Robinson became a member of the Communist Party of Germany (KPD) and made several visits to the Soviet Union with Schabbel.

[6] In 1923, Robinson was in charge of the Antimilitarist Apparatus or AM Apparat (Intelligence organisation) of the German Communist Party for military and political work in the Rhineland and was Political Director of the Young Communist League of Germany's Ruhr district and attended conferences in Berlin, where he met his partner Klara Schabbel[6] He took part in the fighting against the occupation of the Rhine and Ruhr area by French troops.

[10][11] Schabbel maintained links to Berlin and, through the Soviet commercial agency there, provided communications to Moscow until June 1941.

[12] In May 1936, HARRY II introduced Weiss to two other Soviet agents who worked at the Royal Aircraft Establishment in Farnborough, Hampshire.

[13] In the same period, HARRY II introduced Weiss to Germaine Schneider a courier for the Soviet espionage network run by Leopold Trepper in France, Belgium and the Low Countries.

The group provided Trepper with intelligence on General Henri Giraud, the Dieppe Raid, coverage of Allied bombings in France and planning for Operation Torch.

According to Horst Kopkow of Reich Security Main Office AMT IV A2, Robinson was held in custody in France, where he was repeatedly tortured, before being brought to the Moabit detention centre in Germany to stand trial by General Judge of the Luftwaffe Manfred Roeder at the same time as Harro Schulze-Boysen.

[22] The originals had been lost but photostats had survived and these were sent by Abwehr IIF in France to Abwehrstelle Belgium, where they were captured during the British advance.