Overview
In 2002 a long buried Soviet state secret started to surface with publication of the book The GRU and the Atom Bomb by Russian historian Vladimir Lota. The secret was that Soviet Military Intelligence (GRU) had planted a very productive spy, codename DELMAR, in the U.S. Manhattan Project during WWII. Later, in November 2007, Vladimir Putin posthumously and publicly awarded DELMAR the Russian Federation's highest national honor, the Hero of Russia Medal. In doing so, Putin identified DELMAR as Zhorzh Abramovich Koval. Most unusual, however, was the fact that Zhorzh Abramovich Koval was born George Abraham Koval in America. Moreover, his status as a Soviet agent was not news to the Federal Bureau of Investigation—it had opened a case on George Abraham Koval in 1954 and it ran for 8 years. Indeed, the FBI learned that Koval had worked at the Oak Ridge facility aa well as another highly classified atomic installation. Notwithstanding such information, the investigation was closed on an assumption that Koval probably did little damage to U.S. national security. Zhorzh Abramovich Koval, a citizen of Russia, died in Moscow in January 2006. The organization of Part I of this essay attempts to follow the chronology of the FBI Koval investigation. Part II presents information indicating that Koval’s Hero of Russia award was more than justified [1]
Part I
At Washington 1954 : The Informant
The FBI investigation of George Koval began in early 1954. It grew out of information supplied by an informant, a defector, who was a “self-styled” former officer of Soviet Military Intelligence (GRU). This informant advised the Bureau as follows:
· That, in 1940-41, the GRU had an “illegal resident” in New York whose cover was a retail electrical appliance business, the Raven Electric Company in the Bronx.
· That other GRU agents in the U.S. were “sent to [the resident] and employed in his business.”
· That the illegal resident’s true name and codename were XXXXXX and YYYYYY, respectively. (Both are redacted in the FBI FOIA documents.)
· That the former illegal resident was back in Moscow at that time and working at GRU headquarters.
Based on the informant’s information the Bureau’s Washington Field Office (WFO) opened an investigation captioned, “UNSUB; aka (FNU) [codename redacted] (phonetic), (True Name), GRU illegal Soviet Agent in the United States From About 1938 Until About 1952, Now Employed at GRU Centre in Moscow.” In conjunction with this UNSUB investigation, FBI Washington directed New York to open investigations relative to the Raven Electric Company and all of its employees. One of the Raven employees then identified was one George Koval. In August 1954, the New York office filed an unknown subject (“unsub”) report on Koval with Washington Field Office and, subsequently, Washington directed New York to open an investigation captioned, George Koval, Espionage-R. The following month, September, having obtained a photograph of Koval, Washington Field interviewed the GRU informant with respect to the photo and other information. However, the informant “advised that he did not recognize the photograph of George Koval as anyone he has ever known in or out of Soviet intelligence circles. He stated that the name George Koval meant nothing to him.” Significantly, the Koval investigation and the “UNSUB (FNU)” investigation remained separate investigations for the next 8 years. [2]
At New York 1954 : Raven Electric Company
Employee records at Raven Electric Company (REC), nominally owned/operated by Benjamin W. Lassen, served as a starting point for the George Koval investigation. These and other records disclosed that by January 1941 Koval was employed at the Raven Electric Company. Furthermore, in a surprisingly brief period of time Koval had become a Director of the company and undertook business trips outside of the New York area. Although required by Selective Service law to register for the draft by October 1940, Koval did not register until January 2, 1941. In registering Koval gave his residence as Apartment I42, 3470 Cannon Place, Bronx, NY, indicating he sublet at that address from one Abraham Silver. In addition, Koval stated that Abraham Silver was “a friend who would always know his whereabouts.” On his Selective Service questionnaire dated March 19, 1941, Koval listed employment previous to Raven Electric as the Square Deal Clothing Company, Sioux City, from 1933 to 1936, and unspecified farming jobs at various intervals from 1933 to 1940. In April 1942, Raven Electric requested a three month Selective Service deferment for George Koval indicating that he was their “key man.” This was granted. Three months later, on July 20, 1942, one William A. Rose, representing Raven Electric Company, appeared in person at Local Board 126, Bronx, NY, and requested an extension of Koval’s deferment. This request was denied. Following expiration of his deferment, Koval was drafted. He was inducted into the Army on February 4, 1943. [3]
At Sioux City 1954 : “Louis KAVAL”
