Stig Wennerström
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Stig Wennerström | |
|---|---|
| August 22, 1906 - March 22, 2006 | |
 |
|
| Place of birth | Stockholm, Sweden |
| Place of death | Danderyd, Sweden |
| Allegiance | Swedish Armed Forces |
| Years of service | 1948-1963 |
| Rank | Colonel |
Stig Wennerström (August 22, 1906 – March 22, 2006) was a colonel in the Swedish Air Force who was convicted of treason in 1964.
During the 1950s, he betrayed just about every Swedish air defence plan, as well as the entire Saab Draken fighter jet project, to the Soviet Union. He also worked as a military attaché in Washington, DC, where he was very useful to the GRU. He also served in the same role in Moscow.
There were two highly placed Swedish spies working for the GRU at this time[citation needed]. One was given the code name Örnen ("The Eagle")—later revealed to be Wennerström. The other spy was called Getingen ("The Wasp"). The identity of Getingen has never been fully resolved.
As early as 1943, SÄPO, the Swedish Security Service, suspected that Wennerström was working for Germany and in 1947 there were indications that he had connections with the Soviet Union, but the suspicions couldn't be proved[citation needed]. The counter-intelligence operation centred on him was intensified towards the end of the 1950s and his household maid was recruited by SÄPO. In June 1963 the maid reported that she had found some film rolls hidden in the attic. The films contained pictures of secret documents and he was arrested a few weeks later.
Wennerström was initially sentenced to life in prison, but in 1972 the sentence was reduced to 20 years. He was, however, paroled by the government in 1974 after serving 10 years, despite the Commander-in-Chief still considering him to be a high security risk[citation needed].
