Focus on
Olga Gray and the Woolwich Arsenal Spy Ring
In 1938, thanks to years of work by a remarkable female agent, MI5 ensured a package of British defence plans stayed secret.
Piece
Jean Charles Alexandre ALEXANDER, alias Wilhelm GESSMANN: Austrian. An international...
Catalogue reference: KV 2/1457
What’s it about?
This record is about the Jean Charles Alexandre ALEXANDER, alias Wilhelm GESSMANN: Austrian. An international... dating from 1942 Jan 01 - 1946 Dec 31 in the series The Security Service: Personal (PF Series) Files. It is held at The National Archives, Kew.
Is it available online?
No, this record is not available online. However, you can order a copy. Other ways to view it.
Can I see it in person?
Yes, this record is held at The National Archives and is available to see in person. How to view it.
Full description and record details
-
Reference (The unique identifier to the record described, used to order and refer to it)
- KV 2/1457
-
Date (When the record was created)
- 1942 Jan 01 - 1946 Dec 31
-
Description (What the record is about)
-
Jean Charles Alexandre ALEXANDER, alias Wilhelm GESSMANN: Austrian. An international spy in the 1930s under his real identity, ALEXANDER, now adopting false French identity, set out to serve German Intelligence in Portugal at the start of the Second WorldWar. Notionally working for Czech Intelligence in Lisbon, he betrayed networks of Allied agents in Paris and Marseilles to the Abwehr. After the war he was interrogated by the Americans and, on behalf of the British, by U35, whose verbatim report appears on the file
-
Held by (Who holds the record)
- The National Archives, Kew
-
Former department reference (Former identifier given by the originating creator)
- PF 65005 VOL 1
-
Legal status (A note as to whether the record being described is a Public Record or not)
- Public Record(s)
-
Access conditions (Information on conditions that restrict or affect access to the record)
- Retained Until 2004
-
Closure status (Whether the record is ‘open’ (available to the public) or ‘closed’ (not available due to a legal exemption))
- Open Document, Open Description
-
Subjects (Categories and themes found in our collection (our subject list is under development, and some records may have no subjects or fewer than expected))
-
Record URL
- https://beta.nationalarchives.gov.uk/catalogue/id/C11190700/
How to order it
- View this record page in our current catalogue
- Check viewing and downloading options
- Select an option and follow instructions
Series information
KV 2
The Security Service: Personal (PF Series) Files
See the series level description for more information about this record.
Catalogue hierarchy
Over 27 million records
This record is held at The National Archives, Kew
6,152 records
Within the department: KV
Records of the Security Service
4,773 records
Within the series: KV 2
The Security Service: Personal (PF Series) Files
You are currently looking at the piece: KV 2/1457
Jean Charles Alexandre ALEXANDER, alias Wilhelm GESSMANN: Austrian. An international...
You may be interested in
-
-
Record revealed
‘The Book of Negroes’: Black refugees who fought in the American Revolution
This volume offers a glimpse of the numerous ‘Black Loyalists’ who seized the American Revolutionary War as a chance to gain freedom from enslavement. -
The story of
Anthony Blunt's confession
Security Service files paint a vivid picture of what happened when Anthony Blunt – then employed in the royal household – admitted spying for the Soviet Union.
Related records
Records that share similar topics with this record.