Re: Ransome as British agent

Posted by Duncan on April 23, 2002 at 13:41:58 from 205.188.197.36:

In Reply to: Re: Ransome as British agent posted by Tim Johns on April 23, 2002 at 11:07:55:

What a fascinating article!!

The Soviet government did suspect AR as a British spy, very briefly, towards the end of his time in Sweden (1918/19?) - in fact, around the time when he was expelled as a Bolshy! He nearly wasn't allowed back into Russia because of those suspicions.

My own feeling on the subject is different from some of those expressed and I would be interested to run a few ideas by a few people. I suspect that AR DID believe that he could present the human face of bolshevism to both the public and officialdom of Britain and thus reconcile the British government (whose policies, though he found objectionable, he was unable to quite divorce himself from; that is really a historical and psychological thing - it is much easier for British people to separate the 'we' and the 'British' today than it was for Ransome) to the Russian government. As such, I do not doubt that, while the SIS might not have been keen on Ransome's reports getting into the papers, they may well have been interested in reading them themselves as they presented a very detailed account of Soviet politics (even if it were one that was considered to be biased towards the bolsheviks). What I can't and WON'T believe is that AR ever knowingly sent back Soviet secrets to the SIS in order to strengthen British interests in/against Russia. I'm more than willing to accept that he attempted to improve relations between both countries, including private communications suggesting how best to approach each other, because he admitted as much himself.

If AR was ever useful to the 'Allies' during the wars of intervention I think he would be sad to know it. If he helped in any way to bring those wars to an end (even in a small way) then I'm sure he would be pleased.

I've expressed my opinion many times on this forum and elsewhere that AR was probably more left wing than is often suggested: I'm yet to have heard anything that disabuses me of that position.

Duncan

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