Bill Weisband
Encyclopedia
William Weisband, Sr. (August 28, 1908 – May 14, 1967) was an American
cryptanalyst and NKVD
agent (code name 'LINK'), best known for his role in revealing U.S. decryptions of Soviet
diplomatic and intelligence codes to Soviet intelligence
.
, Russia
in 1908 of Russian
Jewish parents. He emigrated to the United States in the 1920s and became a naturalized United States citizen in 1938. He joined the United States Army
in 1942, and was assigned to signals intelligence duties.
for Jones Orin York
, who worked at the Northrop Corporation
. After joining the U.S. Army's Signals Intelligence Service
(SIS) in 1942, he performed signals intelligence and communications security duties in North Africa and Italy, where he made some important friends before returning to the "Russian Section" at Arlington Hall
, where SIS had established its headquarters in June, 1942. Although not a cryptanalyst himself, as a "linguist adviser" who spoke fluent Russian, Weisband worked closely with cryptanalysts. The gregarious and popular Weisband had access to all areas of Arlington Hall's Soviet work. The codebreaker Meredith Gardner
recalled that Weisband had watched him extract a list of Western atomic scientists from a December 1944 NKVD message.
The Soviets apparently had monitored Arlington Hall's "Russian Section" since at least 1945, when Weisband joined the unit. Weisband's earliest reports on the work being done by U.S. cryptanalysts on the Soviet diplomatic code were probably sketchy, but after Weisband began passing information on the work of the Russian Section, Soviet authorities changed their diplomatic code and the Venona project
decryptions dried up. Weisband's role as a Soviet agent was not discovered by counterintelligence officers until 1950, by which time the damage had been done. Where Weisband had sketched the outlines of U.S. cryptanalytic success, British
liaison officer Kim Philby
received actual translations and analyses on a regular basis after he arrived for duty in Washington, D.C.
in autumn 1949. Until a thorough review of Soviet KGB
archives is made, the full scope of Weisband's role as a Soviet spy will probably not be known.
In 1950 Jones Orin York told the FBI that he had passed secrets to the Soviets and that his handler was Bill Weisband. The Venona messages do not hold a definite reference to Weisband. Nevertheless, three messages mention a "ZVENO" (the Russian word for "link") and one of them suggests procedures for the London
residency to use in contacting ZVENO, who was awaiting a transfer to England
. ZVENO, according to one message, had spent the last four weeks in an Italian-language course in Virginia
and would leave for Britain by mid-July. In fact, Weisband spent that June honing his skills in a language (probably Italian) at Arlington Hall, shipped out on 17 July, and arrived in London by 29 July.
While suspended from SIS on suspicion of disloyalty, Weisband failed to appear for a federal grand jury hearing on the Communist Party USA
, for which he had received a summons. As a result, in November 1950 Weisband was convicted of contempt and sentenced to a year in prison. Weisband escaped prosecution for espionage, as authorities feared that a trial would divulge yet more information to Soviet intelligence on U.S. intelligence "sources and methods". Weisband never revealed his status as an NKVD agent to anyone, and he remained in the United States, living quietly, and working as an insurance salesman until his death.
See Vassiliev Notebook "Black Notebook", Page 75.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
cryptanalyst and NKVD
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....
agent (code name 'LINK'), best known for his role in revealing U.S. decryptions 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....
diplomatic and intelligence codes 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"...
.
Background
Weisband was born in OdessaOdessa
Odessa or Odesa is the administrative center of the Odessa Oblast located in southern Ukraine. The city is a major seaport located on the northwest shore of the Black Sea and the fourth largest city in Ukraine with a population of 1,029,000 .The predecessor of Odessa, a small Tatar settlement,...
, Russia
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
in 1908 of Russian
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 parents. He emigrated to the United States in the 1920s and became a naturalized United States citizen in 1938. He joined the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
in 1942, and was assigned to signals intelligence duties.
Espionage career
From 1941 to 1942, Weisband was the NKVD agent handlerAgent handling
In intelligence organizations, agent handling is the management of agents, principal agents, and agent networks by intelligence officers typically known as case officers.-Human intelligence:...
for Jones Orin York
Jones Orin York
Jones Orin York was recruited in California by Soviet spy Stanislau Shumovskij approximately in 1935. In 1950 York told the FBI that he had passed secrets to the KGB since the mid-1930s, including plans for a new airplane engine of his own design and documents on the newest fighter developed by...
, who worked at the Northrop Corporation
Northrop Corporation
Northrop Corporation was a leading United States aircraft manufacturer from its formation in 1939 until its merger with Grumman to form Northrop Grumman in 1994. The company is known for its development of the flying wing design, although only a few of these have entered service.-History:Jack...
. After joining the U.S. Army's Signals Intelligence Service
Signals Intelligence Service
The Signals Intelligence Service was the United States Army codebreaking division, headquartered at Arlington Hall. It was a part of the Signal Corps so secret that outside the office of the Chief Signal officer, it did not officially exist. William Friedman began the division with three "junior...
