by ship to the United States. For this trip, they were prepared with the appropriate documents. In the US, they switched to their trusty old passports.
Having experience of illegal work in the United States and being well aware of the operational situation in the country, Akhmerov immediately after his arrival began to carry out the Center’s assignment. For reliable cover, he created a commercial company for sewing and selling fur products. Here the furrier skills he received from his grandfather came in handy. Every day from morning until lunch he worked in the office, dealing with the financial and commercial affairs of the company. This made it possible to bring the company into the ranks of successful ones and seriously consolidate the position of the scout in the rank of a successful businessman. After lunch at home, he studied the press and materials on international issues, preparing for upcoming meetings with source agents. Two or three times a month he traveled from New York to Washington to meet with his most valuable sources, usually on Saturdays and Sundays. Elena also traveled to the American capital several times a month, fulfilling her husband’s communications assignment. At the same time, she managed to study at the university at the Faculty of Pedagogy. This was the strict daily routine of this courageous couple for five years. There was only five or six hours left for sleep, and not always.
The sources of the residency - Akhmerov's agents were located at many US government facilities, and secrets especially protected by the Americans regularly came to him and were then sent to Moscow. For example, on the eve of and during the Tehran Conference of Great Powers, the Soviet delegation received information in advance about the plans and intentions of the Americans, and this was the great merit of Ishak Abdulovich, who received information through his agents, as they say, first-hand.
Akhmerov had valuable sources in the State Department, the Overseas Economic Administration, the Office of the Department of War Industry, the FBI, the Department of Justice and other institutions. One of his agents obtained information on atomic issues (the Manhattan Project). Another of his agents, who worked in the Office of Strategic Services (foreign intelligence), transmitted documentary materials about the US military infrastructure and preparations for military operations. A large volume of classified materials also came from other sources.
All of the above allows us to assert that Colonel Ishak Abdulovich Akhmerov was one of the outstanding representatives of foreign intelligence. He played a big role in strengthening the defense capability of our state during the most difficult time for the country - during the Great Patriotic War, heading the illegal residency in the United States from 1941 to 1946.
Among the materials sent by Akhmerov were information about American assessments of Germany’s military-political potential, military and political plans of the US government, draft documents prepared for important international meetings, data on negotiations between the German ambassador in the Vatican and representatives of President Roosevelt on the conditions for Germany’s exit from the war. All this information was of great importance and was reported directly to senior management.
After returning to Moscow in 1946, he was appointed deputy head of the KGB Department of Illegal Intelligence and worked fruitfully in this post for about ten years. He repeatedly went on short-term special missions to restore communications and provide assistance to illegal intelligence officers. Performed other responsible tasks as well. After retirement, due to his length of service, he lectured at educational institutions of the Soviet foreign intelligence service.
As noted in published sources, in one of his speeches, Ishak Abdulovich proudly stated that for about ten years he was an American and, together with his wife, conducted intelligence work, freely traveling around the country, had a trading company, an apartment in New York, and managed reputable sources -agents in Washington, who provided important political information during the war, covered the politics of not only the United States, but also our opponents - Germany and Japan. “When I received messages from the Center that this information was of great national importance, I realized that I was bringing great benefit to the Motherland, and I felt deep satisfaction.”
The final documents on the work of foreign intelligence during the Great Patriotic War say: “During the war years in the United States, the resident of the illegal residency, the prominent Soviet intelligence officer I. A. Akhmerov, acted especially successfully...” Rarely has any intelligence officer been able to earn such a high rating!
Another paragraph from the memoirs of people who knew him personally or his intelligence activities: “Ishak Abdulovich had great willpower, tenacity, and perseverance in achieving his goal. He tried not to cut himself any slack even in small things. He was a man of great soul, passionate about the work he served throughout his adult life. He was selflessly devoted to his Fatherland."
Iskhak Akhmerov died on July 18, 1976 at the age of 76. His wife and fighting friend Elena Ivanovna (Helen) died in 1981.
As more and more documentary materials appear about the life and work of Iskhak Abdulovich Akhmerov, his image directly suggests the creation of an action-packed feature film or novel, a documentary story. I think there are no problems with opening a stand at the State Museum of Tatarstan or naming one of the new streets of the fast-growing Tatarstan capital after him. All this does not require any expenses. There would only be a desire and understanding of the greatness of his personality. Iskhak Abdulovich Akhmerov, like no other of our contemporaries, in my opinion, deserves such signs of attention.
Yulduz Khaliullin
A book in the “Life of Remarkable People” series will be published about an illegal Tatar immigrant in the United States. Part 2
The English-language Internet is replete with American publications about the agent under the operational pseudonyms Jung, Albert, Bill Greinke, Michael Green, Michael Adamel, Mayor. And this is all about him - about one of the outstanding intelligence officers of the Second World War, our fellow countryman. BUSINESS Online offers a publication in Russian to complete its story about Iskhak Akhmerov.
ORIGIN AND TALENT - TWO THINGS COMPATIBLE
Classic of Soviet intelligence Ishak Abdulovich Akhmerov born on April 7, 1901 into a poor Tatar family in Troitsk, Orenburg province ( now - a city in the Chelyabinsk region, an important border point on the state border of the Russian Federation with the Republic of Kazakhstan -approx. ed.). I knew my father only from my mother’s stories: Abdul Akhmerov died suddenly when Ishak was only two months old. A mother and her infant son move to one of the district villages of the Kazan province, to live with their father. He had a large family that barely survived on bread and water. Ishak’s grandfather, an artisan furrier, taught his smart grandson his craft. Who knew that it would be useful to him 40 years later on the other side of the Earth, and even as cover in intelligence work!
The grandfather died when the boy was only 12 years old. So, although Ishak was a very young man at the time of the February Revolution of 1917 (that year the young man turned 16 years old), in his short life by that time he had managed to take a sip of his old life. Over the next five years, he managed to work as a laborer for local bais, to be an errand boy in a haberdashery store, to work as a grinder, as an apprentice in a printing house, as an electrician’s assistant, and as a baker. But after February, his mother was very pleased when her son managed to get a job as a clerk in a textile store. It seemed that life was beginning to get better by those standards, when first another revolution broke out (this time the October Revolution), and a little later as its nightmarish consequence — Civil War. There was no longer anything to sell in the store; the population had no money to buy. Thus ended his career in the trading business.
