Spies: The Rise and Fall of the KGB in America (121 page)

66. Excerpts from Mary Jane Keeney's diary and from the Keeneys' correspondence, serials 1938 and 2661, FBI Silvermaster file 65-56402.

67. Ibid.

68. Ibid.

69. "Grigory" to Moscow Center, i July 1947, KGB file 43173, v.2, p. 176; Letter to Moscow Center, 19 August 1948, KGB file 43173, v4, PP. 370-71, Vassiliev,
Black, 62, 71.

70. Background memoranda of Philip and Mary Jane Keeney, serial 2127, FBI
Silvermaster file 65-56402; U.S. House Committee on Un-American Activities, Testimony of Philip O. Keeney and Mary Jane Keeney and Statement Regarding Their
Background: Hearings (Washington, D.C.: U.S. Govt. Print. Off., 1949), 221-77;
Arthur Edson, "Ex-U.S. Aide Tells," Washington Post, io June 1949; John Fisher,
"Reveal Ex-Aid Tried," Chicago Tribune, io June 1949.

71. "Grigory" to Moscow Center, 1 July 1947, KGB file 43173, v.2, p. 176; Letter of Moscow Center, 19 August 1948, KGB file 43173, v4, PP. 370-71, Vassiliev,
Black, 62, 71; Background memoranda of Philip and Mary Jane Keeney, serial 2127,
FBI Silvermaster file 65-56402; "Lie Won't Rehire," New York Times, 26 September 1951; Testimony of Mary Jane Keeney, 18 February 1952, U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary, Institute of Pacific Relations (Washington, D.C.: U.S. Govt.
Print. Off., 1951-52), part 8, 2773-2380; "List of Accused U.S. Employees on U.N.
Payroll," Chicago Tribune, 2 June 1953; "Ex-Aide of U.S.," New York Times, 18
March 1953; "Mrs. Keeney Freed," New York Times, 5 April 1955. The authors
thank Louise S. Robbins for generously sharing her background material on the
Keeneys.

72. Zarubin to Merkulov, "Memorandum (on the station's work in the country),"
30 September 1944, KGB file 35112, v.1, p. 396, Vassiliev, White #1, 3; Memo, 26
July 1957, KGB file 14449, v2, P. 346, Vassiliev, White #2, 8o; KGB Vienna to
Moscow Center, i8 April 1953, KGB file 30595, v.4, p. 199, Alexander Vassiliev, Yellow Notebook #3 [2007 English Translation], trans. Philip Redko (1993-96), 94.
Venona 854 KGB New York to Moscow, i6 June 1942; Venona 958 KGB New York
to Moscow, 21 June 1943; Venona 1025, 1035-1936 KGB New York to Moscow, 30
June 1943; Venona 769 and 771 KGB New York to Moscow, 30 May 1944. Foster s
espionage career is discussed in John Earl Haynes and Harvey Klehr, Venona: Decoding Soviet Espionage in America (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1999), 119,
272-73.

73. Jane Foster, An Unamerican Lady (London: Sidgwick and Jackson, ig8o).

74. Zarubin to Merkulov, "Memorandum (on the station's work in the country),"
30 September 1944, KGB file 35112, v.1, p. 383, Vassiliev, White #i, 1; "Vadim" to
Moscow Center, 1 September 1945, KGB file 45100, v.1, p. 67, Vassiliev, White #3,
132. Venona 1397 KGB New York to Moscow, 4 October 1944; Venona 726-729
New York to Moscow, 22 May 1942. Venona 387 New York to Moscow, 12 June
1942, deals With Scott but is badly garbled. On Scott's background and Communist
ties, see Haynes and Klehr, Venona (2000), 194-95.

75. Haynes and Klehr, Venona (2000), 181-83, 192-94. Examples of Communists who passed beyond Donovan's Willingness to tolerate included Leonard Mins and Stephen Dedijer, fired for displaying excessive Communist partisanship. Mills
was, in fact, a GRU source. The plans for a formal OSS-KGB relationship are discussed and citations from the notebooks are provided in Allen Weinstein and Alexander Vassiliev, The Haunted Wood: Soviet Espionage in America-The Stalin Era
(New York: Random House, 1999), 238-48.

