Jan Valtin
Encyclopedia
Jan Valtin was the alias of Richard Julius Hermann Krebs (December 17, 1905 - January 1, 1951), a German Communist
and Soviet agent
during the interwar period. He defected to the United States
in 1938, and in 1940 (as Valtin) wrote his bestselling autobiography Out of the Night. He also wrote several novels.
Valtin became active in the Communist movement as a boy, when his father was involved in the naval mutiny that heralded the 1918 German revolution
. In 1923 he saw action in the failed Communist uprising
in Hamburg
. Sometime after this he was recruited by the GPU, the foreign intelligence service of the Soviet Union
, and forerunner to the KGB
.
After joining the GPU he helped run various smuggling enterprises, and helped organize Communist cells in the crews of merchant ships. As a sailor he visited many countries and could speak a number of languages including fluent English. He spent three years in San Quentin State Prison
in California
for an assault carried out under GPU orders.
After the Nazis
came to power in Germany he fled to Denmark
, where the GPU headquarters had relocated. At this time he was a seasoned GPU operative but fell out of favor with the leadership. He was sent back to Germany as an agent. According to Valtin this order was from Ernst Wollweber
.
He was subsequently arrested by the Nazis and brutally tortured. But the GPU made contact with him in jail and instructed him to defect to the Nazis and act as a double agent for them. This plan was successful, and the Nazis sent him to Denmark to make contact with the GPU again. However, they kept his wife and son hostage in Germany.
Once again he fell out with the GPU leadership, who kidnapped him for transportation to the USSR. He escaped, and fled to the United States. The GPU took their revenge by publishing an article about him in the Daily Worker
(the American Communist newspaper). This let the Nazis know that he had tricked them, and the Gestapo
killed Valtin's wife .
Valtin was destitute when he arrived in the United States. He worked at a number of menial jobs before joining the U.S. Army during World War II
. After the war he was investigated by the House Committee on Un-American Activities but cleared. He was granted U.S. citizenship in 1947.
Valtin/Krebs married again, before 1941, to an American girl named Abigail Harris. They had two sons.
Communism
Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...
and Soviet agent
SPY
SPY is a three-letter acronym that may refer to:* SPY , ticker symbol for Standard & Poor's Depositary Receipts* SPY , a satirical monthly, trademarked all-caps* SPY , airport code for San Pédro, Côte d'Ivoire...
during the interwar period. He defected to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in 1938, and in 1940 (as Valtin) wrote his bestselling autobiography Out of the Night. He also wrote several novels.
Valtin became active in the Communist movement as a boy, when his father was involved in the naval mutiny that heralded the 1918 German revolution
German Revolution
The German Revolution was the politically-driven civil conflict in Germany at the end of World War I, which resulted in the replacement of Germany's imperial government with a republic...
. In 1923 he saw action in the failed Communist uprising
Hamburg Uprising
The Hamburg Uprising was an insurrection during the Weimar Republic in Germany. It was begun on October 23, 1923 by the one of the most militant sections of the Hamburg district Communist Party , the KP Wasserkante. From a military point of view, the attempt was futile and it was over within 24...
in Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
. Sometime after this he was recruited by the GPU, the foreign intelligence service of the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
, and forerunner to the KGB
KGB
The KGB was the commonly used acronym for the . It was the national security agency of the Soviet Union from 1954 until 1991, and was the premier internal security, intelligence, and secret police organization during that time.The State Security Agency of the Republic of Belarus currently uses the...
.
After joining the GPU he helped run various smuggling enterprises, and helped organize Communist cells in the crews of merchant ships. As a sailor he visited many countries and could speak a number of languages including fluent English. He spent three years in San Quentin State Prison
San Quentin State Prison
San Quentin State Prison is a California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation state prison for men in unincorporated San Quentin, Marin County, California, United States. Opened in July 1852, it is the oldest prison in the state. California's only death row for male inmates, the largest...
in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
for an assault carried out under GPU orders.
After the Nazis
National Socialist German Workers Party
The National Socialist German Workers' Party , commonly known in English as the Nazi Party, was a political party in Germany between 1920 and 1945. Its predecessor, the German Workers' Party , existed from 1919 to 1920...
came to power in Germany he fled to Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
, where the GPU headquarters had relocated. At this time he was a seasoned GPU operative but fell out of favor with the leadership. He was sent back to Germany as an agent. According to Valtin this order was from Ernst Wollweber
Ernst Wollweber
Ernst Friedrich Wollweber was Minister of State Security of the German Democratic Republic from 1953 to 1957.-Biography:...
.
He was subsequently arrested by the Nazis and brutally tortured. But the GPU made contact with him in jail and instructed him to defect to the Nazis and act as a double agent for them. This plan was successful, and the Nazis sent him to Denmark to make contact with the GPU again. However, they kept his wife and son hostage in Germany.
Once again he fell out with the GPU leadership, who kidnapped him for transportation to the USSR. He escaped, and fled to the United States. The GPU took their revenge by publishing an article about him in the Daily Worker
Daily Worker
The Daily Worker was a newspaper published in New York City by the Communist Party USA, a formerly Comintern-affiliated organization. Publication began in 1924. While it generally reflected the prevailing views of the party, some attempts were made to make it appear that the paper reflected a...
(the American Communist newspaper). This let the Nazis know that he had tricked them, and the Gestapo
Gestapo
The Gestapo was the official secret police of Nazi Germany. Beginning on 20 April 1934, it was under the administration of the SS leader Heinrich Himmler in his position as Chief of German Police...
killed Valtin's wife .
Valtin was destitute when he arrived in the United States. He worked at a number of menial jobs before joining the U.S. Army during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. After the war he was investigated by the House Committee on Un-American Activities but cleared. He was granted U.S. citizenship in 1947.
Valtin/Krebs married again, before 1941, to an American girl named Abigail Harris. They had two sons.