The records of the Veterans Administration, the Passport Office and the Atomic Energy Commission all disclosed that George Koval was born on December 25, 1913, at Sioux City, Iowa. Koval’s parents were listed as naturalized citizens who had emigrated from Poland but were deceased: “Bernard Abraham Koval, father, carpenter, born about 1885 near Pinsk, Poland, naturalized a U.S. citizen in about 1917 at Sioux City, Iowa, died February 1934 in Sioux City, Iowa; Ethel Koval, mother, born about 1888 near Pinsk, Poland, naturalized in 1917 at Sioux City, died in February, 1934, in Sioux City, Iowa.” The source of this information was George Koval. Specific leads were sent out to the FBI's Omaha, Nebraska, Field Office to confirm Koval’s birth and residence in Sioux City. Two months later, at the end of October 1954, New York sent a 23-page summary to Washington which included citizenship data on Koval established by Omaha. The Koval investigation, already significant because it was known that Koval had been assigned to the Manhattan Project, now became more problematic: No birth record for George Koval was found at the District Court, Woodbury County, Sioux City, Iowa. There was however a record for one Louis KAVAL born on January 22, 1912. Louis Kaval’s “father was listed as Abe KAVAL, age 30, born in Russia, occupation carpenter. The mother was listed as Ethel SHENISKE, age 28, born in Russia.” [4]
United States Army
When Koval was inducted at Fort Dix, NJ (boot camp) in February 1943, he gave his home address as 3451 Giles Place, Bronx, NY. He listed one Tillie Silver (“a friend at the same address”) as the person to be notified in case of emergency. His induction records showed that he had completed two and a half years at the University of Iowa studying Electrical Engineering (September 1929 to February, 1932), and one year of Organic Chemistry at Columbia University while he was employed at Raven. In addition to his higher education, Koval also scored high on the Army’s AGCT test. These qualifications resulted in his assignment after boot camp to the 3410th Specialized Training and Reassignment (STAR) Unit at The Citadel, Charleston, South Carolina (July 20, 1943 to August 10, 1943). There he was selected for the Army Specialized Training Program (ASTP) and sent back to New York for duty with the Army Specialized Training Unit at City College of New York (CCNY) to complete his degree. However in 1944 the Army terminated the ASTP program in favor of a new program needed to support the Manhattan Project—the Special Engineering Detachment (SED) of the Manhattan Engineering District. In August 1944 Koval was transferred to the uranium processing plant at Oak Ridge, Tennessee. His assignment was that of a health physics officer monitoring radiation levels throughout the facility, a position which required an atomic “Q” clearance. In June 1945, Koval was detached from Oak Ridge for duty on a top -secret project at a Monsanto plant in Dayton, Ohio. After the war Koval was demobilized and discharged from Army service on February 12, 1946. He returned to New York, applied to the Veterans Administration for educational benefits and completed his degree in Electrical Engineering at CCNY in February 1948. The next month, March, Koval obtained a U.S. passport for travel to France and other destinations in Europe as a “commissioned representative” of the Atlas Trading Corporation of New York. Later investigation at Atlas developed no records of Koval, there were no Atlas employees who had knowledge of Koval, and company officials stated that their business had no need of a European representative. On October 6, 1948, Koval departed the U.S. aboard the SS America destined for Le Havre, France. Acquaintances/neighbors of Koval in New York interviewed by the FBI characterized his departure as “sudden.” [5]
At Sioux City 1955 : Abraham Koval Family
As mentioned above, the information from Sioux City regarding the birth of “Louis Kaval” was at variance with multiple government records for George Koval, U.S. Army Corporal born on December 25, 1913, at Sioux City, Iowa. It would not be until March 1955 that FBI investigation in Sioux City would eliminate the possibility of a son named Louis born to Abe and Ethel Kaval, and confirm a son named George to parents Abraham and Ethel Koval who had attended high school in Sioux City and gone to college at the University of Iowa. The true facts were developed from Abraham Koval’s U.S. immigration record, dated January 24, 1913, and his naturalization record, dated May 8, 1915. These official documents established that the real name of George Koval’s father was Abram Berko Koval, born in Pinsk, Russia (Belarus) who arrived in the U.S. at the port of Galveston, Texas, on April 28/29, 1910. (At which time “he denounced allegiance to Nicholas II, Emperor of the Russians.”) The papers of the senior Koval, as well as other community records, documented a son George Koval born on December 25, 1914. Also established was that George had two siblings, an older brother, Isaiah Koval, and a younger brother, Gabriel Koval, both born in Sioux City, Iowa. Abraham Koval had three sisters in Russia who followed him to the United States and settled in Sioux City. These were Goldie Koval, Pearl Koval and Sarah Koval. Goldie Koval married Gershon (Harry) Gurshtel in Telechany, Russia. The Gurshtels arrived in America on September 1910, six months after Abram and Ethel. Pearl Koval married Sam Gertz at Sioux City but they divorced in 1925, Pearl having been given custody of their daughter, Grace Gertz. In 1930, Pearl Gertz married Paul Silver. They had twin sons, Eugene and Eli Silver (born about 1932). Sarah Koval married Morris Begun.
