Nathan Gregory Silvermaster

Nathan Gregory Silvermaster
Silvermaster giving testimony before the US Senate Internal Security Subcommittee
Born(1898-11-27)November 27, 1898
Odessa, Russian Empire
DiedOctober 7, 1964(1964-10-07) (aged 65)
Known forSilvermaster spy ring
SpouseElena Witte aka Helen P. Silvermaster

Nathan Gregory Silvermaster (November 27, 1898 – October 7, 1964), an economist with the United States War Production Board (WPB) during World War II, was the head of a large ring of Communist spies in the U.S. government.[1] It is from him that the FBI Silvermaster File,[2] documenting the Bureau's investigation into Communist penetration of the Federal government during the 1930s and 1940s, takes its name. His wife, Helen and stepson, Anatole Volkov, were members of his ring.

He was identified as a Soviet agent in the WPB operating under the code names Pel,[3] Pal, "Paul"[4] in the Venona decrypts; and as "Robert" both in Venona[5] and independently by defecting Soviet intelligence courier Elizabeth Bentley.[6]

  1. ^ Herken 2002, pg. 88
  2. ^ FBI SilvermasterFile 65-56402 Archived 2012-08-02 at archive.today
  3. ^ "1017 KGB New York to Moscow, June 29/30, 1943, pg. 2". Archived from the original on 2008-02-27. Retrieved 2007-07-16.
  4. ^ "888 KGB New York to Moscow, June 9, 1943, pg. 2". Archived from the original on February 27, 2008. Retrieved July 16, 2007.
  5. ^ "1787 KGB New York to Moscow, 19 December 1944, pg. 1". Archived from the original on 27 February 2008. Retrieved 16 July 2007.
  6. ^ FBI Report, Underground Soviet Espionage Organization (NKVD) in Agencies of the United States Government[permanent dead link], October 21, 1946 (FBI Silvermaster file, Volume 82), pg. 12 (PDF, pg. 17)