Merle Highet sound recordings of Frederick Rose and correspondence, 1987-1990

fonds

1987-1990

Textual Records, Nonmusical Sound Recordings

1336746

Frederick Rose was born on 22 March 1915 in England. He gained a scholarship and started his studies in October 1933 at Cambridge University. After gaining second class honours for his geology he turned to anthropology with a special interest in Australia and the Australian Aborigines. After graduating he left Cambridge in 1936 and worked for the Telegraph Construction Company to save money for a one-way ticket to Australia. He left London on 7 January and arrived in Sydney in April 1937.

He settled in Darwin and was joined by his German girlfriend Edith Linde whom he married in Perth in 1939. While in Perth he joined the Communist Party of Australia. They moved to Canberra where in 1948 he was able to join Mountford’s expedition to Northern Australia.

With the commencement of the Cold War ASIO was established on 16 March 1949. Members of the Communist Party of Australia were watched, including Fred Rose. ASIO tried hard to establish that he was spying for the Soviets but was never able to do so. Rose left Australia in 1956 and joined Edith and children in Germany.

He was successful in gaining an academic post at the Humboldt University of Berlin and in 1959 he became Professor Rose. When his thesis on the Australian Aborigines was published it attracted world-wide attention. Back in East Berlin Rose was approached by the Stasi, East German’s Secret Police. Rose still had his English passport and was able to travel on both sides of the wall and he willingly cooperated and became an official informer. He died in Berlin on 14 January 1991.

Source:

Red professor: the cold war life of Fred Rose by Peter Monteath and Valerie Munt. Mile End, S. Aust.: Wakefield Press, 2015.

Collection of correspondence of Frederick Rose concerning the transfer of his personal papers to the Mitchell Library and the political situation of East Germany, and sound recordings of Merle Highet interviewing Frederick Rose on his career.

SERIES 01: Frederick Rose correspondence, 1987-1990.

SERIES 02: Merle Highet sound recordings of Frederick Rose, 1990.

This collection has been arranged into 2 series records. You can navigate to more detailed descriptions to each series from this record.