History Daily: The Execution of Soviet Spy Richard Sorge

Host: Lindsay Graham
Date: November 7, 2025
Theme: The remarkable life and execution of Richard Sorge, a German who became one of the most important Soviet spies of the twentieth century, whose fate was ultimately sealed by the very government he served.

Episode Overview

This History Daily episode transports listeners through the pivotal moments in Richard Sorge’s life—from his WWI injury and communist conversion, to daring espionage in Germany, China, and Japan during the rise of fascism and World War II. The episode culminates with Sorge’s capture, torture, and execution by the Japanese in 1944, while his true allegiance was denied by Stalin himself. Hosted in a vivid narrative style by Lindsay Graham, the episode confronts the ironies of fate, loyalty, and political paranoia in the most dangerous era of global espionage.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Richard Sorge’s Origin and Political Awakening

• WWI Injury and Aftermath (00:00 – 02:00)
  • Sorge, a young German soldier, is gravely injured on the Eastern Front.
  • Recovers in Germany under the care of a doctor “who’s also an ardent communist,” leading to his conversion to socialism.
  • “His wounds will change his life in more ways than one…” (Lindsey Graham, 01:20)

2. From Student to Committed Marxist and Soviet Recruit

• Post-War Academic and Political Activism (04:05 – 07:00)
  • After discharge, Sorge studies philosophy and economics, influenced by left-wing ideals.
  • Becomes a reporter and activist, attending Communist Party conferences and writing favorable accounts.
  • His loyalty and talent attract Soviet attention.
  • “The Soviet delegates reach out to Richard with a proposal. They want him to move to Moscow and work for the Soviet Union's intelligence services…” (Lindsey Graham, 05:35)

3. Groundwork for Espionage: London, Germany, and China

• Early Espionage and Nazi Infiltration (07:00 – 09:00)
  • Sent to London—quickly identified and deported as a Soviet agent.
  • Next mission: infiltrate the Nazi Party in Germany under deep cover, complete with renouncing Communist ties.
  • “He pretends that his years in the Soviet Union have opened his eyes to the flaws of communism and that he's abandoned his old beliefs…” (Lindsey Graham, 07:57)
  • Reports from within the Nazi Party as Germany spirals into extremism and economic depression.
• Spy Work in China
  • Soviet handlers next send Sorge to China, using his journalist cover to observe and report on nationalist anti-communist forces amid the civil war.

4. Japan: Sorge’s Most Dangerous Assignment

• Building the Spy Network in Tokyo (10:27 – 15:38)
  • By 1938, Sorge is in Tokyo under the persona of a German journalist; he’s even gained the trust of Nazi diplomats at the German embassy.
  • Uses charm, relationships—including seducing a military attaché's wife—and recruits Communist sympathizers to gather intelligence.
  • Coping with stress, he develops a drinking problem, leading at one point to a motorcycle crash.
  • His briefcase, filled with secret documents, is nearly lost in the hospital but is safely retrieved by another Soviet agent.
• Surviving Stalin’s Paranoia
  • During Stalin’s Great Purge, Sorge narrowly avoids being recalled to Moscow, feigning illness to escape probable execution as fellow agents disappear.

5. World War II: Sorge’s Critical Warnings

• On the Eve of the Nazi Invasion (15:38 – 16:58)
  • Sorge sends Moscow intelligence reassurances that Japan won’t invade the USSR from the east, but also warns—accurately—of Germany’s pending invasion from the west.
  • “Stalin… refuses to believe the warnings. So when Adolf Hitler orders his troops into the Soviet Union in June 1941, Stalin's armies are unprepared.” (Lindsey Graham, 14:49)
  • Later, Sorge intercepts Japanese plans for a preemptive strike in the Pacific, but his reports are again dismissed by Stalin.
• Exposure and Arrest
  • Japanese authorities intercept Soviet transmissions, arrest Sorge and dismantle his network in October 1941.
  • Sorge endures three years of torture and interrogation, eventually confessing under duress and bargaining for leniency for others.

6. Execution and Aftermath

• Final Hours (16:58 – 19:48)
  • November 7, 1944: Sorge is hanged in Sugamo Prison, Tokyo.
  • Before execution, he loudly proclaims loyalty to the Communist Party and Red Army:
    • “‘…he fills the silence by loudly declaring his allegiance to the Red army and the Communist Party…”’ (Lindsey Graham, 19:17)
  • Japan’s government attempts to swap him for captured nationals, but Stalin denies Sorge’s existence:
    • “…Joseph Stalin ordered his diplomats to deny all knowledge of Rickard and his spy ring and to claim that Rickard's confession was a fantasy made up by a madman.” (Lindsey Graham, 19:07)
  • Only decades later does the USSR acknowledge his service, posthumously naming him a hero.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Sorge’s motivations:
  “Richard will be sent to a field hospital in Germany, where he'll come under the care of a doctor who's also an ardent communist. And while Richard recovers, he'll be converted to the socialist cause.” (Lindsey Graham, 01:11)

• On double life in the Nazi Party:
  “Only when he thinks he's put a convincing distance between him and his communist past does Rickard begin his infiltration of the Nazi Party…” (Lindsey Graham, 07:57)

• On intelligence failures:
  “But again, Stalin doesn't trust the intelligence, and he decides not to pass on the warnings to America or Britain.” (Lindsey Graham, 15:20)

• On final loyalty:
  “In the seconds that follow, Rickard fills the silence by loudly declaring his allegiance to the Red army and the Communist Party…” (Lindsey Graham, 19:17)

• Posthumous irony:
  “Twenty years after Rickard Sorga's death, the Soviet Union will finally admit that he did work for them as an undercover agent... Even if Stalin failed to act on the valuable intelligence that Rickard provided, had he done so, the invasion of the USSR and the Japanese attacks in the Pacific may have had very different outcomes.” (Lindsey Graham, 19:43)

Key Moments & Timestamps

• WWI injury and conversion to communism: 00:00 – 02:00
• Entry into Soviet intelligence & German Communist convention: 04:05 – 06:10
• Infiltration of Nazi Party: 07:00 – 09:00
• Assignment to China and then Japan: 09:46 – 10:27
• Motorcycle accident and survival of Stalin’s purge: 10:27 – 13:30
• Critical WWII warnings & Stalin’s disbelief: 14:40 – 15:30
• Spy ring’s exposure and Sorge’s arrest: 15:38 – 16:58
• Execution and Stalin’s betrayal: 16:58 – 19:48

Conclusion

Richard Sorge’s story is one of extraordinary courage, duplicity, and ultimate betrayal: a German leftist turned legendary Soviet agent whose intelligence could have changed world history—had it been believed. The episode situates Sorge’s spycraft within the major tides of the twentieth century, revealing how paranoia, political expediency, and trust (or lack thereof) shaped not just a single life, but the fate of nations.