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Iosif Romualdovich Grigulevich was a Lithuanian born KGB spy. He trained saboteurs during the Spanish Civil War, was involved in the operations to kill Lev Trotsky in Mexico and during the Second World War ran an 'illegal residency' in Argentina which specialised in the sabotage of ships and cargoes bound for Germany. In 1949 he set up an illegal residency in Rome under the false identity of 'Teodor Castro' the illegitimate child of a Costa Rican noble. He later went on, while still a KGB agent, to become an adviser to the Costa Rican delegation to the United Nations - being so far under cover that his Soviet colleagues not knowing his true identity lambasted him at the Sixth Session of the UN General Assembly in Paris, being described as a 'diplomatic clown' - being a highly respected diplomat with access to leading politicians in Europe and the Pope.
 Research Iosif Grigulevich.
Lev Davidovich Trotsky (real name Leiba Bronstein) was a Russian Soviet leader. He was born in 1877. In 1899 he was arrested at Odessa as a member of the South Russian Workmen's League, and was banished to Siberia for four years, but escaped three years into his exile. During the attempted revolution in Petrograd un 1905 he was president of the Petrograd Council of workmen, was again arrested, and banished to Siberia for life. Six months later he escaped and spent some years living in France, Switzerland and elsewhere, working as a journalist.
At the outbreak of the Great War, he was in Paris editing a Russian Socialist newspaper. At Petrograd during the revolution of 1917, he became a supporter of Lenin, and taking part in the abortive outbreak in July against the government of Kerensky, he was arrested and imprisoned. Liberated in September he began a campaign of intrigue against Kerensky.
Elected president of the Petrograd Soviet, after a time he formed the Bolshevist Revolutionary Committee, which in November started the coup d'etat that led to Kerensky's fall. Later with Lenin he seized power and established the Council of the people's Commissioners, Lenin being its president and Trotsky commissary for foreign affairs. In 1918 he became commissary for war, and in 1921 wrote 'The defence of terrorism'.
Trotsky was later assassinated, while in exile in South America, under orders from Stalin.
Research Lev Trotsky
The lev is the currency of Bulgaria.
Research Lev
The stotinki is a unit of currency used in Bulgaria. 100 stotinki comprise 1 lev.
Research Stotinki
Overdrive is an action thriller starring Steve Guttenberg and Robert Wagner in a story about a champion racing driver helping a female secret agent to escape assassins sent to kill her. Overdrive was directed by Lev L Spiro in 1997.
Research Overdrive
LEV is an abbreviation for Lunar Excursion Vehicle
Research LEV
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The Probert Encyclopaedia was designed, edited and programed by
Matt and Leela Probert
©1993 - 2009 The Probert Encyclopaedia
Southampton, United Kingdom
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