9. Israel Beer Charmed His Way Into the Highest Reaches of Israeli Government
Israel Beer (1912 – 1966) was a charismatic and well liked Israeli officer who rose to prominence as an expert on Israeli military history. That expertise secured him a high ranking position in the Israeli Ministry of Defense, which tasked him with writing a book on the Israeli War of Independence. It also won Beer a place as a trusted confidant and advisor of Israeli prime minister David Ben Gurion.
Beer arrived in Palestine in the late 1930s with an impressive CV, having graduated from the Austrian military academy and served as an officer in the Austrian army. He then fought in the Spanish Civil War with the International Brigade, where he was known by the nom de guerre “Colonel Jose Gregorio”. Between his martial exploits, he managed to get a PhD in literature from the University of Vienna.
The resume was bunk: the real Israel Beer had died years earlier. His rapid rise highlighted the difficulty Israeli intelligence had during a period of mass immigration in spotting infiltrators. In reality, Beer was a Soviet spy, and not even a Jew. Supposedly a man of the sword and letters, urbane and handsome, he cut a swath through Israeli society and Tel Aviv’s nightlife as a ladies’ man. However, it took a long time before the fact that he was uncircumcised raised suspicions.
In the meantime, Beer took advantage of his access to Israeli secrets and Israel’s prime minister, whose diary he raided to not only photocopy, but to tear out entire pages and pass them on to his handlers. The deception finally fell apart in 1961, when he was caught delivering a briefcase stuffed with sensitive materials to the KGB. He never revealed his true identity during subsequent interrogations. He was tried and convicted of espionage, and sentenced to jail, where he died in 1966, taking the secret of his identity to his grave.