ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 20 มิ.ย. 2024
- Beverly Hills Spy: The Double-Agent War Hero Who Helped Japan Attack Pearl Harbor
With Ronald Drabkin
Part of Spies, Secrets and Subterfuge Week on WW2TV
• Spies, Secrets and Sub...
The truly unbelievable and untold story of Frederick Rutland - a debonair British WWI hero, flying ace, fixture of Los Angeles society, and friend of Golden Age Hollywood star - who flipped to become a spy for Japan in the lead-up to the attack on Pearl Harbor.
Frederick Rutland was an accomplished aviator, British WWI war hero, and real-life James Bond. He was the first pilot to take off and land a plane on a ship, a decorated warrior for his feats of bravery and rescue, was trusted by the admirals of the Royal Navy, had a succession of aeronautical inventions, and designed the first modern aircraft carrier. He was perhaps the most famous early twentieth-century naval aviator.
Despite all of this, and due mostly to class politics, Rutland was not promoted in the new Royal Air Force in the wake of WWI. This ignominy led the disgruntled Rutland to become a spy for the Japanese navy. Plied with riches and given a salary ten times the highest-paid admiral, shuttled between Los Angeles and Tokyo where he lived in large mansions in both Beverly Hills and Yokohama, and insinuating himself into both LA high society and Japan’s high command, Rutland would go on to contribute to the Japanese navy with both strategic and technical intelligence. This included scouting trips to Pearl Harbor, investigations of military preparedness, and aircraft technology. All this while living a double life, frequenting private California clubs and hosting lavish affairs for Hollywood stars and military dignitaries in his mansion on the Los Angeles Bird Streets.
Supported by recently declassified FBI files and by incorporating unique and rare research through MI5 and Japanese Naval archives that few English speakers have access to, author Ronald Drabkin joins us on WW2TV to share this stranger-than-fiction story of one of the most fascinating and enigmatic characters of espionage history.
Our special guest is Ronald Drabkin. His obsession with espionage history started when he was as a child in Los Angeles, where he vaguely understood that his father had been working for the US military in counter-intelligence. Later he discovered that his grandfather had also been in "the business," and it drove a voyage of discovery into previously classified documents on three continents. He currently lives in Tokyo.
Beverly Hills Spy: The Double-Agent War Hero Who Helped Japan Attack Pearl Harbor by Ronald Drabkin
USA bookshop.org/a/21029/97800633...
UK uk.bookshop.org/a/5843/978006...
Please click subscribe for updates and the bell icon for notifications
You can become a Patron and support us here / ww2tv
You can become a TH-cam Member and support us here / @ww2tv
Social Media links -
/ ww2tv
/ ww2tv
/ ww2tv
For First World War content follow our sister channel WW1TV
/ @ww1tvchannel
WW2TV Bookshop - where you can purchase copies of books featured in my TH-cam shows. Any book listed here comes with the personal recommendation of Paul Woodadge, the host of WW2TV. For full disclosure, if you do buy a book through a link from this page WW2TV will earn a commission.
UK - uk.bookshop.org/shop/WW2TV
USA - bookshop.org/shop/WW2TV
Patreon Brigadiers: Susan Yu
Become a WW2TV Brigadier and become part of this Hall of Fame
/ ww2tv - บันเทิง
Great show, gentlemen. I learned a lot. Rutland's class-related downfall was no doubt sealed when he persisted in putting milk into his teacup first.
Interestingly the paymaster for the Japanese Navy after Rutland moved to Los Angeles was Eiichi Ono (father of Yoko Ono).😮
Great show Ron and Woody. I like that Ron's journey was fueled by his father and grandfather and the curiosity about Jutland. It's Hollywood. Spies. Money. Whoa. I am so glad that Woody brings the stories of many people from many backgrounds. We all have to learn so much from each other. It is important that we listen.
I like these shows :) Great to have another unknown person on the podcast with new information! Love it
Yet another pleasant surprise guest and topic. We learn something new with every show it seems. Great interview, Woody!
Damn Paul, you've done it again, found another unknown story about a person who could be a fictional character, fascinating lots of color on a page. I'm gonna guess this will be a movie at some point. I'll say it again WW2 history is not complete, stuff just keeps coming at from unexpected directions. Thank you Ronald and Paul, this was fun.
