> >>From: Bradford DeLong <jbdelong at uclink.berkeley.edu>
> >>
> >>>I take it you now believe White was a Soviet agent. Why did you
> >>>change your mind?
> >>>
> >>>Carl
> >>
> >>Venona. Partial decryption of 4 August 1944 ...
> >
> >OTOH, one might consider the counterarguments advanced in the IMF
> >Working Paper, "The Case Against Harry Dexter White: Still Not
> >Proven," at http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/wp/2000/wp00149.pdf
> >
> >Carl
>
> Boughton. Yeah. His summary of the August 4, 1944 report by KOLTSOV
> on his conversation with JURIST is:
>
> "Koltsov reported that White had discussed a wide range of economic
> and political topics: Lend-Lease... the German economy after the
> war... trade policy... a loan to the Soviet Union... trip to
> Europe... Finland and Poland, and the likelihood of Roosevelt being
> reelected. The cable suggests that Koltsov asked for but did not get
> a document on Lend-Lease. They agreed to meet again in a few weeks,
> but in view of the risks involved, White proposed that they meet for
> drives in his car. Koltsov presented all of this to his superiors as
> an example of White's 'work with us', but it seems likely that White
> saw it in more benign terms, as a means of keeping an ally informed
> of pertinent developments..."
>
> This is the report that contains:
>
> "As regards the technique of further work with us JURIST said that
> his wife was [B% ready] for any self-sacrifice[;] he himself did not
> think about his personal security, but a compromise[PROVAL] would
> lead to a political scandal and [B% the discredit] of all supporters
> of the new course[o], therefore he would have to be very cautious. He
> asked whether he should [5 groups unrecovered] his work with us. I
> [O% replied] that he should refrain. JURIST has no suitable apartment
> for a permanent meeting place[;] all his friends are family people.
> Meetings could be held at their houses in such a way that one meeting
> devolved on each every 4-5 months. He proposes infrequent
> conversations lasting up to half an hour while driving in his
> automobile."
>
> Boughton's (and Sandilands's) interpretation is possible, but barely
> possible. One doesn't worry that keeping an ally informed of
> pertinent developments will endanger one's personal security, require
> substantial self-sacrifice on the part of one's family, or discredit
> all supporters of the New Deal.
>
> But I wish I could believe that Boughton is right...
You trust the account of a Soviet agent?
Seth