Harry Peter Smollett, OBE (1912–1980), born Hans Peter Smolka and sometimes continuing to use that name as a nom de plume even after he changed it by deed poll, was a journalist for the Daily Express and later a Central Europe correspondent for The Times.[1] During the Second World War, Smollett became head of the Russian section at Britain's Ministry of Information and was responsible for organising pro-Soviet propaganda. He was later identified as a Soviet agent.
Born in Vienna, he came to Britain in 1933 as an NKVD agent codenamed "ABO". Although he changed his name to Smollett on becoming a naturalised British subject in 1938, he returned to using the surname Smolka when he returned to Vienna after the war.[2] According to the Mitrokhin Archive, Smollett had been recruited by Kim Philby.[3]
George Orwell included him on the list of those who "in my opinion are crypto-communists, fellow-travellers or inclined that way and should not be trusted as propagandists"[1] that he gave to the Information Research Department in 1949 as "almost certainly agent of some kind" and "a very slimy person"[4]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
as an NKVD agent codenamed "ABO"
Date: 2018-12-09 10:05 pm (UTC)Born in Vienna, he came to Britain in 1933 as an NKVD agent codenamed "ABO". Although he changed his name to Smollett on becoming a naturalised British subject in 1938, he returned to using the surname Smolka when he returned to Vienna after the war.[2] According to the Mitrokhin Archive, Smollett had been recruited by Kim Philby.[3]
George Orwell included him on the list of those who "in my opinion are crypto-communists, fellow-travellers or inclined that way and should not be trusted as propagandists"[1] that he gave to the Information Research Department in 1949 as "almost certainly agent of some kind" and "a very slimy person"[4]