1. "On the tasks of the USA station," April 1934, KGB file 17407, v.1, pp. 7576; Prudnikov, "Report on intelligence in the USA," 12 April 1941, KGB file 35112,
v.1, pp. 68-69; "XY network," 1 May 1943, KGB file 40594, v.6, p. 134, Alexander
Vassiliev, Black Notebook [2007 English Translation], trans. Philip Redko (199396), 4, 117, 172-73.

2. "May" to Moscow Center, z September 1944, KGB file 35112, v.2, p. 54,
Alexander Vassiliev, White Notebook #1 [2007 English Translation], trans. Steven
Shabad (1993-96), 55; "Agent network," 1 February 1945, KGB file 40594, v.7,
pp. 17-18, Vassiliev, Black, 119. Emphasis in the original. Venom 863 KGB New
York to Moscow, 16 June 1944; Venona 1251 KGB New York to Moscow, 2 September 1944; Verona 1657 KGB New York to Moscow, 27 November 1944; Venona
200 Moscow to KGB New York, 6 March 1945; Venona 325 Moscow to KGB New
York, 5 April 1945. Steven Usdin in 2005 suggested Sussman as a candidate for "Nil."
Steven Usdin, Engineering Comiouoism (New Haven: Yale University Press, 2005),
296.

3. John J. O'Conner, "TV: `Rosenberg-Sobell Revisited' Offers New Thinking
on Spy Case," New York Times, 1g June 1978; Morton Sobell, On Doing Tittle (San
Francisco: Golden Gate National Parks Association, 2001).

4. "Agent network," 1 February 1945, KGB file 40594, v.7, p. 23, Vassiliev,
Black, 120. Other references to Sobell's espionage are found at: Moscow Center to
"Anton," 14 January 1945; Moscow Center ("Victor") to "Anton," 23 February 1945,
KGB file 40159, v.3, pp. 461, 473, Vassiliev, Black, 113, 132. Moscow Center to KGB
New York, 12 March 1948; Moscow Center to "Uglov," 8 June 1948, KGB file 40159,
v5, PP. 50-51, 147, Vassiliev, Black, 127-28. "Agent network," i February 1945;
"Grouping of probationers as of March 1945"; "Callistratus" report on a meeting with
"Meter," KGB file 40594, v-7, PP. 14-15,97-98,353, Vassiliev, Black, 119, 125, 13536. Seine nov to Fitin, 29 November 1944; "Memo to Fitin for period from 1.01
through 13.02.45," KGB file 40129, v.3a, PP. 205, 350, 354, Vassiliev, White #1, 11011, 116. Venona 976 KGB New York to Moscow, 11 July 1944, mentioned a Soviet
source with the cover name "Relay," and here the NSA/FBI footnote said, "Possibly
Morton Sobell." But this tentative identification was withdrawn in Venona 1251 KGB
New York to Moscow, 2 September 1944, which stated that "Relay's" cover name had
been changed to "Serb," with the NSA/FBI footnote stating, "BELAY has been tentatively identified as Morton Sobell. However, the only other reference to SERB is in
New York's no. 5o of 1i January 1945 and would not appear to refer to Sobell." In
this latter message "Serb" was designated as unidentified by NSA/FBI analysts. One
other message dealt with "Relay"/"Serb": Venona 943 KGB New York to Moscow, 4 July 1944, mentioned "Relay," and the NSA/FBI footnote has "Relay" as unidentified. This message noted that "Relay" had an artificial leg. In a theatrical display, Sobell ignored the NSA's withdrawal of the tentative identification of "Relay" as Sobell
and pretended that he had been identified as "Relay" by NSA/FBI analysts. At a public conference he pulled up his pants to demonstrate that he did not have an artificial leg and pronounced this proof that no identification in Venona could be trusted.
The reasonable way to consider the identification of "Relay"/"Serb" is to look at all
four messages, not just one. NSA/FBI analysts had "Relay" or "Serb" unidentified in
two messages, had a third in which "Relay" was "possibly Morton Sobell," but then
had a fourth in which they explicitly withdrew their tentative Sobell identification.
That NSA/FBI did not conclude "Relay" or "Serb" was Sobell was clear to any reasonable researcher. Sobell's objection was a contrivance. Morton Sobell, "An Examination of the Authenticity of the Venona `Intercepts"' (http://rosenbergtrial.Org/doc
sobven.html) (2002). Sam Roberts, "Figure in Rosenberg Case Admits to Spying,"
New York Times, ii September 2008.