In his heart, Ishak was not very worried about this, because he preferred real study to the counter, he wanted to acquire a truly useful specialty. And the Soviet government helped him in this: with a permit from the Kazan Council, he was sent to Moscow for accounting courses, after which, at the age of 17, he went to work at the People's Commissariat of Education in Kazan. In 1919 he joined the Bolshevik Party, a year later the young active worker was elected as a deputy to the Kazan City Council. By that time, somewhere and somehow his natural abilities for languages manifested themselves, and Ishak himself expressed a great desire to continue his studies and get a higher education. In 1921 he was again sent to Moscow, this time — to the University of Oriental Peoples, where he began to study Turkish.
Alexander Korshunov — historian, international journalist, winner of the SVR Prize — in a radio program from the series “Foreign Department” ( by the name of the illegal intelligence service of the OGPU - approx. ed.) said a very important thing: “The example of Iskhak Akhmerov — one of the clearest confirmations that a person’s origin and talent — These are completely unrelated things. He is one of the people who rose to prominence in that era thanks to his exceptional abilities...”
“AKHMEROV IS AMAZINGLY DESERVING OUR MEMORY”
“He was a very hardworking, very smart and active person who knew and saw a hard life,” these words about our legendary fellow countryman at the request of the current director of the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service Sergei Naryshkin President of Tatarstan Rustam Minnikhanov spoken in the film "Mr. Resident" ( more about this in the previous one"BUSINESS Online" about Iskhak Akhmerov - approx. ed.). - It took place. Nobody helped him, and this foundation of his, that is, what he had to endure, I think, served as a good basis for the intelligence officer.”
“The film is amazing,” he shares his impressions of “Mr. Resident” with a BUSINESS Online correspondent. Igor Milmukhametov, retired KGB lieutenant colonel, who served for more than 30 years in operational and leadership work, including abroad; Deputy Chairman of the Council of Veterans of the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation for the Republic of Tatarstan, Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Military Historical Sciences. “It’s necessary: for the first time, for almost an entire hour, a federal television channel showed a serious political thriller about the very “top floors,” about the highest level of tasks being solved: about the real background behind the outbreak of the war between the United States and Japan during the Second World War. The film is a documentary, very reliable, and it’s worth a lot. Secondly, the material is presented clearly and at the same time in an original way, including completely new, previously unknown material. Well, the “trick”, of course, is the participation of the president of our republic in it. This has never happened before. How did they talk about us before? The chairman, some head of department will report, or someone else, but always from our “workshop”. Well, of course, I took a fresh look at Operation Snow, and once again I said to myself: Akhmerov simply amazingly deserves our memory. After all, among other things, he ended up on the hit list and remained alive, managed to survive, withstand this, unlike many intelligence officers of that time...”
But let us return to the presentation of subsequent events in the life of our fellow countryman.
“I’M ON A BUSINESS TRIP, TO THE DEN OF INTERNATIONAL ESPIONAGE”
In Moscow in 1921, coupled with the abilities we already knew for mastering languages, Akhmerov discovered a remarkable talent for communication. He turned out to be the owner of this most important quality of a future illegal intelligence officer. But for now, I had to quickly master two more important professions - teacher and diplomat. After graduating from Moscow State University in 1923–1924, Akhmerov worked as deputy director of the Moscow Pedagogical College, and his teaching experience would later be useful to him in recruiting work. In 1925, he was transferred to the People's Commissariat of Foreign Affairs of the USSR. After a short internship, he was sent to the city of Termez, to the USSR Embassy in the Bukhara Republic. After her reunification with Uzbekistan, Akhmerov - already fluent in Turkish - was appointed secretary of the Soviet Consulate General in Istanbul. In 1928–1929 he served as Consul General of the USSR in Istanbul. “Essentially, in three years he went from an intern to a consul general,” he says in one of his video interviews. Yulduz Khaliullin, a native of the Agryz region, a Soviet and Russian diplomat who worked for about 20 years in eight diplomatic missions of our country. “Under normal circumstances, current Russian diplomats travel this path in about 25–30 years!” It is safe to assume that the beginning of Akhmerov’s cooperation with foreign intelligence dates back to this period. He established extensive contacts with influential representatives of the Turkish elite, made useful contacts with representatives of a foreign colony, gained experience communicating with foreigners, became acquainted with the basics of recruiting work, and improved his knowledge of Turkish, French and English.”
According to the SVR, in 1930–1931, Akhmerov participated in the fight against the Basmachi in the Bukhara Republic as an operative of the counterintelligence unit of the OGPU. After returning from this business trip, he was recruited to work in one of the most secret departments of our intelligence - the Foreign, or “department of illegal immigrants” (INO OGPU) and was sent to study at the Institute of Red Professors, since in those days there was no special intelligence school. In January 1933, the legendary Artuzov summoned him for a conversation ( Arthur Khristianovich Artuzov (1891–1937) - one of the founders of Soviet intelligence and counterintelligence, corps commissar. He led the large operations “Trust” and “Syndicate-2”, as well as several dozen other lesser-known ones. Shot in 1937, rehabilitated in 1956 - approx. ed.). The country's chief intelligence officer announces to Akhmerov the management's decision to send him to work in China—already an illegal immigrant.
TWO TATARINS SERVED. ON DIFFERENT SIDE OF THE WAR
Ishak Abdulovich was supposed to go to Beijing, the den of international espionage, as a Turkish student of oriental studies. Then legalize and acquire sources that could inform foreign intelligence about the situation in the country and the plans of the White Guards and Japanese regarding the USSR. Originally "Jung" ( Akhmerov's operational pseudonym is approx. ed.) planned to go to Beijing through Europe, where the “Turkish citizen” had to obtain a Chinese visa, and proceed by boat from Italy to one of the Chinese ports. When in Rome he contacted a travel agency to organize a trip to China, they explained to him that most Europeans go there through the USSR, because it is faster, cheaper, and most importantly — safer. After a successful visit to the Chinese embassy, he was also supposed to receive a Soviet transit visa. This wasn't too difficult either. But after leaving the Soviet embassy, the Italian carabinieri took him to the police for questioning. They were interested in why he visited the “red embassy”: his visitors took special note, since the fascist regime was already in power in the country Benito Mussolini. However, after an intelligent explanation, the Turkish citizen was released.
