Espionage During The Cold War

In 1946, Winston Churchill, the former British Prime Minister, delivered a powerful speech regarding Soviet control in eastern Europe. “An iron curtain has descended across the Continent [of Europe],” Winston announced. With alliances such as the North Atlantic Treaty and the Warsaw Pact only further dividing the regions, a war was inevitable. Intelligence agencies began to form in order to gain intelligence and an advantage over the other side. Risking their lives, agents would spy on the other side’s government using a practice known as espionage. Powered by intelligence agencies throughout the world, espionage contributed to many events during the Cold War, as well as fueled new technologies and modern culture.

II. The Cold War started soon after the devastating World War II due to the

While being a famous and well-respected man, Alger Hiss was accused and later proven of being a Soviet Spy. d. John Profumo was a British war minister in 1963 that was forced to resign, due to an acquaintance of his was friends with an important Soviet at the London Soviet Embassy. 2. The United States also used espionage as a way of gathering information in the Cold War. a. From 1962-1963, Oleg Penkosky, a Soviet Colonel, informed the United States of the Soviet Union’s plans during the Cuban Missile Crisis. b. Gary Powers, an American pilot, photographed hundreds of Soviet military bases, but was shot down by the Soviets in 1960. This lead to the end of a “thaw” in the Cold War, because President Eisenhower made an excuse and refused to apologize. 3. Espionage made it difficult for governments to trust their own civilians, because loyalty was hard to prove, and there were many people accused of being a spy.

V. Technology was crucial to espionage in the Cold War, and spies had many innovative tools to help them. A. Devices jobs made spies jobs easier and quicker. 1. Cameras were used to photograph secret items when, in many cases, the camera was