Adolf von Harnack

Mildred Harnack, born Mildred Fish in Wisconsin, pursued higher education in the United States, earning degrees in Humanities and English literature. She met and married Arvid Harnack, a German graduate student, and moved to Germany in 1929. There, she continued her academic pursuits, working on her doctorate in American literature at the University of Jena and later the University of Giessen. She also held academic positions, including assistant lecturer in English and American literature at the University of Berlin.

Witnessing the rise of Nazism, Mildred and Arvid Harnack became involved in the German resistance movement. They established an underground group known as "the Circle," which later became part of a larger espionage network called the Red Orchestra. This network collaborated with Soviet intelligence against the Nazi regime. The Harnacks also shared intelligence gathered by Arvid from his position at the Reich Economics Ministry with American diplomat Donald Heath. Mildred Harnack was arrested in September 1942 and subsequently executed by the Nazis.

Mildred Elizabeth Fish was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and raised in a family that faced economic instability. She attended high school in Milwaukee and later Maryland, where she excelled academically and in extracurricular activities, including editing a school publication and participating in sports. She began her university studies at George Washington University before transferring to the University of Wisconsin. During her undergraduate years, she worked as a film and drama critic for the Wisconsin State Journal to support herself. Initially considering journalism, she shifted her focus to humanities and then English literature, influenced by her academic experiences and a professor who emphasized intellectual integrity. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Humanities and a Master of Arts in English from the University of Wisconsin, with her master's thesis comparing translations of Homer's Iliad.

After marrying Arvid Harnack, Mildred moved to Germany in 1929, where she pursued doctoral studies in American literature at the University of Jena and the University of Giessen. She observed the early signs of Nazism during her time at Giessen. In 1931, she began teaching English and American literature at the University of Berlin, becoming a popular lecturer. Her courses covered influential American and British authors, attracting a growing number of students. Harnack was also active in the American expatriate community in Berlin, participating in social and cultural events and even serving as president of the American Women's Club. Her academic work and engagement with American literature provided a foundation for her later intellectual and political activities.

During the 1930s, the Harnacks became disillusioned with the economic and political climate in Germany, particularly the poverty and unemployment of the Great Depression. They developed an interest in the Soviet Union and its planned economy, viewing it as a potential solution. Arvid Harnack founded a study group focused on the Soviet planned economy, which Mildred also participated in. As the Nazi regime solidified its power, the Harnacks became actively involved in resistance efforts. They established an underground group nicknamed "the Circle," which later merged with other anti-fascist groups. This network evolved into an espionage operation, known to the German security services as the Red Orchestra, which passed intelligence to Soviet authorities. The Harnacks also provided information to American diplomat Donald Heath, leveraging Arvid's position in the Reich Economics Ministry.