5. Robert Meeropol, An Execution in the Family: One Son's Journey (New
York: St. Martin's Press, 2003), 224; Usdin, Engineering Communism, 42-43;
Moscow Center to KGB New York, 12 September 1942, KGB file 40159, v.3, p. 195,
Vassiliev, Black, io8; Elizabeth Bentley, FBI Deposition, 3o November 1945, serial
220, p. io6, FBI Silvermaster file 65-56402; Ronald Radosh and Joyce Milton, The
Rosenberg File (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1997), 176.

6. "Conversation with Leonid about work in the station," 12 September 1944,
KGB file 35112, v.1, p. 347, Vassiliev, Black, 187-88. Prokhorov's/"Leonid's" debriefing has closing quotes but not opening ones, but in the context the latter are
clearly intended and are inserted here. Zarubin to Merkulov, "Memorandum (on
the station's work in the country)," 30 September 1944, KGB file 35112, v.1, pp. 4078, Vassiliev, White #1, 8.

7. Semenov to Fitin, 29 November 1944; KGB New York to Moscow Center,
20 September 1944, KGB file 40129, v.3a, pp. 168, 205-7, Vassiliev, White #i, io8,
110-11. Venona 1340 New York to Moscow, 21 September 1944.

8. "Report by `Callistratus' on his trip to the U.S.," 27 February 1947, KGB file
40129, v.3a, p. 354, Vassiliev, White #1, 120; Alexander Feklisov and Sergei Kostin,
The Man Behind the Rosenbergs, trans. Catherine Dop (New York: Enigma Books,
2001).

9. Venona 16oo KGB New York to Moscow, 14 November 1944; Venona 16og
KGB New York to Moscow, 17 November 1944; Memo to Fitin for period from i
January through 13 February 1945, KGB file 40129, v.3a, p. 350, Vassiliev, White
#1, 116.

10. "Agent network," 1 February 1945, KGB file 40594, v.7, pp. 15-20, 23-26,
48-49, Vassiliev, Black, 119-22. Emphasis in the original. "Mutterperl" was William
Perl's birth name.

ii. "Report by `Callistratus' on his trip to the U.S.," 27 February 1947, KGB file
40129, v.3a, pp. 380-8i, Vassiliev, White #1, 121-22.

12. Venona 717 KGB New York to Moscow, io May 1944; Venona 732 KGB
New York to Moscow, 20 May 1944; Venona 854 KGB New York to Moscow, 16 June 1944; Venona 1048 KGB New York to Moscow, 25 July 1944; Venona 1251
KGB New York to Moscow, 2 September 1944; Venona 1314 KGB New York to
Moscow, 14 September 1944; Venona 1491 KGB New York to Moscow, 22 October
1944; Venona 1536 KGB New York to Moscow, 28 October 1944; Venona 1797 KGB
New York to Moscow, 20 December 1944; Venona 954 Moscow to KGB New York,
20 September 1944; Venona 154 Moscow to KGB New York, 16 February 1945;
Venona 224 Moscow to KGB New York, 13 March 1945; Venona 305 Moscow to
KGB New York, 1 April 1945. Feklisov and Kostin, Man Behind, 137-47.

13. "Victor" to "Anton," 23 February 1945, KGB file 40159, v. 3, pp. 472-74,
Vassiliev, Black, 132-33.

14. "Grouping of probationers as of March 1945"; KGB New York to Moscow
Center, 26 June 1945, KGB file 40594, v7, PP. 97, 134, Vassiliev, Black, 124, 135.
Closing quote supplied after "using our password."

15. Moscow Center to "Vadim," Moscow Center to "Sergey," 22 November
1945, KGB file 70545, pp. 402-3, Alexander Vassiliev, White Notebook #2 12007 English Translation], trans. Steven Shabad (1993-96), 30; "Callistratus's" report on the
meetings with "Meter" and "Liberal," circa December 1945, KGB file 40594, v7,
pp. 352-55, Vassiliev, Black, 125-26. Opening single quote supplied for "No, I am
waiting...." The original notebook has "Helen" and "Helene."

