A Teenage Spy in WWII Iran
As the German onslaught plunged ever deeper into the USSR in the summer of 1941, the Soviets hung on by the skin of their teeth, at the brink of collapse at any moment. Low on everything as their stockpiles were destroyed and their factories overrun or hurriedly evacuated to keep them out of German hands, the Soviets were in desperate need of any assistance. It was against that backdrop that Iran, on the USSR’s southern border, took on special importance as a secure route through which to funnel supplies to the hard-pressed Soviets. Accordingly, the Soviets and British jointly invaded Iran in August, 1941, to secure its oilfields, and ensure that an Allied supply route to the USSR through Iranian territory was kept open. The invaders deposed Iran’s ruler, the Shah, and replaced him with his more pliant son. Iran was then divided between the British and Soviets.
Understandably, the invasion and occupation did not sit well with most locals. The affections of many Iranians gravitated towards Germany, the enemy of the foreigners who occupied their country. German intelligence recruitment in Iran spiked, as the numbers of German sympathizers exploded. Gevork Vartanian’s workload increased, and his assignments were expanded from recruitment to include counterintelligence as well. The teenager proved himself a counterintelligence prodigy, and a veritable Pac Man at sniffing out and busting enemy spooks. By early 1942, Vartanian’s team of seven intelligence operatives had identified over 400 German agents in the Soviet zone. All of them were rounded up by Soviet troops and security personnel. In 1943, Vartanian was given a new assignment: ensure the security of the upcoming Tehran Conference. His mission was to identify and nip in the bud any enemy plans to disrupt the Big Three’s meeting.
