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Unidentified Speaker, -
DISCUSSION ABOUT THE HISTORY OF SOVIET ESPIONAGE IN THE UNITED STATES. A PANEL OF HISTORIANS AND PROFESSORS EXAMINES THE EFFECTS THAT SOVIET SPIES HAD...
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| 00:00:35 |
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MARK. I HAVE TO AT THE OUTSET I'M THE ONLY AMATEUR HERE. SO AND IT'S A PRIVILEGE TO BE THE CHAIR OF THIS PARTICULAR SESSION. THE PROCEDURE WILL BE...
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| 00:01:20 |
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TO THANK JOE AND MARK FOR DOING ALL THE WORK IN SETTING UP THIS EVENT AND THANK ALL OF YOU FOR COMING OUT. YOU COULD BE WATCHING WIMBLEDON OR PLAYING...
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| 00:17:14 |
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YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS KATHRYN OLMSTEAD WHO HAS WRITTEN A BIOGRAPHY OF ELIZABETH BENTLEY AND WITHOUT FURTHER ADO, KATHRYN? >> I ALSO WOULD LIKE TO
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| 00:17:38 |
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THANK THE ORGANIZERS TODAY AND THANK ALLEN FOR THAT INTERESTING PRESENTATION. TODAY I'M SURE WE'RE GOING TO HEAR A LOT ABOUT JULIUS, ABOUT WHAT HE...
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| 00:28:26 |
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KATHRYN. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS -- EXCUSE ME IF I MISPRONOUNCE. ATE THAN THEOHARIS, THE AUTHOR OF A LARGE NUMBER OF BOOKS FOCUSING ON THE FBI AND ITS COMPETENCY...
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| 00:29:19 |
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DON'T THINK YOU MADE A SACRIFICE TO COME TO THE CONFERENCE. I THINK IT'S A LOT EASIER TO BE IN THE AIR-CONDITIONED ROOM THAN BE ON A TENNIS COURT. WHEN...
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| 00:47:04 |
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THANK YOU. OUR CLEANUP HITTER IS STEVE USDEN THE AUTHOR OF "ENGINEERING COMMUNISM" A FASCINATING BOOK I RECOMMEND TO EVERYBODY. I LEARNED A LOT OF THINGS...
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| 00:48:24 |
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A HARVARD MAN. >> THIS IS WHY THEY
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| 00:48:27 |
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GOT ME. THIS IS WHAT I WENT TO GRADUATE SCHOOL FOR. ALSO COULD USE SOMEONE WITH A MANUAL TYPEWRITER AND NOT THE MODERN TECHNOLOGY. >> WHICH ONE IS
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| 00:48:41 |
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IT? >>
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| 00:48:49 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
OKAY. WELL, SINCE I'M GOING LAST I GET TO COMMENT A FEW THINGS ON WHAT SOME OF MY PREDECESSORS SAID. I WANTED TO ENDORSE WHAT ALAN SAID BOTH ABOUT...
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| 01:12:13 |
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I BELIEVE FOR DISCUSSION AMONG THE PANEL MEMBERS AND QUESTIONS FROM THE AUDIENCE AND I BELIEVE THAT SINCE IT'S ON C-SPAN WE NEED TO MAKE SURE WHEN WE...
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| 01:12:40 |
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ASK YOU, WHAT DID YOU THINK OF RUTH AND WHY THE, YOU KNOW, THE PERCEPTIONS ABOUT ETHEL THAT SHE WAS A COMMUNIST AND SHE WAS A LEADING JULIUS AND SO...
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| 01:13:07 |
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MEAN WHY DIDN'T THEY APPLY IN THE PRESS COVERAGE OR IN -- >> IN THE
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| 01:13:11 |
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POPULAR IMAGINATION AND SO ON, YEAH. >> I DON'T THINK THAT
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| 01:13:15 |
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SHE WAS NEARLY AS PROMINENT A FIGURE SO THERE'S NOT NEARLY AS MUCH DISCUSSION OF HER BECAUSE SHE'S NOT THE ONE ON TRIAL. SO WHEN GOING THROUGH THE OLD...
