Declassified MI5 file shows Nazi spy almost changed course of war
SOURCE: Times (UK) (3-3-09)
A Nazi spy came within days of uncovering one of the Allies' most important missions and possibly changing the direction of the Second World War.
The story of a Portuguese wireless operator and the dramatic decision to pluck him from his vessel on the high seas to prevent him from betraying the position of a huge convoy bound for North Africa is revealed for the first time in a declassified MI5 file released by the National Archives.
Gastao de Freitas Ferraz was being paid by German intelligence to send coded messages about convoys to U-boat commanders and was on the tail of the Allied warships.
The story of a Portuguese wireless operator and the dramatic decision to pluck him from his vessel on the high seas to prevent him from betraying the position of a huge convoy bound for North Africa is revealed for the first time in a declassified MI5 file released by the National Archives.
Gastao de Freitas Ferraz was being paid by German intelligence to send coded messages about convoys to U-boat commanders and was on the tail of the Allied warships.
Source:
Times (UK)
Source URL:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article5834918.ece
Date:
3-3-09
