POSTED RESPONSE TO A COLUMN IN THE NEW YORK TIMES
It is fascinating to learn of yet another important Soviet spy, Koval, against American interests during the World War II era.
There was MacLean, Philby, Fuchs, and a number of others touching America, and the remarkable Sorge in Japan. There may well have been a very high-ranking spy, too, in Hitler's bunker.
A senior Soviet intelligence official, Sudoplatov, in his memoirs claimed Oppenheimer also worked for the Soviets.
I don't think it is any surprise, nor does it have to do particularly with the 'viciousness' of KGB and GRU.
America not only wanted to keep a monopoly on the terrible weapon - even its ally, Britain, who had once been more advanced than the US in nuclear-weapons research, was cut off from information after a while despite a signed treaty - but we know the US had every intention to use it.
And use it they did, on Japan, on a civilian target, twice. One of the main secret purposes of the atomic attack on Japan was as a threat to Russia, and Stalin well understood this.
Later, the Pentagon - the psychopath, Gen LeMay, for one comes to mind - actually planned a surprise attack on the Soviet Union with nuclear weapons. MacArthur of course wanted to use nuclear weapons on China.
Men like MacLean and Philby were well aware the McCarthy-crazed United States was actually considering further use of atomic weapons.
I'm sure there were rumors and whispers, and I suspect there was actually considerable sympathy with men like MacLean against the US in MI6. After all, the U.S. hadn't hesitated before and it often behaved quite high-handedly
I feel sure that preventing this catastrophe was a major part of the Soviet spies’ motivation. They were idealistic, not motivated by money, hard as that is for Americans to understand.
Likely the world over all has benefited from their spy work.
We've seen recently how crazed an unopposed America can behave. This happening with nuclear weapons through the 60s and 70s is a frightening idea.
Don't forget, despite Soviet and Chinese weapons, Nixon considered using nuclear weapons in Vietnam. Utter insanity.
