Alexander Orlov (Soviet defector)
Alexander Orlov | |
|---|---|
Alexander Orlov | |
| Born | Leiba Lazarevich Feldbin August 21, 1895 |
| Died | March 25, 1973 (aged 77) |
| Alma mater | Moscow University |
| Espionage activity | |
| Allegiance | Soviet Union |
| Service years | 1924–1938 |
| Codename | Alexander Mikhailovich Orlov |
| Codename | Lev Lazarevich Nikolsky |
| Codename | Lev Leonidovich Nikolaev |
| Codename | SCHWED |
| Codename | Leo Feldbiene |
Alexander Mikhailovich Orlov (Russian: Александр Михайлович Орлов, born Leiba Leyzerovich Feldbin, later Lev Lazarevich Nikolsky, and in the US assuming the name of Igor Konstantinovich Berg; 21 August 1895 – 25 March 1973), was a colonel in the Soviet secret police and NKVD Rezident in the Second Spanish Republic. In 1938, Orlov refused to return to the Soviet Union due to fears of execution, and instead fled with his family to the United States. He is mostly known for secretly transporting the entire Spanish gold reserves to the USSR in exchange for military aid for Spanish Republic and for his book, The Secret History of Stalin's Crimes.