A short episode when Akhmerov crossed the Russian-Chinese border in Japanese-occupied Manchuria also turned out to be mortally dangerous. A Japanese border guard officer interrogated the “Turkish citizen” through his interpreter. And you have to — this happens in one case in a million — The translator turned out to be a Tatar by nationality! He translated from Turkish into Russian and back. At some point, the “countryman” suspected something was wrong: was it really a Turk standing in front of him, and not a Tatar with knowledge of the Turkish language? It's more difficult to deceive blood. But Akhmerov did it with difficulty, but succeeded — to convince the doubting translator that what stands before them is not his “blood brother”, but a 100% citizen of the Turkish Republic...
Scout "Jung" arrived in Beijing safely and entered the most prestigious American university, where mainly foreign students and representatives of the then Chinese elite studied. He quickly established trusting contacts with the necessary carriers of information, which received a positive assessment at the Center. Therefore, plans were already brewing there to transfer “Jung” from East to West.
In 1934, the intelligence leadership decided to send Akhmerov to work illegally in the United States. After some preparation in Moscow, “Jung” ended up in New York in 1935 as a student at the famous Columbia University. On his first visit to the pre-war United States, our illegal immigrant managed to restore contact with previously “mothballed” agents and establish his own extensive contacts with the help of a young attractive American woman Helen Lowry — niece of the leader of the US Communist Party. At first she was his most faithful companion, and then she became his wife; thanks to this marriage, which aroused the rage of the Lavrentiy Beria, miraculously managed to escape execution. Act as the “author of the script” for the unique, breathtakingly skillful idea and execution of Operation “Snow,” which resulted in nothing less than the US war with Japan. Supervised the operation personally Joseph Stalin, it was not mentioned for a long time even in the offices of the GRU and the KGB.
THE SECOND COMING OF THE AKHMEROVS IN THE “COUNTRY OF THE YELLOW DEVIL”
In July 1941, it was decided to introduce the illegal residency mothballed by Jung in the United States and urgently send Akhmerov there again as the head of the illegal intelligence network. By this time, Helen (call sign “Tanya”) had accepted Soviet citizenship and became a full-fledged employee of Soviet foreign intelligence. In September 1941, Ishak and Elena, illegal intelligence officers, departed for their place of work in the United States by a roundabout route through the East.
Immediately upon arrival, Akhmerov begins to carry out the Center’s task. To provide reliable cover, Ishak creates a commercial company for sewing and trading in fur products. That’s when the furrier skills he received from his grandfather came in handy! Every day from morning until lunch he worked in the office, dealing with financial and commercial matters. This made it possible to bring the company into the ranks of successful ones and seriously consolidate the position of the intelligence officer in the rank of a successful businessman, freely travel around the country, meet everyone who might be needed, and not raise a shadow of doubt! And at the same time, he earned decent money for our intelligence service... Elen-Elena-Tanya, in addition to her “main job” in intelligence, managed to study at the university at the Faculty of Pedagogy. The family of illegal immigrants had only five to six hours to sleep, and not always.
Over the course of several years, the circle of Soviet residents increased significantly. The station's sources - Akhmerov's agents - were located at many US government facilities, and secrets especially protected by the Americans regularly came to him and were then sent to Moscow. For example, on the eve of and during the Tehran Conference of Great Powers, the Soviet delegation received advance information about the plans and intentions of the Americans. According to Yuldus Khaliullin, Akhmerov had valuable sources in the State Department, the Administration of Foreign Economic Affairs, the Office of the Department of Military Industry, the FBI, the Department of Justice and other institutions. One of his agents obtained information on atomic issues (the Manhattan Project). Another, who worked in the Office of Strategic Services (foreign intelligence), transmitted documentary materials about the US military infrastructure and preparations for military operations. A large volume of classified materials also came from other sources.
According to the SVR, Akhmerov officially headed the Soviet illegal residency in the United States from 1942 to 1945. During the war years, he transported more than 2.5 thousand films with secret materials to the USSR, according to the Uralpress news agency. Among these materials were information about American assessments of the military-political potential of Germany, the military and political plans of the US government, draft documents prepared for important international meetings, data on negotiations between the German ambassador to the Vatican and representatives of President Roosevelt on the conditions for Germany’s exit from the war. All this information was of great importance and was reported directly to senior management.
“If it weren’t for Akhmerov, the world might have been different,” believes Max Bodyagin, Chelyabinsk writer and blogger, author of the recently published book “Akhmerov: the story of a feat.” - Imagine if Japan attacked not the Americans, but us: the Union would simply be torn in half! As for nuclear weapons... There is information about the so-called “Truman list” ( Harry S Truman (1884–1972) - 33rd President of the United States from 1945–1953 — approx. ed.), who planned to bomb a number of key industrial centers of our country. There were Chelyabinsk, Magnitogorsk and 28 other points. Given the monstrous anti-communist hysteria, the Americans would definitely drop bombs on our heads.”
WITHOUT THE RIGHT TO FAME
Upon returning to Moscow in 1946, Akhmerov was appointed deputy head of the KGB’s Illegal Intelligence Directorate and worked fruitfully in this post for about 10 years. He repeatedly went on short-term special missions to restore communications and provide assistance to illegal intelligence officers. Performed other responsible tasks as well. After retirement, due to his length of service, he lectured at educational institutions of the Soviet foreign intelligence service.
This is how he writes about that time Boris Smirnov, an intelligence officer with 28 years of experience, Akhmerov’s student at the KGB Higher School, author of almost two dozen books on state security: “He never scolded us, he was always outwardly calm. But it was felt that he was worried when the students did not succeed for a long time. However, he always kept his emotions in check. However, there was a case when Ishak Abdulovich could not restrain himself. The 18th anniversary of the Victory of our people over Germany in the Great Patriotic War was celebrated. Veteran teachers, students, other staff, and school management gathered in the Great Hall of the Higher School. Veterans spoke. Our glorious intelligence officers Iskhak Abdulovich Akhmerov and Vasily Mikhailovich Zarubin were also invited to speak. The first of them was General Zarubin. Then Ishak Abdulovich took the floor. Both spoke about the contribution of Soviet intelligence officers to the defeat of the German occupiers. They spoke passionately, but in general phrases. Ishak Abdulovich at that moment, unexpectedly for us, showed himself to be very emotional. He spoke unusually loudly and hastily. Then I started to get a little confused in my thoughts. Finally, he broke down and... began to cry. True, he quickly pulled himself together. These were not tears of joy on the occasion of Victory Day. It was something else... He apparently wanted to tell the students and listeners about something important, but he couldn’t, he HAD NO RIGHT... The scouts were applauded for a long time.”