Investigation in Sioux City developed the facts that Abraham Koval and his relatives had become very involved in a return to Russia movement known as ICOR, the Yiddish acronym for Jewish Colonization in the Soviet Union. ICOR was an organization founded in 1926 by American Jews in Philadelphia whose goal was an autonomous Jewish region in a far east Soviet territory known as Birobidjan. The Soviet government under Stalin permitted the policy as a means of neutralizing its sizable Jewish population. The American Communist Party co-opted the ICOR movement as a utopian example of Communism. FBI interviews in Sioux City developed the information that Harry Gurshtel, Abe Koval and Paul Silver were regarded as members of Communist Party, and further that Harry Gurshtel was known to be the head of the ICOR movement in Sioux City. One statement obtained from a high school classmate of George Koval would be significant: “[George] would frequently talk about Russia claiming that there was a Utopia in Russia as far as the Jews were concerned, that he and his family were eventually going back to Russia, that they would get a quantity of land given to them and they would start a new way of life.” Thus, it became a game-changer in the George Koval investigation when it was confirmed beyond doubt that the whole Abraham Koval family had returned to Russia in 1932.
Of the extended Koval family, FBI investigation reflects that Paul Silver was the most active member in Communist Party affairs during the 1920's and 30's. Silver was born in Liban, Latvia, circa 1899. His father was Abraham Silver, mother Sarah Yodelson. Originally from Laurel, Nebraska, Paul Silver relocated to Sioux City (40 miles away) in about 1922. His residence was 1316 Villa Street, Sioux City, IA, and he operated a grocery store at 11th and Court Street. At this time he was approximately 25 years old. In 1924 Paul Silver was the representative of “Freheit,” the Jewish Communist Daily publication in the Sioux City area. It is reported that in 1930 he was a member of the nominating committee of the Iowa State Communist Party, and that he was a delegate along with George Koval to that year’s Party Convention held in Chicago. In 1933, Silver was arrested by the County Sheriff’s office on charges of “criminal syndicalism” while holding a Communist Party meeting at a Sioux City residence. Activism and commitment to Russia continued into the 1940’s when it was reported that Paul and Pearl Silver were involved in promoting a meeting of the Russian Mutual Aid Society in Sioux City. [6]
At Los Angeles 1956 : Relatives of George Koval
Gurshtels In the 1940’s Harry and Goldie Gurshtel, Pearl Silver, her two sons, and Sarah Begun all relocated to Los Angeles. This set of events was learned in 1955. Thus, in addition to New York and Sioux City, a third major front in the FBI Koval investigation was opened. After almost a year of investigation, which included mail-cover surveillance, the Los Angeles office in 1956 received permission from Washington to interview Koval’s primary relatives and their children. The persons of most interest were Harry and Goldie Gurshtel due to the fact that it was known (from Sioux City) that they had returned to Russia for a visit in 1936. The Gurshtels were interviewed by Special Agents in May 1956, at which time they advised that while in Russia they had spent a week in Birobidjan with the Koval family and George Koval was assisting his father on a collective farm. After returning to America, letters to Abraham Koval ceased being answered. Goldie Gurshtel further advised that she had not heard from her brother in over 20 years and, indeed, that included a letter she had sent in January 1956. Harry Gurshtel advised that George Koval had worked part-time at his Square Deal Clothing Company business when in high school and during summer when he was in college, but not in 1933-6 as Koval had fictitiously stated to the Army. FBI agents asked both Gurshtels if they knew of any Koval relatives by the name of Abraham or Tillie Silver who resided in New York during the period 1941-3. They said they did not. Most importantly, both Gurshtels told the FBI that “to their knowledge none of the Koval family [had] ever returned to the United States.” In June 1956, two months after their initial interview, Goldie Gurshtel telephoned the FBI to inform them that she had finally received a letter from her brother Abraham and that the letter contained information about George Koval and his brothers: “Gabriel Koval was killed by the Nazis in 1943 while serving with the Russian Army. Ethel Koval, Abraham’s wife, died of cancer in 1952. Isaiah Koval is married and has four children. Georgel Koval is now in Moscow teaching at the Mendeleev Chemical Institute. He lives with his wife Ludmilla, but has no children.” [62911- 105] Thus, until May, 1956, Koval’s whereabouts had been unknown.
