Melita Norwood
Encyclopedia
Melita Stedman Norwood, née Sirnis, (25 March 1912 – 2 June 2005) was a British
civil servant, traitor and KGB
intelligence source who, for a period of about 40 years following her recruitment in 1937, supplied the KGB
(and its predecessor agencies) with state secrets from her job at the British Non-Ferrous Metals Research Association
. Her KGB handlers gave her the codename "Hola".
Norwood was born to a Latvia
n father, Alexander Sirnis, and a British
mother Gertrude, née Stedman, in Pokesdown
, Hampshire
(now Dorset
). Both her parents were active in socialist circles. In 1935 she married Hilary Norwood (1910-1985), the schoolteacher son of Russian parents (his name had originally been Nussbaum) and a lifelong communist. A convinced communist herself, she apparently gained no material profit from her actions. When asked about her motives, she explained: "I did what I did, not to make money, but to help prevent the defeat of a new system which had, at great cost, given ordinary people food and fares which they could afford, a good education and a health service." Her espionage activities were first publicly revealed by Vasili Mitrokhin
in 1999. At that time, it was also revealed that the British authorities had known about her status only since Mitrokhin's defection
in 1992, despite the fact that she was well known to be a communist sympathizer, but had decided not to act to avoid tipping their hand. Norwood was never prosecuted for her actions.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
civil servant, traitor and 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...
intelligence source who, for a period of about 40 years following her recruitment in 1937, supplied 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...
(and its predecessor agencies) with state secrets from her job at the British Non-Ferrous Metals Research Association
British Non-Ferrous Metals Research Association
The British Non-Ferrous Metals Research Association was a research group in the United Kingdom during the 20th century, bringing together public and privately funded research into metallurgy. The name was abbreviated officially to B.N.F.M.R.A. but the organisation was normally known as ‘The BNF’...
. Her KGB handlers gave her the codename "Hola".
Norwood was born to a Latvia
Latvia
Latvia , officially the Republic of Latvia , is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia , to the south by Lithuania , to the east by the Russian Federation , to the southeast by Belarus and shares maritime borders to the west with Sweden...
n father, Alexander Sirnis, and a British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
mother Gertrude, née Stedman, in Pokesdown
Pokesdown
Pokesdown is a small area of Bournemouth, a unitary authority in the ceremonial county of Dorset. It lies just east of the suburb of Boscombe and west of Southbourne.-History:Evidence of human occupation in the area dates back to the Bronze Age...
, Hampshire
Hampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
(now Dorset
Dorset
Dorset , is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The county town is Dorchester which is situated in the south. The Hampshire towns of Bournemouth and Christchurch joined the county with the reorganisation of local government in 1974...
). Both her parents were active in socialist circles. In 1935 she married Hilary Norwood (1910-1985), the schoolteacher son of Russian parents (his name had originally been Nussbaum) and a lifelong communist. A convinced communist herself, she apparently gained no material profit from her actions. When asked about her motives, she explained: "I did what I did, not to make money, but to help prevent the defeat of a new system which had, at great cost, given ordinary people food and fares which they could afford, a good education and a health service." Her espionage activities were first publicly revealed by Vasili Mitrokhin
Vasili Mitrokhin
Vasili Nikitich Mitrokhin was a Major and senior archivist for the Soviet Union's foreign intelligence service, the First Chief Directorate of the KGB, and co-author with Christopher Andrew of The Mitrokhin Archive: The KGB in Europe and the West, a massive account of Soviet intelligence...
in 1999. At that time, it was also revealed that the British authorities had known about her status only since Mitrokhin's defection
Defection
In politics, a defector is a person who gives up allegiance to one state or political entity in exchange for allegiance to another. More broadly, it involves abandoning a person, cause or doctrine to whom or to which one is bound by some tie, as of allegiance or duty.This term is also applied,...
in 1992, despite the fact that she was well known to be a communist sympathizer, but had decided not to act to avoid tipping their hand. Norwood was never prosecuted for her actions.
External links
- Obituary (The TimesThe TimesThe Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
) - Varsha Bhosle's Article in Rediff
- The Spy Who Came in from the Co-op - David Burke's book on Melita Norwood and Cold War espionage
- All Soviet Spies seem to Suffer from Selective Memory Loss by Andrew Pierce, Telegraph, July 23, 2009