“Bentley kept a bottle in her desk”: Roeker interview with Florence McDermott, in Roeker, “Communist Agent,” p. 58.
“She had a life, now, that she could live”: The FBI kept tabs on her. See FBI memo, special agent in charge, New Haven, to special agent in charge, New York, Nov. 17, 1961, Bentley file No. 134-182-A-10. Her death certificate lists the Cherry Hill address.
“‘…may still be needed at some future date’”: FBI letter, J. Edgar Hoover to Elizabeth Bentley, Nov. 19, 1959, Bentley file No. 134-435-231.
“a job that summer at General Dynamics”: FBI memo, special agent in charge, New Haven, to director, July 11, 1960, Bentley file No. 134-435-[no final number assigned].
“unable to identify the man in question”: FBI memo, special agent in charge, New Haven, to director, Jan. 19, 1961, Bentley file No. 65-57904.
“‘absolutely not willing to testify’”: FBI memo, special agent in charge, New York, to special agent in charge, New Haven, Nov. 17, 1961, Bentley file No. 134-182-A-10.
“Elizabeth Bentley was dead”: My thanks to oncologist Peter Kovach for insights into the symptoms accompanying abdominal cancer and the complications that may follow surgery. Bentley’s death certificate makes note of the “exploratory laphrotomy” and the diagnosis of “carcinomatosis, primary unknown.”
“She made headlines one last time”: New York Times, Dec. 4, 1963, p. 47; New York Herald Tribune, Dec. 4, 1963, p. 28; Washington Post, Dec. 4, 1963, p. 35; Newsweek, Dec. 16, 1963, p. 60; National Review, Dec. 17, 1963, p. 510.
“‘warm regard and affection’ for the Bureau”: FBI radiogram, special agent in charge, New Haven, to director and special agent in charge, New York, Dec. 3, 1963, Bentley file No. 134-435-234. See also No. 134-182-A-12.
“the kind of spot one would choose for a picnic”: My thanks to Roger Desmond for his keen eye.
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Searchable Terms
Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland Soviet espionage in
Abt, John
Adler, Solomon
Agriculture Department, U.S., Soviet espionage in
Air Force, U.S., Soviet espionage in
Akhmerov, Itzhak “Bill” (Bentley’s KGB contact)
Bentley’s first meeting within
Bentley’s opinion of
his view of Bentley’s role
Perlo Group and
Silvermaster Group and
“Al.” See Gorsky, Anatoly “Al”
(Bentley’s KGB contact)
Aldrich, Frank C. (FBI agent)
Alsop, Joseph
Amalgamated Clothing Workers
Union
Amerasia (periodical)
American Civil Liberties Union ACLU)
American communists. See Communist Party, U.S
American Jewish League Against Communism
American League Against War and Fascism
Ameritex Industrial Company
Army, U.S., Soviet espionage in
Belfrage, Cedric
Belmont, Alan (FBI)
Bentley, Charles Prentiss (father of E. T. Bentley)
Bentley, Elizabeth Turrill
alcohol consumption
anticommunist lectures given by appeal of communism to
assassination of plotted by KGB
awarded Soviet Order of the Red Star
book authored by
childhood and early years
Columbia University education
Bentley, Elizabeth Turrill (cont.) congressional testimony by
conversion to Catholicism
credibility of
decision made by, to reveal espionage to FBI
disillusionment with communism, by
early attempts of communists to recruit as spy
early political
and social views of
emotional problems and inner resources of
employment and undercover work at Italian Library of Information
employment as teacher
employment at Emergency Home Relief Bureau
employment at McClure Newspaper Syndicate
employment at short-term position
employment at USS&S
employment problems of, during Depression
espionage work of, directed by J. Golos
as FBI double agent
as FBI informant
final illness and death
financial problems
Golos’s death and
Gorsky’s gift of money to
as government expert witness
grand jury testimony
as “handler” of spy networks
health
home owned in Connecticut
initial contact with American communists
involvement in American Communist Party
libel suits involving
H. Matusow’s challenge to
media coverage of
obituaries for
personal and legal problems in 1951 and 1952
personality and character of
place of, in American history
as public figure
W. Remington trials and his challenge to
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