Trude Lash
Encyclopedia
Trude Lash, formerly Gertrude Pratt, née Wenzel (13 June 1908 – 4 February 2004) was a student activist alleged to have had covert relationships with Soviet intelligence agencies.
She was born in June 1908 in Freiburg, Germany. She taught kindergarten while attending the University of Heidelberg and studying journalism. In 1930, she earned a PhD in Philosophy at the University of Freiburg
. Thereafter, she emigrated to the United States and taught German literature and philosophy at Hunter College
, and continued research at Columbia University
.
She joined the International Student Service (ISS), and returned to her homeland. In Germany, she worked for a newspaper at the time of the National Socialist
accession to power, and was openly critical of the new régime. Together with her first husband, Eliot Pratt, she moved to the United States permanently, and assisted other refugees seeking to leave Germany.
Trude followed Joseph P. Lash
as general-secretary of the ISS. Lash had been investigated by the House Un-American Activities Committee
, and became good friends with First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt
. Lash worked closely with Molly Yard
. Lash and Yard, were prominent members of the Popular Front
and the Communist bloc.
A Venona decryption from May 1943 discloses contact with Trude was maintained by Aleksej Sokirkin, First Secretary of the Soviet Embassy in Washington, D.C. for Soviet intelligence
. The decrypt proposes using Trude to process information on Eleanor Roosevelt (Kapitansha). It also suggests bringing Elizabeth Zarubina, who handled many high-level important cases, into close touch with her.
In 1944, Trude and Lash were married. Trude served with the former First Lady on the newly created Human Rights Committee
of the United Nations
. At that time, Lash also served as Executive Director of the Citizens' Committee for Children
of New York and the Foundation for Child Development.
In 1984, Lash helped to combine the separate Eleanor Roosevelt and Franklin Roosevelt institutions into a single entity: the Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt Institute
.
She was born in June 1908 in Freiburg, Germany. She taught kindergarten while attending the University of Heidelberg and studying journalism. In 1930, she earned a PhD in Philosophy at the University of Freiburg
University of Freiburg
The University of Freiburg , sometimes referred to in English as the Albert Ludwig University of Freiburg, is a public research university located in Freiburg im Breisgau, Baden-Württemberg, Germany.The university was founded in 1457 by the Habsburg dynasty as the...
. Thereafter, she emigrated to the United States and taught German literature and philosophy at Hunter College
Hunter College
Hunter College, established in 1870, is a public university and one of the constituent colleges of the City University of New York, located on Manhattan's Upper East Side. Hunter grants undergraduate, graduate, and post-graduate degrees in more than one hundred fields of study, and is recognized...
, and continued research at Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
.
She joined the International Student Service (ISS), and returned to her homeland. In Germany, she worked for a newspaper at the time of the National Socialist
National Socialist German Workers Party
The National Socialist German Workers' Party , commonly known in English as the Nazi Party, was a political party in Germany between 1920 and 1945. Its predecessor, the German Workers' Party , existed from 1919 to 1920...
accession to power, and was openly critical of the new régime. Together with her first husband, Eliot Pratt, she moved to the United States permanently, and assisted other refugees seeking to leave Germany.
Trude followed Joseph P. Lash
Joseph P. Lash
Joseph P. Lash was an American radical political activist, journalist, and author. A close friend of Eleanor Roosevelt, Lash won the Pulitzer Prize for Biography and the National Book Award in 1972 for Eleanor and Franklin, the first of two volumes he wrote about the former First Lady.-Early...
as general-secretary of the ISS. Lash had been investigated by the House Un-American Activities Committee
House Un-American Activities Committee
The House Committee on Un-American Activities or House Un-American Activities Committee was an investigative committee of the United States House of Representatives. In 1969, the House changed the committee's name to "House Committee on Internal Security"...
, and became good friends with First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt
Eleanor Roosevelt
Anna Eleanor Roosevelt was the First Lady of the United States from 1933 to 1945. She supported the New Deal policies of her husband, distant cousin Franklin Delano Roosevelt, and became an advocate for civil rights. After her husband's death in 1945, Roosevelt continued to be an international...
. Lash worked closely with Molly Yard
Molly Yard
Mary Alexander "Molly" Yard was an American feminist of the late 20th century, who, through service as an assistant to Eleanor Roosevelt in the middle of the century and later work as a U.S...
. Lash and Yard, were prominent members of the Popular Front
Popular front
A popular front is a broad coalition of different political groupings, often made up of leftists and centrists. Being very broad, they can sometimes include centrist and liberal forces as well as socialist and communist groups...
and the Communist bloc.
A Venona decryption from May 1943 discloses contact with Trude was maintained by Aleksej Sokirkin, First Secretary of the Soviet Embassy in Washington, D.C. for Soviet intelligence
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...
. The decrypt proposes using Trude to process information on Eleanor Roosevelt (Kapitansha). It also suggests bringing Elizabeth Zarubina, who handled many high-level important cases, into close touch with her.
In 1944, Trude and Lash were married. Trude served with the former First Lady on the newly created Human Rights Committee
Human Rights Committee
The United Nations Human Rights Committee is a United Nations body of 18 experts that meets three times a year for four-week sessions to consider the five-yearly reports submitted by 162 UN member states on their compliance with the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights,...
of the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
. At that time, Lash also served as Executive Director of the Citizens' Committee for Children
Citizens' Committee for Children
Citizens' Committee for Children of New York is a non-governmental organization based in New York City and founded in 1944 thatprovides "a voice for children, especially poor and vulnerable children and children with special needs" as the city's "only locally-based, multi-issue child advocacy...
of New York and the Foundation for Child Development.
In 1984, Lash helped to combine the separate Eleanor Roosevelt and Franklin Roosevelt institutions into a single entity: the Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt Institute
Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt Institute
The Roosevelt Institute is a progressive non-profit organization devoted to carrying forward the legacy and values of Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt by developing progressive ideas and bold leadership in the service of restoring America's health and security...
.
External links
- Draper, HalHal DraperHal Draper was an American socialist activist and author who played a significant role in the Berkeley, California, Free Speech Movement and is perhaps best known for his extensive scholarship on the history and meaning of the thought of Karl Marx.Draper was a lifelong advocate of what he called...
. The Student Movement of the Thirties: A Political History. 1965. Center for Socialist History (CSH). Republished by the Marxists Internet ArchiveMarxists Internet ArchiveMarxists Internet Archive is a volunteer based non-profit organization that maintains a multi-lingual Internet archive of Marxist writers and other similar authors...
.