Spies, Intelligence, Espionage of Cold War

Category: Spies, Intelligence, Espionage of Cold War --- See latest Cold War news here.

For Americans who spy against the U.S. it's no longer about the money
Americans who spy against the U.S. are more and more motivated by ideology rather than by money, with almost half of the known spies since the end of the Cold War showing allegiance to another country or cause. Prior to 1990 only 20% were ideologically motivated. Recent report compares trends among the 173 Americans known to have spied against the U.S. since 1947, of which 37 began their spying since 1990. Only 5 of those 37 spies are known to have got payment. Of the 11 spies id'd since 2000, none was paid. In earlier periods, money has proven to be a much more powerful sole motive.
by ap :: 2008-04-09 :: Spies, Intelligence, Espionage of Cold War

Spy-vs-spy in Cold War tunnel archives
The recently revealed details of a U.S.-built tunnel to East Berlin brings new debate to the spy-vs.-spy Cold War battle. Intelligence officials began building the tunnel in August 1954 and got 300 yards into Soviet East Berlin 18-months later. The CIA and British intelligence tapped 3 cables between East Berlin and Soviet sources, gathering 25-tons of magnetic tape worth of Soviet secrets. The archives say that in spite of awareness of the tunnel's eventual discovery, U.S. officials hailed it as an breakthrough. The Soviet Union and East Germans detected the tunnel April 22, 1956, and called it as a propaganda victory revealing the enemy's "filthy trick."
by earthtimes :: 2008-01-28 :: Spies, Intelligence, Espionage of Cold War

MI5 officer Charles Elwell, who broke the Portland island spy ring, died
A former MI5 officer who helped to crush the Portland spy ring in the 1960s has passed away at 88. Charles Elwell played a essential part in revealing 5 KGB agents. He was a master spycatcher who made his name by targeting Russian agents during the Cold War. Elwell achieved his greatest success when the KGB tried to get hold of military secrets by using the Portland spy ring, led by Konon Molody. Elwell's role in the unmasking began when a Russian mole called Sniper told the CIA secrets were reaching Moscow from Portland. MI5 were informed the information was coming from the Admiralty Underwater Weapons Establishment on the island.
by thisisdorset :: 2008-01-24 :: Spies, Intelligence, Espionage of Cold War

Canada's official spy souvenir shop off limits to ordinary citizens
Canada's official spy souvenir shop is the perfect complement to the country's spy museum. They're both top-secret building that are off limits to average Canadians. Word of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service's museum, featuring espionage cameras and other Cold War paraphernalia, leaked to the media years ago. But a newly released files suggests CSIS also runs a non-profit "souvenir shop," available only to those with proper security clearance. "For individuals wishing to purchase items from the Souvenir Shop, they can do so by stating what they want and putting the money in an envelope," say the minutes of a meeting at CSIS HQs in Ottawa.
by canadianpress :: 2008-01-19 :: Spies, Intelligence, Espionage of Cold War

9 Britons who betrayed their country to the Soviet Union and KGB
Russia's spy service has formally identified Britons who betrayed their country to the Soviet Union. Moscow's foreign intelligence service, the SVR, has posted the details of 9 Britons who worked for the Kremlin on its website, along with 13 Russians who too spied on the UK. The SVR has 'outed' some agents who claimed that they had either never been in the pay of Moscow or had only done so with reluctance. Moscow has also praised John Cairncross for assisting the Red Army to one of their greatest World War II victories. The SVR has published the 'heroes gallery' as part of a drive to draw in recruits.
by scotsman :: 2008-01-09 :: Spies, Intelligence, Espionage of Cold War

An American 'regular guy' was a Russian top spy - George Koval
He had all-American cover: born in Iowa, college in Manhattan, army buddies with whom he played baseball. George Koval was also a top Soviet spy, codenamed Delmar, trained by Stalin's bureau of military intelligence. Historians say Koval appears to have been one of the most important spies of the 20th century. On Nov. 2, the Kremlin announced that Putin had posthumously given the highest Russian award to a Soviet agent who in WWII had penetrated the Manhattan Project. The announcement hailed Koval as "the only Soviet intelligence officer" to infiltrate the project's secret plants. Since then, historians and old friends of Koval's have raced to unearth his story.
by iht :: 2007-11-17 ::