Akhmerov died on July 18, 1976 at the age of 76. His wife and fighting friend Elena Ivanovna (Helen) died in 1981. “She gave Akhmerov four children,” writes the newspaper of Tatarstan security officers, “Bulletin of the Council of Veterans of the FSB Directorate for the Republic of Tatarstan.” E. Mingazova, retired KGB major.
REPUBLIC OF TATARSTAN: THE PROCESS HAS GONE, Catch up and OVERSTAND CHELYABINSK!
In April 2011, in the intelligence officer’s homeland - in the city of Troitsk, Chelyabinsk region - a memorial plaque was opened in his honor; On April 16, 2015, a monument to the countryman hero was solemnly opened in the center of Chelyabinsk. The author of the monument is the chairman of the Union of Artists of Russia, People's Artist of the Russian Federation, sculptor Andrey Kovalchuk. The daughter of a scout helped the author in working on the monument. Ekaterina Iskhakovna, thanks to which it was possible to achieve a portrait resemblance. The opening ceremony was attended by the governor of the Chelyabinsk region.
“Chelyabinsk residents are great! For the first time in the history of the country, they immortalized the memory of an illegal intelligence officer,” Khaliullin commented on these events not so long ago, not without bitterness. — There are no monuments to Philby, Abel, Sorge or anyone else yet. Only Akhmerov, who lived in the territory of the modern Chelyabinsk region... two months after birth! This is a credit to our Ural friends. What about Tatarstan? After all, he lived here for almost twenty years, grew up, matured and was even a deputy in the Kazan Council. But, to my great pleasure, not so long ago, on the initiative of the leadership of the republic and the representative office of the Republic of Tatarstan in the Russian Federation, filming of a documentary film about Akhmerov began...”
In response to the diplomat’s reproaches, today we can say: Tatarstan is correcting itself in this regard, the process has begun! The film he mentioned is the same “Mr. Resident” that we already talked about above. It was shown the other day, immediately after the 100th anniversary of the Russian security agencies, on the federal TV channel Zvezda. You have already read the opinion of an authoritative specialist. In Kazan, soon, at the suggestion of the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Tatarstan and the FSB, a memorial plaque to intelligence officer Iskhak Akhmerov will appear. It will be installed on the facade of house No. 4 on Zhukovsky Street. The corresponding resolution was signed by the Prime Minister of the Republic of Tajikistan on December 14 Alexey Pesoshin, which “BUSINESS Online” did not fail to promptly mention. Recently, a permanent exhibition about Akhmerov and his colleagues began working at the Kazan National Center. And the latest news was reported to the BUSINESS Online correspondent on December 28 by phone from Moscow Ravil Akhmetshin, Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Tatarstan - plenipotentiary representative of the Republic of Tatarstan in the Russian Federation, he is also one of the main initiators of the creation of the film "Mr. Resident". Akhmetshin said that just a few hours ago the SVR handed over unique documents to the Tatarstan representative office in Moscow - passports with which intelligence officer Akhmerov carried out his missions in the USA and Turkey, as well as several of his photographs, which we are publishing with the permission of our Moscow representative office. And most importantly: at the same time, an official agreement was reached on the publication of a book about Akhmerov as part of the authoritative and popular series “The Lives of Remarkable People.” As one well-known professional forecaster says on TV: “Know ours!”
, Orenburg Governorate, Russian Empire
USSR USSR
Ishak Abdulovich Akhmerov(tat. İsxaq Ğabdulla uğlı Əxmərov, Ishak Gabdulla uly Әkhmәrov, April 7, 1901 - July 18, 1976) - Soviet intelligence officer, colonel, head of the Soviet station in the USA in -.
Biography
On April 16, 2015, a monument to Iskhak Abdulovich Akhmerov was unveiled in Chelyabinsk, on Alom Pole.
On December 14, 2015, Maxim Bodyagin’s book “Akhmerov. History of the feat"
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Notes
Literature
- Antonov V. S., Karpov V. N. Secret informants of the Kremlin. Illegals. - M.: OLMA-PRESS Education, 2002. - 352 p. - (Dossier). - 5000 copies. - ISBN 5-94849-019-Х.
- Encyclopedia of Russian Secret Services / Compiled by A.I. Kolpakidi. - M.: AST, Astrel, Transitbook, 2004. - P. 425-426. - 800 s. - ISBN 5-17018975-3.
Links
Excerpt characterizing Akhmerov, Ishak Abdulovich
Soon after this, Natasha heard her mother's even breathing. Natasha did not move, despite the fact that her small bare foot, having escaped from under the blanket, was chilly on the bare floor.As if celebrating victory over everyone, a cricket screamed in the crack. The rooster crowed far away, and loved ones responded. The screams died down in the tavern, only the same adjutant's stand could be heard. Natasha stood up.
- Sonya? are you sleeping? Mother? – she whispered. No one answered. Natasha slowly and carefully stood up, crossed herself and stepped carefully with her narrow and flexible bare foot onto the dirty, cold floor. The floorboard creaked. She, quickly moving her feet, ran a few steps like a kitten and grabbed the cold door bracket.
It seemed to her that something heavy, striking evenly, was knocking on all the walls of the hut: it was her heart, frozen with fear, with horror and love, beating, bursting.
She opened the door, crossed the threshold and stepped onto the damp, cold ground of the hallway. The gripping cold refreshed her. She felt the sleeping man with her bare foot, stepped over him and opened the door to the hut where Prince Andrei lay. It was dark in this hut. In the back corner of the bed, on which something was lying, there was a tallow candle on a bench that had burned out like a large mushroom.
Natasha, in the morning, when they told her about the wound and the presence of Prince Andrei, decided that she should see him. She did not know what it was for, but she knew that the meeting would be painful, and she was even more convinced that it was necessary.
All day she lived only in the hope that at night she would see him. But now, when this moment came, the horror of what she would see came over her. How was he mutilated? What was left of him? Was he like that incessant groan of the adjutant? Yes, he was like that. He was in her imagination the personification of this terrible groan. When she saw an obscure mass in the corner and mistook his raised knees under the blanket for his shoulders, she imagined some kind of terrible body and stopped in horror. But an irresistible force pulled her forward. She carefully took one step, then another, and found herself in the middle of a small, cluttered hut. In the hut, under the icons, another person was lying on the benches (it was Timokhin), and two more people were lying on the floor (these were the doctor and the valet).
