Posted by Alan Hakim, for Ted Alexander on July 22, 2002 at 22:41:29 from 212.137.167.218 user awhakim.
In Reply to: Re: Arthur Ransome - A Spy, again posted by phil tomaselli on July 21, 2002 at 16:11:49:
For technical reasons, Ted is unable to get access to the Tarboard, so he has asked me to put up the following item. Alan Hakim.
There is NO new material available. This only joins a long list of people who think they have found the holy grail! A few years ago, Andrew Christopher of Cambridge University was amongst them with an article in The Times.
The truth of the matter, as you would expect, is quite different and much more mundane.
On return trips to the UK, Ransome, of his own volition, had the habit of calling at the Foreign
Office to tell them of his experiences. His godfather had a position there. These visits were of little
interest to the FO, and as time went on, they became hostile to them (and him). It is widely thought
that it was these visits which gave rise to the 'spy' title. In truth, however, these visits had little to do
with it. It was the short periods during (1918-1920) when he was in receipt of payments from the
FO or MI which gave rise to this title.
Now if you trundle around Kew and spend a few days going through the files there, you will see that
there are in the indexes quite a few references to Ransome. Some of the material no longer exists,
but sufficient survives to show what various government departments thought about him. It is also
very easy to conclude that Ransome must have been a spy, if he was (for a short time) on the
payrole of the Military Intelligence Services.
Thats it! Simple! How could he not be a spy if he was employed by them?
BUT! Those with sufficient background knowledge of Ransome, who understand his objectives,
his activities and his connections at the time, will be able to put it in context and come to a balanced
view.
Following the revolution, Russia had hardly any secrets to offer anyone, and what Ransome knew
from the British side was no more than they wanted him to impart to his friends in the Kremlin.
Ransome held a UNIQUE position with the Bolshevik leaders in that, he carried an open letter
signed by Lenin giving him access to all those working in the Government, and a list of all ministers
names, in his pocket. Nobody else at that time, or since, has been in this position. With the
objective of reporting what the Russian Government was about, would you in this position, mess
about and compromise your standing by attempting to drop one side or the other in it with very little
to gain?
Ransome was, from time to time, asked to undertake jobs or carry information to the Russian
Leaders. When such work was outside that for which his newspaper could reasonably be expected
to pay, his expenses were met by either the FO or MI. It's as simple as that. (As an example - see
Ransome's account in the A/B of his trips to Vologda).
This subject, and his relations with the Foreign Office, are covered at some length in Ransome in
Russia, a book written by Tatiana and myself, but not yet published. We hope to start looking for
a publisher later in the year. There will be plenty in it you've never heard of (and some you have) as
well as 160 illustrations, photographs etc...all new!
We would like to have been able to state that Ransome was a spy - would help sales enormously,
but it would be dishonest to pretend otherwise.
More fool The Observer for falling for it and printing such tripe!