"V-men"

[Zachary Haberer]

Recalling all the V associations listed here not too long ago,
I was seized with disproportionate interest by the following passage:

   "Beck and his friends were well aware of this Communist line, and 
   they knew also that the Communist underground was directed from 
   Moscow and served chiefly as an espionage source for the 
   Russians. Furthermore, they knew that it had become infiltrated 
   with Gestapo agents-- "V men" as Heinrich Mueller, the Gestapo 
   chief and him self an admirer of the Soviet NKVD, called 
   them."
   --pg 1354,  W. Shirer "The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich"

The Communist underground refers to the organization within
Germany during the war, known as the "Rote Kapelle" (Red
Orchestra).  Now what I want to know is why would well-known
admirer of the Soviet NKVD, Gestapo chief Heinrich Mueller call
his undercover orchestral players "V men".  And the Rote Kapelle 
itself sounds interesting-- if anyone knows anything about them 
please send it along.

The only additional info I found in _tRaFotTR_ was that Heinrich 
Mueller escaped trial at the end of the war, having gone over to 
the Russians, and was believed to be in the employ of the NKVD 
(later KGB, currently FSK).

not much of an admirer of the NKVD,
--Zack Haberer
Zachary Haberer                                         
Ian Freed Consulting/Russia                              
tel. (from outside FSU) +7 503 956 1120                  
tel. (from within FSU)  +7 095 956 1120