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| 01:14:53 |
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YOUR MICROPHONE. >> I THINK I'VE GOT
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| 01:14:56 |
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IT. SOUND GOOD? OKAY. NATHAN, YOU DIDN'T REALLY CLOSE THE LOOP BETWEEN THE SOVIET INTELLIGENCE AND THEIR RELUCTANCE TO DISCLOSE THEIR ILLEGAL TECHNIQUES....
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| 01:15:35 |
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THE ROSENBERGS OR COPELAND, THEY WERE UNWILLING TO DISCLOSE THE FACT THAT A SOURCE OF THEIR INFORMATION WAS THE WINONA PROJECT. BUT THE WIRETAPS...
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| 01:16:35 |
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SEEMS TO ME THAT YOU'VE DISMISSED MOST OF THE EXPLANATIONS THAT I AND OTHER PEOPLE HAVE OFFERED FOR THE FBI'S FAILURES IN VARIOUS RESPECTS DURING...
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| 01:16:48 |
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WELL, I THINK THAT THE PROBLEM THAT THE BUREAU HAD IN TERMS OF BEING ABLE TO IDENTIFY INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE INVOLVED IN ESPIONAGE ACTIVITIES WAS A FUNCTION...
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| 01:18:44 |
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DOWN. >> OH, I
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| 01:18:48 |
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SEE. IT'S HOW YOU DEFINE BUTTON. THAT'S FOR ANOTHER PANEL. MS. OLMSTED I GOT WHAT YOU SAID ABOUT THE PRESS TREATMENT ESPECIALLY THE HERST PRESS...
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| 01:19:45 |
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ANSWER THAT QUESTION I'D HAVE TO GET INSIDE HER HEAD AND I'M NOT SURE I CAN DO THAT. I THINK WHAT WE KNOW IS THAT SHE DECIDED, AND THIS IS NOT NECESSARILY...
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| 01:21:14 |
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IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT SHE WASN'T SIMPLY AN INNOCENT BYSTANDER. SHE CERTAINLY WASN'T -- DIDN'T HAVE ACCESS TO CLASSIFIED INFORMATION LIKE HER HUSBAND...
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| 01:22:13 |
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MS. JOHNSTON, I READ YOUR BOOK. IT'S A GREAT BOOK. I'M TRYING TO -- I READ IT A COUPLE YEARS AGO. I'M TRYING TO REMEMBER, IN ALL THESE PEOPLE YOU'VE...
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| 01:22:49 |
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NO. TO BE QUITE HONEST, NO. JOEL BARR WHO I KNEW THE BEST, HE CONSIDERED HIMSELF A COMMUNIST TO THE END. HE DESPISED BREZHNEV AND HE DESPISED SOME...
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| 01:23:52 |
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SPIES WHO WERE VERY REGRETFUL, HARRY GOULD BEING ONE OF THEM. HE WAS UPSNET THE '30s BY THE SHOW TRIALS GOING ON AND HE ASKED HIS SUPERIOR, WHAT'S GOING...
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| 01:26:36 |
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AND SOBBELL -- BARR FOR HIS WHOLE LIFE RESISTED COMING OUT PUBLICLY AND SAYING WHAT HE HAD DONE AND REPUDIATING IT AND SOBBELL DIDN'T UNTIL 2008 AND...
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| 01:27:16 |
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THINGS. FIRST, THANK YOU FOR YOUR KIND COMMENTS ABOUT ME. I'LL ELABORATE IN MY OWN SESSION. SOME COMMENTS ON STEVE AND KATHRYN. KATHRYN, TO VALIDATE...
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| 01:30:01 |
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SORRY. I JUST HAVE TO NOTE THAT I SPOKE WITH FEINSTEIN A FEW MONTHS AGO AND ASKED HIM ABOUT THIS AND HE TOLD ME AT THAT TIME, NOW HE SAYS, WELL, HE...
