Karl Kasmann’s Ceylon Story Of Art and Espionage
Karl Kasmann’s Ceylon Espionage
The passport and mysterious activities of Karl Kasmann, an Estonian artist who settled in colonial Ceylon (Sri Lanka) during the late 1930s. Kasmann, a talented portrait painter, integrated into the local European community by marrying a piano teacher, Doris Karlenberg*. This story intertwines with Cold War politics when he became involved with a group of Soviet sailors whose ship was impounded by the British in Colombo during World War II. *One of the passports in this story is in the name of Katharine Margaret Kalenberg. Karl Kasmann’s Ceylon Espionage
As the Cold War escalated, Karl Kasmann found himself entangled with communist sympathizers, notably the Belgian Claudine Liebovitz. This association attracted the scrutiny of Ceylon’s authorities, fueled by the era’s strong anti-communist sentiments. Prime Minister John Kotelawela, a staunch right-wing ally of the United States, intensified his crackdown on foreign communists, leading to the deportation of several individuals, including Kasmann. This period coincided with America’s McCarthy era, reflecting the global reach of Cold War paranoia and the geopolitical alignment of Ceylon with American anti-communist policies. Karl Kasmann’s Ceylon Espionage
Karl Kasmann, whom the government suspected [or was tipped off by the CIA] as a KGB agent – and targeted for expulsion. By the time the local Police got on his track, the KGB had been faster, and Kasmann had fled eventual using a friend’s passport to leave the country undetected. The narrative concludes with an anecdote about Kasmann’s gift of his Opel Kadet car to a journalist friend before his departure, symbolizing the end of his intriguing and enigmatic presence in Ceylon.
‘Keep this car to remind you of the good times we had, old friend.
We will never meet again in Ceylon. Goodbye!’
_______________
The Passport Karl Kasmann’s Ceylon Espionage
A black hardcover booklet with 48 pages, issued on May2, 1956 under Sir John Lionel Kotelawala, in the name of Her Majesty the queen – but by the Office of the High Commissioner for Ceylon in London. The passport is slightly smaller than a British passport.
Karl Kasmann, artist and born in Tallinn, Estonia on 9th October 1904. Residence: UK. The British Consulate in Malaga extended the scope of the travel document in 1957 to “All parts of Morocco”. Initially only valid for Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Iraq, Lebanon, and Turkey. The document expired in 1961.
We can see stamps from Morocco. Italian, French, Swiss, and Spanish visas issued 1956 in London. The final stamp is from Gibraltar on 21 March 1957. Karl Kasmann’s Ceylon Espionage
After arriving in Gibraltar, Karl Kasmann’s trail becomes obscure. It is suggested that he continued his involvement in espionage activities, likely for the KGB. The exact details of his life after leaving Gibraltar remain largely unknown, shrouded in mystery and speculation. His departure from Ceylon marked the end of a fascinating chapter, leaving his subsequent actions and whereabouts as enigmatic as his earlier life.
Two more articles on British Ceylon passports are upcoming. One is from the Crown Colony of Ceylon 1931, issued to a Gem merchant, and the second one is also a British issue from 1937 for the above-mentioned Mrs. Kalenberg, including travel to Nazi-Germany in 1938. Stay tuned… Karl Kasmann’s Ceylon Espionage
Tom Topol | Passport Historian & Author
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