Major Spies | HistoryofSpies.com - Your Resource for Espionage on the Web

Some are considered the bravest of heroes while others are viewed as treacherous and traitors.

From Mata Hari to Aldrich Ames, these are the great spies in history…

agnessmedley-featured04 — Agnes Smedley
American journalist who spied for the Soviet Union against the Japanese.
December 16, 2014/by mlong43

alannunnmay-featured04 — Alan Nunn May
British physicist who passed atomic secrets to the Soviet Union in the 1940s.
March 16, 2015/by gaiusx

aldrichames-featured04 — Aldrich Ames
CIA counter-intelligence officer convicted of spying for the Soviet Union.
March 16, 2015/by mlong43

alfredredl-featured04 — Alfred Redl
Austrian head of counter-intelligence blackmailed by Russia into passing secrets.
March 16, 2015/by mlong43

algerhiss-featured04 — Alger Hiss
U.S. State Department official accused committing espionage for the Soviet Union.
March 16, 2015/by mlong43

anthonyblunt-featured04 — Anthony Blunt
Noted British art historian who acted the Soviet recruiter of a number of British spies.
March 17, 2015/by mlong43

carllody-featured04 — Carl Lody
Reserve Officer of the Imperial German Navy who spied on England during World War I.
March 17, 2015/by mlong43

christinegranville-featured04 — Christine Granville
British SOE known for her daring exploits in intelligence and sabotage missions.
March 17, 2015/by mlong43

claytonlonetree-featured04 — Clayton Lonetree
A United States Marine coerced into passing secrets to the Soviet Union.
March 17, 2015/by mlong43

clydeconrad-featured04 — Clyde Conrad
U.S. Army Sgt. who passed top secret information to Hungary & Czechoslovakia.
March 17, 2015/by mlong43

donaldmaclean-featured04 — Donald Maclean
British diplomat who spied for the Soviet Union as part of the Cambridge Five.
March 17, 2015/by mlong43

earlpitts-featured04 — Earl Pitts
Former FBI Special Agent who worked as a mole for the Soviet Union.
March 17, 2015/by mlong43

ethlerosenberg-featured04 — Ethel Rosenberg
American communist executed for espionage against the United States.
March 17, 2015/by mlong43

feliksdzerzhinsky-featured04 — Feliks Dzerzhinsky
Established and directed the Bolshevik Secret Police, the CHEKA.
March 17, 2015/by mlong43

franzvonpapen-featured04 — Franz Von Papen
German spymaster assigned to disrupt U.S. - British communications.
March 17, 2015/by mlong43

georgeblake-featured04 — George Blake
British spy who worked as a double-agent for the Soviet Union.
March 17, 2015/by mlong43

gordonlonsdale-featured04 — Gordon Lonsdale
Soviet intelligence officer who headed the Portland spy ring in the United States
March 17, 2015/by mlong43

hansoster-featured04 — Hans Oster
German Army general who built a resistance organization against the Nazis.
March 17, 2015/by mlong43

haroldnicholson-featured04 — Harold Nicholson
Among the highest ranking CIA officers ever convicted of spying for the Russians.
March 18, 2015/by mlong43

herbertyardley-featured04 — Herbert Yardley
American cryptologist who wrote the expose "The American Black Chamber."
March 18, 2015/by mlong43

igorgouzenko-featured04 — Igor Gouzenko
Soviet cipher clerk who defected to Canada, turning over Soviet secrets.
March 18, 2015/by mlong43

jamesangleton-featured04 — James Jesus Angleton
Head of Counter-Intelligence for the CIA and a noted mole-hunter.
March 16, 2015/by mlong43

johncairncross-featured04 — John Cairncross
British intelligence officer who passed secrets to the Soviet Union.
March 18, 2015/by mlong43

johnwalkerjr-featured04 — John Walker
U.S. military communications specialist who ran a Soviet family spy ring.
March 18, 2015/by mlong43

jonathanpollard-featured04 — Jonathan Pollard
American Naval Intelligence analyst who provided Top Secret Classified information to Israel.
March 18, 2015/by mlong43

josephinebaker-featured04 — Josephine Baker
American-born entertainer who spied for France against the Nazis.
March 18, 2015/by mlong43

judithcoplon-featured04 — Judith Coplon
Soviet agent who passed information about American counter-intelligence.
March 18, 2015/by mlong43

