The following translation is that of an enciphered telegram dated 6 October 1941 from Soviet agent Vadim in London, citing information from source “Stuart” on the possibility of the conclusion of an agreement between the Americans and the Japanese, which would ensure the safety of American, English and Dutch interests in the Far East, andContinueContinue reading “British Spy Maclean Fears October 1941 American Negotiations with Japan Will Sell Out the USSR While Protecting the British and Dutch”
Category Archives: World War Two
September 1941: China Unhappy with Progress of US-Japanese Discussions, Japan Also Less than Enthused
The following is a translation of a Top Secret encrypted telegram dated 5 September 1941 from Chongqing on the perceived progress of American-Japanese negotiations and concerns and frustrations on behalf of Japan and China. The source of the information was redacted during the declassification process, as was the pseudonym of the Soviet agent who filedContinueContinue reading “September 1941: China Unhappy with Progress of US-Japanese Discussions, Japan Also Less than Enthused”
August 1941: Japanese Diplomats: Hitler Miscalculated, but War Between Japan and USSR Inevitable
The following is a translation of a Top Secret encrypted telegram dated 29 August 1941 from a Soviet agent in the Chinese city of Harbin regarding the opinion of Japanese diplomats, as related by attaché from the Japanese embassy Shigeru Yoshida, on the inevitability of war with the USSR. TOP SECRET CIPHER TELEGRAM No. 6269ContinueContinue reading “August 1941: Japanese Diplomats: Hitler Miscalculated, but War Between Japan and USSR Inevitable”
August 1941: Reports of Imminent Japanese Attack on the USSR from Agent in Shanghai
The following is a translation of a brief Top Secret encrypted telegram dated 27 August 1941 from Shanghai regarding the concentration of two and a half million Japanese soldiers in Manchuria and Mongolia and regarding Japan’s plans to attack the USSR in the coming days. The identity of the original source of the information, SEMENOV,ContinueContinue reading “August 1941: Reports of Imminent Japanese Attack on the USSR from Agent in Shanghai”
August 1941: Japan’s Threat to US “Lend-Lease” Ships Bound for Soviet Far East
The following is a translation of a Top Secret encrypted telegram dated 21 August 1941 from Tokyo. The Soviet agent filing the report states that the countries are quite possibly on the precipice of the most crucial moment in Japanese-Soviet relations: In the event that the US, as part of the lend-lease program, sends shipsContinueContinue reading “August 1941: Japan’s Threat to US “Lend-Lease” Ships Bound for Soviet Far East”
Soviet Spy in Tokyo Explains to Moscow What Will Provoke Japan to Attack America
The following is a translation of a Top Secret cipher telegram date 17 June 1941 from Tokyo on the preconditions and probability of Japan’s entry into war with the USA. The source of the information was redacted during the declassification process, as was the pseudonym of the Soviet agent who filed the cable itself. TOPContinueContinue reading “Soviet Spy in Tokyo Explains to Moscow What Will Provoke Japan to Attack America”
English Spy Cairncross Hands Soviets British MP Reaction to Japanese-Soviet Neutrality Pact
The following is a translation of a declassified Top Secret cipher telegram (dated 21 April 1941) from Soviet resident VADIM [Anatoly Gorsky] in London, using information from Soviet-operated British spy “List” (John Cairncross) about the signing of the neutrality pact between Japan and the USSR. Cairncross had intercepted a telegram from British MP Stafford CrippsContinueContinue reading “English Spy Cairncross Hands Soviets British MP Reaction to Japanese-Soviet Neutrality Pact”
March 1941: Every Japanese Military Unit to have its own Russian Translator
The following is a declassified Top Secret cipher telegram dated 15 March 1941 from Tokyo about the training of Russian language translators to staff each of Japan’s army companies. The source of the information related in the cable was redacted during the declassification process, as was the pseudonym of Soviet agent who filed the cableContinueContinue reading “March 1941: Every Japanese Military Unit to have its own Russian Translator”
Prelude to Pearl Harbor: March 1941 – Attacks on UK, US Will Hinge on Japan-USSR Neutrality Pact
The following translation from our “Prelude to Pearl Harbor” series is from a Top Secret letter consolidating information from a series of Tokyo cipher telegrams on how potential actions against England and the USA would depend on a non-aggression pact between Japan and the USSR. The letter, sent from an unnamed Soviet agent in Tokyo,ContinueContinue reading “Prelude to Pearl Harbor: March 1941 – Attacks on UK, US Will Hinge on Japan-USSR Neutrality Pact”
Prelude to Pearl Harbor: Russian Spy Uncovers Japanese Plans to Seize Hawaii as Early as February 1941
The following is a translation of a 14 February 1941 Top Secret intelligence report from People’s Commissar of State Security [NKGB] Merkulov to Stalin, Molotov, and Beria. TOP SECRET 14 February 1941 I am forwarding to you an intelligence message received by the NKGB from Tokyo. Cipher Telegram No. 980/15 dated 12 FebruaryContinueContinue reading “Prelude to Pearl Harbor: Russian Spy Uncovers Japanese Plans to Seize Hawaii as Early as February 1941”
Translating History 