The valet stood up and whispered something. Timokhin, suffering from pain in his wounded leg, did not sleep and looked with all his eyes at the strange appearance of a girl in a poor shirt, jacket and eternal cap. The sleepy and frightened words of the valet; “What do you need, why?” - they only forced Natasha to quickly approach what was lying in the corner. No matter how scary or unlike a human this body was, she had to see it. She passed the valet: the burnt mushroom of the candle fell off, and she clearly saw Prince Andrei lying with his arms outstretched on the blanket, just as she had always seen him.
He was the same as always; but the inflamed color of his face, his sparkling eyes, fixed enthusiastically on her, and especially the tender child’s neck protruding from the folded collar of his shirt, gave him a special, innocent, childish appearance, which, however, she had never seen in Prince Andrei. She walked up to him and with a quick, flexible, youthful movement knelt down.
He smiled and extended his hand to her.
For Prince Andrei, seven days have passed since he woke up at the dressing station of the Borodino field. All this time he was in almost constant unconsciousness. The fever and inflammation of the intestines, which were damaged, in the opinion of the doctor traveling with the wounded man, should have carried him away. But on the seventh day he happily ate a slice of bread with tea, and the doctor noticed that the general fever had decreased. Prince Andrei regained consciousness in the morning. The first night after leaving Moscow it was quite warm, and Prince Andrei was left to spend the night in a carriage; but in Mytishchi the wounded man himself demanded to be carried out and to be given tea. The pain caused to him by being carried into the hut made Prince Andrei moan loudly and lose consciousness again. When they laid him on a camp bed, he lay for a long time with his eyes closed without moving. Then he opened them and quietly whispered: “What should I have for tea?” This memory for the small details of life amazed the doctor. He felt the pulse and, to his surprise and displeasure, noticed that the pulse was better. To his displeasure, the doctor noticed this because, from his experience, he was convinced that Prince Andrei could not live and that if he did not die now, he would only die with great suffering some time later. With Prince Andrei they were carrying the major of his regiment, Timokhin, who had joined them in Moscow with a red nose and was wounded in the leg in the same Battle of Borodino. With them rode a doctor, the prince's valet, his coachman and two orderlies.
For the 100th anniversary of the special services, with the support of Tatarstan, a film was made about the legendary intelligence officer
On December 21, the Zvezda TV channel will air a documentary dedicated to the outstanding Soviet intelligence officer Iskhak Akhmerov. Work on the creation of the film was carried out with the support of the Republic of Tatarstan. And on December 14, Prime Minister of the Republic of Tatarstan Alexei Pesoshin ordered the installation of a memorial plaque in Kazan on the house where Akhmerov worked in 1920-1921. Realnoe Vremya columnist Yulduz Khaliullin, a veteran of Soviet diplomacy and international journalism, decided in his column to recall the legendary illegal intelligence officer who led a network of agents in the United States. Akhmerov’s data was used in making decisions that determined the course of the 20th century, and the problems with which he worked have not lost their relevance in the 21st century.
Anxious prologue
The problem of nuclear weapons and the exclusion of their use for any purpose in any corner of the earth still remains the most important global topic. Over the last 6 months of 2017, the region of the Korean Peninsula became the most dangerous node of political and military tension. The DPRK is actively conducting nuclear missile tests contrary to the demands of the international community and the resolution of the Security Council.
As is known, Russia opposes the nuclear status of North Korea. To relieve tensions, together with China, Russia has developed a joint “road map” for negotiations, primarily between Washington and Pyongyang. Seoul and Tokyo are interested in this, but Washington continues to put pressure on Pyongyang through all channels. According to some reports, North Korean ballistic missiles with a nuclear warhead can reach the United States. Apparently this makes the American ruling circles think.
Recently, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson made a statement about his readiness for dialogue with the DPRK. True, immediately after this, National Security Advisor Herbert McMaster announced that on December 18 of this year, Donald Trump would announce a new national security strategy. In addition, Trump just signed a $700 billion US military budget. Of this, about $70 billion will go to finance foreign operations, which can be assumed to include military activities around the Korean Peninsula.
Monument to I. Akhmerov in Chelyabinsk. Photo ob-zor.ru
A film about the legendary intelligence officer for the centenary of the intelligence services
In connection with the alarming international situation, it is now very timely to remember the great son of the Tatar people and the outstanding Soviet intelligence officer Ishak Abdulovich Akhmerov. During his life, Akhmerov managed to work with the problems of the Asia-Pacific region and with nuclear weapons issues, when he informed the leadership of the USSR about the American “Manhattan Project”.
For a long time, the name of Iskhak Akhmerov was strictly classified. They began to write about him only in the last 20 years. On December 21, the Zvezda TV channel will premiere a film about the outstanding intelligence officer “Iskhak Akhmerov. Mr. Resident. The release is timed to coincide with the centennial anniversary of the Russian intelligence services. The film was produced by the Moscow film company Viange Production. The idea of this film was promoted for several years by the Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Tatarstan and the plenipotentiary representative of Tatarstan in the Russian Federation, Ravil Akhmetshin. Having received support from Rustam Nurgalievich Minnikhanov, we managed to make a film. Rustam Nurgalievich himself and Akhmerov’s daughter, Ekaterina Iskhakovna, took part in the filming. I have already repeatedly referred to Akhmerov’s biography in my articles. So that this film does not go unnoticed by Realnoe Vremya readers, I want to talk about the hero of the invisible front once again.
Tatar boy from the Urals becomes Consul General in Istanbul
Ishak Abdulovich was born on April 7, 1901 into a Tatar family in the city of Troitsk, which was then part of the Orenburg province, now in the Chelyabinsk region. When the boy was several months old, his father died, and his mother moved to her father in the Kazan province. The grandfather worked as a furrier and taught the smart boy to his craft. After the death of his grandfather, twelve-year-old Ishak became a farm laborer for local farmers, and over the next 5 years mastered half a dozen professions: he was an errand boy in a haberdashery store, worked as a grinder and an apprentice in a printing house, as an electrician’s assistant and as a baker.
The revolution opened up the path to knowledge for him. After completing accounting courses in Moscow, Akhmerov got a job at the People's Commissariat of Education of Tatarstan. In 1919 he was accepted into the party, and a year later he was elected as a deputy of the Kazan City Council. In 1921, he went to Moscow for higher education, where he studied Turkish at the University of the Peoples of the East, and a year later he entered the international faculty of Moscow State University - the future MGIMO. He learned French and English, which will become his second native language. In 1925 he began working at the People's Commissariat of Foreign Affairs of the USSR, and already in 1928 he served as consul general in Istanbul. In three years, Akhmerov went from trainee to consul general, which modern diplomats go through in 25-30 years!
