Red Professor: The Cold War life of Fred Rose by Peter Monteath and Valerie Munt
![cover image](https://www.readplus.com.au/covers/redprofessor.jpg)
Wakefield Press, 2015. ISBN 9781743053720
(Age: 14+) Recommended. This book is written by historians based at
Flinders University in South Australia. The work is extensively
researched and leans heavily on the numerous primary sources that
document the life of this relatively unknown player in Australia's
history.
Fred Rose is a little like Forest Gump in that he seems to have
popped up in a range of important times in history during his
lifetime. The writing gives the reader the impression that Fred Rose
is very impressed by his own importance. It may be this that lead
Colonel Spry of ASIO to identify him as a Soviet spy who went by the
code name 'Professor'.
Fred's life spans several continents and encompasses work as an
anthropologist on Groote Eylandt, a meteorologist, an academic in
Canberra and East Berlin, a champion of the rights of Australia's
indigenous people and a father informing on his children to Stasi
handlers. He is portrayed as a flawed human being who made
interesting decisions that charted a life that has ultimately left
more questions than answers. Would his life have been more positive
and more productive had he made different decisions? Perhaps so.
The historical information is a real treat for those interested in
more about those heady times during the Cold War and the Petrov
Affair. Though brimming with historical facts (including diaries and
archival material), this book is easy to read. The referencing style
is cumbersome for those readers interested in identifying the source
of information or quotations and this at times disrupts the reading.
This work is well suited as a resource for the Research Project and
History students.
Linda Guthrie