John Scott (writer)
Encyclopedia
John Scott was an American
writer who worked in the Office of Strategic Services
(OSS) during World War II
. The OSS was the predecessor organization to the Central Intelligence Agency
(CIA). Scott was alleged to be working for Soviet intelligence
.
and Nellie Marguerite Seeds Nearing.
in 1932 and worked for many years in Magnitogorsk
. Scott married Mariya Ivanovna Kikareva and the two came to the United States in 1942.
. Scott contributed to the construction of Magnitogorsk as a welder working in treacherous conditions.
In one case Scott recalls a rigger falling past him while he was working:
Scott's writing reflects the painful human price of industrial accidents, overwork, and the inefficiency of the hyperindustrialization program, the wretched condition of peasants driven from the land in the collectivization program
and forced into becoming industrial laborers, and the harshness of the ideological purges. Stalin integrated the construction of Magnitogorsk into a five-year economic plan.
According to Scott, Stalin chose to industrialize Magnitogorsk for several reasons. For one, Stalin began to emphasize industrial modernization in favor of agriculture by the mid 1930's; secondly, Magnitogorsk was rich in iron ore and other minerals; lastly, and perhaps most importantly, Magnitogorsk lies far from any borders and was less vulnerable to enemy attack. "The Russian people shed blood, sweat, and tears to create something else, a modern industrial base outside the reach of an invader—Stalin's Ural Stronghold—and modern mechanized army."
These experiences, however, did not disillusion him with Soviet communism. Scott indicated he shared a belief with the Soviet people that "it was worthwhile to shed blood, sweat, and tears" to lay "the foundations for a new society farther along the road of human progress than anything in the West; a society which would guarantee its people not only personal freedom but absolute economic security."
claimed that Scott tried to influence Time Magazine publisher Henry Luce
to remove Chambers as foreign news editor because of Chambers' anti-communist and anti-Soviet views.
by NSA/FBI analysts, under the code name "Ivanov". Venona project decrypts the allegedly refer to him include:
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
writer who worked in the Office of Strategic Services
Office of Strategic Services
The Office of Strategic Services was a United States intelligence agency formed during World War II. It was the wartime intelligence agency, and it was a predecessor of the Central Intelligence Agency...
(OSS) 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...
. The OSS was the predecessor organization to the Central Intelligence Agency
Central Intelligence Agency
The Central Intelligence Agency is a civilian intelligence agency of the United States government. It is an executive agency and reports directly to the Director of National Intelligence, responsible for providing national security intelligence assessment to senior United States policymakers...
(CIA). Scott was alleged to be working for Soviet intelligence
NKVD
The People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs was the public and secret police organization of the Soviet Union that directly executed the rule of power of the Soviets, including political repression, during the era of Joseph Stalin....
.
Background
Scott was the son of conservationist and peace activist Scott NearingScott Nearing
Scott Nearing was an American radical economist, educator, writer, political activist, and advocate of simple living.-The early years:...
and Nellie Marguerite Seeds Nearing.
Soviet experience
Scott migrated to the Soviet UnionSoviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
in 1932 and worked for many years in Magnitogorsk
Magnitogorsk
Magnitogorsk is a mining and industrial city in Chelyabinsk Oblast, Russia, located on the eastern side of the extreme southern extent of the Ural Mountains by the Ural River. Population: 418,545 ;...
. Scott married Mariya Ivanovna Kikareva and the two came to the United States in 1942.
Book
Scott wrote Behind the Urals: An American Worker in Russia's City of Steel about his experiences in Magnitogorsk, presenting the Stalinist enterprise of building a huge steel producing plant and city as an awe-inspiring triumph of collectivismCollectivism
Collectivism is any philosophic, political, economic, mystical or social outlook that emphasizes the interdependence of every human in some collective group and the priority of group goals over individual goals. Collectivists usually focus on community, society, or nation...
. Scott contributed to the construction of Magnitogorsk as a welder working in treacherous conditions.
In one case Scott recalls a rigger falling past him while he was working:
I was just going to start welding when I heard someone sing out, and something swished down past me. It was a rigger who had been working on the very top. He bounced off the bleeder pipe...instead of falling all the way to the ground...[and] landed on the main platform about fifteen foot below me.
Scott's writing reflects the painful human price of industrial accidents, overwork, and the inefficiency of the hyperindustrialization program, the wretched condition of peasants driven from the land in the collectivization program
Collectivisation in the USSR
Collectivization in the Soviet Union was a policy pursued under Stalin between 1928 and 1940. The goal of this policy was to consolidate individual land and labour into collective farms...
and forced into becoming industrial laborers, and the harshness of the ideological purges. Stalin integrated the construction of Magnitogorsk into a five-year economic plan.
According to Scott, Stalin chose to industrialize Magnitogorsk for several reasons. For one, Stalin began to emphasize industrial modernization in favor of agriculture by the mid 1930's; secondly, Magnitogorsk was rich in iron ore and other minerals; lastly, and perhaps most importantly, Magnitogorsk lies far from any borders and was less vulnerable to enemy attack. "The Russian people shed blood, sweat, and tears to create something else, a modern industrial base outside the reach of an invader—Stalin's Ural Stronghold—and modern mechanized army."
These experiences, however, did not disillusion him with Soviet communism. Scott indicated he shared a belief with the Soviet people that "it was worthwhile to shed blood, sweat, and tears" to lay "the foundations for a new society farther along the road of human progress than anything in the West; a society which would guarantee its people not only personal freedom but absolute economic security."
Time magazine
Whittaker ChambersWhittaker Chambers
Whittaker Chambers was born Jay Vivian Chambers and also known as David Whittaker Chambers , was an American writer and editor. After being a Communist Party USA member and Soviet spy, he later renounced communism and became an outspoken opponent later testifying in the perjury and espionage trial...
claimed that Scott tried to influence Time Magazine publisher Henry Luce
Henry Luce
Henry Robinson Luce was an influential American publisher. He launched and closely supervised a stable of magazines that transformed journalism and the reading habits of upscale Americans...
to remove Chambers as foreign news editor because of Chambers' anti-communist and anti-Soviet views.
Venona
Reportedly, Scott was identified as an agent by the Venona projectVenona 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...
by NSA/FBI analysts, under the code name "Ivanov". Venona project decrypts the allegedly refer to him include:
- 726–729 KGB New York to Moscow, 22 May 1942
- 1681 KGB New York to Moscow, 13 October 1943
- 207 KGB Moscow to New York, 8 March 1945
Sources
- John Scott, Behind the Urals: An American Worker in Russia's City of Steel, Boston: Houghton Mifflin (1941), pg. 1-266.
- Sam Tanenhaus, Whittaker Chambers, New York: Random House (1997), pg. 182.
- John Earl Haynes and Harvey Klehr, Venona: Decoding Soviet Espionage in America, New Haven: Yale University Press, (1999), pgs. 194, 195, 237.