Elizabeth Bentley | |
|---|---|
 Bentley in 1948 | |
| Born | Elizabeth Terrill Bentley January 1, 1908 New Milford, Connecticut, U.S. |
| Died | December 3, 1963 (aged 55) |
| Alma mater | Vassar College (1926–1930) Columbia University (1933) University of Florence |
| Occupation(s) | Teacher, spy |
| Espionage activity | |
| Allegiance | Soviet Union (defected) United States |
| Service branch | Communist Party USA (defected) FBI |
| Codename | Gregory |
Elizabeth Terrill Bentley (January 1, 1908 – December 3, 1963) was an American NKVD spymaster, who was recruited from within the Communist Party USA (CPUSA). She served the Soviet Union as the primary handler of multiple highly placed moles within both the United States Federal Government and the Office of Strategic Services from 1938 to 1945. She defected by contacting the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and debriefing about her espionage activities.
Bentley became widely known after testifying as a prosecution witness in a number of trials and before the United States Congress' House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC). Bentley was subsequently paid by the FBI for both her assistance in counterespionage investigations and her testimony before Congressional subcommittees. Bentley exposed two spy networks and ultimately accused more than 80 American citizens of both treason and espionage for a foreign power.[1][2]
- ^ Olmsted 2002, p. 100
- ^ Haynes, John Earl; Klehr, Harvey (October 25, 2005). In Denial: Historians, Communism, and Espionage. Encounter Books. pp. 76, 77. ISBN 1-59403-088-X.