Robert Nathan (intelligence officer) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Sir Robert Nathan KCSI CIE
Nathan as the Police Commissioner of Dhaka (1907)
Born	1868
Died	1921 (aged 52–53)
Alma mater	Peterhouse, Cambridge

Sir Robert Nathan (1868–1921) was a British official who worked to gather secret information. He is known for his efforts against groups in India who wanted independence from British rule. He worked in Bengal, Britain, and North America.

Early Work in India

Robert Nathan studied at Peterhouse, Cambridge University. In 1888, he joined the Indian Civil Service. This was a group of British officials who helped govern India.

In 1902, he became a secretary for the Indian Universities Commission. For this work, he received an award called the Companion of the Order of the Indian Empire.

In 1905, Nathan was asked to be a private secretary to Lord Curzon, who was the Viceroy of India. A Viceroy was like the British ruler of India.

Two years later, in 1907, Nathan became a main secretary for the government in Eastern Bengal and Assam. He also became the Police Commissioner of Dhaka.

In 1908, Nathan and another official, H.L. Salkeld, found a secret group called the Anushilan Samiti. This group wanted to change things in India. Nathan then helped to stop their activities.

Working for British Intelligence

In 1914, Nathan became the Vice Chancellor of Calcutta University. The same year, he returned to Britain because he was not well.

In October 1914, he started working for British intelligence. This meant he gathered secret information for the British government. He focused on Indian groups who were trying to cause trouble in Europe.

After leaving the Indian Civil Service in 1915, Nathan joined a special section of MI5. MI5 is Britain's security service. This section, called MI5(g), dealt with Indian groups who were working with Germany during World War I.

Nathan worked closely with Basil Thomson, who led another special police branch. They questioned Indians who were working with Germans during the war.

Stopping Secret Plans

Nathan's work was very important for Britain's efforts to stop secret plots. He worked with the Indian Political Intelligence Office.

Nathan found out about plans by the Ghadar Party and the Berlin Committee. These groups wanted to harm Lord Kitchener in 1915.

Nathan also helped turn Harish Chandra, who was linked to the Berlin Committee, into a double agent. A double agent works for two sides at once. Nathan also planned to stop Virendranath Chattopadhyaya in late 1915.

Work in North America

Later, the British secret service sent Robert Nathan to North America. He went to the Pacific coast, where the Ghadar Party was working with the German consulate in San Francisco. They were trying to get weapons and people for a plan known as the Ghadar Conspiracy.

Nathan successfully brought the Ghadar Party members and German consulate staff to court. This happened after a secret arms deal called the Annie Larsen affair was discovered.

He organized the Hindu–German Conspiracy Trial. This trial was the longest in American legal history at that time. Nathan was responsible for the arrest and questioning of Chandra Kanta Chakraverty and Ernst Sekunna.

In March 1917, Nathan worked closely with William Wiseman. He talked with the US State Department about the details of the case against the Indian groups. He strongly supported making sure the United States would not be blamed for breaking neutrality rules.

Later Life

Sir Robert Nathan returned to Britain after World War I ended. He passed away in 1921.