Might anyone be able to help?
In May 1943 the British Special Operations Executive sent William Stephenson, their man in New York, photographs and bio details of four Soviet agents who were being shipped back to Russia for trial after refusing to be parachuted into Austria with what they claimed were faulty documents. Stephenson is supposed to have informed the FBI as the three men and one woman had info that the US might find useful (NKVD training, names etc). They were supposed to jump ship in Panama and be helped get to US but they only managed it in Los Angeles. They made their way to Vancouver and claimed political asyslum. The Russian consul got involved and their application was refused, they were shipped back to USSR and sentenced to ten years in the Gulag.
I'm awaiting an FOI request to FBI but have yet to find any documentation of their case in Canada. Any ideas?
http://www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/tbsf-fsct/350-57-eng.asp
This is a link to apply for documents under FOI in Canada. Have you been in contact with any academics or authors who have written about this or related events in war time Canada? They may be worth speaking with as they may have information or documents from their research even if it wasn't useful for them personally. You could try FOI in Russia too but that is still a bit iffy and there is a language barrier possibly too. But it may be useful to check out the receiving end of the case of the 4 agents.
Also a link to the Canadian military history museum research center
here. They may be a good place to start.
Links much appreciated Magda.
and general ideas for who to contact. Anyone know any Canadian WW2 historians with knowledge/access to 1943 government papers?
Bernard - welcome to DPF.
Stephenson is a slippery and duplicitous player - see eg his links with OSS, then CIA,
here.
In addition, one of the areas of investigation of several researchers here is the degree of deep political oneness between supposedly warring intelligence agencies and ruling elites. The incident you describe in your opening post may provide further evidence that much of the surface conflict was essentially theatre.
Ideas appreciated and welcome. I'll enquire with the historians. THANKS.
Quote: 'It's keeping to the average that keeps the average down.' (On back of a matchbox)
[quote=Jan Klimkowski]Bernard - welcome to DPF.
Stephenson is a slippery and duplicitous player - see eg his links with OSS, then CIA, here.
In addition, one of the areas of investigation of several researchers here is the degree of deep political oneness between supposedly warring intelligence agencies and ruling elites. The incident you describe in your opening post may provide further evidence that much of the surface conflict was essentially theatre.
Worth a shot to contact the Canadian historians. They'll have more local knowlwdge of the story and the documentation trials. I don't know them personally. I don't know what country you are in but I am fairly sure that in the UK there is a SOE ex servicemen's Association of some description. I was in a sister unit elsewhere and such things exist. I'm not finding it on a quick google but I did find this:
http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/relea...efault.htm I expect it to be highly edited though
Thanks yet again. I've been through the National Archives files on the Soviet agents infiltrated into W. Europe and have all the memos, telegrams and correspondence from London to Moscow/New York but none of Stephenson's to FBI. Whether he was involved with the Canadian government's refusal to grant political asylum, I don't know.
I await responses generated from your suggestions.