Helen Grace Scott Keenan
Encyclopedia
Helen Grace Reswich Scott Keenan, more commonly, Helen Grace Scott was an American citizen employed in the Office of Strategic Services
and later the Office of U.S Chief Counsel for Prosecution of Axis War Criminals on the staff of Justice Robert H. Jackson
during World War II
. She was allegedly a spy for the Soviet Union
.
Between 1933 and 1938 Helen Scott served on the Executive Committee of the Workers Alliance, a Comintern
affiliate front organization. In 1944 she worked for Congressman Boulton. Keenan had been a freelance journalist in the 1930s before beginning work in the Office of the Coordinator of Inter-American Affairs
(CIAA) as a writer and editor in 1945.
Scott Keenan first worked for the New York line of KGB
, then later the Washington D.C. KGB.
is "Fir" (or "Spruce"). "Firtree" and "El" also occurred. Keenan is referenced in the following Venona decryptions:
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...
and later the Office of U.S Chief Counsel for Prosecution of Axis War Criminals on the staff of Justice Robert H. Jackson
Robert H. Jackson
Robert Houghwout Jackson was United States Attorney General and an Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court . He was also the chief United States prosecutor at the Nuremberg Trials...
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...
. She was allegedly a spy for 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....
.
Between 1933 and 1938 Helen Scott served on the Executive Committee of the Workers Alliance, a Comintern
Comintern
The Communist International, abbreviated as Comintern, also known as the Third International, was an international communist organization initiated in Moscow during March 1919...
affiliate front organization. In 1944 she worked for Congressman Boulton. Keenan had been a freelance journalist in the 1930s before beginning work in the Office of the Coordinator of Inter-American Affairs
Coordinator of Inter-American Affairs
The Office of the Coordinator of Inter-American Affairs was a United States agency promoting inter-American cooperation during the 1940s, especially in commercial and economic areas...
(CIAA) as a writer and editor in 1945.
Scott Keenan first worked for the New York line of 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...
, then later the Washington D.C. KGB.
Venona
Helen Grace Scott Keenan's code name in Soviet intelligence, and later as deciphered 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...
is "Fir" (or "Spruce"). "Firtree" and "El" also occurred. Keenan is referenced in the following Venona decryptions:
- 326 KGB Moscow to New York, 5 April 1945;
- 3614–3615 KGB Washington to Moscow, 22 June 1945.
Sources
- John Earl Haynes and Harvey Klehr, Venona: Decoding Soviet Espionage in America (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1999)
- Underground Soviet Espionage Organization (NKVD) in Agencies of the United States Government, 21 February 1946, FBI Silvermaster file (busted link) (65—56402), serial 573