Jules Jaspar

Jules Jaspar (1 March 1878 – 15 October 1963) was a diplomat of the Belgian Foreign Office and businessman. that was being used as cover for Soviet espionage operations. Following the German invasion of Belgium, Jaspar fled to Paris where he helped establish the black market trading firm of Simex. In December 1941 he moved to Marseille to open a branch of Simex. On 12 November 1942, he was arrested and sent to Auschwitz concentration camp and survived the war.

Life Jules Jasper was born in 1 March 1878 in Schaerbeek, Belgium to businessman Pierre Jaspar and Elisabeth Jaspar née Haeseleer. In the second half of the 19th century, his father worked for Leopold II of Belgium. His brother, Henri Jaspar was Prime Minister of Belgium and his other brother, Ernest Jaspar was the appointed architect of Baron Édouard Empain.

Career Claire Jaspar-Legrand, spouse of Jules Jaspar. She was executed in Auschwitz. Jaspar worked for the Belgian Foreign Ministry for a long time and represented his country as consul in Indochina and later in Scandinavia.

Trepper had a plan to create a business that would be the export division of The Raincoat King and agreed with Grossvogel the plan to create a new business that would be the ideal cover for espionage network. The new business that was created in Brussels in December 1938 and was known as Foreign Excellent Raincoat Company. Jaspar became a director of the company.

In May 1940, Jaspar fled Belgium and moved to Paris, along with his wife, Claire Legrand, as well as Jeanne Fernande Grossvogel, and Nazarin Drailly with his family. In the autumn of 1940, the funds along with a subsidy provided by Soviet intelligence was used to establish the new cover firm of Simex in Paris.

In December 1941, Jaspar moved to Marseille and in January 1942, he assisted Soviet agent Anatoly Gurevich in the establishment of a new branch office of Simex that was run by French commercial director, Alfred Corbin, who had managed Simex in Paris. Under cover of the new branch, Gurevich established a new network of Czech agents, across Southern France.

Arrest and trial

On 12 November 1942 Jaspar was arrested, along with his wife and secretary, by French police at the Simex branch office, on Rue du Dragon in Marseille.

On 8 March 1943 a Luftwaffe court martial was convened at the Roger & Gallet building, at 62-64 Rue du Faubourg Saint Honoré, Paris, that was presided over by General Judge of the Luftwaffe and Nazi apologist Manfred Roeder. The employees of Simex were tried at the court including Jaspar and Legrand.

Later life Jaspar was liberated on 5 May 1945. On 2 April 1948 he was recognized as a political prisoner and later, on 5 March 1957, as a civilian resistance fighter.