Soviet spy Aleksandr Feklisov dies at 93, stole US atomic secrets
Legendary Soviet spy Aleksandr Feklisov, who helped the Soviet Union get the secret formula for an atom bomb, has died at 93. He was responsible for stealing nuclear technology from the US - cutting half the time it took the Soviets to test an atomic weapon. The KGB handler also played a key role in bringing the USSR and the US back from the brink of a nuclear conflict during the Cuban missile crisis. Born in 1914, Feklisov joined the NKVD in 1940. A handler who recruited agents and gathered information, he was sent to Washington and London to track down the nuclear formula.
by russiatoday :: 2007-10-29 :: Spies, Intelligence, Espionage of Cold War

Oleg Gordievsky honoured - The highest ranking Soviet spy to defect
Former Soviet spy Oleg Gordievsky who defected to Britain will be honoured by the Queen. He will be made a Companion of the Most Distinguished Order of St Michael and St George. The one-time KGB colonel's honour is the same accolade held by fictional James Bond. Gordievsky who became the highest ranking Soviet spy to defect to the West, is being recognised for services to UK security. Disillusioned with the situation in his homeland, he operated as a double agent during the Cold War. He passed on an unprecedented amount of information to British security while serving as KGB bureau chief in London.
by bbc :: 2007-10-22 :: Spies, Intelligence, Espionage of Cold War

Support group for Spies: From East German Spooks to Victims
Most agree: Those who worked for the East German secret police should not hold positions of power in the reunified country. But some of the ex-spies feel they are subject to discrimination, and do what they can to support each other. "Stasi methods!" It's one of the worst insults at the German state. But even now it remains a popular insult in Berlin. A former judge Hans-Herbert Nehmer in the communist German Democratic Republic (GDR)thinks East Germany remains under constant attack: "Germany is dominated by West propaganda and anti-communist hardliner politics which bedevil the image of the GDR".
by spiegel :: 2007-06-13 :: Spies, Intelligence, Espionage of Cold War

The lost 20 years of CIA spies caught in China trap
Lured by a double agent and jailed secretly, the story of Jack Downey and Richard Fecteau is one of the most extraordinary in espionage. On a spring morning in 1973 an emaciated man made his way across the Lo Wu bridge from China into Hong Kong. A British soldier at the frontier post saluted him as he approached. This was 'the first act of dignity shown to him in 20 years'. His name was Jack Downey. He was a CIA agent, and since 1952 he and Richard Fecteau had languished in a Chinese prison, often in solitary confinement, secret hostages in the Cold War between the U.S. and China.
by timesonline :: 2007-04-26 :: Spies, Intelligence, Espionage of Cold War

Alger Hiss: Cold War's most famous spy case gets a new look
Scholars probing anew into the Cold War's most famous espionage case suggested that another U.S. diplomat, not Alger Hiss, was the Soviet agent code-named Ales, and a stepson of Hiss said his chief accuser had invented the spy allegations after his sexual advances were rejected. The two claims, presented at a daylong symposium titled "Alger Hiss & History", provided startling new information that, if true, could point toward a posthumous vindication of Hiss, who was accused of feeding U.S. secrets to Moscow and spent nearly 5 years in prison for perjury before his death in 1996 at age 92.
by newsday :: 2007-04-06 :: Spies, Intelligence, Espionage of Cold War

Soviet spy seduced girls in British embassy
A Soviet spy, who employed his skills of seduction to gather secrets, infiltrated Britain's embassy in Prague. The agent, codenamed Victor, was recruited by the Czech StB secret police in 1959 after they spotted his charisma. Once trained, the spy, whose real name was Jiri Bartos, was unleashed on lonely secretaries at the embassy where he was activated as a "social agent". "His job was to seduce the girls at the embassy and the wives of delegation staff. He was supposed to be in love with them and he was very successful." The revelation comes as the Czech Republic opens its huge Cold War archive.
by telegraph :: 2007-03-31 :: Spies, Intelligence, Espionage of Cold War

