Marcus Klingberg
Encyclopedia
Abraham Marcus Klingberg (born in Warsaw
, Poland
in 1918 into a Hasidic, rabbinical family) is the highest ranking Soviet spy
ever caught in Israel
. The case of Klingberg is regarded one of the most destructive spy scandals in the history of the State of Israel.
At the beginning of World War II
, fearing the Nazis, Klingberg escaped from Poland
to the USSR. There, he finished his medical studies . On the first day of the German attack on the USSR (June 22, 1941) he volunteered for the Red Army
, and served as a medical officer until he was wounded. He was then assigned to Perm in the Urals, where he began his epidemiological work. In 1943, he attended the postgraduate course in epidemiology in Moscow at the Central Institute for Advanced Medical Training and finished it with distinction. Toward the end of
December 1943, the first parts of Byelorussia were liberated and Klingberg became Chief Epidemiologist of the Byelorussian Republic. At the end of the war, immediately after the liberation of Poland, Klingberg returned to his homeland. There he found out that his
parents and his only brother were exterminated on 19 August 1942 in the Treblinka death camp.
In Warsaw he served as Acting Chief Epidemiologist at the Polish Ministry of Health.
In 1948 he immigrated to Israel. He served in the Medical Corps of the Israel Defense Forces
, and in March 1950 he advanced to the rank of Lt.Colonel. He served as Head of the Department of Preventive Medicine and afterwards he founded and chaired the Central Research
Laboratories for Military Medicine. In 1957 he joined the top-secret Israel Institute for Biological Research
(IIBR) in Ness Ziona
(south of Tel Aviv), where he served as Deputy Scientific Director (until 1972). He also served as Head of the Department of Epidemiology until 1978. Klingberg was Professor of Epidemiology and Head of the Department of Preventive and Social Medicine in the Sackler Faculty of Medicine
of Tel-Aviv University from 1978 to 1983. He was President of the European Teratology Society (1980–1982); and a co-founder and Chairman (1979–1981) of the International Clearinghouse for Birth Defects Monitoring Systems (ICBDMS). He also served as President of the International Steering Committee for the Seveso Accident
(Italy
) from 1976 to 1984. In 1981 he co-founded the International Federation of Teratology Societies and in 1982 at the congress of the International Epidemiological Association that was held in Edinburgh, Scotland, he was elected to its Council.
Klingberg came in contact with the Soviet intelligence for the first time at the end of 1950, and after that he started his espionage
activity. Israel's foreign and domestic intelligence agencies, Mossad
and Shin Bet, began to suspect Klingberg of espionage in the 60's, but shadowing
brought no results. At one point, the scientist also successfully passed a lie detector
test.
In January 1983 Shin Bet officers informed Klingberg they wanted to send him to Singapore
where a chemical plant allegedly blew up. After leaving home with his suitcase, he was taken not to the airport but to an apartment in some undisclosed location where he was interrogated harshly. After ten days, Klingberg confessed. He claimed that he had provided information to the Soviet Union only for ideological reasons. He was tried in camera and sentenced to 20-year prison term. For the first 10 years of his 20-year sentence he was held in solitary confinement, in a high security prison, under a false name and fabricated profession. Shortly after the trial, Klingberg found out that a Soviet agent who had gone over to the other side and had turned double-agent had given him away to the Shin Bet and had brought about his arrest.
In 1988/89, Israeli attorney Amnon Zichroni, representing the State of Israel, worked out a deal in which the Soviet Union would exchange Klingberg for Ron Arad
, an Israeli fighter pilot believed to be captured in Lebanon. The deal fell through.
In 1997, Amnesty International
appealed to the Israeli government to release Klingberg on medical grounds. Because of his failing health (he suffered from several stroke
s), he was released to house arrest in October 1998. A camera was installed in his apartment, which was hooked up to the offices of MALMAB (Ministry of Defense Security Authority) at the Kirya
, Tel Aviv. His telephones was wiretap
ped, with his knowledge. Special guards who were working for the MALMAB were assigned to him, and Klingberg had to pay their salaries. Klingberg also signed a commitment not to speak about his work.
On 18 January 2003 he was released. He immediately left for Paris
to live near his daughter Sylvia Klingberg and his grandson Ian Brossat.
Klingberg published his memoirs, Hameragel Ha'akharon ("The Last Spy"), written together with his lawyer, Michael Sfard
in 2007. At the time of Klingberg’s arrest he served as Series Editor:
Contributions to Epidemiology and Biostatistics. S. KARGER –
Basel-Paris-London-New York, and as Co-Chief Editor: Public Health
Reviews (an International Quarterly. International Scientific
Publications, Tel Aviv, Israel.)
