Lona Cohen
Encyclopedia
Leontine Theresa "Lona" Cohen (January 11, 1913 – December 23, 1992), also known while she was in London
as Helen Kroger, was an American
spy
for the Soviet Union
. She was the wife of another spy, Morris Cohen
.
. An American
citizen, she was a member of the Communist Party USA
and had been recruited into Soviet espionage in 1939 by her husband, Morris
. She worked for Soviet case officers, including Anatoli Yatskov
, out of the New York Rezidentura during World War II
.
After her husband was drafted
in 1942, Cohen ran a network that included engineer
s and technician
s at munitions and aviation
plants in the New York
area. One of her sources smuggled a working model of a new machine gun out of a munition plant. She worked at two defense plants, the Public Metal Company in New York City
in 1941 and the Aircraft Screw Products plant on Long Island
in 1943.
She was a courier who picked up reports from Theodore Hall
, and a source cover name
d "FOGEL" and "PERS" from the American secret atomic weapons project at Los Alamos, New Mexico
and carried them to the Soviet consulate in New York, where a KGB
sub-residency under a young engineer, Leonid R. Kvasnikov, coordinated operations and dispatched intelligence to Moscow
.
After the defections of Elizabeth Bentley
and Igor Gouzenko
, the Cohens ended contact with Soviet intelligence until 1949, at which time they began working with Col. Rudolph Abel, a U.S. based illegal resident. After Fuchs was arrested in Great Britain
in 1950, Cohen and her husband fled to Moscow
, where she received additional training as a radio
operator and cipher
clerk. In 1954, the pair resurfaced in London
under the names Helen and Peter Kroger with New Zealand
passport
s. They set up an antiquarian book business which was cover for their activities of running the London Illegal Rezidentura. Gordon Lonsdale worked with them as part of the Portland Spy Ring
.
Whilst in London the Cohens were friends with Frank and Nora Doel. Frank Doel
is the bookseller whose correspondence with the author Helene Hanff
became the bestseller, 84 Charing Cross Road
. In her follow-up book, The Duchess of Bloomsbury Street, Hanff reported an anecdote told her by Nora Doel. One New Year's Eve
, the Doels gave a party at which Lona Cohen (aka Helen Kroger)
, they set up a high speed radio transmitter and began sending Moscow "information of special importance". In January 1961, they were arrested for espionage, and in March, she received a sentence of 20 years while her husband got 25 years, of which they served only eight.
Before being taken in custody, Mrs. Kroger asked permission to stoke up the boiler. Before she could do so, Detective Smith, a veteran "spy catcher" who was in charge of the arrest, insisted on checking her handbag first. It was found to contain microdots, the photographic reduction of documents, in order to make them small enough to be smuggled out of the country more easily. In 1969, the two were finally exchanged with the Soviet Union for a British subject called Gerald Brooke
. Back in Moscow
, they continued training colleagues for illegal intelligence operations.
and Order of Friendship of Nations
. Her code name in Soviet intelligence and the Venona files is "Lesley". In fact, both Lona and Morris Cohen were awarded the Soviet Union's highest award, Hero for the Soviet Union (equivalent to the United States' Medal of Honor
). The literature also contains two other intriguing items: Morris Cohen was the original recruiter of Julius Rosenberg, and the Rosenbergs were also awarded the Hero of the USSR medal.
dramatized the case as Pack of Lies
, which was performed in London's West End theatre
district starring Judi Dench
and Michael Williams. It played on Broadway
for 3½ months in 1985, for which Rosemary Harris
won the best actress Tony award
for her portrayal of the British neighbor of the Cohens ("Krogers").
It was made into a TV movie starring Ellen Burstyn
, Alan Bates
and Teri Garr
(the last playing
"Helen Schaefer", i.e., "Helen Kroger", i.e., Lona Cohen) which aired in the U.S. as a Hallmark Hall of Fame
presentation in 1987 on CBS
. The story centred on the seemingly pleasant and ordinary neighbours and friends whose home was eventually used as a base to spy on the Schaefers (i.e. "Krogers").
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
as Helen Kroger, was an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
spy
Espionage
Espionage or spying involves an individual obtaining information that is considered secret or confidential without the permission of the holder of the information. Espionage is inherently clandestine, lest the legitimate holder of the information change plans or take other countermeasures once it...
for the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
. She was the wife of another spy, Morris Cohen
Morris Cohen (Soviet spy)
Morris Cohen also known in London as Peter Kroger was an American convicted of espionage for the Soviet Union. His wife Lona was also an agent.-Birth and education:...
.
Espionage
Leontine "Lona" Cohen was born in Adams, MassachusettsAdams, Massachusetts
Adams is a town in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. It is part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 8,485 at the 2010 census.-History:...
