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Elizabeth Bentley

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Spy

The Resume

    (January 1, 1908-December 3, 1963)
    Born in New Milford, Connecticut
    Joined the Communist Party of the USA (1935)
    Spied for the Soviet Union (1938-45)
    Defected to the FBI (November 7, 1945)
    Testified before the House Unamerican Activities Committee (1948)

Why she might be annoying:

    Her master's thesis was plagiarized.
    While attending the University of Florence in Italy, she joined a student fascist group.
    She did a political 180 after having an affair with her left-wing faculty adviser.
    She also slept with her Soviet controller, Jacob Golos.
    She drank heavily.
    Kim Philby alerted the Soviets to her defection, scuttling FBI plans to use her as a double agent.
    Her testimony helped inspire the Red Scare of the 50s.
    She embellished her role in events as she repeated her testimony before various groups.

Why she might not be annoying:

    Her Soviet code name was 'clever girl.'
    She said she turned against Communism after 'I discovered that Earl Browder [General Secretary of the American Communist Party] was just a puppet, that somebody pulled the strings in Moscow.'
    She exposed two spy networks to the FBI, naming more than 80 Americans who had engaged in espionage for the Soviets.
    Despite her drinking, she was consistently professional when on the witness stand for a trial, grand jury or Congressional hearing.
    Her information about Soviet spying was confirmed by the secret Venona project that decoded WWII messages sent to Soviet intelligence agents from Moscow.

Credit: C. Fishel


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 4 Votes: 25.00% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 2 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 8 Votes: 87.50% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 4 Votes: 75.00% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 22 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 118 Votes: 55.08% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 18 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2016, Out of 75 Votes: 86.67% Annoying
    In 2015, Out of 7 Votes: 85.71% Annoying
    In 2014, Out of 7 Votes: 57.14% Annoying
    In 2013, Out of 48 Votes: 62.50% Annoying
    In 2012, Out of 52 Votes: 80.77% Annoying
    In 2011, Out of 20 Votes: 75.00% Annoying