Intriguing show!
with regard liking or not liking fred rutland it doesn't help when he's ensconced in a £12m swanky address in beverly hills. it's very difficult to feel any sympathy for him, in fact i felt a definite surge of jealousy (where's my swanky house ?) he was an accute embarrassment to everyone just like when the british 'let' guy burgess escape to get rid of him rather than face embarrassing trial. great episode !
Knowing now that one British spy (more likely others too if someone like Rutland did this) helped the Japanese achieve Pearl Harbor, MacArthur was right when he said that the Cambridge Five passed along his battle plans to Beijing and Moscow during the Korean War, completely sabotaging the invasion of North Korea by UN troops. Strange how the FBI only confirmed Rutland's spy activities in 2017. What an embarrassment for fans of the U.S. Navy and FDR. No wonder the U.S. covered up this until 7 years ago.
Very intriguing. Another book added to my list.
Very intriguing episode, I'm on the edge of my seat.
Woody, your guest has brought an interesting story to light. I'll have to get his book. Thanks again for informing me.
Discussions about whether or not the US should have believed the warnings about impending Japanese attack always amuse me - sensible opinion usually comes to the conclusion that the US was right to be skeptical about specific warnings - as your guest said this is a "signal vs noise" question. The amusing thing is that when exactly the same question arises about Barbarossa, the "evil" Soviets are not given the same benefit of the doubt.
Interesting point, well made
@@WW2TV Not really, as Soviet commanders were reporting constant fly-overs for recon for weeks beforehand.
Brushing off "Capitalist" British warnings is one thing. But Soviet reports of troop build ups and aggressive recon is another.
The levels of warnings here are oranges and apples.
@@WW2TV Also? US Fleet had been based in San Diego, not LA.
Indeed
Nice chat on a spy that's adjacent to my own research area! Thanks for this.
An interesting story.
Some amazing stuff there! So wild sounding I’d like corroboration but passes my first blush smell test..
Motivation. Hearing this fellows story I am reminded of the small speech in the 1st Rambo movie. Here Rambo is telling his old Colonel that in the war of all the responsibilities he had, all the things he did and the respect he got for doing those things. He ends with telling him, that he could fly a million dollar helicopter. But when he got back to the world he couldn't get a job parking cars. Sound similar to the fellow you were talking about? "In the War we needed people like you. But the war is over so now we don't." Or as I say. "Sorry but nobody needs a chainsaw indoors."
Indeed. Just like that. The hero during the war, gets no respect after the war.
I was imaging what Rutland thought, when his superior officers in the RAF told him, "well, you didn't shoot any German planes down." That was, technically, correct. He would have noted, that as he flew over the German fleet in a storm in his biplane, there were no German planes around to shoot down....
interesting presentation
Fantastic show. I just ordered his book.
Another one past my bedtime.
Given the alarm bells ringing in both MI5 and FBI about how a mid-level RN officer with links to Japan could afford renting a $1,000,000 Hollywood mansion, its amazing how RN continued to trust him.
I found the comparison/contrast of Rutledge with British double agent Popov as a function of social class fascinating. Popov, was an independently wealthy anti-NAZI businessman who, once recruited by Abwehr, immediately offered his services to British intelligence. Rutledge, on the other hand, other than his WW1 hero status, had none of Popov's social advantages, and appears to have been motivated by greed. I wonder how Rutledge might have behaved he had the same if the same social advantages of wealth and class as Popov?
Regarding the Navy trusting him, there was a statement made by Admiral/Baron Roger Keyes in the House of Commons, who said that he wasn't defending Rutland's actions, but that the Intelligence services were foolish to ignore his offer.
Amazing story! Only 20 minutes in and am captivated. Not sure if it gets mentioned, but Japan was an ally in the Great War.
Your present might understand the resentment of sailors to him if you substituted race for class.
Indeed Japan's help for Britain in the Great War is not well known at all. I touch on this in my book but it deserves an episode by itself. As Woody mentioned, the warmth between Japanese and British navies was remarkable.
new to the channel but a very interesting vid..
Thanks
This would make a great film if they could capture the empathy and complexity of Drabkin's text.
Learned about F.R. via Alan Mowbray, of all people: discovering his path as a spy was a cool surprise.
