William Henry Taylor
Encyclopedia
William Henry Taylor was a Canadian-born US Treasury economist accused by Elizabeth Bentley
of having been a Soviet spy.
, studied at the University of British Columbia and later attended school with Nathan Gregory Silvermaster at the University of California
where he received a Ph.D. in 1933. He taught economics at the University of Hawaii
for eight years and became a naturalized citizen of the United States in 1940. In 1934, while living in Hawaii, Taylor visited the Soviet Union
and spent several months there.
Taylor secured employment within the United States Department of the Treasury
through Secretary Harry Dexter White
in 1941. The Treasury Department sent him to China and later Lisbon
for the Foreign Economic Administration
. Taylor also was a member of the Communist Party of the United States (CPUSA), in violation of federal employment statutes barring membership in an organization seeking the violent overthrow of the United States Government. As a CPUSA member and allegedly of the secret apparatus known as the Silvermaster group
, Taylor is believed to have supplied information orally and in document form to Soviet intelligence.
In June 1945, Taylor worked out of the U.S. Embassy in London and later that year Paris.
Associates claim Taylor spoke about Communism
constantly. He is one of two alleged Soviet agents code named "Acorn" as deciphered by the Venona project
. Code names sometimes were changed by a user and another assigned.
Elizabeth Bentley
Elizabeth Terrill Bentley was an American spy for the Soviet Union from 1938 until 1945. In 1945 she defected from the Communist Party and Soviet intelligence and became an informer for the U.S. She exposed two networks of spies, ultimately naming over 80 Americans who had engaged in espionage for...
of having been a Soviet spy.
Life
Taylor, born in British ColumbiaBritish Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
, studied at the University of British Columbia and later attended school with Nathan Gregory Silvermaster at the University of California
University of California
The University of California is a public university system in the U.S. state of California. Under the California Master Plan for Higher Education, the University of California is a part of the state's three-tier public higher education system, which also includes the California State University...
where he received a Ph.D. in 1933. He taught economics at the University of Hawaii
University of Hawaii
The University of Hawaii System, formally the University of Hawaii and popularly known as UH, is a public, co-educational college and university system that confers associate, bachelor, master, and doctoral degrees through three university campuses, seven community college campuses, an employment...
for eight years and became a naturalized citizen of the United States in 1940. In 1934, while living in Hawaii, Taylor visited 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....
and spent several months there.
Taylor secured employment within the United States Department of the Treasury
United States Department of the Treasury
The Department of the Treasury is an executive department and the treasury of the United States federal government. It was established by an Act of Congress in 1789 to manage government revenue...
through Secretary Harry Dexter White
Harry Dexter White
Harry Dexter White was an American economist, and senior U.S. Treasury department official, participating in the Bretton Woods conference...
in 1941. The Treasury Department sent him to China and later Lisbon
Lisbon
Lisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...
for the Foreign Economic Administration
Foreign Economic Administration
In the administration of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, the Foreign Economic Administration was formed to relieve friction between US agencies operating abroad. As described by the biographer of the FEA's chief, Leo Crowley, the agency was designed and run by "The Nation's #1 Pinch-hitter".S. L...
. Taylor also was a member of the Communist Party of the United States (CPUSA), in violation of federal employment statutes barring membership in an organization seeking the violent overthrow of the United States Government. As a CPUSA member and allegedly of the secret apparatus known as the Silvermaster group
FBI Silvermaster File
The FBI’s Silvermaster file is a 162-volume compendium of some 26,000 pages of documents relating to the Bureau’s investigation of Communist penetration of the Federal government during the Cold War....
, Taylor is believed to have supplied information orally and in document form to Soviet intelligence.
In June 1945, Taylor worked out of the U.S. Embassy in London and later that year Paris.
Associates claim Taylor spoke about Communism
Communism
Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...
constantly. He is one of two alleged Soviet agents code named "Acorn" as deciphered by 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...
. Code names sometimes were changed by a user and another assigned.