Richard Quirin

Richard Quirin (26 April 1908 – 8 August 1942) was a German agent executed as a spy for Nazi Germany in World War II. He was one of eight agents involved in Operation Pastorius, and gave his name to the Supreme Court decision on the trial, Ex parte Quirin.

Early life Born in Berlin in 1908, Quirin moved to the United States in 1927, living in Schenectady, New York. He worked as a mechanic during this time for General Electric. He lived in the U.S. from 1927 to 1939. During this time, Quirin joined the German American Bund and was an open supporter of the Hitler regime. He was a member of the Ordnungsdienst, the Bund's paramilitary wing. In 1939, Quirin and his wife returned to Germany. After his return, he got a job with Volkswagen.

Operation Pastorius

After the men were recruited, they were given pseudonyms and false stories to blend in as they returned to America. Quirin's new identity was Richard Quintas, a Portuguese man who moved to Upstate New York from Lisbon, Portugal when he was three. He was considered by Kappe to be a "cool, cruel man who would not hesitate to kill anyone to accomplish the mission's objectives." Several days later, when Dasch turned himself in to the FBI, he named Quirin as one of the "true believers" of the operation. On 20 June, Quirin was the first to be arrested, FBI officers surrounding him as he tried to escape.

Trial and execution At the trial, Quirin took the stand after Heinck. He said he did not know the purpose of Operation Pastorius, and was just interested in returning to the United States. However, a cross-examination showed that Quirin saw himself as a loyal Nazi and had made no effort to get out of the operation. Quirin and the five others were electrocuted on 8 August 1942, and buried in a potter's field with numbered graves.

Quirin wrote a final letter to his wife and daughter prior to his execution:

These are the last lines I can write to you. I should like to tell you that I have always loved you and that I came here to make a better life for you, my dear ones. But unfortunately, God willed it otherwise... Tell Kappe or one of his people that George Dasch and Peter Burger betrayed us. Begin a new life and think of me often.