Metric record of the birth of I.A. Akhmerova. Photo archive74.ru
It is more difficult to prove to a Tatar that you are a Turk than to Italian fascists
I think that Akhmerov’s career as an intelligence officer began in Turkey. He made useful contacts, gained experience communicating with foreigners, became acquainted with the basics of recruiting work, and improved his knowledge of Turkish, French and English. After Turkey, he was engaged in operational work in Bukhara, where the fight against the Basmachi was going on. In January 1933, Iskhak Abdulovich was invited for an interview by the head of the foreign department of the OGPU, Artur Artuzov. He announced that the leadership decided to send Akhmerov to China through illegal intelligence.
According to legend, Akhmerov was a Turkish student of oriental studies and was supposed to go to China from Rome. But when he contacted a travel agency in Rome, they explained to him that most Europeans travel to China through the USSR. It was safe for a tourist, but unsafe for a scout. In Rome, after leaving the Soviet embassy, he was detained by Italian carabinieri, but nothing betrayed the “Turkish student.” The second incident occurred on the border of the USSR and Japanese-occupied Manchuria. The Japanese, who knew Russian, interrogated the “Turkish citizen” through a Tatar translator about the purposes of his visit to China. He translated from Turkish into Russian and back. At some point, the Tatar translator had a suspicion: was it really a Turk standing in front of him, and not a Tatar with knowledge of the Turkish language? Akhmerov realized that at any cost he must “convince” the doubting Tatar that in front of them was a 100% citizen of the Turkish Republic.
Daughter of Iskhak Akhmerov Ekaterina Iskhakovna. Photo tatmsk.tatarstan.ru
Classmate agent of Roosevelt and Obama
In Beijing, agent “Jung” (as Akhmerov was called at the Center) became a student at an American university where Europeans and children of the Chinese elite studied. He managed to collect valuable information about Japanese activities in China, but already in 1934 the leadership decided to transfer him to the United States. The most important stage of his work had begun.
Through Europe on the French liner Normandy, agent Jung went to New York. Immediately after his arrival, he began his studies at Columbia University, where such US presidents as Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin Roosevelt and Barack Obama studied over the years. Iskhak Akhmerov left the university as a 100% American. Headed by Iskhak Abdulovich, the illegal Soviet residency in the United States had about 20 sources in the US military and diplomatic departments.
Akhmerov received military-political information valuable for our country from the Nord agent he recruited, who worked in the Ministry of War and had access to reports of US military attaches abroad, as well as government decisions made on these reports. Another valuable source of “Jung” was agent “Kord”, who occupied a senior position in the US State Department. He was recruited on an ideological and political basis. Being an anti-fascist by conviction, he believed that only the USSR could stop Hitler’s aggression in Europe, so he deliberately cooperated with Soviet intelligence.
Iskhak Akhmerov worked in the USA under the name Bill Greinke, 1940s. Photo devjatkin.ru
American wife and the anger of Lavrentiy Beria
In America, Iskhak Akhmerov met his irreplaceable assistant and future wife Helen Lowry (operational pseudonym “Tanya”). She was the niece of US Communist Party General Secretary Earl Browder. Helen turned out to be an excellent liaison and the owner of several safe houses, and took an active part in efforts to obtain reliable American documents for newly arriving employees of the illegal station “Junga”. Soon she herself became involved in the “extraction” of interesting information first-hand, using her charm and personal connections among the White House administration staff. The elegant and intelligent Tatar "Jung", who often met with Helen, fell in love with his American assistant. The young and beautiful girl reciprocated his feelings, and they decided to get married.
Akhmerov’s work in the United States occurred at the very height of Stalin’s repressions. Many diplomats and intelligence officers fell under the conveyor belt of the punitive system. People's Commissar Lavrentiy Beria ordered the recall of almost all legal and illegal residents from abroad, including “Jung”. For Akhmerov, who knew about the imminent war, the order to abandon everything that had been done was a difficult moral test.
In September 1939, a report from Washington landed on Beria’s desk. In response to the NKVD’s instructions to mothball the residency and leave for the Center, Colonel Akhmerov asked for permission to marry agent “Tanya” and return to Moscow with her. Imagine how furious the all-powerful Beria was! He called the head of foreign intelligence, Pavel Mikhailovich Fitin, and scolded him, saying that “American spies had infiltrated the illegal residency of the NKVD in the United States.” Fitin had to try hard to dissuade the People's Commissar. The decisive argument was that Stalin highly appreciated the work of Earl Browder, and Beria did not dare to interfere with the marriage of his niece. However, he took revenge on Akhmerov, demoting him to an intern in the American foreign intelligence department.
The Akhmerov couple. Photo devjatkin.ru
Akhmerov's report cooled relations between the United States and Japan
Despite the difficulties in his career, Ishak Abdulovich did not think of quitting the business he had started. Leaving America for Moscow, in a conversation with a high-ranking American official, he said that he was going to China and from there he would report on Sino-Japanese relations. In Moscow, he compiled a report in which he spoke about Japanese activities in the occupied territories of China and warned America about Tokyo's military preparations. Our agent then passed this report on to Akhmerov’s high-ranking interlocutor. As a result, the materials prepared by Akhmerov ended up on President Roosevelt’s desk.
After this, relations between the United States and Japan began to deteriorate. Roosevelt twice called the Japanese ambassador for explanations, and both times the ambassador refused to comment on the situation. When the ambassador was called again, on December 7, 1941, there was a Japanese air raid on Pearl Harbor. The Americans, who had hitherto remained on the sidelines, entered World War II. Every December we celebrate the offensive of our troops near Moscow. It became possible thanks to divisions from the Far East and Siberia. We were able to transfer them to the capital when it became clear that Japan was busy at war with America. Akhmerov is directly credited for saving Moscow.
Data for the Tehran Conference and the USSR nuclear program
When our army beat the Germans near Moscow, Ishak Abdullovich and his wife were again in the USA. In 1941, Agent Jung again headed the illegal station overseas. For reliable cover, he created a commercial company for sewing and selling fur products. Here the furrier skills he received from his Tatar grandfather came in handy.
