Branko Vukelic (spy)
Encyclopedia
Branko Vukelić was a Yugoslav
spy working for Richard Sorge
's spy ring in Japan.
in 1904. His father, Milivoj, was a Serbian military officer in the Austrian army in Lika
(a region in today's Croatia
), and his mother, Vilma, was a daughter of Jewish background.
The Vukelić family moved to Zagreb
(capital of today's Croatia) where he attended secondary school. He enrolled a college in Zagreb, but was forced to move to Paris because of his ties to Communism. Vukelić graduated Sorbonne University with a degree in law.
After graduation, and because of the great global depression, he re-established contact with Communists as a way to find employment during the economic crisis.
agent after being recruited by a Comintern
member by the name of Olga. He worked along with Richard Sorge
in a Soviet-backed spy network (known as Sorge ring), along with Max Klausen, Ozaki Hotsumi, and another Comintern agent, Miyagi Yotoku. Vukelić was employed by the French newspaper Havas, and Serbian daily Politika
as a special correspondent.
Vukelić arrived in Yokohama, Japan on February 11, 1933, and reported to Richard Sorge, the network leader reporting to the Soviet Intelligence. Although this was a Soviet operation, Vukelić was led to believe that he was serving the Communist International.
Marriage between Branko, and his first wife, Edith dissolved in a series of affairs, and he married his Japanese language translator, Yoshiko Yamasaki. This marriage was considered a risk to the operation, and Sorge did not approve of it. Vukelić decided to get married without notifying Sorge. The ring leader sought advice from the Centre in Moscow, but the instructions were that Vukelić should stay in Japan and continue working for the network.
Vukelić's main activities in the network were primarily of gathering information. He gathered information from Japanese newspapers and magazines, as well as various embassy and journalist contacts. and he was also in charge of the network's photographic work.
At one point, Vukelić was also tasked with influencing foreign journalists, mostly through Joseph Newman, New York Herald Tribune journalist, in amplifying the perceived Japanese threat to the United States on Pacific, in an attempt to alleviate Japanese pressure on Soviet's East. Vukelić's success in his task resulted in a July 1, 1939 New York Herald Tribune article titled 'Japan Believed Still Aiming at South Sea Area', written by Newman.
Sorge's spy ring was eventually broken in 1941. Although Sorge tried his best to diminish Vukelić's and Miyagi's involvement, Vukelić was sentenced to life's imprisonment along with Clausen. Branko was imprisoned in Sugamo, and was transferred to Abashiri (Hokkaido
, Japan) in July 1944. Vukelić did not survive the cold winter, and Yoshiko was informed of his death on January 15, 1945.
Yugoslavs
Yugoslavs is a national designation used by a minority of South Slavs across the countries of the former Yugoslavia and in the diaspora...
spy working for Richard Sorge
Richard Sorge
Richard Sorge was a German communist and spy who worked for the Soviet Union. He has gained great fame among espionage enthusiasts for his intelligence gathering during World War II. He worked as a journalist in both Germany and Japan, where he was imprisoned for spying and eventually hanged....
's spy ring in Japan.
Birth and early life
Vukelić was born in OsijekOsijek
Osijek is the fourth largest city in Croatia with a population of 83,496 in 2011. It is the largest city and the economic and cultural centre of the eastern Croatian region of Slavonia, as well as the administrative centre of Osijek-Baranja county...
in 1904. His father, Milivoj, was a Serbian military officer in the Austrian army in Lika
Lika
Lika is a mountainous region in central Croatia, roughly bound by the Velebit mountain from the southwest and the Plješevica mountain from the northeast. On the north-west end Lika is bounded by Ogulin-Plaški basin, and on the south-east by the Malovan pass...
(a region in today's Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
), and his mother, Vilma, was a daughter of Jewish background.
The Vukelić family moved to Zagreb
Zagreb
Zagreb is the capital and the largest city of the Republic of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb lies at an elevation of approximately above sea level. According to the last official census, Zagreb's city...
(capital of today's Croatia) where he attended secondary school. He enrolled a college in Zagreb, but was forced to move to Paris because of his ties to Communism. Vukelić graduated Sorbonne University with a degree in law.
After graduation, and because of the great global depression, he re-established contact with Communists as a way to find employment during the economic crisis.
Days in Japan
In 1933. Vukelić was sent to Japan as a Soviet counter-intelligenceCounter-intelligence
Counterintelligence or counter-intelligence refers to efforts made by intelligence organizations to prevent hostile or enemy intelligence organizations from successfully gathering and collecting intelligence against them. National intelligence programs, and, by extension, the overall defenses of...
agent after being recruited by a Comintern
Comintern
The Communist International, abbreviated as Comintern, also known as the Third International, was an international communist organization initiated in Moscow during March 1919...
member by the name of Olga. He worked along with Richard Sorge
Richard Sorge
Richard Sorge was a German communist and spy who worked for the Soviet Union. He has gained great fame among espionage enthusiasts for his intelligence gathering during World War II. He worked as a journalist in both Germany and Japan, where he was imprisoned for spying and eventually hanged....
in a Soviet-backed spy network (known as Sorge ring), along with Max Klausen, Ozaki Hotsumi, and another Comintern agent, Miyagi Yotoku. Vukelić was employed by the French newspaper Havas, and Serbian daily Politika
Politika
Politika is a Serbian newspaper. It is considered the newspaper of record and is the oldest daily in the Balkans, having been founded on January 25, 1904 by Vladislav Ribnikar. It is currently being published by Politika Newspapers and Magazines , a joint venture between Politika AD and...
as a special correspondent.
Vukelić arrived in Yokohama, Japan on February 11, 1933, and reported to Richard Sorge, the network leader reporting to the Soviet Intelligence. Although this was a Soviet operation, Vukelić was led to believe that he was serving the Communist International.
Marriage between Branko, and his first wife, Edith dissolved in a series of affairs, and he married his Japanese language translator, Yoshiko Yamasaki. This marriage was considered a risk to the operation, and Sorge did not approve of it. Vukelić decided to get married without notifying Sorge. The ring leader sought advice from the Centre in Moscow, but the instructions were that Vukelić should stay in Japan and continue working for the network.
Vukelić's main activities in the network were primarily of gathering information. He gathered information from Japanese newspapers and magazines, as well as various embassy and journalist contacts. and he was also in charge of the network's photographic work.
At one point, Vukelić was also tasked with influencing foreign journalists, mostly through Joseph Newman, New York Herald Tribune journalist, in amplifying the perceived Japanese threat to the United States on Pacific, in an attempt to alleviate Japanese pressure on Soviet's East. Vukelić's success in his task resulted in a July 1, 1939 New York Herald Tribune article titled 'Japan Believed Still Aiming at South Sea Area', written by Newman.
Sorge's spy ring was eventually broken in 1941. Although Sorge tried his best to diminish Vukelić's and Miyagi's involvement, Vukelić was sentenced to life's imprisonment along with Clausen. Branko was imprisoned in Sugamo, and was transferred to Abashiri (Hokkaido
Hokkaido
, formerly known as Ezo, Yezo, Yeso, or Yesso, is Japan's second largest island; it is also the largest and northernmost of Japan's 47 prefectural-level subdivisions. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaido from Honshu, although the two islands are connected by the underwater railway Seikan Tunnel...
, Japan) in July 1944. Vukelić did not survive the cold winter, and Yoshiko was informed of his death on January 15, 1945.