George Silverman
Encyclopedia
Abraham George Silverman (February 2, 1900-January, 1973) was a mathematician
and statistician
who graduated from Harvard University
.
Franklin D. Roosevelt
's New Deal
, he worked for the Railroad Retirement Board
in Washington, D.C.
From there he found employment in the Federal Coordinator of Transport, the United States Tariff Commission and the Labor Advisory Board of the National Recovery Administration
. During World War II
, Silverman was civilian Chief of Analysis and Plans to the Assistant Chief of the Army Air Forces
Air Staff for Material and Service, assigned to the Pentagon
. Silverman allegedly supplied documents from the Pentagon to the Silvermaster group
of Soviet
spies
. Silverman knew Greg Silvermaster to be a conduit for Communist Party USA
General secretary
, Earl Browder
.
In 1941, Silverman was on loan to the US Treasury Department and worked for a period of time on the frozen funds policy. Assistant Secretary of the United States Treasury Harry Dexter White
used Silverman to supply documents to Soviet intelligence
in the latter part of 1942 and early 1943. Presidential Assistant Lauchlin Currie
furnished Silverman with oral information, including information that the United States was on the verge of breaking Soviet codes
. Irving Kaplan
of the War Production Board
was also giving Silverman information to be transmitted to the Soviet Union. As the war progressed, the volume of material increased. Silverman worked closely with Lud Ullman
, who also worked at the Pentagon
and did the photographing of stolen documents prior to being turned over to the Golos network.
In August 1945 Silverman left the Pentagon to work for the French Supply Council in Washington D.C., an office of the new French government
.
Silverman and Silvermaster learned much about U.S. policies and about Lauchlin Currie and Harry Dexter White's own views through their association. Currie appears to have been involved in carrying out orders from President Roosevelt to get U.S. intelligence services to return Soviet cryptographic documents to the Soviet Union and to cease decoding operations.
The code name "Aileron" appears in the Venona project
and was identified as Silverman. Aileron was possibly a reference to Silverman’s Air Force position.
Mathematician
A mathematician is a person whose primary area of study is the field of mathematics. Mathematicians are concerned with quantity, structure, space, and change....
and statistician
Statistician
A statistician is someone who works with theoretical or applied statistics. The profession exists in both the private and public sectors. The core of that work is to measure, interpret, and describe the world and human activity patterns within it...
who graduated from Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
.
Biography
In the early days of PresidentPresident of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt , also known by his initials, FDR, was the 32nd President of the United States and a central figure in world events during the mid-20th century, leading the United States during a time of worldwide economic crisis and world war...
's New Deal
New Deal
The New Deal was a series of economic programs implemented in the United States between 1933 and 1936. They were passed by the U.S. Congress during the first term of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The programs were Roosevelt's responses to the Great Depression, and focused on what historians call...
, he worked for the Railroad Retirement Board
Railroad Retirement Board
The U.S. Railroad Retirement Board is an independent agency in the executive branch of the United States government created in 1935 to administer a social insurance program providing retirement benefits to the country's railroad workers....
in Washington, D.C.
Washington, 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....
From there he found employment in the Federal Coordinator of Transport, the United States Tariff Commission and the Labor Advisory Board of the National Recovery Administration
National Recovery Administration
The National Recovery Administration was the primary New Deal agency established by U.S. president Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1933. The goal was to eliminate "cut-throat competition" by bringing industry, labor and government together to create codes of "fair practices" and set prices...
. 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...
, Silverman was civilian Chief of Analysis and Plans to the Assistant Chief of the Army Air Forces
United States Army Air Forces
The United States Army Air Forces was the military aviation arm of the United States of America during and immediately after World War II, and the direct predecessor of the United States Air Force....
Air Staff for Material and Service, assigned to the Pentagon
The Pentagon
The Pentagon is the headquarters of the United States Department of Defense, located in Arlington County, Virginia. As a symbol of the U.S. military, "the Pentagon" is often used metonymically to refer to the Department of Defense rather than the building itself.Designed by the American architect...
