American and Soviet Espionage

Throughout the Cold War

Cold War

The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...

, acts of espionage

Espionage

Espionage or spying involves an individual obtaining information that is considered secret or confidential without the permission of the holder of the information. Espionage is inherently clandestine, lest the legitimate holder of the information change plans or take other countermeasures once it...

, or spying, became prevalent as tension between the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 and Soviet Union

Soviet Union

The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....

 increased. The KGB

KGB

The KGB was the commonly used acronym for the . It was the national security agency of the Soviet Union from 1954 until 1991, and was the premier internal security, intelligence, and secret police organization during that time.The State Security Agency of the Republic of Belarus currently uses the...

, Soviet military group, made use of espionage primarily at the American Embassy in the Soviet Union. When word of this spying reached the United States, President Ronald Reagan

Ronald Reagan

Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....

 initiated several negotiations with the Soviets in an attempt to eliminate the danger of possible exposed military secrets. Punishments for espionage in the United States were harsh and involved a quickly issued death penalty, especially the cases that involved betraying one’s own country.

KGB

The KGB, a military organization that provided national defense in the Soviet Union, played a major role in the battle of espionage and tactics in the Cold War. The American Embassy in the Soviet Union appeared to have been invaded by the KGB’s efforts to acquire any useful information from the United States. According to Stan Levchenko, a former KGB officer, “The KGB would never lose a chance just to look around.”

This was confirmed first in 1988 when a brand new American Embassy in the Soviet Union was abandoned after Soviet

Soviet people

Soviet people or Soviet nation was an umbrella demonym for the population of the Soviet Union. Initially used as a nonspecific reference to the Soviet population, it was eventually declared to be a "new historical, social and international unity of people".-Nationality politics in early Soviet...

 “workers” had filled the building with wire bugs, hidden recording devices, to gain information.

However, during a large fire on March 28, 1991 at the American Embassy, the KGB was believed to have stolen several classified documents and equipment. The KGB did have complete access to the building as it was on fire, leading many to believe the fire was intentionally set by the Soviets to gain access to American information. This event sparked controversy in the United States, leading to negotiations and agreements with the Soviets.

Foreign Policy Affairs

Secretary of State George Shultz and President Ronald Reagan sought to negotiate with the Soviet Union in 1987. Reagan was determined to come to an agreement that would leave the United States and Soviet Union’s relationship in a better place with less conflict. Although the Soviet Union claimed it was in agreement with eliminating all missiles in Europe

Europe

Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...

, word of infiltration of the American Embassy in Moscow

Moscow

Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...

 hovered around.

Due to his fear of spying in his embassy in the Soviet Union, President Reagan made several meetings with the Soviet Leaders solely regarding espionage. He hoped agreement on this policy would lead to further agreement of nuclear militarism and destruction of the earth.

Soviet Accusations

In response to the accusations that the Soviet Union was “bugging” American buildings, the Soviets countered with claims of the United States using their embassy as a method of espionage. Soviets argued Americans

People of the United States

The people of the United States, also known as simply Americans or American people, are the inhabitants or citizens of the United States. The United States is a multi-ethnic nation, home to people of different ethnic and national backgrounds...

 used the embassy to break in to neighboring buildings to gain protected information.

The United States quickly denied these charges and noted that the Soviet Union was attempting to cover up their dishonest acts of espionage committed during the fires of the embassy.

Punishments and Internal Affairs

Due to the increased levels of Soviet espionage, the United States Congress desired to issue the death penalty to both foreign and internal spies to protect classified information. The death penalty seemed like a viable option after the incident with John Walker, a nuclear submarine

Nuclear submarine

A nuclear submarine is a submarine powered by a nuclear reactor . The performance advantages of nuclear submarines over "conventional" submarines are considerable: nuclear propulsion, being completely independent of air, frees the submarine from the need to surface frequently, as is necessary for...

 radioman, who was accused of espionage during peacetime by a military officer.

This Defense Authorization Act also applied to the military in serious cases. The death penalty could be issued to American militants if they were participating in serious espionage involving the following secrets:

• Nuclear weaponry
• Military spacecraft or satellites
• Warning systems
• War plans
• Communications codes
• Major weapons systems

An act to require polygraph tests for 3.5 million DoD workers passed the US House in 1985 by a vote of 333 to 71.

See also

• History of Soviet and Russian espionage in the United States
• Espionage
  Espionage
  Espionage or spying involves an individual obtaining information that is considered secret or confidential without the permission of the holder of the information. Espionage is inherently clandestine, lest the legitimate holder of the information change plans or take other countermeasures once it...
  
  
• Espionage Act of 1917
  Espionage Act of 1917
  The Espionage Act of 1917 is a United States federal law passed on June 15, 1917, shortly after the U.S. entry into World War I. It has been amended numerous times over the years. It was originally found in Title 50 of the U.S. Code but is now found under Title 18, Crime...