Eugen Ott
Encyclopedia
Eugen Ott was the German ambassador to Japan
during the early years of World War II
, he is most famously known for having worked with Soviet spy Richard Sorge
.
During World War I
, Ott served with distinction on the eastern front
as an officer with the 26th (Württemberg) Infantry Division
. His commander was General Wilhelm von Urach, who was elected king of Lithuania
in 1918 as Mindaugas II of Lithuania
.
Prior to Adolf Hitler
coming to power in Germany (1933), Ott had been the adjutant of General Kurt von Schleicher
.
In 1934 he was sent to Tokyo
as military attaché at the German Embassy.
In early September 1940, Heinrich Georg Stahmer
arrived in Tokyo to assist Ambassador Ott negotiate the Tripartite Pact
with Japan. Stahmer would later replace Ott as ambassador when Richard Sorge
, who had been working for Ott in Japan as an agent for the Abwehr
, was unmasked as a spy for the Soviet Union
in Japan in late 1941. Ott left Tokyo and went to Peking (Beijing
), China, for the rest of the war.
Prange suggests, in his analysis of Richard Sorge
, that Sorge was entirely trusted by Ott, and was allowed access to top secret cables from Berlin in the embassy. This trust was the main foundation for Sorge's success as a Red Army
spy.
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
during the early years of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, he is most famously known for having worked with Soviet spy Richard Sorge
Richard Sorge
Richard Sorge was a German communist and spy who worked for the Soviet Union. He has gained great fame among espionage enthusiasts for his intelligence gathering during World War II. He worked as a journalist in both Germany and Japan, where he was imprisoned for spying and eventually hanged....
.
During World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, Ott served with distinction on the eastern front
Eastern Front (World War I)
The Eastern Front was a theatre of war during World War I in Central and, primarily, Eastern Europe. The term is in contrast to the Western Front. Despite the geographical separation, the events in the two theatres strongly influenced each other...
as an officer with the 26th (Württemberg) Infantry Division
26th Division (German Empire)
The 26th Division , formally the 26th Division , was a unit of the Prussian/German Army. It was headquartered in Stuttgart, the capital of the Kingdom of Württemberg. The division was subordinated in peacetime to the XIII Corps The 26th Division (26. Division), formally the 26th Division (1st...
. His commander was General Wilhelm von Urach, who was elected king of Lithuania
Lithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
in 1918 as Mindaugas II of Lithuania
Mindaugas II of Lithuania
Prince Wilhelm of Urach, Count of Württemberg, 2nd Duke of Urach was a German prince who was elected King of Lithuania with the regnal name Mindaugas II on 11 July 1918...
.
Prior to Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
coming to power in Germany (1933), Ott had been the adjutant of General Kurt von Schleicher
Kurt von Schleicher
Kurt von Schleicher was a German general and the last Chancellor of Germany during the era of the Weimar Republic. Seventeen months after his resignation, he was assassinated by order of his successor, Adolf Hitler, in the Night of the Long Knives....
.
In 1934 he was sent to Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
as military attaché at the German Embassy.
In early September 1940, Heinrich Georg Stahmer
Heinrich Georg Stahmer
Heinrich Georg Stahmer , economist by training, served as an aide to German Foreign Minister Joachim von Ribbentrop , special envoy to Japan and German Ambassador to Japan .A native of Hamburg, Germany, Stahmer fought during World War I and earned both classes of Iron...
arrived in Tokyo to assist Ambassador Ott negotiate the Tripartite Pact
Tripartite Pact
The Tripartite Pact, also the Three-Power Pact, Axis Pact, Three-way Pact or Tripartite Treaty was a pact signed in Berlin, Germany on September 27, 1940, which established the Axis Powers of World War II...
with Japan. Stahmer would later replace Ott as ambassador when Richard Sorge
Richard Sorge
Richard Sorge was a German communist and spy who worked for the Soviet Union. He has gained great fame among espionage enthusiasts for his intelligence gathering during World War II. He worked as a journalist in both Germany and Japan, where he was imprisoned for spying and eventually hanged....
, who had been working for Ott in Japan as an agent for the Abwehr
Abwehr
The Abwehr was a German military intelligence organisation from 1921 to 1944. The term Abwehr was used as a concession to Allied demands that Germany's post-World War I intelligence activities be for "defensive" purposes only...
, was unmasked as a spy for the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
in Japan in late 1941. Ott left Tokyo and went to Peking (Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
), China, for the rest of the war.
Prange suggests, in his analysis of Richard Sorge
Richard Sorge
Richard Sorge was a German communist and spy who worked for the Soviet Union. He has gained great fame among espionage enthusiasts for his intelligence gathering during World War II. He worked as a journalist in both Germany and Japan, where he was imprisoned for spying and eventually hanged....
, that Sorge was entirely trusted by Ott, and was allowed access to top secret cables from Berlin in the embassy. This trust was the main foundation for Sorge's success as a Red Army
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army started out as the Soviet Union's revolutionary communist combat groups during the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922. It grew into the national army of the Soviet Union. By the 1930s the Red Army was among the largest armies in history.The "Red Army" name refers to...
spy.