Pearl Silver Mrs. Silver was interviewed by Bureau agents in early May 1956. She confirmed that the entire Koval family left Sioux City and returned to Russia in 1932 and, that to her knowledge, none of the family ever returned to the United States. She stated that attempts to correspond with her brother Abraham Koval met with no replies. However, she said that she had heard a rumor some time during World War II that Gabriel Koval had been killed during the war, but could not recall the source of this information. She specifically stated that she had no knowledge that George Koval was in the United States during the war. Mrs. Silver further stated that she had never resided in New York City and had no knowledge of a Abraham or Tillie Silver who resided in New York in 1940 or 1941. Nor did she recall that any of her deceased husband’s relatives were named Abraham or Tillie Silver.
Mrs. Sarah Begun Mrs. Begun was interview in late May 1956. She confirmed that the Koval family departed Sioux City in 1932 for the Birobidjan Settlement in Russia. She advised that she personally had no contact with the Koval family since their leaving in 1932. Mrs. Begun further advised that none of her relatives in Los Angeles ever mentioned to her knowledge of George Koval having been in the United States during World War II. The Los Angeles investigation noted information found in their files that Mrs. Begun was connected to the Los Angeles County Communist Party. [7]
At New York 1956-1959 : Manhattan Engineering District (MED)
As conducted and reported to Washington over the next years, the Koval investigation primarily involved finding and interviewing anyone who had ever had contact with Koval: classmates, teachers and administrators at CCNY and Columbia; ASTP and SED associtates; co-workers and supervisors at Oak Ridge and Dayton, etc. FBI Knoxville, TN, was tasked with reviewing all Koval MED records at Oak Ridge, to include duties assigned, travel and leave. Particular emphasis was to be given to the security clearance investigation done by the MED on Koval. On this matter, the MED security file reflected that an “active investigation” of Koval had not been conducted. The file contained an undated Personnel Security Questionnaire on which appeared red marks against listed Koval sources and references. These listees were sent form letters requesting verification. For example, the University of Iowa responded with confirmation details of Koval’s attendance there. The MED security office directed a “Loyalty” name check on Koval to the Pentagon specifying that, “he will have access to secret or confidential material.” Koval’s security clearance was granted on 9/24/1944. Although FBI interviews at Oak Ridge produced reports that Koval “had access to information that could have varied from Classified to Top Secret,” it is not apparent that his “Q” clearance was actually graded Top Secret.
A new aspect of the investigation at this time was to determine if Koval’s assignment to atomic work at Oak Ridge was the “result of a preconceived plan, or coincidence, and to identify individuals who may have been involved with [Koval] in Soviet espionage activity.” In this connection a search of the visitor pass cards to Oak Ridge was conducted for William A. Rose. Such cards were found for William Rose and Mrs. William Rose dated March 31, 1945. However, there was no information on the cards that connected these persons to the William A. Rose who was an associate of George Koval at Raven Electric in 1942. In 1958-9 the Koval investigation was reaching an end point. Although it “had failed to establish any specific involvement by him in Soviet espionage,” it did develop a wealth of information suggesting that Koval “was dispatched by the Soviets [to America] for the purpose of espionage.” That being the case, New York requested the Washington Field Office to contact the State Department with the view of denaturalizing Koval despite his native born American citizenship status. The State Department responded that it would be necessary to formally prove an “expatriative act by him,” before a denaturalization proceeding could begin. New York then requested Washington to pursue the idea of interviewing Koval in Moscow to see if he had or would formally renounce his American citizenship. The State Department nixed this idea on several counts. Meanwhile in July 1959, the American Embassy in Moscow received a letter purportedly written by Koval representing an “admission against interest” (a declaration that he had been a Soviet citizen since 1932). This was deemed an expatriative act probably sufficient to deny him recognition as a U.S. citizen. At this juncture the New York office put the Koval case in a closed status, but noted that a lookout notice on Koval placed with the INS in October 1957 regarding Koval's possible return to the U.S. should be maintained. [8]
At Headquarters 1961-1962 : “UNSUB (FNU)”