. An American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
citizen, she was a member of the Communist Party USA
Communist Party USA
The Communist Party USA is a Marxist political party in the United States, established in 1919. It has a long, complex history that is closely related to the histories of similar communist parties worldwide and the U.S. labor movement....
and had been recruited into Soviet espionage in 1939 by her husband, Morris
Morris Cohen (Soviet spy)
Morris Cohen also known in London as Peter Kroger was an American convicted of espionage for the Soviet Union. His wife Lona was also an agent.-Birth and education:...
. She worked for Soviet case officers, including Anatoli Yatskov
Anatoli Yatskov
Anatoli A. Yakovlev was General Consul of the Soviet Union's delegation in New York City in the 1940s...
, out of the New York Rezidentura during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
After her husband was drafted
Conscription
Conscription is the compulsory enlistment of people in some sort of national service, most often military service. Conscription dates back to antiquity and continues in some countries to the present day under various names...
in 1942, Cohen ran a network that included engineer
Engineer
An engineer is a professional practitioner of engineering, concerned with applying scientific knowledge, mathematics and ingenuity to develop solutions for technical problems. Engineers design materials, structures, machines and systems while considering the limitations imposed by practicality,...
s and technician
Technician
A technician is a worker in a field of technology who is proficient in the relevant skills and techniques, with a relatively practical understanding of the theoretical principles. Experienced technicians in a specific tool domain typically have intermediate understanding of theory and expert...
s at munitions and aviation
Aviation
Aviation is the design, development, production, operation, and use of aircraft, especially heavier-than-air aircraft. Aviation is derived from avis, the Latin word for bird.-History:...
plants in the New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
area. One of her sources smuggled a working model of a new machine gun out of a munition plant. She worked at two defense plants, the Public Metal Company in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
in 1941 and the Aircraft Screw Products plant on Long Island
Long Island
Long Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...
in 1943.
She was a courier who picked up reports from Theodore Hall
Theodore Hall
Theodore Alvin Hall was an American physicist and an atomic spy for the Soviet Union, who, during his work on US efforts to develop the first atomic bomb during World War II , gave a detailed description of the "Fat Man" plutonium bomb, and of processes for purifying plutonium, to Soviet...
, and a source cover name
Code name
A code name or cryptonym is a word or name used clandestinely to refer to another name or word. Code names are often used for military purposes, or in espionage...
d "FOGEL" and "PERS" from the American secret atomic weapons project at Los Alamos, New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
and carried them to the Soviet consulate in New York, where a KGB
KGB
The KGB was the commonly used acronym for the . It was the national security agency of the Soviet Union from 1954 until 1991, and was the premier internal security, intelligence, and secret police organization during that time.The State Security Agency of the Republic of Belarus currently uses the...
sub-residency under a young engineer, Leonid R. Kvasnikov, coordinated operations and dispatched intelligence to Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
.
After the defections of Elizabeth Bentley
Elizabeth Bentley
Elizabeth Terrill Bentley was an American spy for the Soviet Union from 1938 until 1945. In 1945 she defected from the Communist Party and Soviet intelligence and became an informer for the U.S. She exposed two networks of spies, ultimately naming over 80 Americans who had engaged in espionage for...
and Igor Gouzenko
Igor Gouzenko
Igor Sergeyevich Gouzenko was a cipher clerk for the Soviet Embassy to Canada in Ottawa, Ontario. He defected on September 5, 1945, with 109 documents on Soviet espionage activities in the West...
, the Cohens ended contact with Soviet intelligence until 1949, at which time they began working with Col. Rudolph Abel, a U.S. based illegal resident. After Fuchs was arrested in Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
in 1950, Cohen and her husband fled to Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
, where she received additional training as a radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
operator and cipher
Cipher
In cryptography, a cipher is an algorithm for performing encryption or decryption — a series of well-defined steps that can be followed as a procedure. An alternative, less common term is encipherment. In non-technical usage, a “cipher” is the same thing as a “code”; however, the concepts...
clerk. In 1954, the pair resurfaced in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
under the names Helen and Peter Kroger with New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
passport
Passport
A passport is a document, issued by a national government, which certifies, for the purpose of international travel, the identity and nationality of its holder. The elements of identity are name, date of birth, sex, and place of birth....
s. They set up an antiquarian book business which was cover for their activities of running the London Illegal Rezidentura. Gordon Lonsdale worked with them as part of the Portland Spy Ring
Portland Spy Ring
The Portland Spy Ring was a Soviet spy ring that operated in England from the late 1950s till 1961 when the core of the network was arrested by the British security services. It is one of the most famous examples of the use of illegal residents — spies who operate in a foreign country but...
.
