The Life of Reilly
On March 24th, 1873, one of the most shadowy characters of the world's most shadowy profession was born in southern Ukraine. Super spy Sidney Reilly's life has only recently become a bit clearer; however, the legend, largely propagated by Reilly himself, is still well mixed with the truth.
Supposedly Reilly, born Salomon Rosenblum, was the inspiration behind Ian Fleming's 007. "James Bond is just a piece of nonsense I dreamed up. He's not a Sidney Reilly, you know!" Fleming was quoted as once saying. In fact, Reilly worked for Britain's MI-6 as agent ST-1. He was also known to have been called Georgy and Sigmund at various times in his life.
Originally, Reilly was said to have been born near Odessa, Russia (sic), but now it is thought that he was born in Kherson region, later moving to Odessa. He apparently had a run in with the Czarist police for his association with a Marxist organization. Legend has it that he was arrested for working as a courier. After he was released, the legend goes, he was dismayed to learn that he was the illegitimate son of a Jewish doctor and so he stowed away on a British ship to South America. There he masqueraded as a cook named Pedro for a British mission, which was attacked by a hostile tribe. Rosenblum was supposedly rewarded with a British passport and a trip to England for saving the lives of several Brits.
The less colorful version of events is that he took off to Paris, where he went about hiding his past. In Europe, he is thought to have befriended and killed a semi-invalid to marry his young wife and inherit her fortune. In any case, Rosenblaum soon became known as Sidney Reilly, a spy who changed the way spying was to be done or at least perceived. All legends aside, Reilly was known for his cold, hard and practical approach to his profession and life.
The one thing he definitely had in common with Fleming was womanizing, drinking and gambling. By Reilly's own account, he married at least three times and had nearly a hundred lovers. He was also awarded the British military cross.
As far as education goes, he was reputed to know seven languages. He almost certainly had a background in chemistry. He was also said to know contemporaries like Winston Churchill and Rasputin the mad monk personally.
It is well documented that he made several secret missions to Germany and Russia before, during and after WWI. During one trip, in 1918, Reilly is thought to have taken it upon himself to attempt to kill Lenin. Unfortunately some else beat him to it. He is additionally credited with getting a letter published in a British newspaper, which changed the results of the 1924 general election.
Other stories are less believable: e.g., he sat in on a meeting of German generals and slipped on board the Rothschilds' yacht to cut an oil deal under their noses.
Unfortunately, even his death is clouded in mystery. The Soviets say he was killed on the Finnish border in 1925 during another secret mission. Others say he was imprisoned and became an advisor to the infamous Chekist Feliks Dzerzhinsky. There are even rumors that he was seen alive as late as 1949.
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