By the 1960’s the Koval case had been transferred from the Washington Field Office to the Espionage Section at Bureau Headquarters. In December 1961 the investigation was reopened for review by New York. The reason was that a connection had surfaced with the still open 1954 “UNSUB (FNU)” case, the a priori investigation stemming from the FBI’s GRU informant. The status of that investigation in the early 1960’s was that the “whereabouts of the UNSUB illegal GRU agent was unknown since 1943.” Apparently the name of another Raven Electric Company employee was found to have registered for the U.S. Army draft at the same draft board as Koval, Local Board 126, Bronx, NY. This circumstance prompted the New York office in May 1962 to request permission from FBI Headquarters to interview the GRU informant to gain further insight into the GRU operations that controlled both Koval and [Name Redacted]. The Bureau granted the request and, on May 10, 1962, the informant was interviewed by a New York agent. In June 1962, based on the informant interview and further file analysis, the New York office concluded “that the subject of this case [UNSUB (FNU)] is identical to George Koval, Bufile 65-62911. Captioned case is being closed at NY. Any further investigation in this matter will be conducted from the KOVAL case file.” [9]
The FARADAY Case
The name of the “self-styled” GRU officer defector/informant remains redacted in the FBI FOIA Koval file. The same is true for the code name that he was assigned by the FBI. In the Koval case file reference is made to the “FARADAY case.” The context is such that FARADAY was either the codename of the informant or the case name of the UNSUB (FNU) investigation. When the informant was interviewed in May 1962, the Special Agent interviewer covered everything that was then known about Koval, including the fact that he was an instructor at the Mendeleev Institute in Moscow. The informant now advised that this fuller background was in substantial agreement with his knowledge of UNSUB (FNU), the illegal GRU resident at Raven Electric Company in 1940-1, now confirmed to be Koval. Further, according to the informant at this time, Koval was considered “a bust” in America: “he did nothing during his period of assignment. The GRU invested a considerable amount of money to establish Koval in the U.S. and received nothing from him in return.” These comments from the informant altered the Koval case in the eyes of the FBI: “Information furnished by source concerning background of Koval reflecting Koval was inoperative during his assignment in the US is of significance since it had been assumed that his espionage activities were, in all probability, related to his tour of duty with the U.S. Army at the Atomic Installation at Oak Ridge, TN, 1944-45.” In other words, Koval probably had not provided atomic intelligence during the war. Obviously, Vladimir Putin’s nomination of Koval for the Hero of Russia Medal counters that wishful thinking. [10]
Part II
The Volunteer Group
It is well documented that the principal Soviet atomic espionage ring in America during WWII was the Volunteer Group, so named after its initial leader, Morris Cohen (VOLUNTEER). The intelligence officers responsible for the operations of the Volunteer Group were X-Y Line Resident Leonid Kvasnikov and his #2 Anatoli Yatskov. Kvasnikov and Yatskov were based at the Soviet Consulate in New York. After Cohen was drafted into the Army, his wife Lona Cohen emerged as the Volunteer Group’s primary contact agent and courier. It has been reliably reported that she made at least two courier runs to New Mexico, one of which was a rendezvous with the physicist Ted Hall at Los Alamos. It has been reported that she traveled to Canada, although for what purpose or to meet whom is not known. It is also reported that she served as a mail drop for Klaus Fuchs at Los Alamos, but she never had direct contact with him. In 2006, participating in a forum at the History of American Communism (HOAC) website, Russian historian Svetlana Chervonnaya described interviews she conducted with Lona Cohen as well as her control officer Anatoli Yatskov. One of these forum discussions contained a reference to Lona Cohen being used as a courier to an unidentified agent at Oak Ridge: “Moreover, from my conversations with Lona Cohen in the final months of her life, I got an understanding that she used to serve as a courier (or one of the couriers) to an early agent at Oak Ridge and that that operation used to be highly compartmentalized with no relation to Julius Rosenberg and/or his immediate circle.” In the absence of definitive information to the contrary, if Lona Cohen was a courier to an agent at Oak Ridge, then that agent should be considered a member of the Volunteer Group. By the middle 1990’s, after the declassification of Venona, the Volunteer Group was identified as Morris Cohen, Lona Cohen, Ted Hall and Saville Sax—respectively, LUIS, LESLIE, MLAD and STAR. In 1999 the Mitrokhin Archive disclosed the covernames of three other Volunteers: “The VOLUNTEER network expanded to include, in addition to MLAD, three other agents: ADEN, SERB and SILVER.” [11]
