List of spymasters

{{For-multi|the Marvel supervillain|Spymaster (character)|the Romanian television series|Spy/Master}}A spymaster is a leader of a group of spies or an intelligence agency.{{Cite web |date=2024-04-21 |title=Definition of SPYMASTER |url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/spymaster |access-date=2024-05-31 |website=www.merriam-webster.com |language=en}}

List of spymasters

class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders"
Name !When !Allegiance !Agency/Organization/Service
Motojiro Akashi \|1904 \|{{JPN}} \|Akashi Kikan
Vera Atkins \|1944 \|{{flag\|United Kingdom}} \|Special Operations Executive
Lavrentiy Beria \|1938 \|{{flag\|Soviet Union\|1936}} \|NKVD
Arturo Bocchini \|1927–1940 \|{{flagicon\|Kingdom of Italy}} Fascist Italy \|OVRA
Wilhelm Canaris \|1935 \|{{flag\|Nazi Germany\|1935}} \|Abwehr
Thomas Cromwell \|1533 \|{{flag\|Kingdom of England}} \|
William J. Donovan \|1941 \|{{flag\|United States\|1912}} \|Office of Strategic Services
Armand Jean du Plessis (Cardinal Richelieu) \|1616 \|{{flag\|Kingdom of France}} \|
Allen Dulles \|1953 \|{{flag\|United States}} \|Central Intelligence Agency
Zhou Enlai \|1928–1932 \|{{Flagicon image\|Flag of the Chinese Communist Party (Pre-1996).svg}} Chinese Communist Party{{notetag\|name=Chin\|Years of service as a spymaster with the Chinese Communist Party predates the foundation of the People's Republic of China (1949)}} \|Special Service section of the Central Committee Urban Work Committee of the Central Committee
Rafaat Gebril \|1973 \|{{flag\|Egypt}} \|General Intelligence Directorate (Egypt)
Ali Mamlouk \|2005–2024 \|{{flag\|Ba'athist Syria}} \|National Security Bureau General Intelligence Directorate (Syria)
Sándor Goldberger (alias J. Peters) \|1930–1948 \|{{flag\|Soviet Union\|1936}} \|Communist Party USA
Sidney Gottlieb \|1951–1973 \|{{Flag\|United States}} \|Central Intelligence Agency
Hamid Gul \|1987–1989 \|{{flag\|Pakistan}} \|Director-General of Inter-Services Intelligence
Faiz Hameed \|2019 \|{{flag\|Pakistan}} \|Director-General of Inter-Services Intelligence
Isser Harel \|1952–1963 \|{{flag\|Israel}} \|Mossad
R. N. Kao \|1968–1977 \|{{flag\|India}} \|Research and Analysis Wing
Ronnie Kasrils \|1983–1989 2004–2008 \|{{flag\|South Africa}} \|Umkhonto we Sizwe Minister of Intelligence Services
David Kimche \|1953–1980 \|{{flag\|Israel}} \|Mossad
Ivone Kirkpatrick \|1918–1918 \|{{flag\|United Kingdom}} \|British Army, Belgian resistance
Maxwell Knight \|1924–1930 \|{{Flag\|United Kingdom}} \|MI5
Dai Li \|1928–1946 \|{{flag\|Republic of China}} \|National Revolutionary Army
Colin Hercules Mackenzie \|1940–1946 \|{{Flag\|United Kingdom}} \|Special Operations Executive – Force 136
Yuri Modin \|1948–1951 \|{{flag\|Soviet Union\|1936}} \|NKVD
Hugh Montgomery \|1953–1981 (CIA) 1981–1985 (INR) 1989–2014 (CIA) \|{{flag\|United States}} \|Central Intelligence Agency Bureau of Intelligence and Research
Bhola Nath Mullik \|1950–1964 \|{{flag\|India}} \|Intelligence Bureau
Donald Nichols \|1951 \|{{flag\|United States\|1912}} \|6004th Air Intelligence Service Squadron
Manuel Piñeiro \|1961–1964 \|{{flag\|Cuba}} \|Dirección de Inteligencia
Allan Pinkerton \|1855–1861 \|{{flag\|United States\|1861}} \|Union Intelligence Service
Wang Puchen \|1948–1949 \|{{flag\|Republic of China}} \|Bureau of Investigation and Statistics
Pyotr Rachkovsky \|1885–1902 \|{{flag\|Russian Empire\|1858}} \|Okhrana
Alfred Redl \|1903–1913 \|{{flag\|Austria-Hungary}}; {{flag\|Russian Empire}}{{notetag\|Redl was appointed as the head of counterintelligence at the Evidenzbureau, the Austro-Hungarian military intelligence organization in 1907. However, Redl was already compromised by Russian agents {{circa\|1900}}, and provided information to the Russian Empire until he was caught by Austro-Hungarian authorities in 1913.}} \|Evidenzbureau
Mao Renfeng \|1946–1956 \|{{flag\|Republic of China}} \|Bureau of Investigation and Statistics
Semyon Semyonov \|1937–1950 \|{{flag\|Soviet Union\|1936}} \|NKVD
Kang Sheng \|1940s–1946 \|{{Flagicon image\|Flag of the Chinese Communist Party (Pre-1996).svg}} Chinese Communist Party{{notetag\|name=Chin\|Years of service as a spymaster with the Chinese Communist Party predates the foundation of the People's Republic of China (1949)}} \|Central Social Affairs Department
Hugh Sinclair \|1919–1939 \|{{flag\|United Kingdom}} \|Secret Intelligence Service
Mansfield Smith-Cumming \|1909–1923 \|{{flag\|United Kingdom}} \|Secret Intelligence Service
Richard Sorge \|1920–1941 \|{{flag\|Soviet Union\|1924}} \|Main Intelligence Directorate
Sidney Souers \|1946–1946 \|{{flag\|United States\|1912}} \|Director of the Central Intelligence Agency
Gustav Steinhauer \|1911–1914 \|{{flag\|Germany\|1866}} \|Nachrichten-Abteilung
William Stephenson \|1940–1946 \|{{flag\|Canada\|1921}} \|British Security Co-ordination
Emanuel Sueyro \|{{circa\|1620}}–1629 \|{{flag\|Spain\|1506}} \|
Benjamin Tallmadge \|1778–1783 \|{{flag\|United States\|1777}} \|Culper Ring
John Thurloe \|1653 \|{{flag\|Commonwealth of England}} \|
Liam Tobin \|1919 \|{{flag\|Irish Republic}} \|Irish Republican Army
Francis Walsingham \|1573–1590 \|{{flag\|Kingdom of England}} \|
George Washington \|1775 \|{{flag\|United States\|1777}} \|Continental Army
William Wickham \|1795–1801 \|{{flag\|United Kingdom}} \|
Markus Wolf \|1951–1986 \|{{flag\|East Germany}} \|Main Directorate for Reconnaissance
Shen Zui \|1934–1949 \|{{flag\|Republic of China}} \|Bureau of Investigation and Statistics
Kyrylo Budanov \|2020–present \|{{flag\|Ukraine}} \|Main Directorate of Intelligence (Ukraine)
Ajit Doval \|2014–present \|{{flag\|India}} \|National Security Advisor (India)

