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the Soviet Union in the
Israeli press and the fact that no Israeli was willing to explain the Israeli point of view to the Soviets. By telling Beer that, Lousiev as much as invited him to become the Israeli spokesperson. Lousiev expressed his desire to continue meeting Beer and they decided to schedule another meeting over the phone. However, before Beer had the chance to call, he met Lousiev "coincidentally", and they scheduled another meeting, which was held in September 1956.
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305:'We have checked all the records in Austria. You never fought on the barricades. You never received a doctorate, as you claim you did, nor did you ever attend the university. You did not go to the military academy because Jews were not allowed to at the time. They have checked their lists for us and your name is not there. The Schutzbund has no record of your membership either.'
487:, Harel had a second conversation with Beer, as a precautionary measure carried out in cases of "individuals with questionable loyalties". The conversation was also intended as a warning to such individuals that the Soviet could try to recruit them and were as a deterrence to the formation of such connections.
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intellectual exchange of ideas in pleasant surroundings, to conspiratorial meetings on military matters concerning
Western countries and later, concerning Israel as well. Beer was subjected to a number of intelligence interrogations conducted in the Soviet intelligence facility, in the Russian Church in
478:
Harel considered it suspicious when he discovered that Israel Beer had gone ahead with the meeting he had specifically prohibited. Harel had always suspected Beer for his close connection to Sneh; his activity in the Mapam
Security Department, which seemed to have a subversive bent; and the suspicion
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According to Beer, the two had a serious conversation regarding political and strategic issues regarding the relations between Israel and the Soviet Union. Avdyenko later introduced Beer to
Sokolov. He began meeting Sokolov in January 1958 and they gradually moved from semi-public meetings including
523:
The following evening, on March 30, 1961, at approximately 08:00, Beer was observed walking in the area of the previous meeting, carrying a heavy briefcase. He met with
Sokolov and was later seen walking without the briefcase. At 22:40, he was observed walking to his apartment holding the briefcase.
361:
He requested discharge from the IDF in 1949 because of his failure to be promoted to a new position in the
Operations Division, in direct subordination to the Chief of the General Staff of the Israel Defense Forces. He bitterly claimed that he was not promoted because his credibility was in question
482:
The information on Beer at that point was not enough to cause his removal from his position in the
Ministry of Defense legally. Consequently, Harel had three long conversations with Beer in 1955, 1956 and 1958. Beer was also closely monitored, with no results. Harel was not satisfied with the first
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He presented himself as a close confidante of the
Minister of Defense and so gained the trust of many of his colleagues and associates at the General Staff Base, who even considered him to be a close link to the minister and one who could promote their personal and professional interests. Some even
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Beer had obtained first-hand knowledge of both theoretical and historical military areas, which made him an expert in these issues and an acknowledged expert on military affairs, despite his lack of real field experience. He was proficient in the details of the battles, names of places, commanders,
584:
In early 1961, Sokolov's demands became more aggressive and even threatening. He demanded information on Israel's nuclear potential and implied that Beer would never be able to sever his connections with the
Soviets. According to Beer, he was shocked and began to reconsider the relationship, which
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and a central activist in the
Communist organization The Movement for Friendship with the USSR. Shortly after arriving at Eidelberg's apartment, Lousiev arrived "unexpectedly" and began to discuss some "frustrations" in his press work: his lack of sources of information, the constant slandering of
527:
In the time between these events two Soviet cars, one of which belonged to Sokolov, were observed exiting the Soviet embassy separately and heading in the direction of Tel Aviv. A member of the Soviet intelligence holding a briefcase emerged from one of them. Shin Bet's intelligence assessment was
427:
Beer used his new status in the Ministry of Defense to his advantage, to create the impression that he had a very close relationship with Ben-Gurion and that he was one of his confidantes and advisers. Despite his civilian status, he could often be seen wearing the uniform of a lieutenant colonel.
408:
In the early 1950s, he lectured on military history in various courses in the IDF. In mid-1955, he signed a civilian contract with the Israeli Ministry of Defense with the intent of writing about the events of the 1947–1949 Palestine war. He was involved in the project right up to his arrest. In
369:
Beer was politically active in Mapam during his service in the IDF. After his resignation from the IDF he began work in Mapam, as head of its security department. In that position, he obtained military intelligence information about the IDF to keep party officials, who were in the opposition,
572:
His further relationship with the Soviets was, claimed Beer, at three festive occasions held at the consulates of Bulgaria, the Soviet Union and Yugoslavia between September 1957 and January 1958. Beer met Lousiev again and was introduced to Vasili Avdyenko, a senior member of the Soviet
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On March 29, 1961, at approximately 08:00, the surveillance detected an unidentified individual carrying out a secret meeting with Sokolov. Surveillance of the individual's movements led to an apartment on the second floor of 67 Brandeis Street in north Tel Aviv, Beer's apartment.
