- Zinovy Peshkov
Zinovy Alekseyevich Peshkov (Russian: Зиновий Алексеевич Пешков, French: "Zinovi Pechkoff" or "Pechkov",
October 16 ,1884 —November 27 ,1966 ) was aRussia n-born French general and diplomat.Early life
Born Yeshua Zalman Sverdlov (Russified name: "Zinovy Mikhailovich Sverdlov", Зиновий Михайлович Свердлов) to a
Jew ish engraver inNizhny Novgorod , he was an older brother ofYakov Sverdlov (subsequently aBolshevik party leader and a high Soviet official). In 1896,Maxim Gorky met the Sverdlov family at an exhibition and soon became a close friend. During Gorky's exile toArzamas in 1902, Zinovy worked as his secretary. To evadeTsarist Russia n restrictions for Jews to live in big cities, Zinovy Sverdlov was baptized Eastern Orthodox and officially changed his name. Gorky (real name "Alexey Peshkov") became his godfather.Zinovy Peshkov was disowned by his family and in 1904 he emigrated to
Canada . After two years he joined Gorky inCapri .World War I and post-war
After the outbreak of
World War I in 1914, he volunteered forFrench Army . In May 1915, he was wounded and his right arm was amputated. In 1916, as a successful officer, he was sent to theUnited States to agitate for the country's entry into the War. After being decorated with the "Légion d'honneur " in 1917, Peshkov worked in French diplomatic missions in Russia andRomania .In the periods 1921-1926 and 1937-1940 he served in the
French Foreign Legion inFrench Morocco , and wrote a book about his experiences there. In 1926-1937 he served in the Foreign Ministry in France and in theFrench Mandate of Lebanon .World War II and post-war
During
World War II , Zinovy Peshkov fought the Nazi German forces in Morocco and inSyria . In 1940 he joinedCharles de Gaulle 'sFree French Forces government inLondon exile, and soon was sent as a Frenchambassador toSouth Africa , where he organized arms shipments for the Allies. After his 1943 promotion to the title ofBrigadier General , Peshkov served as French ambassador to theRepublic of China and, after 1946, toJapan . In 1964 he participated in negotiations withChiang Kai-shek regardingTaiwan .Zinovy Peshkov died in
Paris and was buried at theSainte-Geneviève-des-Bois Russian Cemetery .External links
* [http://www.ldorvdor.net/sverdlov/f1828.html Bio]
* "The Murder of Maxim Gorky. A Secret Execution" by Arkady Vaksberg. (Enigma Books: New York, 2007. ISBN 978-1-929631-62-9.)
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