SILVER
As discussed in Part I of this essay, the name "Silver" figures prominently in the FBI George Koval investigation. It was the surname of his aunt and uncle, Pearl and Paul Silver. It is clear that George Koval and Paul Silver were birds of a feather with regard to Communism, the Communist Party and Communist Russia. When Koval had to provide the Selective Service and then the Army with the name of a person to notify in case of death or emergency, he provided the surname Silver on two separate occasions and in two different guises, Abraham Silver and Tillie Silver. It must be presumed that Koval’s use of these names was with the knowledge, if not by the direction, of his Soviet case officer. As a spy requiring a safe legend, the next of kin contact information would be a carefully considered tradecraft decision. The GRU would certainly appreciate that a military security officer examining a personnel questionnaire completed by Koval would expect to see the name and address of a Koval for next of kin or emergency contact. Since the entire Koval family was in Russia, it was out of the question to use the actual names of his family. Further, it would be dangerous to use a totally fictitious Koval which wouldn't survive an official records check. Thus, both of Koval’s parents were listed as deceased. Instead, Koval provided the name Abraham Silver as his official point of contact. There was a real person behind the name, but it is not known if Abraham Silver was a true name or a tradecraft pseudonym (alias). In any case, the name Silver was the surname of an aunt and uncle living in America, and ostensibly was judged the best solution to a cover problem. [12]
Zhorzh Abramovich Koval
In 1943 Lavrenti Beria brought all atomic espionage activity under his command and control. This included the GRU's atomic operations and assets. The clearest example of this policy is Klaus Fuchs, who had been a GRU asset in Britain but was transferred to the KGB in the United States. In the absence of definitive information to the contrary, the presumption must be that Zhorzh Koval, when he unexpectedly wound up at Oak Ridge in the summer of 1944, was transferred to the KGB station in America. This transfer of control also can explain why the GRU informant held the opinion that Koval was a bust as an illegal agent of his service. [13]
Conclusion: It is not likely to be coincidence that (1) Zhorzh Koval utilized the name Silver as part of his cover legend, and (2) the Volunteer Group gained an asset whose covername was SILVER. More probably than not, Zhorzh Koval is the unidentified SILVER in the Volunteer Group.
November 2010: Koval Case Update
A FOIA request to the FBI was made concerning two serials of the Koval file that contained prohibitive redactions. Response was received that removed redactions specific to the identity of the FBI's GRU informant, to the identity of unknown subject 'FARADAY' and to the whereabouts of one 'Tillie Silver.'
The Bureau informant was Ismail Akhmedov who defected in 1942. In 1947 Akhmedov advised the Bureau that the GRU had an illegal resident in the U.S. with the covername FARADAY, and that this person's cover was a retail electrical business in the New York area. Extensive investigation later identified Benjamin W. Lassen, owner/operator of the Raven Electric Company, as the primary candidate for 'FARADAY.' Investigation of Raven Electric employees brought to light the U.S. Army background of George Koval. Continuing investigation of Lassen, aka Benjamin W. Lassoff, developed the reliable information that he was one "Losev", a Russian who had been employed at AMTORG in 1928 and resembled a person who had been in the company of J. Peters and Jacob Golos. Residents of the apartment building that was the address of George Koval's contact person for the Army, one Tillie Silver, remembered a "Mrs. Silver" who had lived there but subsequently moved to "California."
Notes, Sources, References
1. A Spy’s Path: Iowa to A-Bomb to Kremlin Honor, William J. Broad, New York Times, November 12, 2007; Iowa-Born, Soviet Trained, Smithsonian, May 2009; FBI FOIA File, Subject: George Abramovich Koval, 65-62911 HQS
Caveat The FBI HQS FOIA File on Koval, 65-62911, contains approximately 1,042 pages. Of these, 120 or more are redacted completely (i.e. not available), and often these comprise complete serials. Each available page contains redactions, usually extensive. Therefore, there are still many unknowns about the Koval case. Undoubtedly this essay would need to be revised, possibly substantially, if the Koval case file were completely declassified and made public. At this date there possibly remain privacy concerns regarding Koval’s relatives who may still be alive, such as cousins. Also, when the case was reopened in the 1960’s a number of documents went un-serialized, making the sequence of events difficult to discern.