(SIS) in 1942, he performed signals intelligence and communications security duties in North Africa and Italy, where he made some important friends before returning to the "Russian Section" at Arlington Hall
Arlington Hall
Arlington Hall was a former girl's school and the headquarters of the US Army's Signal Intelligence Service cryptography effort during World War II. The site presently houses the George P. Shultz National Foreign Affairs Training Center, and the United States National Guard Readiness Center. It...
, where SIS had established its headquarters in June, 1942. Although not a cryptanalyst himself, as a "linguist adviser" who spoke fluent Russian, Weisband worked closely with cryptanalysts. The gregarious and popular Weisband had access to all areas of Arlington Hall's Soviet work. The codebreaker Meredith Gardner
Meredith Gardner
Meredith Knox Gardner was an American linguist and codebreaker. Gardner worked in counter-intelligence, decoding Soviet intelligence traffic regarding espionage in the United States, in what came to be known as the Venona project.-Early life and career:Gardner was born in Okolona, Mississippi and...
recalled that Weisband had watched him extract a list of Western atomic scientists from a December 1944 NKVD message.
The Soviets apparently had monitored Arlington Hall's "Russian Section" since at least 1945, when Weisband joined the unit. Weisband's earliest reports on the work being done by U.S. cryptanalysts on the Soviet diplomatic code were probably sketchy, but after Weisband began passing information on the work of the Russian Section, Soviet authorities changed their diplomatic code and 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...
decryptions dried up. Weisband's role as a Soviet agent was not discovered by counterintelligence officers until 1950, by which time the damage had been done. Where Weisband had sketched the outlines of U.S. cryptanalytic success, British
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
liaison officer Kim Philby
Kim Philby
Harold Adrian Russell "Kim" Philby was a high-ranking member of British intelligence who worked as a spy for and later defected to the Soviet Union...
received actual translations and analyses on a regular basis after he arrived for duty 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....
in autumn 1949. Until a thorough review of Soviet KGB
KGB
The KGB was the commonly used acronym for the . It was the national security agency of the Soviet Union from 1954 until 1991, and was the premier internal security, intelligence, and secret police organization during that time.The State Security Agency of the Republic of Belarus currently uses the...
archives is made, the full scope of Weisband's role as a Soviet spy will probably not be known.
In 1950 Jones Orin York told the FBI that he had passed secrets to the Soviets and that his handler was Bill Weisband. The Venona messages do not hold a definite reference to Weisband. Nevertheless, three messages mention a "ZVENO" (the Russian word for "link") and one of them suggests procedures for the London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
residency to use in contacting ZVENO, who was awaiting a transfer to England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. ZVENO, according to one message, had spent the last four weeks in an Italian-language course in Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
and would leave for Britain by mid-July. In fact, Weisband spent that June honing his skills in a language (probably Italian) at Arlington Hall, shipped out on 17 July, and arrived in London by 29 July.
While suspended from SIS on suspicion of disloyalty, Weisband failed to appear for a federal grand jury hearing on the 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....
, for which he had received a summons. As a result, in November 1950 Weisband was convicted of contempt and sentenced to a year in prison. Weisband escaped prosecution for espionage, as authorities feared that a trial would divulge yet more information to Soviet intelligence on U.S. intelligence "sources and methods". Weisband never revealed his status as an NKVD agent to anyone, and he remained in the United States, living quietly, and working as an insurance salesman until his death.
Death
He died suddenly of a heart attack in 1967. His son describes his death:
[My] It was Mothers Day, May 14th 1967 my Father was taking me and my sisters to the Smithsonian Institute for a traditional Sunday afternoon outing. We were driving down the George Washington Memorial Parkway, and he had a massive cardiac arrest. He literally died driving the car. It was horrifing, I grabbed the wheel and pulled the car over to the side of the road, an old '56 Pontiac, and turned the key off. I stood out in the middle of the George Washington Memorial Parkway and stopped traffic, I ran in between the two lanes knocking on windows and doors looking for a doctor or someone to help. Two men helped pull my father out of the car, they laid him on the ground and tried to resuscitate him. An ambulance arrived on the scene and took my Father to the hospital. He was pronounced dead on arrival. My Father was a great Father and I've missed him very much.
Further reading
- "Venona: Soviet Espionage and the American Response, 1939-1957"
- Allen WeinsteinAllen WeinsteinAllen Weinstein is an American historian, educator, and federal official who has served in several different offices. He served as the Archivist of the United States from February 16, 2005 until his resignation on December 19, 2008...
and Alexander Vassiliev, The Haunted Wood: Soviet Espionage in America—the Stalin Era, (New York: Random HouseRandom HouseRandom House, Inc. is the largest general-interest trade book publisher in the world. It has been owned since 1998 by the German private media corporation Bertelsmann and has become the umbrella brand for Bertelsmann book publishing. Random House also has a movie production arm, Random House Films,...
, 1999) ISBN 0-679-45724-0
See Vassiliev Notebook "Black Notebook", Page 75.
External links
- David A. Hatch with Robert Louis Benson, The Korean War: The SIGINT Background, National Cryptographical Museum, 2001