Thanks to Akhmerov's network of agents, the Soviet side was well aware of the American plans on the eve of the Tehran Conference in 1943. One of his agents obtained information on the creation of American nuclear weapons (the Manhattan Project). Among the materials sent by Akhmerov were information about American assessments of Germany’s military-political potential, military and political plans of the US government, draft documents prepared for important international meetings, data on negotiations between the German ambassador in the Vatican and representatives of President Roosevelt on the conditions for Germany’s exit from the war. All this information was of great importance and was reported directly to senior management.
Photo by State Television and Radio Broadcasting Company "South Ural"
“He tried not to cut himself any slack, even in small things.”
After returning to Moscow in 1946, he was appointed deputy head of the KGB Department of Illegal Intelligence. After retirement, due to his length of service, he lectured at educational institutions of the Soviet foreign intelligence service. Iskhak Akhmerov died on July 18, 1976 at the age of 76. His wife and fighting friend Elena Ivanovna (Helen) died in 1981.
As one of the great intelligence officer’s colleagues wrote: “Ishak Abdulovich had great willpower, perseverance, and perseverance in achieving his goal. He tried not to cut himself any slack even in small things. He was a man of great soul, passionate about the work he served throughout his adult life. He was selflessly devoted to his Fatherland."
In 2015, a monument to Ishak Abdulovich was unveiled in Chelyabinsk. It is very joyful that now in Tatarstan the memory of the great son of the Tatar people is being paid attention at the state level.
Yulduz Khaliullin
“History of Bulgaria” - 1909
“History of Kazan” - 1910
"Ethnic groups and traditions of the Tatars."
Kazan, Tatar Book Publishing House, 1998
Introductory article and comments by Doctor of Historical Sciences, Professor R.G. Khairutdinov “Historian Gainetdin Akhmerov (1864-1911)” to Gainetdin Akhmerov’s book “Selected Works”, (Kazan, Tatar Book Publishing House, 1998)
“The study of the Bulgar settlement of Suvar occupies a special place in the scientific activity of G. Akhmerov. The results of his work received great resonance among the scientific community.
Once, having learned from the Tatars that near the village of Kuznechikha, Spassky district, Kazan province, the site of a large ancient city was preserved, where ancient things are often found, G. Akhmerov reported this to the secretary of the Society of Archeology, History and Ethnography at Kazan University, Professor I.N. Smirnov and, at the latter’s suggestion, was sent to clarify and inspect the area. For this purpose, he comes to the village of Kuznechikha, which is located on the Utka River, at that time 40 versts south of the district center. The hired guide, local old-timer Emelyan Kuznetsov, explained to G. Akhmerov that there was once a very large Turkish city of SVAR (the scientist notes that local residents usually call all finds Turkish), destroyed after some kind of war. In an article written about this trip, G. Akhmerov analyzes in detail the name of this city and neighboring villages, emphasizing that Suvar was mentioned “by Arab writers of the 10th century.” “The name Kuznechikha,” the researcher continues, “is known only to Russians, and everything is non-Russian.” the population calls this village after the ancient city of SUVAR, or XUAR. The Tatars call it “Iske Suar”, and the Chuvash call it “Kive-Svar” (Old Svar). The double name of this settlement is explained by the fact that not far from it there is another village, called by the Russians “Novaya Kuznechikha”. The Tatars call it “Yana Suar”, the Chuvash - “Chene-svar”. The same picture is observed in the names of other neighboring villages. The Tatars call the village “Old Baran” “Iske Ryazap”, etc.” (Rif Khairutdinov, Doctor of Historical Sciences, Professor. Introductory article and comments “Historian Gainetdin Akhmerov (1864-1911)” to the book “Selected Works” of Gainetdin Akhmerov. pp. 7-8)
“Having examined the area in detail, G. Akhmerov in his article concludes that “the enormity of the length ... of the ramparts and ditches” and “their significant depth suggests that the ancient settlement here belonged to the most important cities of the Bulgarian kingdom.” In addition, signs Such a “vast city,” according to the scientist, is also due to the abundance of various types of finds over a significant area. Apart from shards, G. Akhmerov found nothing at the site. There were no remains of stone buildings anywhere. Even the old-timers don’t remember them. Referring to the information of the 10th century Arab writer Al-Balkhi, the scientist considers it possible to assume that there were no stone buildings at all in Suwar. Somewhat earlier, local residents in the town itself and in the surrounding area found a lot of ancient objects (iron axes, money, pottery, shards, bones, etc.) Local peasants said that their grandfathers, as former serfs, gave expensive finds to their masters , especially to Prince Dadyan, since the settlement was located on landowners' land. Another prince, Barataev, allegedly bought them from the peasants. Most often, the landowners took away the finds. G. Akhmerov describes in detail his conversations with local peasants, the findings identified with their help, and meetings with local landowners.” (p.8)
“In conclusion of his article, the author highly appreciates the significance of the discovery for science of the location of ancient SUVARA and the antiquities found there, and makes his own specific proposals for the development of further research. In his opinion, entire collections of Suvar antiquities could be compiled from the ancient things found here. G. Akhmerov emphasizes the need for systematic archaeological research, which, in his opinion, would reveal the entire history of this city, because until that time scientific research had not been carried out in this area, the location of this ancient city was not even known. And he is deservedly proud that he managed to make such a discovery” (p.8)
CHAPTER 3.“Historical traces of the Tatars on the territory of Tatarstan” (Materials on archeology).
“Excursion to the site of ancient SUVARA” (“News of the Society of Archeology, History and Ethnography at the Imperial Kazan University” Kazan, 1893-T, XI-Issue 5). (Pages 217-221).
“The Tatar-Chuvash name of the village of Kuznechikha in Spassky district is completely consonant with the name of the Bulgarian city of SUVAR, mentioned by Arab writers of the 10th century.
The Tatars call this village ISKE SUAR, the Chuvash call it KIVE SVAR (old SVAR), in contrast to the neighboring village of Novaya Kuznechikha (Tat. YANGA SUAR, Chuv. CHENE SVAR).
From the Tatars I learned that near the village of Kuznechikha there is the site of a large ancient city, where various ancient things are often found. I stated this to the Secretary of the Society I.N. Smirnov, at whose suggestion I went to inspect this area myself and inquire about the findings. For this purpose, on May 23, I arrived in the village of Kuznechikha, which is located on the Utka River, 40 miles south of the city of Spassk. Having previously inquired with the local volost government about the SUVARA settlement and its finds, I took local old-timer Emelyan Kuznetsov as my guide, who among other things explained to me that the village had such a foreign name (SVAR) because there was a very large Turkish city SVAR here (as they usually call all finds Turkish); here was their capital, which was destroyed after some war.” (Pages 217-218).
