Margarita Konenkova - The beautiful female spy made the great scientist Einstein entangled in a love trap

Margarita Konenkova was an excellent spy for Soviet intelligence. This beautiful, sharp woman captivated the great scientist Einstein. Margarita Konenkova is also said to be Einstein's last lover.

In 1998, auction house Sotbey put up for auction some memorabilia of the great physicist Albert Einstein. Among the items put up for auction at that time were a watch, some "unique" pictures of Einstein and especially letters that the famous scientist wrote to Margarita Konenkova - the wife of the sculptor. Famous Russian engraver Sergey Konenkov.

It would not be worth mentioning if those letters did not show that the relationship between the American scientist and Margarita Konenkova was more than just an ordinary friendship.

According to the auction house, the letters were found among the remains of Margarita's belongings by one of Margarita's relatives in the late 1990s. Margarita Konenkova was born in 1895 into a distinguished family. .

When the civil war broke out in England, the Margarita family, with its inherent philanthropic tradition, became a shelter and infirmary for many people around. Margarita's uncle, who was a local voice, was also very active in raising funds to support war victims.

Later, the Margarita family moved to Moscow. There, she attended Sarapul Girls' School and then studied law at Madame Poltoratsky School in Moscow. The intelligence and charm made Margarita at that time the target of many young men, including stars. However, fate arranged, she fell in love with Sergei Konenkov - a famous sculptor, likened to Rodin of Russia.

Mr. Konenkov later described his wife as follows: "She was so beautiful that I thought she must be the product of the greatest and most talented artists". In 1992, the two got married.

Fateful meeting

In 1923, Margarita and her husband went to America to attend an exhibition on Soviet art. As planned, their trip lasted only a few months, but in the end the couple only returned to their homeland 22 years later. And, the master of Soviet intelligence Pavel Sudoplatov in a book published in 1995 asserted, when leaving for America, Margarita was already a member of the Soviet intelligence service.

She came to the United States on a special mission to learn about the US nuclear program by approaching Manhattan project lead scientist Robert Oppenheimer and other famous scientists with whom she had the opportunity to meet. As planned, as soon as she arrived in the US, Margarita actively participated in social activities and became a star in the Russian community in the US.

She even became more famous than her husband, familiar with influential figures in the US. Among her close friends at that time is said to have included US First Lady Elizabeth Roosevelt. It was she who brought Mr. Konenkov many important orders and maintained his reputation.

In 1935, Princeton University invited Mr. Konenkova to sculpt a statue of the famous scientist Albert Einstein. It was this invitation that led to the fateful meeting between the famous American scientist and Margarita Konenkova. That year, Albert Einstein was 56 years old and Margarita was 39 years old. Initially, Einstein and Margarita maintained a fairly casual relationship.

However, after Einstein's second wife died in 1936, the two became closer. At first, the two often secretly met in Princeton - the place considered their home. Combining the first letters of their names, Albert and Margarita even nicknamed themselves Almar.

Each year, when her husband worked in Chicago, Margarita lived in a house near Einstein's house in Saranac, New York for a few months. In his letters, Einstein made it clear that he cherished his time with Margarita and was willing to do anything she asked.

Secret agent

According to Soviet intelligence general Pavel Sudoplatov, during her time in the US, Margarita became an indispensable link in Soviet espionage to learn about the Manhattan project.

Thanks to that intimacy, she had a certain influence over these people. For example, Konenkova was the one who actively influenced Oppenheimer to contact and interact with members of the American Communist Party. She later convinced Oppenheime to hire people with leftist views to work on the American nuclear project.

And our spies, both illegal and legal, are ready to do that work," said Sudoplatov. Unlike Oppenheimer, Einstein was not really involved in the Manhattan project but the scientist. This student is said to have access to a lot of information related to the US nuclear program through his students or colleagues who are working on the project.

And all of this information was what the Soviet side wanted. Oleg Odnokolenko - a journalist for the Nezavisimaya Gazeta who investigated the love affair of Einstein and Margarita - in an interview said that it is difficult to determine whether Konenkova really had feelings for Einstein, or just because of work. . What is certain, however, is that the relationship is useful to Margarita's intelligence work.

According to sources, it was Margarita who drew Einstein to meet Pavel Mikhailov - the consular representative of the Soviet Union and who worked for the country's intelligence. Journalist Odnokolenko said that, in fact, Einstein accepted to meet Mikhailov because of Margarita and he knew that her future in the Soviet Union would depend on that meeting.

In fact, the famous physicist met not only the Soviet spy once, but many times. Whatever the exact content of the discussions between the two men and whether Einstein provided the Soviets with intelligence is still unclear, but in a letter to a friend Einstein said he did everything he could.

Meanwhile, the fact that the Soviet government later subsidized Margarita's retirement was interpreted by many as proof that she did a good job in intelligence work during her time in the US. There are documents confirming that Einstein provided secret information to the Soviet Union and this act was not only because of his affection for Margarita but also because he always felt guilty of conscience, wanted to provide the Soviet Union with information about the job. the construction of the atomic bomb to prevent the United States from monopolizing the atomic bomb.

After World War II ended and the Cold War got hotter and hotter, Margarita and her husband were forced to leave the US to return home. Einstein gave Margarita a gold watch as a farewell gift.

In 1955, the great physicist Einstein, her beloved lover, died. In 1971, the sculptor also passed away. In the last years of her life, the former female spy lived alone in loneliness, unknown to anyone, even being abused by her own maid. Margarita Konenkova, not knowing what else to do, stopped eating and in 1980 died of exhaustion.