. Silverman allegedly supplied documents from the Pentagon to the Silvermaster group
FBI Silvermaster File
The FBI’s Silvermaster file is a 162-volume compendium of some 26,000 pages of documents relating to the Bureau’s investigation of Communist penetration of the Federal government during the Cold War....
of Soviet
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....
spies
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...
. Silverman knew Greg Silvermaster to be a conduit for Communist Party USA
Communist Party USA
The Communist Party USA is a Marxist political party in the United States, established in 1919. It has a long, complex history that is closely related to the histories of similar communist parties worldwide and the U.S. labor movement....
General secretary
General secretary
-International intergovernmental organizations:-International nongovernmental organizations:-Sports governing bodies:...
, Earl Browder
Earl Browder
Earl Russell Browder was an American communist and General Secretary of the Communist Party USA from 1934 to 1945. He was expelled from the party in 1946.- Early years :...
.
In 1941, Silverman was on loan to the US Treasury Department and worked for a period of time on the frozen funds policy. Assistant Secretary of the United States Treasury Harry Dexter White
Harry Dexter White
Harry Dexter White was an American economist, and senior U.S. Treasury department official, participating in the Bretton Woods conference...
used Silverman to supply documents to Soviet intelligence
Chronology of Soviet secret police agencies
There was a succession of Soviet secret police agencies over time. The first secret police after the Russian Revolution, created by Vladimir Lenin's decree on December 20, 1917, was called "Cheka"...
in the latter part of 1942 and early 1943. Presidential Assistant Lauchlin Currie
Lauchlin Currie
Lauchlin Bernard Currie was a Canadian-born U.S.economist from New Dublin, Nova Scotia, Canada, and allegedly an agent of espionage for the Soviet Union....
furnished Silverman with oral information, including information that the United States was on the verge of breaking Soviet codes
Code (cryptography)
In cryptography, a code is a method used to transform a message into an obscured form, preventing those who do not possess special information, or key, required to apply the transform from understanding what is actually transmitted. The usual method is to use a codebook with a list of common...
. Irving Kaplan
Irving Kaplan
Irving Kaplan was an official of the United States government accused of involvement in Soviet espionage. He worked with David Weintraub in the Works Progress Administration's National Research Project, later moving to the Department of the Treasury, the War Production Board , and the Foreign...
of 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...
was also giving Silverman information to be transmitted to the Soviet Union. As the war progressed, the volume of material increased. Silverman worked closely with Lud Ullman
Lud Ullman
William Ludwig Ullmann was an American official accused of spying for the Soviet Union.-Biography:He was born in Springfield, Missouri in 1908, attended Drury College , and graduated from Harvard Business School with an MBA in 1935. Ulmann then took a job with the National Recovery Administration...
, who also worked at the Pentagon
The Pentagon
The Pentagon is the headquarters of the United States Department of Defense, located in Arlington County, Virginia. As a symbol of the U.S. military, "the Pentagon" is often used metonymically to refer to the Department of Defense rather than the building itself.Designed by the American architect...
and did the photographing of stolen documents prior to being turned over to the Golos network.
In August 1945 Silverman left the Pentagon to work for the French Supply Council in Washington D.C., an office of the new French government
Government of France
The government of the French Republic is a semi-presidential system determined by the French Constitution of the fifth Republic. The nation declares itself to be an "indivisible, secular, democratic, and social Republic"...
.
Silverman and Silvermaster learned much about U.S. policies and about Lauchlin Currie and Harry Dexter White's own views through their association. Currie appears to have been involved in carrying out orders from President Roosevelt to get U.S. intelligence services to return Soviet cryptographic documents to the Soviet Union and to cease decoding operations.
The code name "Aileron" appears in the 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...
and was identified as Silverman. Aileron was possibly a reference to Silverman’s Air Force position.
External links
- FBI Silvermaster FileFBI Silvermaster FileThe FBI’s Silvermaster file is a 162-volume compendium of some 26,000 pages of documents relating to the Bureau’s investigation of Communist penetration of the Federal government during the Cold War....
- Silvermaster Group FBI FOIA
- Politics and the Attack on FDR's Economists