class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders"

Name

!When

!Allegiance

!Agency/Organization/Service

Motojiro Akashi

|1904

|{{JPN}}

|Akashi Kikan

Vera Atkins

|1944

|{{flag|United Kingdom}}

|Special Operations Executive

Lavrentiy Beria

|1938

|{{flag|Soviet Union|1936}}

|NKVD

Arturo Bocchini

|1927–1940

|{{flagicon|Kingdom of Italy}} Fascist Italy

|OVRA

Wilhelm Canaris

|1935

|{{flag|Nazi Germany|1935}}

|Abwehr

Thomas Cromwell

|1533

|{{flag|Kingdom of England}}

|

William J. Donovan

|1941

|{{flag|United States|1912}}

|Office of Strategic Services

Armand Jean du Plessis (Cardinal Richelieu)

|1616

|{{flag|Kingdom of France}}

|

Allen Dulles

|1953

|{{flag|United States}}

|Central Intelligence Agency

Zhou Enlai

|1928–1932

|{{Flagicon image|Flag of the Chinese Communist Party (Pre-1996).svg}} Chinese Communist Party{{notetag|name=Chin|Years of service as a spymaster with the Chinese Communist Party predates the foundation of the People's Republic of China (1949)}}

|Special Service section of the Central Committee
Urban Work Committee of the Central Committee