“Local residents call a small hill, located half a mile from the village, by the name “SVAR,” where there are also traces of human habitation. An 80-year-old mullah who lived in the village of Stary Baran and who had ancient books told them in detail about this city. The Russians settled here in an already devastated place from different provinces (different rabble - as they call it). The neighboring Tatar villages are considered especially ancient settlements: Old Baran (Iske-Ryazyap), Old Yurtkuli, Kutelbaevo and Old Salmany.
The name “KUZNECHIKHA” is known only by Russians, and all foreigners (even in the districts of Chistopol, Laishevsky, Mamadyshsky and in the Samara province) call this village after the ancient city of SVAR or XUAR. The settlement itself is located two versts south of the village on the same bank of the Utka, 1 verst from the village of Danilovka, located on the opposite side of the river, about 50 versts southeast of the village of Bolgar and 3 versts from the northern border of the Samara province, near the upper reaches three tributaries of the Volga: the Abyss, the Utka and the Maina. The settlement is surrounded on three sides by ditches and ramparts (on the south - one rampart and ditch, on the northern and eastern side by two parallel ramparts and ditches), and on the western side it is surrounded by the Utka River, the banks of which, according to the stories of peasants, were impassable swamps 20 years ago. The depth of the ditches is from 2 to 3 fathoms, the distance between the two shafts is about 5 fathoms. From the north and east there are some holes on the middle (inner) shaft; my guide called them traps from which Turkish soldiers guarded their capital.
On the eastern side there are two narrow passages into the fort, the old man called them gates. The enormous extent of these ramparts and ditches and their remarkable depth suggest that the ancient settlement here belonged to the most important cities of the Bulgarian kingdom.
In addition to ramparts and ditches, signs of such a vast city are also the abundance of various types of finds over a significant area. Its area occupied about 6 versts in circumference: there are signs of human habitation outside the ramparts for almost 2 versts from the settlement itself in the direction of the village of Kuznechikha.
I walked all over the fort and its surroundings, but found nothing except shards, however, this was partly hindered by the fact that the area of the fort is currently sown with rye. The remains of stone buildings have not been preserved anywhere and old-timers do not remember them. Based on the writings of the 10th century Arab writer El-Balkhi, it can be assumed that there were no stone buildings at all in SUWAR.” (Pages 218-219)
“Having returned to the village, I asked the local peasants if they had any antiques and coins found in the neighboring town and its environs, and they answered that here, too, Turkish money is often plucked out and given to the children to play with. into a toss, and the old-fashioned iron axes are given to the blacksmith to transform into openers, axes and other household items. In the town itself and in the surrounding area, on the arable land, a lot of ancient Tatar things were previously found and are now often found. Some say that they used to have whole baskets of such antiques from this town. The interior of the town began to be plowed for sowing not very long ago. There used to be a lot of different shards and bones; due to their abundance, some parts of the town were completely impossible to plow up. And now sometimes in some places there are some kind of holes, so that the horses drown, which is why the workers of the local landowner Danchenko fill them up. Among the remains of ancient clay products, very often one comes across burnt balls of different sizes made of red clay with a hole, exactly similar to our counting balls. Many similar balls were found in the Bulgar settlement, as we see from the description of Pallas (Ancient Cities, Shpilevsky, p. 254). I purchased several of these balls from the Tatars of the neighboring village of Novy Baran.
Local peasants say that their grandfathers, as former serfs, gave expensive finds to their masters, especially Prince Dadyan, since the settlement was and is on the land of the landowners. Prince Barataev also bought a lot of such finds from them, probably the one who is indicated in the explanatory note to the archaeological map of the Kazan province I.A. Iznoskova (N.P. Barataev. “Finds in the village of Kuznechikha” p.3)
One peasant found an old silver plate, another - a whole jug of Tatar coins, a third - 60 pieces of silver, similar to a harrow tooth, and all the finds were taken from them by the owners of the village. The local landowner, Mr. Danchenko, showed me from the things found in this town a Russian silver ruble he had - a piece of oblong silver without any mark, about 1/4 pound. He, Danchenko, said that someone found up to 30 Tatar coins from them, but he couldn’t get a single one” (Page 219).
“In addition, local peasants say that in the town they are plowing up a lot of human bones and skulls, and now there are several completely white skulls lying there, but, unfortunately, I was not able to see a single skull; One peasant promised to bring one whole skull, but I didn’t wait for him and left.
One verst north of the village on the right bank of the Utka River, where brick barns now stand, according to the stories of local residents, there was some kind of ancient cemetery. At present, no traces of it have been preserved, since this place has been plowed up since ancient times and the earth was transported to the dam.
At the northern end of the village, local peasant N. Khudyakov, while digging up a cellar, dug up human bones and one skull. Having learned about this, I went to this place to make sure, and in the newly dug cellar we found four shallow graves. The position of the half-rotted bones indicates that the burial was in a sitting position. From this burial ground I brought with me 1 skull without the lower jaw and the front part of the upper jaw from another skull, the rest of the bones were all rotten. All 4 graves are no more than 1 1/2 arshins deep.
After spending the night in the village of Kuznechikha and collecting several materials there, the next day I went to the nearest Tatar village of New Baran (Yana Ryazyap) to collect the same materials, since the peasants of this village work (plow, reap, etc.) for the landowner Danchenko, on the land where the Svar settlement is located. There were also a lot of finds in this village, but I purchased only a few antiques for the reason that the Tatars, as lovers of antiques, value these finds; I did not want to buy from them at an expensive price. In this village, one Tatar found a large silver bracelet of an ancient shape, another found a copper hammer, one end of which served as a seal (with an inscription), a third kept some kind of women’s jewelry with an inscription, one kept a copper flail with knobs, etc.
From the ancient things found here, it would be possible to create entire collections of Suvar antiquities, if you do not spare a small amount of money to purchase them from local residents and neighboring Tatars who love to collect them. Archaeological research and significant excavations would reveal the whole history of this city, since until now there have been no scientific studies on this area, and no one has carried out any excavations, and things are found only when plowing for sowing.
In conclusion, we have the right to consider ourselves happy that the location of another vast Bulgarian city, SUVAR, has now been discovered for science, whose name has not yet disappeared from the memory of the people” (Page 220-221).