Politicians and armies take all the credit of wars and political impact of countries but nobody knows about the spies who play an important role in changing the situation. Many espionage and spy-hunting efforts were launched to access information about the enemies, this spies proved really successful against the enemies. Because of intelligence brought by spies and double-crossers, many lives were saved or lost and the world’s history was shaped.
1. US Navy’s Espionage Leak
John A. Walker pulled off the biggest betrayal in United States naval history for 20 years before he was finally caught and arrested by the FBI in 1985. His betrayal damaged the Navy and enabled the Soviet Union to gain significant information and access to naval warfare, terrorist threats, sensor data, and other tactics.
2. Harold Cole
Paul Cole was the British deputy commander during the World War II, he helped build the French Resistance, but in the end sold it to the Nazi Germany. The Allied forces suffered many causalities because of this after leaking tactics to the Axis powers.
3. Julius and Ethel Rosenberg
The Rosenbergs were married couple who were convicted in the United States for committing espionage during the Cold War. They sold important information about the atomic bombs to the Soviet Union and also helped them to recruit new spies.
4. Mir Jafar
Mir Jafar’s betrayed the Indians for his desire to claim the throne and to become the Nawab of Bengal. He joined forces with the British empire forces during the Battle of Plassey which happened between the East India Company and the Indian Forces. Jafar was the head of the Bengal army at that time and by withholding his large army from the battle, the British forces took the victory. After that the Britishers made Jafar became the Nawab in 1763 and ruled until his death.
5. Ephialtes of Trachis
You probably know this guy from the famous movie 300. Ephialtes became very infamous in Greece after he betrayed his country and Spartans to the Persians in 480 BC. During the Battle of Thermopylae, he helped the Persian army to a path that gave them access to behind the Spartan’s line.
6. Wang Jingwei
This Chinese politician was member of the left wing of anti-communist Kuomintang and later he became extremely rightist after his political efforts with the CCP turned ugly.
7. Christiaan Snouck Hurgronje
One of the first western scholars to infiltrate the Islam culture and Snouck joined the pilgrimage to Mecca, he gathered intelligence under the name “Haji Abdul Ghaffar”. He used his knowledge about Islam and Aceh culture to quell Muslim Aceh resistance in Dutch East Indies. Because of his this espionage, the Dutch were able to plan strategies to crush the resistance and to impose the Dutch colonial rule in Aceh because of that almost 100,000 deaths happened.
8. William Sebold
Everyone thought of him as a German spy during World War II, Sebold was actually a double agent for the U.S.A. and worked for the FBI. Because of Sebold, the FBI was successful to wire the radio station that was a main channel of communication between the Abwehr and German spies who were in New York, enabling the US to identify the names of the German Spies spread in America.
9. Theodore Hall
Not many know about him but Hall was responsible for developing the atomic bombs during World War II for the U.S.A. But this science genius was also an atomic spy for the Soviet Union. He gave a detailed description and information of the “Fat Boy” plutonium bomb and several other tactics to purify plutonium to the Soviet Union.
10. Judas Iscariot
For an amount of just 30 silver, Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve apostles, he betrayed Christ by kissing him on his cheek to let the authorities know of his identity. His this act led to Jesus’s death by crucifixion which made him the most notorious traitor in history.