Emory M. Gregg The FBI supervisor of the case in Washington was Emory M. Gregg. He was a member of the Soviet Message Unit at Headquarters in 1949-50 and is mentioned in Robert Lamphere’s book, The FBI-KGB War. The office of origin of the Koval investigation was New York. Most of the leads to other FBI offices were generated by New York. The most informative documents are summary reports from New York to Washington.
2. FBI FOIA File, 65-62911, Serials 1, 2, 37.
Note The name and codename of the GRU informant are redacted. The informant’s FBI file number is frequently cited, but it is one of several often referenced but unidentified case numbers. It is not clear if the informant was a walk-in defector or was recruited. It is not clear if the informant was based in Washington or New York, although the odds are probably NY. It is not clear when the FBI first came into contact with him. It had certainly occurred by 1954. There is some indication in the Koval file that the informant was in contact with the Bureau as early as 1953.
3. Ibid., Serials 3, 27, 37.
Koval Legend With the exception of his true name, virtually all of the data Koval gave the Selective Service and the Army was fictitious. His parents may or may not have been of Polish extraction, but they were not from Poland. They were Russian citizens, born in Pinsk, Russia (Belarus). Obviously, giving their correct country of birth, Russia, would be a security red flag for Koval. A reasonable narrative for GRU agent George Koval is as follows: The GRU sent Koval to the U.S. to collect intelligence on the American industrial-military complex. It is not precisely documented when Koval entered (returned to) the U.S. It is reliable, however, that he was in the country by 1940 and employed at Raven by January 1941. (On his Army induction paperwork Koval indicated that his Raven employment was from 1939.) The Selective Service Act of 1940 was signed into law by FDR on September 16, 1940, requiring men between the ages of 21 and 35 to register with local draft boards by the end of October 1940. This was an unforeseen circumstance for the GRU. Koval would be jeopardized by not registering and becoming a draft dodger. The ostensible decision for the GRU was to either end his mission or have him register for the draft. Registering, however, would establish an official government record of vital statistics and other Koval personal information. Creating the most impregnable legend possible for Koval would require significant thought and preparation by his GRU case officer in America. Thus, in violation of the Selective Service Act, Koval did not register until January 1941. When he did so, a deferment was immediately sought by Raven Electric. Later, when the initial deferment was about to expire, an extension was sought by William A. Rose, a “Contractual Electrical Engineer Consultant with the REC.” In registering Koval for the draft and then allowing him to be inducted, it is apparent that the GRU’s calculus was that, if he landed a state-side position in an armaments occupation, his intelligence value might be maintained, or even enhanced. If he was assigned to a combat unit he could go AWOL and be quickly evacuated out of the country. The single greatest pitfall was Koval’s Russian background and the fact that he and his family had left Sioux City and returned to Russia in 1932. (In addition to hearsay in Sioux City, U.S. passport records documented this fact.) Therefore, the crucial vital statistic to be hidden or disguised was his American birth record, i.e. parental data and date of birth. In light of this fact, it is not likely to be a random administrative error that Koval’s birth record in Sioux City was that of, “Louis KAVAL, born on January 22, 1912, to Abe and Ethel KAVAL.” There are two logical inferences from this non-sequitur: One, the GRU was able to have Koval’s birth record in Sioux City altered and, two, more probably than not, this involved a Koval relative in Sioux City. Simply put, Soviet intelligence hit the lottery when Koval was assigned to the Manhattan Project at Oak Ridge.
William A. Rose William A. Rose is a mysterious figure in the Koval investigtion. Apparently the FBI was never able to identify him with certainty, let alone find him and interview him. When Rose applied at Local Draft Board 126 for a deferment extension for Koval he identified himself using a “Coast Guard Card with Serial #712441 issued by the Port of New York.” Examining Raven Electric financial records the Bureau noted entries dated December 5, 1942, for $75 cash to W. A. Rose for expenses to Knoxville, TN, and February 27, 1943, for $85 to W. A. Rose for travel to Washington and Knoxville, TN. Investigation at Oak Ridge, Knoxville, TN, developed the information that pass cards had been issued to a William Rose and a Mrs. William Rose in March 1945 for the purposes of employment application. In pursuing a William A. Rose thought to be connected to the Raven Electruc Company, the Bureau was advised he had died in New York but no death records could be found to confirm such fact. In light of the GRU informant’s claim that other Soviet agents were sent to Raven Electric for employment and cover, it is possible that William A. Rose was such an agent.