Rafaat Gebril

|1973

|{{flag|Egypt}}

|General Intelligence Directorate (Egypt)

Ali Mamlouk

|2005–2024

|{{flag|Ba'athist Syria}}

|National Security Bureau
General Intelligence Directorate (Syria)

Sándor Goldberger (alias J. Peters)

|1930–1948

|{{flag|Soviet Union|1936}}

|Communist Party USA

Sidney Gottlieb

|1951–1973

|{{Flag|United States}}

|Central Intelligence Agency

Hamid Gul

|1987–1989

|{{flag|Pakistan}}

|Director-General of Inter-Services Intelligence

Faiz Hameed

|2019

|{{flag|Pakistan}}

|Director-General of Inter-Services Intelligence

Isser Harel

|1952–1963

|{{flag|Israel}}

|Mossad

R. N. Kao

|1968–1977

|{{flag|India}}

|Research and Analysis Wing

Ronnie Kasrils

|1983–1989
2004–2008

|{{flag|South Africa}}

|Umkhonto we Sizwe
Minister of Intelligence Services

David Kimche

|1953–1980

|{{flag|Israel}}

|Mossad

Ivone Kirkpatrick

|1918–1918

|{{flag|United Kingdom}}

|British Army, Belgian resistance

Maxwell Knight

|1924–1930

|{{Flag|United Kingdom}}

|MI5

Dai Li

|1928–1946

|{{flag|Republic of China}}

|National Revolutionary Army

Colin Hercules Mackenzie

|1940–1946

|{{Flag|United Kingdom}}

|Special Operations Executive – Force 136

Yuri Modin

|1948–1951

|{{flag|Soviet Union|1936}}

|NKVD

Hugh Montgomery

|1953–1981 (CIA)

1981–1985 (INR)

1989–2014 (CIA)

|{{flag|United States}}

|Central Intelligence Agency

Bureau of Intelligence and Research

Bhola Nath Mullik

|1950–1964

|{{flag|India}}

|Intelligence Bureau

Donald Nichols

|1951

|{{flag|United States|1912}}

|6004th Air Intelligence Service Squadron

Manuel Piñeiro

|1961–1964

|{{flag|Cuba}}

|Dirección de Inteligencia

Allan Pinkerton

|1855–1861

|{{flag|United States|1861}}

|Union Intelligence Service

Wang Puchen

|1948–1949

|{{flag|Republic of China}}

|Bureau of Investigation and Statistics

Pyotr Rachkovsky

|1885–1902

|{{flag|Russian Empire|1858}}

|Okhrana

Alfred Redl

|1903–1913

|{{flag|Austria-Hungary}};
{{flag|Russian Empire}}{{notetag|Redl was appointed as the head of counterintelligence at the Evidenzbureau, the Austro-Hungarian military intelligence organization in 1907. However, Redl was already compromised by Russian agents {{circa|1900}}, and provided information to the Russian Empire until he was caught by Austro-Hungarian authorities in 1913.}}

|Evidenzbureau

Mao Renfeng

|1946–1956

|{{flag|Republic of China}}

|Bureau of Investigation and Statistics

Semyon Semyonov

|1937–1950

|{{flag|Soviet Union|1936}}

|NKVD

Kang Sheng

|1940s–1946

|{{Flagicon image|Flag of the Chinese Communist Party (Pre-1996).svg}} Chinese Communist Party{{notetag|name=Chin|Years of service as a spymaster with the Chinese Communist Party predates the foundation of the People's Republic of China (1949)}}

|Central Social Affairs Department

Hugh Sinclair

|1919–1939

|{{flag|United Kingdom}}

|Secret Intelligence Service

Mansfield Smith-Cumming

|1909–1923

|{{flag|United Kingdom}}

|Secret Intelligence Service

Richard Sorge

|1920–1941

|{{flag|Soviet Union|1924}}