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American Cryptology during the Cold War - The Black Vault

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Julius and E<strong>the</strong>l Rosenberg (on right) shown with ano<strong>the</strong>r accused spy, Morton Sobell<br />

<strong>The</strong> most famous spy ofall was Kim Philby, <strong>the</strong> British MI-6liaison officer assigned to<br />

work with <strong>the</strong> <strong>American</strong>s on <strong>the</strong> VENONA project. VENONA also became <strong>the</strong> lever which<br />

pried open <strong>the</strong> Philby spy ring, and Philby watched it all unfold. He kept to himself until,<br />

in early 1951, <strong>the</strong> FBI went after one HOMER, <strong>the</strong> covername of a KGB agent identified<br />

originally in VENONA traffic. HOMER, <strong>the</strong> FBI suspected, was actually one Donald<br />

Maclean, a first secretary of <strong>the</strong> British embassy who, as part of his duties, was in charge<br />

of <strong>the</strong> coderoom in Washington. As such, he had passed <strong>the</strong> text of certain Churchill­<br />

Roosevelt messages to Moscow, and <strong>the</strong>se appeared in decrypted VENONA traffic. Because<br />

ofhis position as liaison with <strong>the</strong> <strong>American</strong>s on VENONA, Philby knew <strong>the</strong> axe was about to<br />

fall, and he warned Maclean ofimpending exposure. Maclean fled to Moscow with a fellow<br />

spy, Guy Burgess, who had been posted to Washington with Maclean. Brought under<br />

suspicion by Hoover's FBI, Philby resigned his post and in 1963 fled to Moscow himself. 17<br />

IIltNBIsElfIIt 'fAIsE"'f I(EYIIOLB eOMHff eOn'fR8L SYS'fBMS d8Hof'fL'1<br />

NOTRE' EASA2bE 'FO FORB[6H' NAIIONALS<br />

165

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