Len Beurton
| Len Beurton | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Leon Charles Beurton 19 February 1914 Barking, Essex, England |
| Died | 29 October 1997 (aged 83) Berlin, Germany |
| Occupation | Soviet intelligence agent |
| Political party | Communist |
| Spouse(s) | Ursula Kuczynski |
| Children | Peter John Beurton |
Len Beurton (19 February 1914 – 29 October 1997) was an English Communist who worked as an agent for the Soviet intelligence services (Main Intelligence Directorate / Гла́вное разве́дывательное управле́ние).
Many details of his activity remain uncertain, but it is known that he became, on 23 February 1940, the second husband of his co-worker Ursula Kuczynski, whose own public profile in English language sources is relatively well rehearsed thanks to her espionage work involving Klaus Fuchs.
Like many who make their careers in espionage, Beurton appears in sources with a number of different names. At the time of his birth he was Leon Charles Beurton. His first name appears variously as Len, Leon and Leonard, while his family name may be shown as Beuston, Benston or Brewer.
Leon Charles Beurton was born in Barking, then just outside London on its east side. His father, who at one stage worked as a waiter, also called Leon Beurton, had been born in France, but he had taken British nationality and, round about the time his son was born, married Florence S. Smith. However, the father abandoned his wife soon after Leon's birth. Leon was adopted by a family called Fenton, which was another name that he would sometimes use. During the 1930s he was described as "an automobile engineer by trade".
In 1936 or 1937 he joined the International Brigades to participate in the Spanish Civil War, fighting in support of the Republican side. He stayed in Spain till December 1938.
In 1939 he was sent to Switzerland. At some stage he had been recruited to work as an agent for the Soviet intelligence services, probably by a fellow Communist called Brigite Kuczynski. In Switzerland he worked with another of Brigitte's recruits Alexander Foote in a little "espionage cell". The cell was led by Brigitte's better documented sister, Ursula Kuczynski, based in the village of Caux, then a three-hour hike up into the hills behind Geneva. Ursula Kuczynski took the opportunity to share with Beurton and Foote her critically important and by now formidable radio operating skills. Foote was known to colleagues at this time under the cover name "Jim" while Len Beurton was operating as "Jack" and sometimes as "John Miller". He also used Ursula's genuine (albeit pre-marriage) family name, Kuczynski.
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