Ex-KGB double agent on hunger strike in U.K. for defector pension
A former Russian KGB spy has gone on a hunger strike in Britain demanding a decent defector's pension for passing secrets to British intelligence during the Cold War. A former double agent, Viktor Makarov fled to the U.K. hoping to continue his career in intelligence. But his dream did not materialize, and Makarov has since survived on benefits in a small town. Makarov was arrested in 1987 and released after 5 years in a Soviet labor camp. He was then smuggled to the U.K. with the help of the British Secret Intelligence Service MI6. The British govt has denied Makarov a pension, as he is not officially recognized as a defector.
by rian :: 2007-03-28 :: Spies, Intelligence, Espionage of Cold War

Czech secret agents trained to infiltrate Germany in the early 1970s
The Czechoslovak communist military counter-intelligence trained secret commando units to infiltrate West Germany in the 1970s. Some 100 agents in this top secret setup were meant to carry out tasks such as sabotage and murders in the event of a World War III. The files were found in the archives of the military intelligence service. They contain information about a unit that was set up following warnings from the Soviet Union of a similar plot across the border in West Germany. A general in the Soviet intelligence service warned of a danger to the Warsaw Pact, and urged the allies in Prague to set up their own top secret sabotage unit.
by dw-world :: 2007-02-25 :: Spies, Intelligence, Espionage of Cold War

Long-forgotten U.S. Cold War spies remembered
During the Korean War, a plane carrying two agents from the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) (John Downey and Richard Fecteau) crashed in the Chinese province of Jilin on Nov 29, 1952. The two were in a mission to meet with Chinese anti-government activists. After being caught by Chinese People's Liberation Army, they spent 20 years in prison. A CIA report "Two CIA Prisoners in China, 1952-73" documents the men's story. The report shows the reality of anti-communist operations. At that time, the U.S. undertook operations to nurture "a third anti-communist force" in China, because the Kuomintang had been discredited by the Chinese people.
by hani :: 2007-01-27 :: Spies, Intelligence, Espionage of Cold War

Polish Church and the communist-era secret police
Poland's Roman Catholic Church is to investigate whether any of its senior members collaborated with the communist-era secret police. The decision was made at an emergency meeting of the country's 45 bishops triggered by the dramatic resignation of Warsaw's archbishop Stanislaw Wielgus, who quit after he confessed to collaborating with the communist police. Historians estimate that up to 15% of Polish clergy agreed to inform on their colleagues in the communist era.
by bbc :: 2007-01-17 :: Spies, Intelligence, Espionage of Cold War

Cold war spying never really ended
The Cold War ended long ago, but the arrest of a Russian spy in Montreal suggests the stealth battles between spies and spy-catchers that characterized the Soviet era continue. Although counterterrorism has been at the centre of Canada's security, the government has been dropping hints about a spike in spying, called the world's second-oldest profession. Intelligence chief Jim Judd said in a speech that "foreign espionage is, if anything, growing and, in fact, becoming more sophisticated than ever through the application of new technologies."
by nationalpost :: 2006-11-22 :: Spies, Intelligence, Espionage of Cold War

Markus Wolf - East German Spymaster Without a Face - Dies
Markus Wolf, the East German spymaster known as "the Man Without a Face" because the West didn't have his photo until the late 1970s, died on the 17th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. He was 83. Wolf, who earned the Russian nickname "Mischa" after spending more than a decade of his youth in the Soviet Union, died unexpectedly in Berlin, his publisher said. During Wolf's 34-year tenure as the head of the HVA foreign intelligence section of East Germany's Ministry of State Security, or Stasi, he sent thousands of agents across the Iron Curtain.
by bloomberg :: 2006-11-13 :: Spies, Intelligence, Espionage of Cold War