16. Bentley, Deposition 1945, io6; Radosh and Milton, Rosenberg File (1997),
176; Usdin, Engineering Communism, 58-59, 294.

17. "Petrov" to KGB New York, 27 October 1945, KGB file 82702, v.1, p. 430,
Alexander Vassiliev, Yellow Notebook #1 12007 English Translation], trans. Philip
Redko (1993-96), 34.

18. Moscow Center to KGB New York, 12 March 1948; Moscow Center to
"Stepan" and "August," 6 May 1948; Moscow Center to Uglov, 8 June 1948; Moscow
Center to Uglov, 7 July 1948, KGB file 40159, v.5, pp. 50-51, 128, 147-48, 173, Vassiliev, Black, 127-28. Moscow Center to "August," 1 March 1948, KGB file 86192,
v.i, pp. 5o-51, Vassiliev, Yellow #1, 41.

1g. Moscow Center to "Bob," 28 October 1948; Moscow Center to "Bob," 7 December 1948, KGB file 40159, v5, pp. 238, 278, 282-83, Vassiliev, Black, 130-31.
On Finestone, see Ronald Radosh and Joyce Milton, The Rosenberg File: A Search
for the Truth (New York: Holt, Rinehart, and Winston, 1983), 307-14. "Plumb" in
1944 was Charles Kramer. Cover names were reused from time to time, and this
"Plumb" was a different person.

20. The story of Barr and Sarant in the Soviet Union is told in Usdin, Engineering Communism. On Sobell and Perl, see Radosh and Milton, Rosenberg File (1997),
and John Earl Haynes and Harvey Klehr, Early Cold War Spies: The Espionage Trials That Shaped American Politics (New York: Cambridge University Press, 2006).

21. New York Special Agent memo "Re: Nathan Sussman," 6 December 1950,
serial 975; FBI New York teletype to FBI Washington "Re: Nathan Sussman," 17
January 1951, serial 1055; FBI New York teletype to FBI Washington "Re: Nathan
Sussman," 18 January 1951, serial io6o; FBI New York teletype to FBI Washington,
21 March 1951, serial 1489, FBI Julius Rosenberg file 65-15348.

22. Statement of Nathan Sussman, 30 October 1953, U.S. Senate Committee on Government Operations, Executive Sessions of the Senate Permanent Subcorn-
mittee on Investigations of the Committee on Government Operations (Washington,
D.C.: U.S. Govt. Print. Off., 2003), v.4, io6-ii; Nathan Sussman testimony, 8 December 1953, U.S. Senate Committee on Government Operations, Arms/ Signal
Corps-Subversion and Espionage (Washington. D.C.: U.S. Govt. Print. Off., 1954),
part 1, 57-59.

23. "Agent network," i February 1945, KGB file 40594, v.7, pp. 27-28, Vassiliev,
Black, 120. Prior to "Block," Urewich had the cover name "Fisherman." Venona 1052
KGB New York to Moscow, z6 July 1944.

24. "Agent network," i February 1945, KGB file 40594, v.7, pp. 21-22, Vassiliev,
Black, 120; Venona 5o KGB New York to Moscow, ii January 1945; Venona 1052
KGB New York to Moscow, z6 July 1944; Semenov to Fitin, circa 1944, KGB file
40129, v.3a, p. 204, Vassiliev, White #1, 110.

25. Venona 1405 KGB New York to Moscow, 27 August 1943; Venona 1403
KGB New York to Moscow, 5 October 1944; Venona 1509 KGB New York to
Moscow, 23 October 1944. KGB New York to Moscow Center, 8 February 1943,
KGB file 40594, v.6, p. 43; Moscow Center to "Vadim," "Work on the XY line, " 25
June 1945, KGB file 43173, v.2, p. 83, Vassiliev, Black, 69, 115.

26. "James Herbert Hibben," Journal of the Washington Acadein y o f Sciences 49,
no. 6 (1959): 196.

27. Stuart G. Hibben, Aristocrat and Proletarian: The E1-traordinanj Life q f Paxton Pattison Hibben (Tamarac, FL: Llumina Press, 2006).