How did he help the Japanese attack Pearl? Sounds like he wanted to be a double agent by the time he arrived there.
Both-sides-ing ended up biting both sides of his own arse.
Not Rutland of Jutland! Lol.
Fascinating show, but the problem with good intelligence is not in lacking it, but what you do with it. I think the book "But not in Shame," or another good history of the opening of the Japanese offensive in the Pacific in 1941 catalogued the build-up to December 7th including all the actionable intelligence which was quite good. The biggest problem was that both the US Army and US Navy commanders throughout the Pacific Ocean area thought the main assault was going to be in the Philippines and anything else was just ancillary actions in support of the attack there. Also, the push by Imperial Japan into Indonesia was not given as much attention as it should have, and I think that was because it wasn't their responsibility, it was somebody else's problem.
Douglas skyraider being built? Was there a pre war Skyraider I don't know of? I wonder if a prototype was a skyraider in the 30s?
Slip of the tongue I think
Your claim in the blurb that Rutland "designed the first modern aircraft carrier" seems to be an exaggeration. (There's the small problem of which ship you're referring to.) The only reference to his involvement in aircraft carrier design I have found was having input / advice into certain technical matters and his general experience. Designing an aircraft carrier would not have been the job of a pilot no matter how experienced. More generally the story of Rutland has been known for over 20 years, with various bits and pieces being added to the story as files are declassified and made accessible. (Both the Guardian and the Telegraph reported on MI5 files about Rutland released in November 2000.)
Thanks for the comment
This is from his book press release
Book press releases often use hyperbole, it's to sell books
@@user-xj6rr3yv8q Be interesting to find out who wrote the blurb, the book author, his literary agent ot the publisher. If the ship referred to isHMS Hermes, then itwent through numerous design revision. Drach's short guide to the ship makes no mention of Rutland in connection to the ship.
Agents probably
The various Allied powers certainly utilised morally worse and less trustworthy individuals in intelligence than he, so they did err in not taking him on as an intelligence asset when he offered.
I agree and disagree with woody. They should have used him as an asset, but how does one trust a guy, that is so immoral?
I know what you mean, but it's about winning the war first right? Morally he is not admirable but he had information
Your right he was a pretty unique asset
@@WW2TV
I`ve joined the channel on Patrion, I enjoy the channel too much not to support it.
Mike
Thanks Mike
The British built ships for the Japanese Navy , trained their officers . What could possibly be wrong working as an advisor , America wasn't Rutlands problem .
Regarding Aircraft Carriers every major innovation for carrier operations was a British invention , copied wholesale by the Americans.
One invention that reduced landing accidents up to 90% was invented by a Royal Navy Captain , who actually was awarded a medal by the USN , the invention the Mirror Landing System .
In the 1930's Brits would still travel across the globe has they had done for centuries , two English WW2 hero's were in Germany when war was imminent , Capt Winkle Brown and RAF nightfighter radar ace Jimmy Rawnsley .
Come on man! Insinuating he didn’t know he was spying? I know it makes a fellow countryman look bad but facts are facts. 25:17.
Easy thought experiment for the confused. Ask yourself if he was for example an American in Britain during ww2 before the war broke out giving info to Japan or Germany.
I play Devil's advocate as host, because it is always important to get people thinking and life is rarely black and white
Every time i try and respond to you, i get An Error Occurred.
Guess it's TH-cam
No worries. I still love your channel. Just don't get so defensive when someone critiques a presenter. It's not personal.
I wasn't defensive at all, I just said it's inevitable that viewers will prefer some guests over others. But the other person who questioned Ronald's credibility was rude
So you ask a question and then block replies?
He was unprepared and lackadaisical. Fumbled his way through it
Wouldn't be so noticeable if your usual guest weren't so much better.
What question? and I don't know what you mean by blocked replies
This guy is not a good presenter.
It's inevitable that viewers will be drawn to some guests more than others
I'm another regular who found this an extremely interesting and well-done presentation.
Despite his own introduction, this man is no historian and doubt he’s an academic either
And you say that based on what? He used the FBI files, which is what historians do
@@kevinmavrick3925There’s no need for academic snobbery. If someone can locate primary sources, dig through them, parse relevant information and then create a coherent narrative based upon that, he is a historian.