267:. Beer took pride in having later completed officer training in the Austrian military academy and having served as an officer in the army for a certain period of time. He claimed to have completed his service as a colonel serving as a brigade commander and to have fought in the
357:
With the establishment of the IDF, he was appointed as one of the two assistants to the head of the Operations Division and the Deputy Chief of the General Staff as well as serving as head of the Planning Division for the Operations Division, at the rank of lieutenant colonel.
534:
Beer initially denied all accusations of contact with foreign diplomats but later, he admitted to having connections with Soviet intelligence as well as to his operator, Sokolov. The interrogation revealed that Beer's recruitment by the Soviets began in 1956, when he met
416:
He was considered among the ministry's senior administrative officials, as the civilian contract with the Israeli Ministry of Defense afforded him the rank of colonel. That position allowed him intermittently to receive various updates, including classified material.
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and other Western countries. Furthermore, he embarked on several trips to those countries, which created the impression that he was on a government mission and so obtained the aid of military attachés and Ministry of Defense delegations. His meetings included the
565:. Beer reported the issue to the head of the ISA during a meeting on a separate topic. Manor warned him that Lousiev was a member of the Soviet intelligence and that his intentions were far from innocent. Despite the warnings, Beer met Lousiev again.
463:
Despite the explicit prohibition of the head of the Mossad, Isser Harel, which was conveyed to him by the director general of the Ministry of Defense, Beer, during a visit to Germany, in 1960 met with the Chief of Federal Intelligence Service of
598:
On April 16, 1961, Beer's arrest became public, and Sokolov then left the country. Beer claimed in his defense that he had acted out of the hope to turn the Soviet orientation in the Middle East in Israel's favour.
235:, Beer was a well-known military commentator and an acknowledged expert on military history, and he was employed in a civilian position within the Israeli Ministry of Defense to write a book on the history of the
581:. During further stages of the intelligence relationship with Beer, Sokolov demonstrated increasing interest in security matters related to Israel. He demanded and was given documents, which he photocopied.
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In September 1956, when he was summoned for the meeting with Isser Harel, he mentioned his acquaintance with Lousiev and was warned again regarding the continuation of his relationship with the Soviet.
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The dramatic change in his avowed political views sparked varying reactions. Some considered him to be an opportunist hoping to return to the IDF; others viewed his efforts to approach Ben-Gurion, the
588:
He even contemplated, he claimed, turning to Shin Bet, but he did not do so because of Harel's hostile approach towards him and the harsh words between them after his meeting with the German general.
346:
Beer's publication of articles on military subjects led to his acceptance in 1940 as a permanent member of the Haganah. There, he took part in training and in planning until the outbreak of the
508:
In January 1961, Vladimir Sokolov, a member of the Soviet intelligence and a staff member at the Soviet embassy, was observed carrying out secretive activity in a certain area of north
494:
in 1958, on the grounds of espionage for the Soviet Union and due to certain connections between Beer and Cohen around that time, Harel conducted another conversation with him.
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He was interrogated that night and his apartment was searched. Classified documents were discovered during the search. Beer was arrested on the morning of March 31, 1961.
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Even after Beer's meeting with the head of the German intelligence service, he was monitored, but still, there was not enough material to support the suspicions.
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Beer informed the Minister of Defense's military secretary about the new acquaintance, and the secretary advised him to discuss the issue with the head of the
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In response to pressure from the Soviet operator, Beer provided him the plans of an American army base that had been built in Turkey by an Israeli company,
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Furthermore, he had the habit of spending lunch breaks in the General Staff base, where he would meet senior officers and exchange updates and opinions.
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397:. In January 1953, he chose unexpectedly not to join Sneh and temporarily retired from political activity. In 1954, to the surprise of many, he joined
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that he could be a communist who had infiltrated Mapai to attain a central position and to become a Soviet Communist agent within the establishment.
302:'We can find no trace of your parents in Austria. If they were typical Jewish parents, as you make them out to be, then why aren't you circumcised?'
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366:, a democratic socialist party that rivaled the ruling, Labor Zionist Mapai. He was formally discharged after a leave of absence in July 1950.
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606:. The court rejected his appeal, and his sentence was lengthened to 15 years imprisonment. He died while he was still in prison in May 1966.
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informed, and he was closely connected with the party's information department which was gathering political non-military intelligence.
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in 1952 and 1953 caused internal dissent within the Mapam and a split : the Left Faction resigned from Mapam and later formed
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Beer claimed to have been born in Austria in the name Georg Beer to an assimilated Jewish family, that he had been active in the
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308:'We have gone through the records of the international brigade and your name is not there. You never fought in Spain....'
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Beer was tried for espionage and sentenced to 10 years of imprisonment. He appealed against his sentence to the
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No specific suspicions were raised in the three conversations, but Harel's suspicions were far from allayed.
