92 • CHEESE
that, unlike his two brothers, he had acquired British nationality at
birth and was loyal. However, he and one of his brothers had been
recruited by theAbwehrduring a visit to Cologne, and he had coop-
erated because of a threat to his other brother, who lived in Germany.
When he was approached bysnowin 1940 to assist him, Eschborn
willingly cooperated with MI5 as adouble agent.CHEESE.Code name for Renato Levi, an Italian Jew who worked for
theSecret Intelligence Servicein Rome before World War II and
subsequently was recruited by both the Servicio Informazione Mili-
tare and theAbwehr. In February 1941 Levi arrived inCairo, where
Bill Kenyon-Jones of Security Intelligence Middle East (SIME) pro-
vided him with a fictitious wireless operator,nicossof, but when he
returned to Italy later in the year Levi was imprisoned for black mar-
ket offenses. However, in his absencenicossofcontinued to main-
tain contact with the Abwehr until February 1945. Within SIME,
cheesewas also known as ‘‘Mr. Rose’’ and was later handled by
James Robertson and Evan John Simpson.
CHEKA.The original Bolshevik intelligence agency in Russia, the
Cheka did not conduct operations in England, although it was much
feared as a ruthless adversary by theSecret Intelligence Service.
CHEN PING.The general-secretary of the Malay Communist Party
(MCP), Chen Ping was awarded the Order of the British Empire in
1945 for his participation inForce 136and for organizing networks
behind the Japanese lines during World War II. He was invited to
London to march in the Victory parade and also received the personal
thanks of Lord Mountbatten.
The activities of the MCP had been monitored for years by the
local Special Branch, which had recruited Chen’s deputy, Lai Teck,
who was withdrawn in March 1947 after he had fallen under suspi-
cion. After World War II the MCP mounted a guerrilla campaign to
seize control of the country. In December 1955 negotiations were
opened with Chen through his old Force 136 commander, John
Davis, by then a police superintendent, but he refused the offer of
unconditional surrender and returned to the jungle. In April 1957 his
principal assistant,Hor Lung, accepted a reward of £55,000 for in-
formation that effectively eliminated the MCP.