Vasiliy Spiru Soviet intelligence officer. Date of Birth: . Country: Russia

1. Early Life and Political Activism
2. Military Service and Hungarian Revolution
3. Underground Work and Imprisonment
4. Communist Party and Trade Union Roles
5. Emigration to the Soviet Union
6. Soviet Intelligence Career
7. Later Career

Early Life and Political Activism

Anton Tauber was born in Linz, Austria, to a physician. After graduating from high school, he immersed himself in revolutionary movements and was arrested in Vienna in 1915 for his participation.

Military Service and Hungarian Revolution

During World War I, Tauber served as a lieutenant in the Austro-Hungarian army, fighting on the Italian front. In 1919, he played a role in the Hungarian Revolution and served in the Red Army of the Hungarian Soviet Republic until its defeat.

Underground Work and Imprisonment

Following the fall of the Hungarian Soviet Republic, Tauber engaged in underground activities. He became a member of the Communist Party's leadership in Bukovina (1919-1920) and Banat (1920-1921). Multiple arrests and deportations from Austria ensued. In 1921, Tauber was imprisoned in Islaz, Romania.

Communist Party and Trade Union Roles

After his release in 1922, Tauber rose through the ranks of the Romanian Communist Party's youth wing, becoming a member of its Central Bureau and a representative to the party's Central Committee. He also worked as a press officer for the Balkans Bureau of the International Red Aid (MOPR).

Emigration to the Soviet Union

Tauber emigrated to the Soviet Union in 1927. He became a staff member of the Communist University of National Minorities in the West, specializing in Romanian and German affairs. In 1928, he joined the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (VKP(b)).

Soviet Intelligence Career

In 1930, Tauber was recruited by the OGPU, the Soviet secret police. Using the alias Anton Tauber, an Austrian citizen, he was sent to Germany to work under Boris Ilek ("Beer"). Disguised as a literary agent for German publishers, he headed the "Correspondent's Bureau," a cover organization for gathering confidential political and economic intelligence. Despite his arrest for using forged documents, he was eventually released and returned to the Soviet Union, where he was dismissed from the OGPU.

Later Career

Tauber subsequently worked as an editor for the German-language newspaper "Deutsche Zentralzeitung." In 1939, he became a referent for the Central Committee of MOPR. Until 1949, he directed the Romanian language service of the USSR Radio Committee. From 1949 to 1953, he taught at Moscow State University, specializing in Romanian history. In 1954, he moved to the German Democratic Republic (GDR) and became a professor at Karl Marx University in Leipzig.