Bhagat Ram Talwar or Silver spied for Britain, Germany, Italy, Japan, and Russia in World War II, which made him an important asset for allies in India and Afghanistan
A slim tall man walked into the British intelligence office in Delhi, British India. He handed over a German radio set, went home, and took his wife to Kashmir. The German radio set was the German high command’s ears to which the British poured in false information on sabotages in Britsh India. The man who dropped the German Radio set was not an ordinary man but a master spy who was trained by Peter Fleming, brother of Ian Fleming, the author of the famous James Bond series. He was Bhagat Ram Talwar or commonly called as Silver. Silver was the only Quadruple spy of World War II and spied for Britain, Germany, Italy, Japan, and Russia.
Entry into Espionage life:
Silver’s life started in modern-day Pakistan. He frequently traveled to Afghanistan via the most violent region of Northwest province. The Northwest province was plagued with communal clash and was not a friendly region to traverse. Silver was part of the local communist organization. Silver got an exciting proposal to aid a crucial Indian leader who needs to travel to Kabul, Afghanistan. The Indian leader was Subash Chandra Bose. Bose was on the run as was deemed as terrorist by the British Indian government.
Silver helped Bose to reach Kabul. As Afghanistan was pro British Silver went to the Russian embassy (Russia was part of axis power at this time) for help. The Russians were not interested in Bose and passed on the offer to Italians. Silver took Bose to the Italian embassy, and Bose had a warm welcome. The Italians wanted Bose to be the rebel leader who could cause sabotage activities in India. The Italians gave Silver some money and asked him to collect information about people’s mindsets in British India. Silver came to his hometown, made some fake pamphlets, and headed back to Kabul.
Change in Side:
The geopolitical situation had changed, and the Russian’s have joined the allied power. Bose got a green signal to travel to Berlin. Silver got assigned to Germans, who gave him hefty cash to continue his sabotage operations. Silver went to the Soviet embassy, which took some of the German money and recruited Silver as a Russian agent. Silver came to British India, but British India Police arrested and later released him due to the Soviet pressure.
Silver, along with British intelligence, prepared a fake report and submitted it to the German embassy in Kabul. As the war gloomed over Berlin, the German embassy gave Silver two radio sets and assigned him to the Japanese embassy. Bose had now traveled to Japan and spearheaded the Japanese invasion into India via Burma. Silver dropped off one of the radio sets in the Soviet embassy and another one in the British intelligence office in Delhi. The Russians and British can intercept German intelligence signals to and from Berlin and can implant false information.
Spy operations for Japan:
The Japanese embassy wanted Silver to check if paratroopers can land in Bengal, which might trigger Indian people to fight against the British. Silver got the coordinates of the paratroopers landing and passed it on to British intelligence. The British Indian army caught them before they could cause any chaos. The German embassy awarded Silver with Iron cross the highest award for service.
Silver’s spy life was not known to many for a long time. His adventures were made public by his autobiography. Only then his handlers knew he was a Quadruple spy. Silver continued a friendly relationship with his handlers until his death. Born in a small village in British India, Silver went on to influence British India’s geopolitical situation in World War II.
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