Theodore Bayer was president of the Russky Golos, or Russian Voice Publishing Company, which published an anti-capitalist Russian-language newspaper during the Great Depression

Great Depression

The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...

 and 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...

. Russky Golos was funded by 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 by advertising, commercial newsstand and subscription sales. Its editorial position was closely aligned with the Communist Party of the United States (CPUSA). Bayer was allegedly part of a Soviet military intelligence (GRU

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...

) network.

As president of Russky Golos, Bayer got to know John Hazard Reynolds, who provided financial support to a publication entitled Soviet Russia Today, and recommended him to Communist Party of the United States (CPUSA) General Secretary

General Secretary

The office of general secretary is staffed by the chief officer of:*The General Secretariat for Macedonia and Thrace, a government agency for the Greek regions of Macedonia and Thrace...

 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 a July 1943 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...

 decryption sent by the New York GRU Rezident Pavel Mikhailov to Moscow, Bayer is credited with describing a CPUSA source near President Franklin Roosevelt as a woman 'from an aristocratic family, who has known the President and his wife for a long time, evidently a secret member of the CPUSA.' The message included praise of Joseph Stalin

Joseph Stalin

Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin was the Premier of the Soviet Union from 6 May 1941 to 5 March 1953. He was among the Bolshevik revolutionaries who brought about the October Revolution and had held the position of first General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union's Central Committee...

's leadership and an allegation that Madame Chiang Kai-shek was "a narcotics addict." The GRU later identified the woman as Josephine Treslow.

The Report of the Subversive Activities Control Board found Theodore Bayer to be a high level and important member of the CPUSA.

Venona

Theodore Bayer cover name as assigend by the GRU and deciphered in Venona project transcripts is SIMON. Bayer is referenced in the following Venona project decryptions:

• 1169 GRU New York to Moscow, 19 July 1943
• 1258–1259 GRU New York to Moscow, 31 July 1943
• 1350 GRU New York to Moscow, 17 August 1943