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Beer (center), outside the courthouse and flanked by police officers, during the time of his trial in 1961
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conversation in 1955 in which Beer was questioned about his past. In September 1956, prior to the
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and that he had taken part in the armed conflict between the party's military organisation, the
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provided him classified documents, including intelligence assessments, for consideration.
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to question Beer's claims that he fought in Spain, let alone as a commander and colonel.
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595:. Sokolov appeared for his next meeting, which he had set with Beer for April 10, 1961.
424:, with suspicion and considered them an alarming sign of attempted left-wing influence.
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had begun on a political background but had turned into "the work of an actual mole".
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military units, which he used to gain credibility and additional military experience.
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that the material in the briefcase had been photocopied and returned to Beer.
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Arnold Krammer: The forgotten friendship: Israel and the Soviet Bloc, 1947-53
26:"Israel Bar" redirects here. For the bar association of Israeli lawyers, see
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1959, Beer was appointed head of the Department of Military History in the
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He neither revealed his true identity nor admitted that he worked for the
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intelligence, stationed as head of the KGB branch in the Soviet embassy.
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decided to increase the surveillance of this area to a daily level.
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247:(which he never admitted), have all remained unknown to this day.
350:, but was found to have lacked basic soldiery skills - which led
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239:. His true identity, his personal history before emigrating to
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279:. He also claimed to hold a doctorate in literature from the
381:, a group which identified itself with the Soviet Union and
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During his Mapam activity, Beer was closely associated with
550:'s apartment. Eidelberg was an old acquaintance from the
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Israeli people convicted of spying for the Soviet Union
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Journal of Palestine Studies (Beirut), XII, Fall, 1974.
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as a research student. At the same time, he joined the
67:
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From 1958, Beer began to develop close connections in
223:, was arrested under suspicion of espionage for the
219:. On March 31, 1961, Beer, a senior employee in the
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Espionage: The Strange Case of Colonel Israel Beer.
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475:, who was a prime target for Soviet intelligence.
286:During interrogation, Beer repeated the story but
243:, and the circumstances of his recruitment to the
19:For the reporter born Israel Beer Josaphat, see
311:'Now tell me: who are you? We want the truth.'
539:, a representative of the Soviet news agency
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72:introducing citations to additional sources
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753:Israeli people who died in prison custody
546:About a month later, Beer was invited to
738:20th-century Israeli non-fiction writers
335:in October 1938 and was accepted to the
62:Relevant discussion may be found on the
758:Prisoners who died in Israeli detention
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460:, and the head of French intelligence.
207:, 9 October 1912 – 1 May 1966) was an
298:, calmly told him, "You are a liar."
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748:Burials at South Cemetery in Israel
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743:20th-century Israeli male writers
708:Spies who died in prison custody
257:Austrian Social Democratic Party
55:relies largely or entirely on a
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16:Austrian-Israeli spy (1912–1966)
362:because of his connection with
337:Hebrew University of Jerusalem
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723:Austrian emigrants to Israel
401:, the majority party led by
174:1966 (aged 53–54)
221:Israeli Ministry of Defense
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454:German Minister of Defence
422:Defense Minister of Israel
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251:Unconfirmed early history
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728:1961 in military history
490:Following the arrest of
203:, also known as Captain
33:Not to be confused with
604:Supreme Court of Israel
348:1947–1949 Palestine war
271:as a volunteer for the
237:1947–1949 Palestine war
189:South Cemetery (Israel)
411:University of Tel Aviv
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294:and also in charge of
273:International Brigades
28:Israel Bar Association
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215:citizen convicted of
391:Moscow Doctors' Plot
377:, the leader of the
281:University of Vienna
68:improve this article
458:Franz Josef Strauss
277:Thälmann Battalion
229:lieutenant colonel
331:He immigrated to
323:Confirmed history
269:Spanish Civil War
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57:single source
53:This article
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35:Israeli beer
718:1966 deaths
713:1912 births
686:Israel Beer
664:Israel Beer
593:Solel Boneh
352:Moshe Dayan
288:Isser Harel
227:. A former
201:Yisrael Bar
197:Israel Beer
139:Israel Beer
21:Paul Reuter
697:Categories
650:2008-05-25
624:References
563:Amos Manor
375:Moshe Sneh
263:, and the
261:Schutzbund
94:newspapers
579:Abu-Kabir
383:communism
333:Palestine
241:Palestine
217:espionage
64:talk page
514:Shin Bet
510:Tel Aviv
389:and the
296:Shin Bet
209:Austrian
470:General
441:Germany
385:. The
341:Haganah
275:in the
231:in the
213:Israeli
108:scholar
504:Arrest
447:, the
445:France
437:Europe
292:Mossad
211:-born
178:Israel
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552:Mapam
399:Mapai
364:Mapam
115:JSTOR
101:books
541:Tass
395:Maki
171:Died
160:1912
157:Born
87:news
560:ISA
317:KGB
245:KGB
233:IDF
70:by
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