juliusrosenberg-featured04 — Julius Rosenberg
American-born Soviet recruiter who obtained and passed military secrets to the Soviets.
March 18, 2015/by mlong43

kimphilby-featured04 — Kim Philby
High-ranking member of British intelligence spied for the Soviet Union.
March 18, 2015/by mlong43

klausfuchs-featured04 — Klaus Fuchs
German-born British theoretical physicist and who passed Manhattan project secrets to the Soviets.
March 18, 2015/by mlong43

lionelcrabb-featured04 — Lionel “Buster” Crabb
British Royal Navy diver assigned to missions against the Soviet Union.
March 18, 2015/by mlong43

laventriyberia-featured04 — Lavrentiy Beria
Beria, Lavrentiy Chief of the NKVD and the head of the great Soviet purge.
March 18, 2015/by mlong43

noorinayatkhan-featured04 — Noor Inayat Khan
British SOE agent who worked with the French Resistance against Nazi Germany.
March 18, 2015/by mlong43

nelsondrummond-featured04 — Nelson Drummond
U.S. Navy Yeoman blackmailed in spying for the Soviets, the first Black American ever convicted of espionage.
March 18, 2015/by mlong43

martherichard-featured04 — Marthe Richard
A former prostitute who spied for France against Germany and later became a politician.
March 18, 2015/by mlong43

matahari-featured04 — Mata Hari
A Dutch exotic dancer who worked as a double-agent for France and Germany.
March 18, 2015/by mlong43

morrischilds-featured04 — Morris Childs
An America-born Soviet spy who later became a double agent for the US.
March 18, 2015/by mlong43

morristwoguncohen-featured04 — Morris “Two-Gun” Cohen
London-born adventurer who arranged counter-intelligence for China.
March 18, 2015/by mlong43

olegpenkovsky-featured04 — Oleg Penkovsky
Soviet colonel who exposed the existence of Soviet missiles in Cuba.
March 18, 2015/by mlong43

pauldukes-featured04 — Paul Dukes
MI6 officer assigned to spy on Russia utilizing assorted disguises.
March 18, 2015/by mlong43

richardmiller-featured04 — Richard Miller
First FBI agent ever convicted of espionage for passing secrets to Soviet KGB agents.
March 18, 2015/by mlong43

richardsorge-featured04 — Richard Sorge
Soviet military intelligence officer who ran a spy ring against the Japanese.
March 19, 2015/by mlong43

roberthanssen-featured04 — Robert Hanssen
American FBI agent who passed information to Soviet intelligence.
March 19, 2015/by mlong43

rogerhollis-featured04 — Roger Hollis
Director General of MI5 who was later accused of being a Soviet agent.
March 19, 2015/by mlong43

ronaldpelton-featured04 — Ronald Pelton
American spy convicted of passing NSA signals intelligence information to the KGB.
March 19, 2015/by mlong43

ruthkuczynski-featured04 — Ruth Kuczynski
German-born Soviet spy who passed atomic secrets and operated a spy ring in China.
March 19, 2015/by mlong43

rudolfabel-featured04 — Rudolf Abel
Notorious British-raised Soviet Cold War spy swapped for U-2 pilot.
March 19, 2015/by mlong43

rudolfroessler-featured04 — Rudolf Roessler
Head of the Soviet anti-Nazi Lucy espionage ring that spied on Germany.
March 19, 2015/by mlong43

sandorrado-featured04 — Sandor Rado
Hungarian cartographer who spied on the Nazis for the Soviet Union.
March 19, 2015/by mlong43

sidneyreilly-featured04 — Sidney Reilly
Russian-born British spy known for his daring exploits and escapes.
March 19, 2015/by mlong43

tedhall-featured04 — Ted Hall
American physicist and a Manhattan project spy for the Soviet Union.
March 19, 2015/by mlong43

velvalaleedickinson-featured04 — Velvalee Dickinson
American businesswoman who passed U.S. Naval secrets to the Japanese.
March 20, 2015/by mlong43

vernonkell-featured04 — Vernon Kell
Founder and first Director General of the British Security Service (MI5).
March 20, 2015/by mlong43

violetteszabo-featured04 — Violette Szabo
SOE operative who reconstituted a French Resistance network.
March 20, 2015/by mlong43

whittakerchambers-featured04 — Whittaker Chambers
Former Soviet spy who later exposed other Soviet spies in the US.
March 20, 2015/by mlong43