WRFH/Radio Free Hillsdale 101.7 FM - Undetected: Frederick Rutland

Episode Date: October 25, 2024

This week, Megan and Alessia follow the story of Frederick Rutland as he goes from British hero to Japanese spy.

Welcome to Undetected on Radio Free Hillsdale. Go undercover with your hosts, Alessia Sandala and Megan Lee, as they uncover the stories of spies from every country and time. The most thrilling, yet the most secret of lives in history. Welcome back to this week's undetected. I'm Megan. And I'm Alessia. This week's spy story also occurred during World War II,

but he was a spy on the other side of the war. Introducing Frederick Rutland, the British war hero that became a Japanese spy and traitor to his country. Let's dive in. Frederick Rutland was born on October 21, 1886. In 1901, he joined the Royal Navy at age 15. But while watching the aircraft of the Royal Flying Corps near his school in Portsmouth, Rutland decided to transfer to the RFC.

After getting commissioned in 1913, he was later transferred after a year to the newly formed Royal Naval Air Service. On May 31st, 1916, Rutland became the first ever pilot to take off from a ship, the HMS Angadine, during the Battle of Jutland, and he was able to send a radio message relaying the location of the German fleet. This was a breakthrough in reconnaissance for the British military, called the most important air mission in British naval history. Rutland was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal.

Not only that, he was also given the rare gold Albert Medal for diving after a wounded soldier and rescuing him from the water. By then, Rutland had built up an excellent reputation for himself within the military. For the rest of World War I, Rutland designed, developed, and tested aircraft and aircraft carriers for the British. having become a valuable source of advice on military operations. He took on risky operations of flying and landing aircraft on ships, but he was good at what he did. His experiments contributed to the development of the Royal Navy's first official aircraft carrier, HMS Argus, which was commissioned in September of 1918.

But the good times were not to last. In October 1923, after more than two decades in the Royal Navy, Rutland resigned his commission. Sources say his departure may be related to his loss of reputation as a result of an effect. Fair. This fall from grace was combined with contacts from Japan, one that may have played a more significant role in Rutland's decision to leave. The year before he resigned, Rutland was approached by a Japanese naval attaché with an attractive, higher pay job offer. Rutland became a consultant from Mitsubishi and began teaching pilots how to land on aircraft carriers. These carriers called the Akagi and Kaga were used in the attack on Pearl Harbor. British-Japanese relations

were generally good at the time, but there was certainly tension when it came to the arms race. In around 1928, some sources say Rutland was back in London, working for a truck manufacturing company. But he was bored and didn't stay long. Three years later, the Japanese approached him once again. This time, Rutland's destination was America. Around 1933, Rutland founded a brokerage firm in Los Angeles and then established a security aircraft co in Santa Monica.

The company was supposedly very conveniently situated right across from the Douglas Aircraft Company plant, giving him full view of the New War. planes coming and going and allowing him to chat it up with employees. Wow, that is convenient. Whatever he did when he settled down in California was only a cover for his real mission to establish an espionage network and keep Japan updated on American military proceedings. In the wake of the high tensions between Japan and the U.S. at the time and increased anti-Japanese sentiment, a Western source like Rutland was invaluable.

He was paid very handsomely and his family resided in enormous mansions and mixed with LA's high society. He was a popular figure among his peers, often seen at private clubs with movie stars and military officials. It was the perfect disguise for the Japanese spy, codenamed Agent Chinkawa. Rutland worked to extend his eyes and ears throughout California, supposedly getting an Irishman working as a janitor in an airport factory. He remained in close contact with the Japanese, which would ultimately become his downfall.

When two of his Japanese co-conspirators were arrested, Rutland was implicated in their documents. At this point, Rutland tried to get protection from the FBI. but was rejected. However, the United States officials were reluctant to arrest him due to his high-ranking position in Britain. Whatever happened, Rutland was shipped back to the United Kingdom with VIP treatment. While there, he was questioned but explained he was innocent since Britain and Japan were not enemies at the time of his work. It is rumored that he made the same offer of double-crossing the Japanese. There is no evidence that he spied against his homeland, so he was able to live as a free man. But that all changed on December 7, 1941.

When Pearl Harbor happened, as a result of the defense regulation 18B, he was interred without trial under wartime powers. What does that mean, Alessia? It means Rutland was detained for an indefinite amount of time, as he was suspected of enemy sympathies. He remained in London's Brixton prison until 1943. What an image, the former British national hero, an aircraft and engineering pioneer, locked up among suspected Nazi spies and fascist sympathizers. Unfortunately, things don't look up. Rutland never returned to the United States, where his family remained. On January 28, 1949, six years later, Rutland took his own life by inhaling gas.

Wow, that is quite a depressing end to Rutland's story, one that started out with so much hope and promise. Indeed, Megan, but it seems like Rutland's desire for glory got the better of him. When the British stopped praising him, he turned to the Japanese instead. Yeah, but in the end, he was alone. A sad tale, but a story worth telling. I'm Megan and I'm Alessia. We hope you enjoyed this episode of Undetected. Tune in next week to hear about a more recent spy, Noir Gawadia, on Radio Free Hillsdale, 101.7 FM.