Rudy Baker
Encyclopedia
Rudy Baker a Communist Party USA
(CPUSA) official, is today best known for his alleged role as head of the CPUSA's underground secret apparatus. He succeeded to the position in 1938, after the removal of J. Peters
.
, Croatia
, probably under the name Rudolph Blum. Baker had little formal education, and emigrated to the United States
with his family in 1909. He joined the Communist Party of the United States at its founding, in 1919. He went to Moscow
and trained at the International Lenin School from 1927 to 1930. He became a member of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union
during that period.
decryptions of Soviet codes under the cover name SON; he may also be RUDI. The identification comes from coded correspondence between the Comintern
and the party in Russia's RTsKhIDNI archive (495-184), which contains dozens of messages from BROTHER in Moscow to FATHER and SON in the United States. Annotations on these messages identify BROTHER as Dimitrov and FATHER as the party General Secretary Earl Browder
. In these messages, SON is the head of the party's covert arm or secret apparatus, which Baker took over in mid-1938 after the defection of Whittaker Chambers
. Notably, all of the Comintern messages to SON were sent after Baker visited Moscow in January 1939 to brief Comintern officials on the status of the party's secret apparatus (after Baker took over its operations).
In May 1942, General Pavel Fitin
, the head of KGB
foreign intelligence directorate states in a message to Dimitrov found in the Comintern Archives, "We are forwarding a telegram we received from New York
addressed to you from Rudy"; this telegram is signed SON.
The Marxists Internet Archive
has unearthed these pseudonyms used by Baker: Baker, Raymond—Baker, Rudy / Bower / Bark / Blum / Rudolph / Taylor, John,
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....
(CPUSA) official, is today best known for his alleged role as head of the CPUSA's underground secret apparatus. He succeeded to the position in 1938, after the removal of J. Peters
J. Peters
J. Peters was the most commonly known pseudonym of a man who last went by the name "Alexander Stevens" in 1949. Peters was an ethnic Jewish journalist and political activist who was a leading figure of the Hungarian language section of the Communist Party USA in the 1920s and 1930s...
.
Background
Baker was born in 1898 in VukovarVukovar
Vukovar is a city in eastern Croatia, and the biggest river port in Croatia located at the confluence of the Vuka river and the Danube. Vukovar is the center of the Vukovar-Syrmia County...
, Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
, probably under the name Rudolph Blum. Baker had little formal education, and emigrated to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
with his family in 1909. He joined the Communist Party of the United States at its founding, in 1919. He went 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...
and trained at the International Lenin School from 1927 to 1930. He became a member of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union
Communist Party of the Soviet Union
The Communist Party of the Soviet Union was the only legal, ruling political party in the Soviet Union and one of the largest communist organizations in the world...
during that period.
Identification in VENONA Soviet Cables
Baker shows up in 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...
decryptions of Soviet codes under the cover name SON; he may also be RUDI. The identification comes from coded correspondence between the 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...
and the party in Russia's RTsKhIDNI archive (495-184), which contains dozens of messages from BROTHER in Moscow to FATHER and SON in the United States. Annotations on these messages identify BROTHER as Dimitrov and FATHER as the party General Secretary Earl Browder
Earl Browder
Earl Russell Browder was an American communist and General Secretary of the Communist Party USA from 1934 to 1945. He was expelled from the party in 1946.- Early years :...
. In these messages, SON is the head of the party's covert arm or secret apparatus, which Baker took over in mid-1938 after the defection of Whittaker Chambers
Whittaker Chambers
Whittaker Chambers was born Jay Vivian Chambers and also known as David Whittaker Chambers , was an American writer and editor. After being a Communist Party USA member and Soviet spy, he later renounced communism and became an outspoken opponent later testifying in the perjury and espionage trial...
. Notably, all of the Comintern messages to SON were sent after Baker visited Moscow in January 1939 to brief Comintern officials on the status of the party's secret apparatus (after Baker took over its operations).
In May 1942, General Pavel Fitin
Pavel Fitin
Lieutenant General Pavel Mikhailovich Fitin was a Soviet intelligence officer and was the director of Soviet intelligence during World War II, identified in the Venona cables under the code name "Viktor."- Education :Fitin graduated from a program in agricultural...
, the head 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...
foreign intelligence directorate states in a message to Dimitrov found in the Comintern Archives, "We are forwarding a telegram we received from New York
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...
addressed to you from Rudy"; this telegram is signed SON.
The Marxists Internet Archive
Marxists Internet Archive
Marxists Internet Archive is a volunteer based non-profit organization that maintains a multi-lingual Internet archive of Marxist writers and other similar authors...
has unearthed these pseudonyms used by Baker: Baker, Raymond—Baker, Rudy / Bower / Bark / Blum / Rudolph / Taylor, John,
Sources
- John Earl HaynesJohn Earl HaynesJohn Earl Haynes is an American historian who is a specialist in 20th century political history in the Manuscript Division of the Library of Congress...
, Russian Archival Identification of Real Names Behind Cover Names in VENONA, Cryptology and the Cold War, Center for Cryptologic History Symposium, (October 27, 2005) - John Earl Haynes and Harvey KlehrHarvey KlehrHarvey E. Klehr is a professor of politics and history at Emory University; he is known for his books on the subject of the American Communist movement, and on Soviet espionage in America ....
, Venona: Decoding Soviet Espionage in America (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1999). ISBN 0-300-08462-5 - Fridrikh Igorevich Firsov and Harvey Klehr, The Secret World of American Communism (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1996). ISBN 0-300-06855-7.