Street in Manhattan still bears the name of a Soviet spy
'24.06.2022'
Nadezhda Verbitskaya
The name of the New York congressman and Soviet spy is immortalized in the Lower East Side of Manhattan. Named more than sixty years ago for a local legislator, Samuel Dickstein Plaza has since taken on a more sinister meaning. Culture Trip.
America during the Cold War was full of mistrust and persecution. In the second half of the XNUMXth century, the United States and the Soviet Union did not wage physical war. However, friction between these ideologically conflicting countries has created a tense atmosphere. During the Cold War, political sabotage was used instead of weapons.
With increased intelligence gathering and Jewish instability after World War II during this period, neighbor turned against neighbor, and the Americans themselves sometimes spied on enemies, giving away their country's secrets. Washington officials worked to fight communism not only outside the country, but also at home. However, these efforts were undermined by one of them. Samuel Dickstein, a congressman from New York, led the fight against fascism and communism in the United States, while he himself was a Soviet spy.
From 1937 to 1940, Dickstein, as a Democratic congressman, sold information to the Soviet government. The congressman with the spy codename Kruk supported the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, shared intelligence with the Communists, and confused American investigators investigating Communist activities.
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Dickstein is also credited with founding the House Un-American Activities Committee. The committee was engaged in the hunt for Nazis, fascists and communists in America. Initially, Dickstein's commitment to the Committee was sincere, but the bureaucracy blocked most of his efforts, thus alienating him and making him a Soviet spy.
For his services as an undercover agent, Dickstein received a total of $12 from the USSR. This is approximately $000 in today's inflation-adjusted currency. He is the only US government official in history to act as a double agent. And despite several name campaigns, a street in New York still bears the name of this American who spied for the Communists.
