Alfred Redl
Austro-Hungarian army officer
Died when: 49 years 72 days (590 months)Star Sign: Pisces
Alfred Redl (14 March 1864 – 25 May 1913) was an Austrian military officer who rose to head the Evidenzbureau, thecounterintelligence wing of the General Staff of the Austro-Hungarian Army.
Redl was one of the leading figures of pre-World War I espionage; his term in office was marked by radical innovations and the use of advanced technology to ensnare foreign spies.
Due to the innovations he introduced, Redl's successor, Major Maximilian Ronge, ultimately learned in 1913 that Redl was also a highly paid spy, working for the intelligence service of the Imperial Russian Army.
Upon being exposed as a Russian spy, Redl committed suicide.Although his motivations for becoming a spy are uncertain, some historians believe that Redl was blackmailed by Russian intelligence, which had discovered his homosexuality.
Other possible reasons that have been discussed by historians were greed, career frustrations, dissatisfaction with the monarchy, and narcissism born out of a desire to outsmart his superiors and subordinates.
Although his suicide means the full extent of his disclosures to Russian intelligence also remains unknown, Col.Redl is believed to have been largely responsible for Austria-Hungary's catastrophic military defeats and devastating combat losses during the First World War, and the subsequent collapse of the Empire in 1918.
For this reason, many historians of the Habsburg Empire, as well as espionage historians, including the American Allen Dulles and Soviet General , agree in calling Redl an arch-traitor.
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Austro-Hungarian Army officer
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