Jack Fahy
Encyclopedia
Jack Bradley Fahy was an American government official. He allegedly spied for the Soviet Naval GRU
during World War II
. Soviet naval intelligence was much smaller than the Soviet army's GRU, and only a fraction of the size of the KGB
.
Fahy was born in Washington D.C. in 1908 and grew up in New York City
. His father was a senior partner at Walter J. Fahy and Co, a stock exchange firm. Fahy worked for Senator George Moses in the late 1920s. After the Stock Market Crash of 1929, Fahy became a Socialist.
Fahy studied at New York University
, the Graduate Institute of International Studies
in Geneva, San Marcus University in Peru, Black Mountain College
in North Carolina, and Montana State University
where he took courses in animal husbandry
. Fahy established several small businessess during this time.
Fahy served in the International Brigades
in the Spanish Civil War
on behalf of the Socialist Party
.
When Fahy returned to the U.S. after being wounded in the war in 1938, he publicly argued with Socialist Party leader Norman Thomas
on policy differences over the Spanish Civil War, and resigned from the Party in an open letter published in the Communist Daily Worker
. Afterward Fahy became Vice President of the Hemisphere News Service under Robert Miller, and they later hired Joseph Gregg to manage it. Gregg and Fahy had served together in Spain. The news service was absorbed into the Office of the Coordinator of Inter-American Affairs
(CIAA) in 1941, an agency that coordinated diplomacy, propaganda and economic warfare in Latin America.
Fahy left the CIAA and joined the Board of Economic Warfare
and held the position of Principal Intelligence Officer. In 1943 Fahy was about to become chairman of the Territorial Affairs Bureau in the Department of the Interior, Rep. Martin Dies, Jr.
placed Fahy on a list of government employees suspected as being Communists. The Kerr Commission upon hearing Fahy's testimony agreed his involvement with the Socialist party was a "youthful misadventure" and concluded Fahy had been "loyal" and "has not been guilty of any subversive activity".
Fahy's alleged code name
with the Soviet Naval GRU, "MAXWELL," was deciphered in the VENONA project
, although the value of these decryptions in identifying Soviet agents remains controversial. VENONA transcripts allege that Fahy was transmitting information to the Soviet Naval GRU for money. The information Fahy transmitted was regarded in Moscow as very valuable. Moscow sent a message to the Washington Naval GRU to "communicate each item of information from Fahy on political questions to the Master [Soviet ambassador] and telegraph it to me with the post-script 'report to the Master'."
GRU
GRU or Glavnoye Razvedyvatel'noye Upravleniye is the foreign military intelligence directorate of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation...
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...
. Soviet naval intelligence was much smaller than the Soviet army's GRU, and only a fraction of the size of the 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...
.
Fahy was born in Washington D.C. in 1908 and grew up in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. His father was a senior partner at Walter J. Fahy and Co, a stock exchange firm. Fahy worked for Senator George Moses in the late 1920s. After the Stock Market Crash of 1929, Fahy became a Socialist.
Fahy studied at New York University
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
, the Graduate Institute of International Studies
Graduate Institute of International Studies
The Graduate Institute of International Studies, best known as HEI , was founded in 1927 as one of the first institutions in the world dedicated to the study of international relations...
in Geneva, San Marcus University in Peru, Black Mountain College
Black Mountain College
Black Mountain College, a school founded in 1933 in Black Mountain, North Carolina, was a new kind of college in the United States in which the study of art was seen to be central to a liberal arts education, and in which John Dewey's principles of education played a major role...
in North Carolina, and Montana State University
Montana State University - Bozeman
Montana State University – Bozeman is a public university located in Bozeman, Montana. It is the state's land-grant university and primary campus in the Montana State University System, which is part of the Montana University System...
where he took courses in animal husbandry
Animal husbandry
Animal husbandry is the agricultural practice of breeding and raising livestock.- History :Animal husbandry has been practiced for thousands of years, since the first domestication of animals....
. Fahy established several small businessess during this time.
Fahy served in the International Brigades
International Brigades
The International Brigades were military units made up of volunteers from different countries, who traveled to Spain to defend the Second Spanish Republic in the Spanish Civil War between 1936 and 1939....
in the Spanish Civil War
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil WarAlso known as The Crusade among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War among Carlists, and The Rebellion or Uprising among Republicans. was a major conflict fought in Spain from 17 July 1936 to 1 April 1939...
on behalf of the Socialist Party
Socialist Party of America
The Socialist Party of America was a multi-tendency democratic-socialist political party in the United States, formed in 1901 by a merger between the three-year-old Social Democratic Party of America and disaffected elements of the Socialist Labor Party which had split from the main organization...
.
When Fahy returned to the U.S. after being wounded in the war in 1938, he publicly argued with Socialist Party leader Norman Thomas
Norman Thomas
Norman Mattoon Thomas was a leading American socialist, pacifist, and six-time presidential candidate for the Socialist Party of America.-Early years:...
on policy differences over the Spanish Civil War, and resigned from the Party in an open letter published in the Communist Daily Worker
Daily Worker
The Daily Worker was a newspaper published in New York City by the Communist Party USA, a formerly Comintern-affiliated organization. Publication began in 1924. While it generally reflected the prevailing views of the party, some attempts were made to make it appear that the paper reflected a...
. Afterward Fahy became Vice President of the Hemisphere News Service under Robert Miller, and they later hired Joseph Gregg to manage it. Gregg and Fahy had served together in Spain. The news service was absorbed into 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) in 1941, an agency that coordinated diplomacy, propaganda and economic warfare in Latin America.
Fahy left the CIAA and joined the Board of Economic Warfare
Board of Economic Warfare
The Office of Administrator of Export Control was established in the United States by Presidential Proclamation 2413, July 2, 1940, to administer export licensing provisions of the act of July 2, 1940 . Brigadier General Russell Lamont Maxwell, United States Army, headed up this military entity...
and held the position of Principal Intelligence Officer. In 1943 Fahy was about to become chairman of the Territorial Affairs Bureau in the Department of the Interior, Rep. Martin Dies, Jr.
Martin Dies, Jr.
Martin Dies, Jr. was a Texas politician and a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives. His father, Martin Dies, was also a member of the United States House of Representatives.-Biography:...
placed Fahy on a list of government employees suspected as being Communists. The Kerr Commission upon hearing Fahy's testimony agreed his involvement with the Socialist party was a "youthful misadventure" and concluded Fahy had been "loyal" and "has not been guilty of any subversive activity".
Fahy's alleged code name
Code name
A code name or cryptonym is a word or name used clandestinely to refer to another name or word. Code names are often used for military purposes, or in espionage...
with the Soviet Naval GRU, "MAXWELL," was deciphered 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...
, although the value of these decryptions in identifying Soviet agents remains controversial. VENONA transcripts allege that Fahy was transmitting information to the Soviet Naval GRU for money. The information Fahy transmitted was regarded in Moscow as very valuable. Moscow sent a message to the Washington Naval GRU to "communicate each item of information from Fahy on political questions to the Master [Soviet ambassador] and telegraph it to me with the post-script 'report to the Master'."