Whilst in London the Cohens were friends with Frank and Nora Doel. Frank Doel
Frank Doel
Frank Percy Doel was an antiquarian bookseller for Marks & Co in London, England, who achieved posthumous fame as the recipient of a series of humorous letters from the American author Helene Hanff; to which he scrupulously, and at first very formally, replied...
is the bookseller whose correspondence with the author Helene Hanff
Helene Hanff
Helene Hanff was an American writer. Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, she is best known as the author of the book 84, Charing Cross Road, which became the basis for a stage play, , and film of the same name.- Career :...
became the bestseller, 84 Charing Cross Road
84 Charing Cross Road
84, Charing Cross Road is a 1970 book by Helene Hanff, later made into a stage play, television play and film, about the twenty-year correspondence between her and Frank Doel, chief buyer of Marks & Co, antiquarian booksellers located at the eponymous address in London, England.Hanff, in search of...
. In her follow-up book, The Duchess of Bloomsbury Street, Hanff reported an anecdote told her by Nora Doel. One New Year's Eve
New Year's Eve
New Year's Eve is observed annually on December 31, the final day of any given year in the Gregorian calendar. In modern societies, New Year's Eve is often celebrated at social gatherings, during which participants dance, eat, consume alcoholic beverages, and watch or light fireworks to mark the...
, the Doels gave a party at which Lona Cohen (aka Helen Kroger)
arrived looking very exotic in a long black evening dress. 'Helen, you look like a Russian spy!' said Nora. And Helen laughed and Peter laughed and a few months later Nora picked up the morning paper and discovered that Helen and Peter Kruger were Russian spies
Imprisonment
In the basement of their house, at 45 Cranley Drive, Ruislip, situated not far from the military airfield of NortholtNortholt
Northolt is a town in the London Borough of Ealing, England. The town has London Underground and Network Rail stations and is on the A40 road...
, they set up a high speed radio transmitter and began sending Moscow "information of special importance". In January 1961, they were arrested for espionage, and in March, she received a sentence of 20 years while her husband got 25 years, of which they served only eight.
Before being taken in custody, Mrs. Kroger asked permission to stoke up the boiler. Before she could do so, Detective Smith, a veteran "spy catcher" who was in charge of the arrest, insisted on checking her handbag first. It was found to contain microdots, the photographic reduction of documents, in order to make them small enough to be smuggled out of the country more easily. In 1969, the two were finally exchanged with the Soviet Union for a British subject called Gerald Brooke
Gerald Brooke
Gerald Brooke was a British teacher who taught Russian. In 1965 he travelled to the Soviet Union. Brooke and his wife Barbara were arrested on 25 April by KGB agents for smuggling anti-Soviet leaflets....
. Back in Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
, they continued training colleagues for illegal intelligence operations.
Later life
Lona Cohen was awarded the Order of the Red BannerOrder of the Red Banner
The Soviet government of Russia established the Order of the Red Banner , a military decoration, on September 16, 1918 during the Russian Civil War...
and Order of Friendship of Nations
Order of Friendship of Peoples
The Order of Friendship of Peoples was an order of the Soviet Union, and was awarded to persons , organizations, enterprises, military units, as well as administrative subdivisions of the USSR for accomplishments in strengthening of inter-ethnic and international friendship and cooperation, for...
. Her code name in Soviet intelligence and the Venona files is "Lesley". In fact, both Lona and Morris Cohen were awarded the Soviet Union's highest award, Hero for the Soviet Union (equivalent to the United States' Medal of Honor
Medal of Honor
The Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States government. It is bestowed by the President, in the name of Congress, upon members of the United States Armed Forces who distinguish themselves through "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his or her...
). The literature also contains two other intriguing items: Morris Cohen was the original recruiter of Julius Rosenberg, and the Rosenbergs were also awarded the Hero of the USSR medal.
Fictional portrayals
In 1983, British playwright Hugh WhitemoreHugh Whitemore
Hugh Whitemore is an English playwright and screenwriter.Whitemore studied for the stage at London's Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, where he is now a Member of the Council. He began his writing career in British television with both original teleplays and adaptations of classic works by Charles...
dramatized the case as Pack of Lies
Pack of Lies
Pack of Lies is a 1983 play by English writer Hugh Whitemore.Based on a true story, the plot centres on Bob and Barbara Jackson and their teenage daughter Julie The Jacksons are friendly with their neighbours, Peter and Helen Kroger, until the couple is...
