Heating Up the Cold War

World War II ended 80 years ago. But, before any peace dividend could be paid or the euphoria fully experienced, the Cold War started. Victory in the total defeat of the Third Reich and the Empire of Japan failed to usher in a new world order for peace, prosperity or universal rights.

To the Russians, the defeat of the Nazis was not an end, but an opportunity to assert itself and insert an ideology that used peace as an opportunity for conquest. This shocked many in the West who believed Stalin was a grandfatherly figure, sacrificing his country and his people to defeat Hitler and secure a new Europe. As the war ended, Stalin’s ambitions did not. He used his military might to extend his reach to “conquer” other countries and increase his sphere of influence.

Eighty years ago, victory was short lived as countries in Central and Eastern Europe traded the Nazis and the Gestapo for the Soviets and the KGB. For these countries, freedom and liberty were ideas they were not to experience for a long time.

There was a subtle sway that masked Stalin’s true intent. He would never overtly state his objectives, and extended his reach and exerted his influence in post-war efforts that didn’t appear to be the actual power grab that it was. Stalin had no idea of being content with a win and enjoying peace for either his country or the world.

But 80 years ago, the full extent of Stalin’s aim would become clear when a young cipher clerk at the Soviet embassy in Canada defected with proof positive of Stalin’s ambitions and objectives to secure a new peace at the expense of his former allies.

The Canadians had been slow to establish diplomatic relations with Russia. Only in 1942 when the war had been raging for 3 years did the Canadians allow the Russians to have an embassy. But the Russians took advantage of Canadian goodwill and turned the embassy into an espionage center. Playing on allied sympathies and mutual interest in defeating the Axis powers, the Russians recruited prominent Canadians to spy.

This spy ring yielded high value intelligence as the Canadians were working closely with the United States and openly shared military and other strategic secrets. The Canadians were also a bit more casual in how they guarded information and the Russians took full advantage of obtaining information than they could never have received from their Washington embassy.

The level of information was so vast that the Russians did not want their ambassador to know the extent of their developing network. To segregate these activities, they sent a high-ranking military intelligence officer to spearhead the effort. And, because of the highly classified nature, the Russians also sent a specialist in codes so that information could be secretly transmitted so no one would know the content of the information.

Igor Gouzenko was only 26 when he arrived in Ottawa on this secret mission to handle coded correspondence between his boss and the Moscow intelligence office. His wife and small child joined him; while he worked long hours, his family enjoyed their time in Canada.

It was not lost of the young Gouzenkos that the abundance in Canada was not remotely available in Moscow. Their apartment was a luxury compared to their Russian housing. They also saw firsthand all the manifestations of freedom the Canadians enjoyed.

When it appeared he would be recalled to Russia, he decided to defect. Being recalled to Moscow could potentially be life threatening. He knew a great deal about the spy ring and had seen firsthand the contrast between life in Moscow to Ottawa. But he knew that it was not enough to just defect, but he had to show the extent of Russian perfidy and how Canadians were being exploited and the significant state secrets the Russians now possessed.

When his boss was recalled and it was apparent he would be next, he devised a plan to take a trove of secret messages with him. This would provide indisputable proof of Russian illegal activity and would make his defection valuable to the Canadian government. Or, so he thought.

Initially the Canadians were not sure what to do with him. Defecting was not normal and as Russia was still an ally, allowing a defection might cause a significant diplomatic incident. Gouzenko persisted, but after a day, he was desperate and realized the Russians would notice his absence. With his family, he hid in an adjacent apartment and only when Russian thugs came to search for him and ransacked his home did Canadian officials believe him and provide safety to his family.

Upon reviewing his de-coded messages, the Canadians were shocked. It started to dawn on them that the fostering of a Russia-Canada friendship was a total fiction, and all their goodwill was used to obtain secret information to use against them. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police used the information to arrest 39 Canadians. Of these, almost half were convicted and these included members of parliament, military officials and research scientists.

Gouzenko’s information was the first time Americans knew that the Russian had stolen secrets about the development of the atomic bomb. British traitors were arrested and this led ultimately to undercovering the work of American spies, like the Rosenbergs, who supplied Russia with the plans and designs for a nuclear weapon.

Until this defection, Russian intentions were unclear and its aggressive behavior grudgingly tolerated. Once Gouzenko’s information was further investigated and fully vetted, leaders in the West realized that Russia was engaging in belligerent acts specifically targeted to undermine the peace and stability of the post-war world.

The repercussions from Gouzenko’s disclosures marked the beginning of the Cold War and a line of demarcation between a friendly relationship with Russians and an aggressive enemy. The depth of Russian duplicity created a hostile environment that would take years to thaw.

Will Sellers is a graduate of Hillsdale College and is an Associate Justice on the Supreme Court of Alabama. He is best reached at jws@willsellers.com.

THE VIEWS OF SUBMITTED EDITORIALS MAY NOT BE THE EXPRESS VIEWS OF THE ALABAMA GAZETTE.