Klingberg spent his sabbaticals at the Henry Phipps Institute,
University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, USA (1962 to 1964); at the
National Institute for Public Health, Oslo, Norway (1972); at the
Department of Medical Statistics and Epidemiology, London School of
Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK (1973); at the Department of
Social and Community Medicine, University of Oxford and became a
Visiting Fellow of Wolfson College, Oxford (1978).
In the 50's Klingberg was awarded the “Order of the Red Banner of
Labour” in recognition of his service to the USSR.
Warsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
, Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
in 1918 into a Hasidic, rabbinical family) is the highest ranking Soviet spy
SPY
SPY is a three-letter acronym that may refer to:* SPY , ticker symbol for Standard & Poor's Depositary Receipts* SPY , a satirical monthly, trademarked all-caps* SPY , airport code for San Pédro, Côte d'Ivoire...
ever caught in Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
. The case of Klingberg is regarded one of the most destructive spy scandals in the history of the State of Israel.
At the beginning 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...
, fearing the Nazis, Klingberg escaped from Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
to the USSR. There, he finished his medical studies . On the first day of the German attack on the USSR (June 22, 1941) he volunteered for the 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...
, and served as a medical officer until he was wounded. He was then assigned to Perm in the Urals, where he began his epidemiological work. In 1943, he attended the postgraduate course in epidemiology in Moscow at the Central Institute for Advanced Medical Training and finished it with distinction. Toward the end of
December 1943, the first parts of Byelorussia were liberated and Klingberg became Chief Epidemiologist of the Byelorussian Republic. At the end of the war, immediately after the liberation of Poland, Klingberg returned to his homeland. There he found out that his
parents and his only brother were exterminated on 19 August 1942 in the Treblinka death camp.
In Warsaw he served as Acting Chief Epidemiologist at the Polish Ministry of Health.
In 1948 he immigrated to Israel. He served in the Medical Corps of the Israel Defense Forces
Israel Defense Forces
The Israel Defense Forces , commonly known in Israel by the Hebrew acronym Tzahal , are the military forces of the State of Israel. They consist of the ground forces, air force and navy. It is the sole military wing of the Israeli security forces, and has no civilian jurisdiction within Israel...
, and in March 1950 he advanced to the rank of Lt.Colonel. He served as Head of the Department of Preventive Medicine and afterwards he founded and chaired the Central Research
Laboratories for Military Medicine. In 1957 he joined the top-secret Israel Institute for Biological Research
Israel Institute for Biological Research
Israel Institute for Biological Research is a government defense research institute specializing in biology, medicinal chemistry and environmental science, and is suspected of also developing biological and chemical weapons, as well as defenses against them. It is located in Ness Ziona, 20...
(IIBR) in Ness Ziona
Ness Ziona
Ness Ziona is a city in central Israel founded in 1883. At the end of 2009 the city had a total population of 38,100, and its jurisdiction was 15,579 dunams.-Nahalat Reuben:...
(south of Tel Aviv), where he served as Deputy Scientific Director (until 1972). He also served as Head of the Department of Epidemiology until 1978. Klingberg was Professor of Epidemiology and Head of the Department of Preventive and Social Medicine in the Sackler Faculty of Medicine
Sackler Faculty of Medicine
Sackler Faculty of Medicine is a medical school which is part of Tel Aviv University in Tel Aviv, Israel.It was named after Arthur, Mortimer and Raymond Sackler, U.S. physicians who made substantial donations to the school...
of Tel-Aviv University from 1978 to 1983. He was President of the European Teratology Society (1980–1982); and a co-founder and Chairman (1979–1981) of the International Clearinghouse for Birth Defects Monitoring Systems (ICBDMS). He also served as President of the International Steering Committee for the Seveso Accident
Seveso disaster
The Seveso disaster was an industrial accident that occurred around 12:37 pm July 10, 1976, in a small chemical manufacturing plant approximately north of Milan in the Lombardy region in Italy...
(Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
) from 1976 to 1984. In 1981 he co-founded the International Federation of Teratology Societies and in 1982 at the congress of the International Epidemiological Association that was held in Edinburgh, Scotland, he was elected to its Council.
