Adolf to Azov

In October of 1946, a year before the CIA was founded, America was already planning their next foreign adventure. They wanted to contact Ukrainian partisan groups, but they knew it would be difficult. Ukraine wasn’t a country at the time, and the Ukraine hated both Poles and Russians. The only other country at the time that could be of use was Hungary. Hungary was a very catholic country, even though the Soviets occupied them and banned their religion.

They found out that religious leaders fled the Soviets after the war, named Zsolt Aradi. He was living near the Vatican. Even though Aradi was a Catholic priest he also had Jewish ancestry, which the American admired. He was also had the ability to contact Ukrainian nationalist groups as well as other anti-Soviet partisan living in Eastern Europe, which made him a great asset for the Americans. American intelligence services offered to move him to Austria so he could coordinate better with America, the Vatican, and his connection in Ukraine.

Aradia was also very well in the task of organizing groups displaced people from Ukraine living in Austria and Southern Germany to join the American sides in this fight. They also realized that these Ukrainian partisans, that were still active behind the Iron Curtain were doing a great job, in giving the red army problems, even after World War 2. At this point the idea of exploiting these Ukrainian partisan groups have become much more of a reality than America previously realized.

By maintaining a position in the Church, Ariad was able to maintain his cover as an American spy. His spy ring went from working with church leaders of Ukraine, to Aradia making connections with hardcore partisans’ network leaders in Ukraine. This seemly peaceful religious leader, was now the point of contact between the American intelligent agencies and partisan networks, still fighting the Soviets in the aftermath of World War two.