Peter Rhodes

Peter Christopher Rhodes was born in Manila of the Philipppine Islands. FBI files note a discrepency between his date of birth and that given to the Select Service Commission. Rhodes early background information is redacted as are other extenisive redactions in his FBI file.

Related Topics:
FBI

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Rhodes parents were divorced in 1914 and remarried in 1915. Christof Beutinger, Rhodes father, was shot and killed in his home in 1916, and Rhodes mother was tried in his death. Rhodes mother maintained it was self-defense, and she was aquitted. Subsequently his mother changed her name back to "Rhodes", her maiden name. Rhodes mother worked in British intelligence.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Peter Rhodes received a B.A. from Columbia University in 1933 and a M.A. in 1934. Rhodes received a graduate fellowship to Oxford, England, and studied there until 1936.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In 1936 Rhodes was employed by the New York Herald Tribune in Paris. In 1937 Rhodes became employed with United Press as a war correspondent in London, working in Paris, Moscow, and Sweden in succeeding months.

Related Topics:
New York Herald Tribune - United Press

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In 1940, as the Norwegian Campaign unfolded, Rhodes escaped via Sweden to Russia where he spent some time before returning to the United States. He then was assigned to London and remained during the London blitz.

Related Topics:
Norwegian Campaign - London blitz

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Rhodes returned to the New York and began employment with the federal government in the Foreign Broadcasting Monitoring Service of the Federal Communications Commission at a good salary. In February the FBI, while surveilling Jacob Golos, head of the secret apparatus of the CPUSA followed Golos to Rhodes apartment in New York. Golos attached much signigifciance to Rhodes work.

Related Topics:
Jacob Golos - Secret apparatus - CPUSA

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Rhodes became Chief of the Atlantic News service of the Office of War Information (OWI). Rhodes was in Eygpt in June of 1943, Sicily in September 1943 and London in November of 1943.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In 1945 Rhodes position was described as Assistant Outpost Manager, Area 1, Branch Overseas, Branch Outpost with the Office of War Information. His job duties description entailed recruiting and training personel for operations in psychological warfare in Europe for the United States Army, and selection and training of personel for the same purposes in liberated areas.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Soviet intelligence officers in New York considered Rhodes an important contact but by early 1945 lost track of his whereabouts. Joseph Katz repeatedly pressed Elizabeth Bentley to track down Rhodes through his Belgian wife residing in New York City.

Related Topics:
Joseph Katz - Elizabeth Bentley

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The Dies Committee discovered Rhodes may have been involved in election fraud after his signature appeared on Commmunist Party petitions for General Elections of 1940, and earlier New York city and state elections, listing addresses for which he had never lived.

Related Topics:
Dies Committee - Election fraud - Commmunist Party - General Elections of 1940

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~