Abstract

Frederick Rutland’s intelligence activities in interwar Los Angeles have been the subject of much analysis since the war. Interpretations range from the assertion of his biographer that he did essentially nothing illegal to the more recent claim that the technical information he provided to the Imperial Navy helped make the Pearl Harbor attack possible. This article uses recently declassified American documents and Japanese sources to shed new light on Rutland’s activities, his role in the wider Japanese intelligence apparatus, and the nature of his mission. Contra most previous analyses, these suggest that the Japanese Navy viewed Rutland as an agent with future potential for wartime rather than one who had already provided valuable services. Those included creating close relationships with high-profile Americans to get strategic information rather than technical intelligence. They also suggest that the Japanese Navy’s skewed view of Rutland prevented it from developing a more effective prewar intelligence network, with dire consequences.

摘要

自战争以来，弗雷德里克·拉特兰 (Frederick Rutland) 在两次大战之间的洛杉矶情报活动一直是许多分析的主题。解释范围从他的传记作者断言他基本上没有做任何违法行为到最近声称他提供给帝国海军的技术信息有助于使珍珠港袭击成为可能。本文使用最近解密的美国文件和日本消息来源来阐明拉特兰的活动、他在更广泛的日本情报机构中的角色以及他的任务性质。与之前的大多数分析相反，这些表明日本海军将拉特兰视为具有未来战时潜力的代理人，而不是已经提供有价值服务的代理人。其中包括与知名美国人建立密切关系，以获取战略信息而不是技术情报。他们还表示，日本海军对拉特兰的歪曲看法阻碍了它发展更有效的战前情报网络，从而产生了可怕的后果。