Biography of Sigmund Rosenblum

Sigmund Georgievich Rosenblum, whose real name was Sigmund Rosenblyum, was born in Odessa in 1874. At the age of 19, he ran away from home and ended up in South America, sneaking aboard a "passing" steamship. Before his escape, he discovered that his father, whom he thought was a Russian army officer, was actually a Viennese doctor of Jewish nationality.

While working in an expedition in the jungles of Brazil as a cook and guard, Rosenblum caught the attention of a local British intelligence resident for his bravery during an attack by indigenous people. As a reward, he was given a prize and sent to England, where he was finally recruited by Intelligence Service. His first assignment was to gather intelligence on oil fields in the Baku region and oil refining in the Batumi region in 1897, where British and Persian interests intersected at that time.

In Baku, Rosenblum met Margaret Thomas, a 24-year-old redhead beauty, who had recently married a wealthy elderly Englishman named Hugh Thomas. After completing his assignment, Rosenblum returned to England with the couple, secretly enjoying nighttime visits with Mrs. Thomas. He temporarily refused further secret service missions, claiming the need to handle personal matters. Rosenblum became part of the Thomas family, posing as a doctor and treating the ailing Mr. Thomas. The elixirs he prepared had more influence on the patient's will than on his illness. On March 4, 1898, Mr. Thomas changed his will, appointing Margaret as his sole heir. Shortly after, on March 13, 1898, he supposedly died of heart failure.

In August 1898, Rosenblum married Margaret and informed his Intelligence Service supervisor that he had resolved his financial matters and could now fully dedicate himself to collaborating with the secret service. With a British passport and his wife's maiden name, he adopted the identity of Sidney Reilly, a native of Tippereary, Ireland. During the Anglo-Boer War in South Africa (1899-1902), Reilly was sent to Persia, disguised as a medicine trader, to obtain crucial information for England regarding the financing of drilling in Europe related to the development of Persian oil fields.

Reilly's next mission in 1902 took him to the Far East, specifically to Port Arthur, where he had to obtain drawings of fortifications being built by Russia on the leased Liao-tung Peninsula. Posing as a co-owner of a timber trading company called "Gruenberg and Reilly," he easily bribed technical staff members and obtained the most complete and high-quality copies of all defensive structures. However, despite the seemingly easy completion of the mission, Reilly decided that he needed a break for his health and well-being. While evading Russian counterintelligence, he moved to Japan and later to China, even adopting Buddhism in an attempt to restore his nervous system. It wasn't until 1904 that Reilly returned to England.

During his absence, his wife left him and closed all his personal accounts, leaving him with no means of existence. Reilly had to earn a living again through espionage. The Intelligence Service immediately assigned a new mission to their super spy. Reilly was to replace an agent in Westphalia, whose whereabouts remained unknown. The British were extremely concerned about the escalating arms race in Germany and wanted to determine if it posed a serious threat to their country. The most effective way to gather information was through surveillance of the Ruhr's arms industry. Reilly spent several weeks learning special methods and techniques before traveling to Essen in 1904 using the identity of a Baltic German named Karl Hahn.

In Essen, Reilly managed to secure a job as a welder at the Putilov Shipbuilding Plant in St. Petersburg, according to his cover story. However, he quickly discovered that Essen was vastly different from Port Arthur. There were supervisors and guards everywhere, and anyone who raised even the slightest suspicion immediately became the focus of their attention.

Reilly impressed the master with his diligent work as Karl Hahn, but he was waiting for the right moment to start his activities. Coincidentally, a fire brigade was formed at the plant which required night shifts and patrol rounds. Reilly volunteered to join the brigade and convinced the commander that everyone should know where the fire extinguishers and water pipes were in case of an emergency. The next day, the plant's plans were delivered to the fire brigade's office.

Reilly used this opportunity to find the location of the design bureau. During his first night patrol, he managed to break into the bureau and retrieve interesting sketches and drawings. However, he didn't dare to take photos or make copies on the spot. Time was limited for Reilly, and he couldn't afford to spend it making copies. His excessive interest in the plant's drawings caught the attention of the fire brigade commander. Although Reilly struggled to come up with an excuse, he realized that his time in Essen was coming to an end.

Armed with four envelopes with fictitious addresses in London, Paris, Rotterdam, and Brussels, Reilly took action two days later. He broke into the design bureau, but he was caught in the act by one of the plant workers. Reilly struck him on the head with a crowbar, quickly gathered the blueprints of new weapon systems, and disappeared from the plant. On his way to the train station, he placed the trophies in the envelopes and dropped them into four mailboxes. He then boarded the first train and left for Dortmund.

In Dortmund, Reilly had already arranged for a new identity and an English passport. Disguised as a gentleman with a leather suitcase, he crossed the border with France without raising suspicions. His arrival in London almost coincided with the delivery of the four envelopes he had sent previously.

In 1905, the First Sea Lord of the Admiralty, Admiral Fisher, planned to modernize the British Navy and replace coal with oil in their ships' furnaces. However, his plans faced strong opposition from coal mining magnates. Fisher sought the assistance of British intelligence to gather information on remaining oil reserves. Reilly knew the answer to this question: a certain William Knox d'Arcy, a wealthy adventurer, had been searching for oil in Persia for several years with little success. In 1903, he discovered a few oil fields, but they soon dried up along with his capital. Reilly firmly believed that there were rich oil reserves in Persia.

