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As organizational secretary for the New York party in 1930, Peters was put in charge of building an illegal apparatus, or network designed to support Soviet foreign policy. CPUSA and Comintern documents at the RGASPI archive in Moscow show that he headed the CPUSA underground apparatus from the early 1930s until [[Whittaker Chambers]]’ defection in 1938. He was sent to Moscow for training with the Comintern in 1931 and was made a senior intern in the Anglo-American Secretariat. Returning to the United States in 1932, the Central Committee assigned him to work in the ''secret apparatus'' where he remained until June of 1938. As an inside member of the network, Peters is believed to have participated in events leading to the kidnapping and alleged murder of fellow CPUSA member [[Juliet Poyntz]], who after expressing revulsion at Stalin's purges and the [[Moscow Trials]], disappeared from her New York home in 1937, never to be seen again.
As organizational secretary for the New York party in 1930, Peters was put in charge of building an illegal apparatus, or network designed to support Soviet foreign policy. CPUSA and Comintern documents at the RGASPI archive in Moscow show that he headed the CPUSA underground apparatus from the early 1930s until [[Whittaker Chambers]]’ defection in 1938. He was sent to Moscow for training with the Comintern in 1931 and was made a senior intern in the Anglo-American Secretariat. Returning to the United States in 1932, the Central Committee assigned him to work in the ''secret apparatus'' where he remained until June of 1938. As an inside member of the network, Peters is believed to have participated in events leading to the kidnapping and alleged murder of fellow CPUSA member [[Juliet Poyntz]], who after expressing revulsion at Stalin's purges and the [[Moscow Trials]], disappeared from her New York home in 1937, never to be seen again.
The secret apparatus under Peters carried out surveillance, exposed infiltrators, protected sensitive party records from seizure, and disrupted rival communist and leftist movements such as the [[Trotskyists]]. Another of Peters' duties included maintaining contact with the [[Ware group]] in Washington D.C., and he took over direct supervision of the group in 1935. The head of the CPUSA [[Earl Browder]] instructed Peters to cooperate with Soviet intelligence.
The secret apparatus under Peters carried out surveillance, exposed infiltrators, protected sensitive party records from seizure, and disrupted rival communist and [[leftist]] movements such as the [[Trotskyists]]. Another of Peters' duties included maintaining contact with the [[Ware group]] in Washington D.C., and he took over direct supervision of the group in 1935. The head of the CPUSA [[Earl Browder]] instructed Peters to cooperate with Soviet intelligence.
About 1936 Peters recognized some members of the Ware group had potential for advancement within the government, so a decision was made to separate them from the group. [[Whittaker Chambers]] became the courier between the [[GRU]] and this group. The members separated included [[Alger Hiss]], [[Henry Collins]] and [[Lee Pressman]].
About 1936 Peters recognized some members of the Ware group had potential for advancement within the government, so a decision was made to separate them from the group. [[Whittaker Chambers]] became the courier between the [[GRU]] and this group. The members separated included [[Alger Hiss]], [[Henry Collins]] and [[Lee Pressman]].