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Earl Browder was the General Secretary of the [[Communist Party of the United States of America]] (CPUSA) from 1932 to 1945.  During [[World War II]], when the United States and [[Soviet Union]] were allied fighting [[Nazi]] Germany, Browder publicly took the position that Communism and capitalism could coexist, which was the position the Soviet Union had taken during World War II.   

Earl Browder was the General Secretary of the [[Communist Party of the United States of America]] (CPUSA) from 1932 to 1945.  During [[World War II]], when the United States and [[Soviet Union]] were allied fighting [[Nazi]] Germany, Browder publicly took the position that Communism and capitalism could coexist, which was the position the Soviet Union had taken during World War II.   

Browder, as CPUSA General Secretary, long benefited from the dogma of the [[liberal]] and [[leftist]] intelligentsia that the CPUSA did not participate in Soviet espionage against the United States. These assertions continue, despite the presentation of substantial contrary evidence over the years by [[Elizabeth Bentley]] and others <ref>John E. Haynes, ''Red Scare or Red Menace'', Chicago: Ivan R. Dee, 1996, p. 61. </ref><ref>Harvey Klehr, John Earl Haynes, and Fredrikh I. Firsov, ''The Secret World of American Communism'', New Haven: Yale University Press, 1995, p. 233. </ref> the [[Venona]] cables, the [[Judith  Coplon]], [[Alger Hiss]], and [[William Remington]] trials, as well as dozens of articles and books.  In the Venona cables he is known as Agent "HELMSMAN".  

 

Browder, as CPUSA General Secretary, long benefited from the denial of the [[liberal]] and [[leftist]] intelligentsia that the CPUSA did not participate in Soviet espionage against the United States. These assertions continue, despite the presentation of substantial contrary evidence over the years by [[Elizabeth Bentley]] and others <ref>John E. Haynes, ''Red Scare or Red Menace'', Chicago: Ivan R. Dee, 1996, p. 61. </ref><ref>Harvey Klehr, John Earl Haynes, and Fredrikh I. Firsov, ''The Secret World of American Communism'', New Haven: Yale University Press, 1995, p. 233. </ref> the [[Venona]] cables, the [[Judith  Coplon]], [[Alger Hiss]], and [[William Remington]] trials, as well as dozens of articles and books.  In the Venona cables he is known as Agent "HELMSMAN".  

In 1939 Browder appointed [[Rudy Baker]] to head the CPUSA underground apparatus to replace [[J. Peters]], after the defection of [[Whittaker Chambers]]. Browder was sentenced to prison in 1940, ostensibly due to passport violations, but was released after 14 months when the US joined [[World War II]] and became an ally of the [[Soviet Union]]. Browder embraced the [[Popular Front]] and led the CPUSA's tactic of expressing cautious support for the [[New Deal]] of [[Franklin Delano Roosevelt]] while demanding that it should go much further than it did.  

In 1939 Browder appointed [[Rudy Baker]] to head the CPUSA underground apparatus to replace [[J. Peters]], after the defection of [[Whittaker Chambers]]. Browder was sentenced to prison in 1940, ostensibly due to passport violations, but was released after 14 months when the US joined [[World War II]] and became an ally of the [[Soviet Union]]. Browder embraced the [[Popular Front]] and led the CPUSA's tactic of expressing cautious support for the [[New Deal]] of [[Franklin Delano Roosevelt]] while demanding that it should go much further than it did.  

During this period Browder successfully recruited dozens of operatives from amongst his associates for Soviet intelligence.  An indication of Browder's cooperation with the [[KGB]] can be derived from a discussion [[Jacob Golos]] had with Browder in November 1943 regarding a group of KGB informants he was running. Browder became involved in the operation, and after Golos's death that same month, Browder arranged with Bentley to take over the [[Perlo group]]. She met the members in [[John Abt]]'s apartment in New York. <ref>FBI Report, New York #65–14913, 8 November 1950 and 65–57913. </ref>  Venona decrypt #588 April 29 1944 from the KGB New York office states “for more than a year [[Zarubin]] (station chief) and I tried to get in touch with [[Victor Perlo]] and [[Charles Flato]]. For some reason Browder did not come to the meeting and just decided to put Bentley in touch with the whole group. All occupy responsible positions in Washington, D.C.”  

