Vladimir Pozner
Encyclopedia
Vladimir Aleksandrovich Pozner , (1908-1975) was a Russian
-Jewish émigré
to the United States
. During World War II
he spied for Soviet intelligence
while being employed by the United States Government.
The Pozner family fled Soviet Russia
after the Bolshevik Revolution, and Vladimir Pozner became a Communist sympathizer while living in Europe
. He was chief engineer of the European branch of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
(MGM) in Paris
in 1938. In 1943 he headed the Russian Section of the film department of the U.S. War Department. Pozner was a frequent contact of Louise Bransten.
Vladimir Pozner's cover name as identified in the Venona project
by NSA/FBI analysts is "Plato".
Vladimir Pozner and his family moved to East Berlin
and later to Moscow
in the early 1950s
.
Pozner's son, Vladimir Vladimirovich Pozner, spoke internationally on behalf of Soviet agencies, and, after the collapse of the Soviet Union
, came to be treated in the U.S., under the name Vladimir Posner
(having Anglicized the surname), as an independent journalist.
Russians
The Russian people are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Russia, speaking the Russian language and primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries....
-Jewish émigré
Émigré
Émigré is a French term that literally refers to a person who has "migrated out", but often carries a connotation of politico-social self-exile....
to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. 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...
he spied 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....
while being employed by the United States Government.
The Pozner family fled Soviet Russia
Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic
The Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic , commonly referred to as Soviet Russia, Bolshevik Russia, or simply Russia, was the largest, most populous and economically developed republic in the former Soviet Union....
after the Bolshevik Revolution, and Vladimir Pozner became a Communist sympathizer while living 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...
. He was chief engineer of the European branch of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc. is an American media company, involved primarily in the production and distribution of films and television programs. MGM was founded in 1924 when the entertainment entrepreneur Marcus Loew gained control of Metro Pictures, Goldwyn Pictures Corporation and Louis B. Mayer...
(MGM) in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
in 1938. In 1943 he headed the Russian Section of the film department of the U.S. War Department. Pozner was a frequent contact of Louise Bransten.
Vladimir Pozner's cover name as identified 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...
by NSA/FBI analysts is "Plato".
Vladimir Pozner and his family moved to East Berlin
East Berlin
East Berlin was the name given to the eastern part of Berlin between 1949 and 1990. It consisted of the Soviet sector of Berlin that was established in 1945. The American, British and French sectors became West Berlin, a part strongly associated with West Germany but a free city...
and later to 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...
in the early 1950s
1950s
The 1950s or The Fifties was the decade that began on January 1, 1950 and ended on December 31, 1959. The decade was the sixth decade of the 20th century...
.
Pozner's son, Vladimir Vladimirovich Pozner, spoke internationally on behalf of Soviet agencies, and, after the collapse of the 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....
, came to be treated in the U.S., under the name Vladimir Posner
Vladimir Posner
Vladimir Vladimirovich Posner , born 1 April 1934, is a Russian journalist best known in the West for appearing on television to represent and explain the views of the Soviet Union during the Cold War...
(having Anglicized the surname), as an independent journalist.
Venona
Pozner is referenced in the following Venona project decrypts:- 1131–1133 KGB New York to Moscow, 13 July 1943http://www.nsa.gov/public_info/_files/venona/1943/13jul_platon.pdf
- 1930 KGB New York to Moscow, 21 November 1943 http://www.nsa.gov/public_info/_files/venona/1943/21nov_new_recruits.pdf