Edward Fitzgerald (adviser)
Encyclopedia
Edward Joseph Fitzgerald was an American
who worked for the War Production Board
during World War II
and was an adviser to Senator Claude Pepper
. He was alleged to have been a member of the Perlo group
of Soviet spies. Fitzgerald's name in Venona project
decrypt 588 New York to Moscow, 29 April 1944, was sent in the clear to Moscow by Soviet Case Officer Iskhak Akhmerov
reporting on Elizabeth Bentley
's meeting with Perlo group.
Elizabeth Bentley, who functioned as the Perlo group's main contact with the Soviet intelligence, told the FBI after her defection, "I would state that Victor Perlo represented this group in meetings with me more often than other members of the group, Fitzgerald about four or five times.....".
After World War II
, Fitzgerald resigned from his position with the U.S. Department of Commerce. In 1954, Fitzgerald was offered immunity from prosecution, which removed the legal grounds to plead the Fifth Amendment
. Fitzgerald nonetheless still refused to testify and went to jail.
His alleged code name in Soviet intelligence and in the Venona files is "Ted".
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
who worked for the War Production Board
War Production Board
The War Production Board was established as a government agency on January 16, 1942 by executive order of Franklin D. Roosevelt.The purpose of the board was to regulate the production and allocation of materials and fuel during World War II in the United States...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and was an adviser to Senator Claude Pepper
Claude Pepper
Claude Denson Pepper was an American politician of the Democratic Party, and a spokesman for left-liberalism and the elderly. In foreign policy he shifted from pro-Soviet in the 1940s to anti-Communist in the 1950s...
. He was alleged to have been a member of the Perlo group
Perlo group
Headed by Victor Perlo, the Perlo group is the name given to a group of Americans who provided information which was given to Soviet intelligence agencies; it was active during the World War II period, until the entire group was exposed to the FBI by the defection of Elizabeth Bentley...
of Soviet spies. Fitzgerald's name in Venona project
Venona project
The VENONA project was a long-running secret collaboration of the United States and United Kingdom intelligence agencies involving cryptanalysis of messages sent by intelligence agencies of the Soviet Union, the majority during World War II...
decrypt 588 New York to Moscow, 29 April 1944, was sent in the clear to Moscow by Soviet Case Officer Iskhak Akhmerov
Iskhak Akhmerov
Iskhak Abdulovich Akhmerov was a Soviet spy of Tatar ethnicity who joined the Bolshevik Party in 1919. Akhmerov attended the Communist University of Toilers of the East and the First State University, where he graduated from the School of International Relations in 1930...
reporting on Elizabeth Bentley
Elizabeth Bentley
Elizabeth Terrill Bentley was an American spy for the Soviet Union from 1938 until 1945. In 1945 she defected from the Communist Party and Soviet intelligence and became an informer for the U.S. She exposed two networks of spies, ultimately naming over 80 Americans who had engaged in espionage for...
's meeting with Perlo group.
Venona
The decryption reads, in part,- KRAMERCharles KramerCharles Kramer, originally Charles Krevisky, was an American economist who worked for U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt as part of his brain trust. Among other contributions, he wrote the original idea for the Point Four Program. He also worked for several congressional committees and hired...
[KREJMER][x], PERLOVictor PerloVictor Perlo was a Marxist economist, government functionary, and a longtime member of the governing National Committee of the Communist Party USA...
[PRLO][xi], FLATOCharles FlatoCharles S. Flato was an American writer, American Communist Party member and a Soviet agent....
[FLĒTO][xii], GLASSERHarold GlasserHarold Glasser , was an economist in the United States Department of the Treasury and spokesman on the affairs of the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration 'throughout its whole life' and he had a 'predominant voice' in determining which countries should receive aid...
[GLAZER][xiii], Edward FITZGERALD[EDUARD FITsDZhERALD][xiv] and others in a group of 7 or 8 FELLOW COUNTRYMENT[ZEMLYaki][xi][c].
- UMNITsAElizabeth BentleyElizabeth Terrill Bentley was an American spy for the Soviet Union from 1938 until 1945. In 1945 she defected from the Communist Party and Soviet intelligence and became an informer for the U.S. She exposed two networks of spies, ultimately naming over 80 Americans who had engaged in espionage for...
talked with AMTJohn AbtJohn Jacob Abt was an American lawyer and politician. He spent most of his career as chief counsel to the Communist Party USA ....
and PERLO. They told her that this group was neglected and that nobody was interested in them. KRAMER is the leader of the group. All occupy responsible posts in CARTHAGEWashington, D.C.Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
[KARFAGEN][xvi].
Elizabeth Bentley, who functioned as the Perlo group's main contact with the Soviet intelligence, told the FBI after her defection, "I would state that Victor Perlo represented this group in meetings with me more often than other members of the group, Fitzgerald about four or five times.....".
After World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Fitzgerald resigned from his position with the U.S. Department of Commerce. In 1954, Fitzgerald was offered immunity from prosecution, which removed the legal grounds to plead the Fifth Amendment
Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution
The Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution, which is part of the Bill of Rights, protects against abuse of government authority in a legal procedure. Its guarantees stem from English common law which traces back to the Magna Carta in 1215...
. Fitzgerald nonetheless still refused to testify and went to jail.
His alleged code name in Soviet intelligence and in the Venona files is "Ted".
Venona decryptions
Edward Fitzgerald is referenced in the following Venona project decryptions:- 588 New York to Moscow, 29 April 1944, pg.1. Perlo group
- 588 New York to Moscow, 29 April 1944, pg.2. Perlo group
- 588 New York to Moscow, 29 April 1944, pg.3. Perlo group
- 687 New York to Moscow, 13 May 1944. Perlo group
- 769, 771 KGB New York to Moscow, 30 May 1944, part 1
- 769, 771 KGB New York to Moscow, 30 May 1944, part 2
- 769, 771 KGB New York to Moscow, 30 May 1944, part 3
- 179, 180 KGB Moscow to New York, 25 February 1945
Further reading
- Visit the Cold War International History Project (CWIHP) for the full text of Alexander Vassiliev's Notebooks containing more information on Fitzgerald's involvement in Soviet espionage
- Edward Fitzgerald testimony, 1 May 1953, “Interlocking Subversion in Government Departments,” part 5, 241–326.
- Alexander Vassiliev, Untitled Notes on Anatoly Gorsky’s December 1948 Memo on the Failed American Networks, (2003).
- United States. National Counterintelligence Center. A Counterintelligence Reader, Vol 3 Chap 1. NACIC. no date. pg. 31.
- FBI Silvermaster file, pgs. 135, 144, 144, 146, 147, 169, 178, 182, 198, 207, 434, 447 in original., pgs. 117, 118, 119, 121, 128, 163.