, which was performed in London's West End theatre
West End theatre
West End theatre is a popular term for mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres of London's 'Theatreland', the West End. Along with New York's Broadway theatre, West End theatre is usually considered to represent the highest level of commercial theatre in the English speaking...
district starring Judi Dench
Judi Dench
Dame Judith Olivia "Judi" Dench, CH, DBE, FRSA is an English film, stage and television actress.Dench made her professional debut in 1957 with the Old Vic Company. Over the following few years she played in several of William Shakespeare's plays in such roles as Ophelia in Hamlet, Juliet in Romeo...
and Michael Williams. It played on Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
for 3½ months in 1985, for which Rosemary Harris
Rosemary Harris
Rosemary Ann Harris is an English actress and a member of the American Theatre Hall of Fame. Throughout her career she has been nominated for an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award and has won a Golden Globe, an Emmy, a Tony Award, an Obie, and five Drama Desk Awards.-Early life:Harris was born in...
won the best actress Tony award
Tony Award
The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes achievement in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in New York City. The awards are given for Broadway...
for her portrayal of the British neighbor of the Cohens ("Krogers").
It was made into a TV movie starring Ellen Burstyn
Ellen Burstyn
Ellen Burstyn is a leading American actress of film, stage, and television. Burstyn's career began in theatre during the late 1950s, and over the next ten years she appeared in several films and television series before joining the Actors Studio in 1967...
, Alan Bates
Alan Bates
Sir Alan Arthur Bates CBE was an English actor, who came to prominence in the 1960s, a time of high creativity in British cinema, when he demonstrated his versatility in films ranging from the popular children’s story Whistle Down the Wind to the "kitchen sink" drama A Kind of Loving...
and Teri Garr
Teri Garr
-Early life:Garr was born in Lakewood, Ohio in 1947. Her father, Eddie Garr , was a vaudeville performer, comedian and actor whose career peaked when he briefly took over the lead role in the Broadway drama Tobacco Road...
(the last playing
"Helen Schaefer", i.e., "Helen Kroger", i.e., Lona Cohen) which aired in the U.S. as a Hallmark Hall of Fame
Hallmark Hall of Fame
Hallmark Hall of Fame is an anthology program on American television, sponsored by Hallmark Cards, a Kansas City based greeting card company. The second longest-running television program in the history of television, it has a historically long run, beginning in 1951 and continuing into 2011...
presentation in 1987 on CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
. The story centred on the seemingly pleasant and ordinary neighbours and friends whose home was eventually used as a base to spy on the Schaefers (i.e. "Krogers").
Links
- BBC report on the case. Includes a video news report on the Krogers/Cohens' return to the Soviet Union and an interview with former Foreign SecretarySecretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth AffairsThe Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, commonly referred to as the Foreign Secretary, is a senior member of Her Majesty's Government heading the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and regarded as one of the Great Offices of State...
George BrownGeorge Brown, Baron George-BrownGeorge Alfred Brown, Baron George-Brown, PC was a British Labour politician, who served as the Deputy Leader of the Labour Party from 1960 to 1970, and served in a number of positions in the Cabinet, most notably as Foreign Secretary, in the Labour Government of the 1960s...
over the issues. - Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) (in Russian)
- http://www.pbs.org/redfiles/kgb/deep/interv/k_int_svetlana_chervonnaya.htmInterview with Dr. Svetlana ChervonnayaSvetlana ChervonnayaSvetlana Alexandrovna Chervonnaya is a historian living in Russia specializing in the political history of the Cold War period and Soviet espionage activities in the United States of America. Along with Ellen Schrecker, Chervonnaya is known as one of the leading scholarly voices arguing against...
.] - FBI Morris and Lona Cohen file, 100–406659
Sources
- Rebecca West, The New Meaning of Treason, New York: Viking (1964), pp. 281–88
- Joseph Albright and Marcia Kunstel, Bombshell: The Secret Story of America's Unknown Atomic Spy Conspiracy, New York: Times Books (1997) pp. 244–53
- Russian Federal Foreign Intelligence Service, Veterany vneshnei razvedki Rosii (Veterans of Russian foreign intelligence service), Moscow: Russian Federal Foreign Intelligence Service, (1995).
- John Earl HaynesJohn Earl HaynesJohn Earl Haynes is an American historian who is a specialist in 20th century political history in the Manuscript Division of the Library of Congress...
and Harvey KlehrHarvey KlehrHarvey E. Klehr is a professor of politics and history at Emory University; he is known for his books on the subject of the American Communist movement, and on Soviet espionage in America ....
, Venona: Decoding Soviet Espionage in America, New Haven: Yale University PressYale University PressYale University Press is a book publisher founded in 1908 by George Parmly Day. It became an official department of Yale University in 1961, but remains financially and operationally autonomous....
, 1999, pp. 316, 317–319, 320, 321, 334 (ISBN 0-300-08462-5) - Richard C.S. Trahair and Robert Miller, Encyclopedia of Cold War Espionage, Spies, and Secret Operations, New York: Enigma Books (2009), ISBN 978-1-929631-75-9
- Ruislip Online page on the Krogers. Includes comments from friends and neighbours and a picture of the bungalow lived in by them. Very detailed local information.