Klingberg came in contact with the Soviet intelligence for the first time at the end of 1950, and after that he started his espionage
Espionage
Espionage or spying involves an individual obtaining information that is considered secret or confidential without the permission of the holder of the information. Espionage is inherently clandestine, lest the legitimate holder of the information change plans or take other countermeasures once it...
activity. Israel's foreign and domestic intelligence agencies, Mossad
Mossad
The Mossad , short for HaMossad leModi'in uleTafkidim Meyuchadim , is the national intelligence agency of Israel....
and Shin Bet, began to suspect Klingberg of espionage in the 60's, but shadowing
Shadowing
Shadowing may refer to:* Shadow fading in wireless communication, caused by obstacles* File shadowing, to provide an exact copy of or to mirror a set of data* Job shadowing, learning tasks by first-hand observation of daily behavior...
brought no results. At one point, the scientist also successfully passed a lie detector
Lie Detector
"Lie Detector" is a CD single by The Reverend Horton Heat. It was released in October 1998 on Sub Pop.-Personnel:*Jim "Reverend Horton" Heath - lead vocals, guitar*Jimbo Wallace - upright bass, vocals*Scott Churilla - drums, vocals...
test.
In January 1983 Shin Bet officers informed Klingberg they wanted to send him to Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
where a chemical plant allegedly blew up. After leaving home with his suitcase, he was taken not to the airport but to an apartment in some undisclosed location where he was interrogated harshly. After ten days, Klingberg confessed. He claimed that he had provided information to the Soviet Union only for ideological reasons. He was tried in camera and sentenced to 20-year prison term. For the first 10 years of his 20-year sentence he was held in solitary confinement, in a high security prison, under a false name and fabricated profession. Shortly after the trial, Klingberg found out that a Soviet agent who had gone over to the other side and had turned double-agent had given him away to the Shin Bet and had brought about his arrest.
In 1988/89, Israeli attorney Amnon Zichroni, representing the State of Israel, worked out a deal in which the Soviet Union would exchange Klingberg for Ron Arad
Ron Arad (pilot)
Lieutenant Colonel Ron Arad , was an Israeli Air Force weapon systems officer who is officially classified as missing in action since October 1986, but is widely presumed dead...
, an Israeli fighter pilot believed to be captured in Lebanon. The deal fell through.
In 1997, Amnesty International
Amnesty International
Amnesty International is an international non-governmental organisation whose stated mission is "to conduct research and generate action to prevent and end grave abuses of human rights, and to demand justice for those whose rights have been violated."Following a publication of Peter Benenson's...
appealed to the Israeli government to release Klingberg on medical grounds. Because of his failing health (he suffered from several stroke
Stroke
A stroke, previously known medically as a cerebrovascular accident , is the rapidly developing loss of brain function due to disturbance in the blood supply to the brain. This can be due to ischemia caused by blockage , or a hemorrhage...
s), he was released to house arrest in October 1998. A camera was installed in his apartment, which was hooked up to the offices of MALMAB (Ministry of Defense Security Authority) at the Kirya
HaKirya
HaKirya, or The Kirya , is an area in central Tel Aviv, containing various government structures, including the major Israel Defense Forces base, Camp Rabin , named for Yitzhak Rabin...
, Tel Aviv. His telephones was wiretap
Telephone tapping
Telephone tapping is the monitoring of telephone and Internet conversations by a third party, often by covert means. The wire tap received its name because, historically, the monitoring connection was an actual electrical tap on the telephone line...
ped, with his knowledge. Special guards who were working for the MALMAB were assigned to him, and Klingberg had to pay their salaries. Klingberg also signed a commitment not to speak about his work.
On 18 January 2003 he was released. He immediately left for Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
to live near his daughter Sylvia Klingberg and his grandson Ian Brossat.
Klingberg published his memoirs, Hameragel Ha'akharon ("The Last Spy"), written together with his lawyer, Michael Sfard
Michael Sfard
Michael Sfard, , is a lawyer specializing in international human rights law and the laws of war. He has served as counsel in numerous important cases on these topics in Israel. Sfard is identified with the left and has represented many left wing and Palestinian organizations at the Israeli Supreme...
in 2007. At the time of Klingberg’s arrest he served as Series Editor:
Contributions to Epidemiology and Biostatistics. S. KARGER –
Basel-Paris-London-New York, and as Co-Chief Editor: Public Health
Reviews (an International Quarterly. International Scientific
Publications, Tel Aviv, Israel.)
Klingberg spent his sabbaticals at the Henry Phipps Institute,
University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, USA (1962 to 1964); at the
National Institute for Public Health, Oslo, Norway (1972); at the
Department of Medical Statistics and Epidemiology, London School of
Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK (1973); at the Department of
Social and Community Medicine, University of Oxford and became a
Visiting Fellow of Wolfson College, Oxford (1978).
In the 50's Klingberg was awarded the “Order of the Red Banner of
Labour” in recognition of his service to the USSR.
External links
- Medical Letter Writing Action dated June 6, 1997, by Amnesty International( urging Israel for him to be transferred to a less stressful environment or else released)
- IIBR official website