Secret of Cold War Spy Messages Revealed
The invisible ink formula used by East German secret police to pass messages during the Cold War has remained classified, until now. The Stasi, a feared and highly covert police force modeled after the KGB, communicated top-secret messages with invisible ink. More than 15 years since the fall of the Berlin Wall and the reunification, a group of scientists believe they've cracked the well-guarded chemical code. "This is a first, since spy agencies' secret writing formulas and methods are super-secret and never made public," said Kristie Macrakis.
by livescience :: 2006-11-13 :: Spies, Intelligence, Espionage of Cold War

Cold war papers reveal cover-up over diver's mysterious death
Government records released shed new light on a famous cold war mystery surrounding the disappearance of a navy diver said to have been the model for James Bond. Commander Lionel "Buster" Crabb went missing during a dive off Portsmouth in April 1956, the year of Suez and the Hungarian uprising, amid claims that he had been spying on Soviet ships during the visit of the USSR's leaders, Nikita Khruschev and Nikolai Bulganin. There was speculation at the time, including that the Soviet leadership had given him a job or ordered his execution.
by guardian :: 2006-10-29 :: Spies, Intelligence, Espionage of Cold War

How the Cold War Began -- The Hunt for Soviet Spies
On Sept. 5, 1945, Igor Gouzenko left his post at the Soviet Embassy in Ottawa for the last time. Gouzenko, a cipher clerk for Red Army Intelligence, the GRU, had made a momentous decision -- to defect and bring along documentation detailing the Soviet Union's extensive espionage operations in Canada. Gouzenko's information, which related not only to Soviet penetrations in Canada but also to those in the U.S. and Britain, resulted in the first postwar spy scandal, which undercut positive feelings toward the Soviet Union that had been generated by the concluded Allied effort against Nazi Germany.
by washingtonpost :: 2006-09-06 :: Spies, Intelligence, Espionage of Cold War

History's best spies and covert operators
With the release of the Venona Papers, U.S./British deciphered Soviet secret messages from 1946 to 1980, and KGB archivist Vasili Mitronkin's two books on the smuggled-out KGB files, much is now known about the KGB's espionage. As noted by Peter Earnest, a 35-year CIA vet and the Spy Museum director: You can't pick up a newspaper without reading how intelligence has succeeded or failed. "I Lie for a Living: Greatest Spies of All Time" presents the best spies and covert operators known to history. It contains photos and profiles of the patriots, traitors and adventurers that have dealt in the dark trade of espionage.
by philly :: 2006-08-22 :: Spies, Intelligence, Espionage of Cold War

Russian gets 13-year sentence for passing secrets to MI6
A retired Russian special services colonel has been sentenced to 13 years in a penal colony for passing state secrets to MI6, in the espionage episode pitting London against Moscow. The ruling by the Moscow district military court was announced after a closed trial in which Sergey Skripal, 55, was prosecuted for high treason in the form of espionage. Experts say that despite the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991, western and Russian spies are still locked in a battle for military secrets.
by guardian :: 2006-08-12 :: Spies, Intelligence, Espionage of Cold War

Spy criticized CIA's handling of defectors
F. Mark Wyatt, a former CIA agent who spent 3 decades on the front lines of Cold War espionage and who in retirement worked to improve the lives of Soviet-bloc defectors, died. After years of helping woo potential defectors, Wyatt believed the CIA could do a better job of helping former spies adjust to their new lives in this country. Several top officials redefected because of the shabby treatment they received.
by washingtonpost :: 2006-07-19 :: CIA during Cold War

The Soviet's longest serving KGB spy in the UK
The Cold War spy Melita Norwood, whose secret life was unmasked 6 years ago has died aged 93. Mrs Norwood worked for the KGB for 40 years and was believed to be the Soviet's longest serving spy in the UK. In the 1940s she was a secretary with the Non Ferrous Metals Research Association and passed on vital secrets of Britain's nuclear weapons programme. A lifelong communist, Mrs Norwood said she had wanted to help Russia's "new system".
by bbc :: 2005-06-28 :: Spies, Intelligence, Espionage of Cold War

Cold War in the News is an edited review of hand-picked Cold War related news and articles.