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 2/1458
What’s it about?
This record is about the Jean Charles Alexandre ALEXANDER, alias Wilhelm GESSMANN: Austrian. An international... dating from 1946 Jan 01 - 1949 Dec 31 in the series The Security Service: Personal (PF Series) Files. It is held at The National Archives, Kew.
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Yes, this record is available online and can be downloaded. How to view it.
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Full description and record details
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Reference (The unique identifier to the record described, used to order and refer to it)
- KV 2/1458
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Date (When the record was created)
- 1946 Jan 01 - 1949 Dec 31
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Description (What the record is about)
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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
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Note (Additional information about the record)
- Photograph at front of file
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Held by (Who holds the record)
- The National Archives, Kew
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Former department reference (Former identifier given by the originating creator)
- PF 65005 VOL 2
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Legal status (A note as to whether the record being described is a Public Record or not)
- Public Record(s)
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Access conditions (Information on conditions that restrict or affect access to the record)
- Retained Until 2004
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Closure status (Whether the record is ‘open’ (available to the public) or ‘closed’ (not available due to a legal exemption))
- Open Document, Open Description
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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))
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Record URL
- https://beta.nationalarchives.gov.uk/catalogue/id/C11190701/
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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 2/1458
Jean Charles Alexandre ALEXANDER, alias Wilhelm GESSMANN: Austrian. An international...
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