While d'Arcy's nerves began to fray, he established contact with banker Rothschild, who intended to buy out his oil concession. Intelligence Service learned about secret negotiations taking place in a secluded town in southern France. During this time, Reilly arrived in Nice disguised as a French priest and stayed at a hotel. He confidentially informed the hotel manager that he hoped to meet wealthy people, such as Baron Rothschild, on the French Riviera and persuade them to donate money to build orphanages. Although Baron Rothschild was Jewish, the orphanages were intended for children of any faith. The hotel manager mentioned that Baron Rothschild could be found in Cannes, where he arrived on his yacht, as always.

Reilly described the events himself: "I went to Cannes and rented a room in one of the numerous boarding houses. It was right on the beach. Within minutes, I found myself at the yacht club. The most luxurious yacht belonged, of course, to Baron Rothschild. For two days, I watched the Rothschild yacht, "Avuncular," through the curtains of my room with powerful binoculars, but I couldn't spot d'Arcy, whom I only knew from photographs. Apparently, he rested in the cabin during the day. I was desperate because the contract with the banker could be signed at any moment, rendering all our efforts futile. I rented a small boat and started circling around Rothschild's yacht. One day, I saw two men on the deck and immediately steered my boat towards the yacht. Just a few meters away, I capsized the boat. The robe immediately inflated, and feeling that I was about to drown, I desperately splashed my hands in the water. Someone threw me a lifebuoy, and then helped me climb onto the deck.

I expressed my heartfelt gratitude for saving my life and, seizing the moment, whispered to d'Arcy, 'I want to inform you on behalf of the British government that the Admiralty is willing to pay double the amount offered by Rothschild for your concession. I invite you for an aperitif at the Grand Hotel. I'll be waiting for you in three hours. If the baron asks where you are going, tell him you have a meeting to discuss donations for my orphanages.'"

During the meeting at the Grand Hotel, Reilly provided detailed information to d'Arcy about the transaction that Whitehall intended to carry out and the benefits d'Arcy would gain from a deal with the British government. D'Arcy requested a written proposal and promised to wait ten days without signing any agreements with Rothschild.

Two days later, Reilly returned to London and reported to his superior about the successful conclusion of negotiations with d'Arcy. The following day, one of the highest-ranking officials at the Admiralty, Pretymen, invited d'Arcy to London for a joint meeting with members of the oil committee. On May 5, 1905, they signed an agreement that entrusted the development of oil fields in Persia to a newly formed oil syndicate.

In 1908, an oil gusher emerged from the land that d'Arcy had sold three years earlier. The company that developed the Persian oil fields, now known as British Petroleum (BP), became 51% owned by the British government, following Winston Churchill's insistence.

In 1910, during an aviation exhibition in Frankfurt, Reilly and his colleague Barry Jones ingeniously stole a highly secret magneto from a German airplane after an accident. They took the necessary drawings and returned the magneto, leaving the Germans unaware of their actions.

Impressed by the Frankfurt aviation exhibition, Reilly traveled to St. Petersburg as part of an Intelligence Service mission to gather information on German defense firms that were extensively represented in Russia and working on modernizing the Russian army's weaponry. He established the "Aviat" aeroclub with Russian friends, organized the first-ever Petersburg-Moscow air rally, and, posing as an Irishman pursued by the English, he made acquaintances with German pilots. Reilly easily assimilated into any social circle, impressing others with his refined manners and broad-mindedness, which attracted the attention of women. Often, the success of a secret agent depends on the fairer sex, especially the companions of high-ranking individuals.

At that time, Russia was about to launch a new program to rebuild its fleet, a substantial portion of which had been destroyed during the war with Japan. Reilly quickly discovered that the German firm "Blohm & Voss" not only built ships for the Russian fleet at its shipyard but also sold licenses for manufacturing necessary equipment at Russian factories. Reilly saw an opportunity to exploit this situation. He later reminisced, "I jumped into the first available carriage and instructed the driver to take me to Yakobu Malyndrokhovich. He was an elderly Jew who had made a fortune on his own, protected by a prominent Polish nobleman, Count Lubinski. I straightforwardly declared that I could make them the general representatives of the "Blohm & Voss" firm for selling licenses."

Relying on his charm and negotiation skills, Reilly convinced Yakobu and the count to become the general representatives for the sale of licenses. He then contacted their German counterparts, who were unaware of the agreement between Yakobu and the count. Reilly managed to secure a cut from both sides, earning a significant profit.

Reilly's time in Russia coincided with the planned start of a new program to rebuild the Russian fleet. He spent his days collecting information on German defense firms and their involvement in Russia. With his mission successfully completed, Reilly returned to London and reported to his superior.

These were just a few highlights from the exciting life of Sigmund Rosenblum, also known as Sidney Reilly, one of the most enigmatic figures in the history of international espionage. His daring exploits, linguistic abilities, multiple passports, and numerous wives only added to the legends surrounding him.

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