4. Ibid., Serial 3.
5. Ibid., Serial 37, 117, 124.
Abraham Silver, Tillie Silver In 1941 according to Koval’s Selective Service Questionnaire he sublet premises at 3470 Cannon Place, Bronx, NY, from one Abraham Silver. Koval also listed Silver as the person who would always know his wherabouts. In his Army induction paperwork in 1943, Koval gave his residence as 3451 Giles Place, Bronx, NY, and one Tillie Silver as a friend at the same address who was to be notified in case of an emergency. Conducting the Koval investigation in 1954/5, the FBI was unable to locate Abraham Silver. A former neighbor remembered that he had move to California around 1944. Interestingly, Special Agents did find and interview Tillie Silver who had no knowledge of George Koval and was mystified as to why he had listed her as someone to contact in an emergency. All of Koval’s relatives in California were queried about a family member living in NY with the name Abraham Silver or Tillie Silver, and all denied any knowledge of such family member.
6. Ibid., Serials 3, 10, 35.
Paul Silver Although not confirmed in the Koval FBI file, information therein suggested that Paul Silver had several brothers living in Nebraska and Iowa, one of whom held the family patronymic, Abraham Silver. Paul Silver, husband of Pearl Silver, died in Sioux City, IA, in 1944.
7. Ibid., Serials 10, 105.
8. Ibid., Serials 153, 157, 208.
9. Ibid., Serials 223, 224.
10. Ibid., Serial 228.
Did Koval return? The FBI Koval case file reflects a last unusual event, the nature of which is very sketchy due to extensive redactions. In 1978 a Russian speaking individual, accompanied by an interpreter, visited the U.S. This person seems to have been under the care and feeding of the CIA, who brought his presence in the U.S. to the attention of the Bureau in relation to an incident involving Koval and the U.S. Embassy in Moscow. The incident concerned a telephone call in December 1949 by an unknown person who called the American Embassy in Moscow and mentioned Koval in connection to atomic information. The Bureau sought an interview with the CIA guest mainly for historical purposes. A Special Agent fluent in Russian conducted the interview and was reminded not to allude to the original informant (Akhmedov) on Koval. The guest was surprised at the topic, wanted to know how the FBI agent knew about the matter and was very reluctant to discuss it. Apparently the Dec 1949 Moscow telephone call was not recorded. The description of the call given to the FBI was, "several sentences in the Russian language warning the Embassy that Georgi Koval, a Soviet or Secret agent, will receive secret material on the atom bomb in a radio store." Again, file redactions prevent understanding why the Moscow incident only came to the FBI's attention in 1978, and also if the guest shed any light on the matter. But the substance of the Moscow call by an unknown person suggests the possibility that Koval may have returned to the U.S. in 1949, perhaps under a totally different cover. If he did his control officer could well have been Rudolf Abel who was then in the U.S.
11. “the principal Soviet atomic espionage ring in America during WWII was the Volunteer Group.”: Veterany Vneshnei Razvedki Rossii, T. V. Samolis, Editor, SVR Press, 1995, pages 158-9. ("The Volunteer group were able to guarantee ... development of the American atomic bomb")
“In 2006, participating in a forum at the History of American Communism … Lona Cohen being used as a courier … with no relation to Julius Rosenberg and/or his immediate circle.”: HOAC, From: S.A. Chervonnaya, Post dated 07 Jan 2006.
“In 1999 the Mitrokhin Archive … three other agents: ADEN, SERB and SILVER.”: The Sword and the Shield, The Mitrokhin Archive, Christopher Andrew and Vasili Mitrokhin, 1999, Page 14, footnoted to File Vol. 6, ch.5, part 2.
12. “As discussed in Part I … his aunt and uncle, Pearl and Paul Silver.”: FBI FOIA File, 65-62911, Serial 10.
13. “In July 1943 Lavrenti Beria … was transferred to the KGB in the United States.”: Special Tasks, Pavel Sudoplatov, 1994, p.184. ("In July 1943, the foreign intelligence and security services of the NKVD were detached as a separate commissariat, the NKGB. That same year it was decided to coordinated the activities of the intelligence services monitoring atomic projects. … In previous years atomic espionage had been the responsibility of two sections: scientific intelligence in the GRU, and the Foreign Intelligence Directorate of the NKVD. … Department S was organized to supervise the atomic intelligence activities of both the GRU and NKGB. … This explains why Klaus Fuchs, who was formerly run by the GRU, was transferred to the NKGB network.")