During this period Browder successfully recruited dozens of operatives from amongst his associates for Soviet intelligence.  An indication of Browder's cooperation with the [[KGB]] can be derived from a discussion [[Jacob Golos]] had with Browder in November 1943 regarding a group of KGB informants he was running. Browder became involved in the operation, and after Golos's death that same month, Browder arranged with Bentley to take over the [[Perlo group]]. She met the members in [[John Abt]]'s apartment in New York. <ref>FBI Report, New York #65–14913, 8 November 1950 and 65–57913. </ref>  Venona decrypt #588 April 29 1944 from the KGB New York office states “for more than a year [[Zarubin]] (station chief) and I tried to get in touch with [[Victor Perlo]] and [[Charles Flato]]. For some reason Browder did not come to the meeting and just decided to put Bentley in touch with the whole group. All occupy responsible positions in Washington, D.C.” <ref>Venona 588 New York to Moscow 29 April 1944. </ref>

<ref>Venona 588 New York to Moscow 29 April 1944. </ref>

Earl Browder's close association with the KGB was further borne out by the fact that he was the recipient of classified data. KGB Case Officer [[Iskhak Akhmerov]] and [[Nathan Gregory Silvermaster]] agreed that Akhmerov would pass intelligence on the [[Chinese Communist Party]] to Browder through KGB Rezident [[Anatoly Gorsky]] or CPUSA organizational secretary [[Bernard Schuster]].  Browder's niece, [[Helen Lowry]] was married to Akhmerov and was a KGB spy, too.

Earl Browder's close association with the KGB was further borne out by the fact that he was the recipient of classified data. KGB Case Officer [[Iskhak Akhmerov]] and [[Nathan Gregory Silvermaster]] agreed that Akhmerov would pass intelligence on the [[Chinese Communist Party]] to Browder through KGB Rezident [[Anatoly Gorsky]] or CPUSA organizational secretary [[Bernard Schuster]].  Browder's niece, [[Helen Lowry]] was married to Akhmerov and was a KGB spy, too.

As early as May 1943, Browder cabled to Moscow U.S. armament production statistics on tanks, anti-tank guns, machine guns, battleships, aircraft carriers, cruisers, destroyer and merchant vessels. <ref>Venona 774, 775, and 776 New York to Moscow 26 May 1943. </ref>

As early as May 1943, Browder cabled to Moscow U.S. armament production statistics on tanks, anti-tank guns, machine guns, battleships, aircraft carriers, cruisers, destroyer and merchant vessels. <ref>Venona 774, 775, and 776 New York to Moscow 26 May 1943. </ref>

In May of 1944 Raissa Browder, Browder's wife who had entered the United States illegally, was permitted to become a citizen. According to the sworn testimony of ex-Communist Howard Rushmore, State Department and Immigration Service officials insisted upon this at the urgent requests of Secretary of State [[Cordell Hull]] and Mrs. [[Eleanor Roosevelt]]. <ref>US Senate, 81st Congress, 1st Session, Committee on the Judicary, Hearings Before the Subcommittee on Immigration and Naturealization, September 14, 1949, Part II, (GPO), p. 785.</ref>

In May of 1944 Raissa Browder, Browder's wife who had entered the United States illegally, was permitted to become a citizen. According to the sworn testimony of ex-Communist Howard Rushmore, State Department and Immigration Service officials insisted upon this at the urgent requests of Secretary of State [[Cordell Hull]] and Mrs. [[Eleanor Roosevelt]]. <ref>US Senate, 81st Congress, 1st Session, Committee on the Judicary, Hearings Before the Subcommittee on Immigration and Naturealization, September 14, 1949, Part II, (GPO), p. 785.</ref>

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[[Category:KGB Agents and Sources]]

[[Category:KGB Agents and Sources]]