Perseus (spy)
Encyclopedia
Perseus was the codename of a possible Soviet spy
alleged to have breached U.S.
national security
at Los Alamos
during the Manhattan project
. This name is also given to a spy at White Sands Missile Range
, located further south near Las Cruces
, New Mexico
. Evidence for his or her existence is based on a few references in KGB
archives opened (and later closed) to researchers in the early 1990s, after the fall of the Soviet Union. There are also a few references to Perseus in the VENONA decrypts as PERS. The identity of this person, or even whether or not they actually existed, is unknown, and many of the facts in the matter are questionable.
The first person to publicly write about atomic spy Perseus was Russian intelligence Colonel Vladimir Chikov. Starting in 1991 he wrote a number of articles in Russian periodicals that discussed Perseus. Later in 1996 he published a book with American co-author Gary Kern titled, How Stalin Stole the Atomic Bomb from the Americans (published in France in French).
US Cold War historian John Earl Haynes
believes that Perseus is "a faked composite by Vladimir Chikov and the SVR
combining part of the story of Theodore Hall
with misdirection and distortion" citing Gary Kern
The Venona messages contain the unidentified codename "PERS." Not only is pers the linguistic root of the word Perseus but the messages suggest that PERS was a Soviet source on the Manhattan Project. In addition to this, many other individuals, including some associated with the KGB, have affirmed either the specific existence of Perseus or that there remain unidentified atomic spies on the Manhattan Project. According to Chikov, Perseus was at Los Alamos in 1943, a year before Fuchs was assigned there, and in the 1950s Perseus was under the control of Rudolf Abel.
SPY
SPY is a three-letter acronym that may refer to:* SPY , ticker symbol for Standard & Poor's Depositary Receipts* SPY , a satirical monthly, trademarked all-caps* SPY , airport code for San Pédro, Côte d'Ivoire...
alleged to have breached U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
national security
National security
National security is the requirement to maintain the survival of the state through the use of economic, diplomacy, power projection and political power. The concept developed mostly in the United States of America after World War II...
at Los Alamos
Los Alamos National Laboratory
Los Alamos National Laboratory is a United States Department of Energy national laboratory, managed and operated by Los Alamos National Security , located in Los Alamos, New Mexico...
during the Manhattan project
Manhattan Project
The Manhattan Project was a research and development program, led by the United States with participation from the United Kingdom and Canada, that produced the first atomic bomb during World War II. From 1942 to 1946, the project was under the direction of Major General Leslie Groves of the US Army...
. This name is also given to a spy at White Sands Missile Range
White Sands Missile Range
White Sands Missile Range is a rocket range of almost in parts of five counties in southern New Mexico. The largest military installation in the United States, WSMR includes the and the WSMR Otera Mesa bombing range...
, located further south near Las Cruces
Las Cruces, New Mexico
Las Cruces, also known as "The City of the Crosses", is the county seat of Doña Ana County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 97,618 in 2010 according to the 2010 Census, making it the second largest city in the state....
, 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...
. Evidence for his or her existence is based on a few references in 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...
archives opened (and later closed) to researchers in the early 1990s, after the fall of the Soviet Union. There are also a few references to Perseus in the VENONA decrypts as PERS. The identity of this person, or even whether or not they actually existed, is unknown, and many of the facts in the matter are questionable.
The first person to publicly write about atomic spy Perseus was Russian intelligence Colonel Vladimir Chikov. Starting in 1991 he wrote a number of articles in Russian periodicals that discussed Perseus. Later in 1996 he published a book with American co-author Gary Kern titled, How Stalin Stole the Atomic Bomb from the Americans (published in France in French).
US Cold War historian John Earl Haynes
John Earl Haynes
John Earl Haynes is an American historian who is a specialist in 20th century political history in the Manuscript Division of the Library of Congress...
believes that Perseus is "a faked composite by Vladimir Chikov and the SVR
Foreign Intelligence Service (Russia)
The Russian Foreign Intelligence Service is Russia's primary external intelligence agency. The SVR is the successor of the First Chief Directorate of the KGB since December 1991...
combining part of the story of 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...
with misdirection and distortion" citing Gary Kern
The Venona messages contain the unidentified codename "PERS." Not only is pers the linguistic root of the word Perseus but the messages suggest that PERS was a Soviet source on the Manhattan Project. In addition to this, many other individuals, including some associated with the KGB, have affirmed either the specific existence of Perseus or that there remain unidentified atomic spies on the Manhattan Project. According to Chikov, Perseus was at Los Alamos in 1943, a year before Fuchs was assigned there, and in the 1950s Perseus was under the control of Rudolf Abel.
See also
- Theodore HallTheodore HallTheodore 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...
- David GreenglassDavid GreenglassDavid Greenglass was an atomic spy for the Soviet Union who worked in the Manhattan project. He was the brother of Ethel Rosenberg.-Biography:...
- White Sands Missile RangeWhite Sands Missile RangeWhite Sands Missile Range is a rocket range of almost in parts of five counties in southern New Mexico. The largest military installation in the United States, WSMR includes the and the WSMR Otera Mesa bombing range...
- Rudolf Abel
- George Koval