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| 01:30:33 |
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MOVED INTO THAT APARTMENT ON MORTON STREET. >>
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| 01:30:35 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
BUT IT'S INTERESTING AT LEAST AT THIS POINT HE ACKNOWLEDGES THAT HE WAS AWARE OF
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| 01:30:38 |
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IT. >> YEAH. I WAS JUST GOING TO MAKE THE POINT OF ONE THING ON EVIDENCE THAT LED ME TO REALIZE IN THIS CASE THE FBI IS NOT OFF THE BASE. SOMEWHERE IN...
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| 01:32:17 |
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BROTHER, THOUGH. I'M WONDERING. WE REALLY AS YOU HAVE SAID WE REALLY DON'T KNOW WHAT ROLE SHE PLAYED. MAYBE JULIUS SAW IT IN HER EYES. I MEAN, THESE...
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| 01:32:58 |
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ON THIS, WHICH IS THAT ETHEL WAS NOT UNIQUE AMONG COMMUNIST WOMEN IN ESSENTIALLY GIVING UP HER CHILDREN. THERE WAS PIGGY DENNIS WHO LEFT A CHILD BEHIND...
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| 01:34:23 |
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AND A LOT OF AMERICAN COMMUNISTS SEE THE UNITED STATES AS A FASCIST STATE SO IF YOU REALLY BELIEVE THAT YOU NEED TO RESIST IT IN EVERY WAY. >> STEVE,...
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| 01:34:47 |
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SOBBELL FINALLY ADMIT THAT HE LIED ALL THAT TIME? >>
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| 01:34:52 |
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I DON'T KNOW. I WENT UP AND TALKED TO HIM, SPENT SEVERAL HOURS TALKING TO HIM, AND I THINK -- I ASKED HIM WHY HE TOLD SAM ROBERTSON IN 2008, WHY HE...
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| 01:35:50 |
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ST. JOSEPH'S UNIVERSITY. I WANTED TO ASK A QUESTION FOR PROFESSOR HARRIS ABOUT THE WHOLE FBI ISSUE AND DEFINITELY I AGREE WITH YOU THAT THEY TOTALLY...
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| 01:37:09 |
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YOUR QUESTION TWO WAYS. FIRST I THINK THERE WAS NO REASON FOR ROOSEVELT NOT TO BELIEVE THAT THE FBI HADN'T BEEN INVOLVED INTENSIVELY IN MONITORING BOTH...
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| 01:39:04 |
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CAN BE MADE THAT HARRY GOULD IS AN EXAMPLE OF THE BEST AND WORST OF THE FBI. HE RUNS AROUND THE COUNTRY FOR 15 YEARS, TEN FOR SURE, FROM 35 TO 45,...
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| 01:40:52 |
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I WROTE ABOUT THE REALLY FASCINATING THING IS THAT SOBBELL, BARR, SERANT, PEARL, THEY'RE ALL IN THE FBI FILES. SOBBELL IS IN THE FBI FILES IN 1939....
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| 01:42:32 |
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HAS AN EXCELLENT QUESTION QUESTION. ELIZABETH BENTLING HAS TERRIFIC EVIDENCE BECAUSE THE FBI HAD NO IDEA HOW IMPORTANT SHE WAS. THEY HAVE HER IN THEIR...
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| 01:43:38 |
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IS A QUESTION SIMPLY THAT THE FBI WAS INCOMPETENT. I THINK IT IS DIFFICULT TO ANTICIPATE AND IDENTIFY THOSE INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE GOING TO ENGAGE IN...
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| 01:44:34 |
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PRADOS, NATIONAL SECURITY ARCHIVE. STEVE, YOU GAVE US A LONG, LENGTHY LIST OF VARIOUS SYSTEMS THAT THE DIFFERENT FOLKS HAVE COMPROMISED TO THE SOVIETS....
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| 01:44:55 |
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IS IN THAT LIST COMES FROM A DOCUMENT, MOST OF IT FROM FBI FILES. I GIVE YOU FOOTNOTED COPY OF ALL OF IT, BUT THE FBI WENT AROUND AND INTERVIEWED THE...
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| 01:46:37 |
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IS IN THE FBI REPORT? >> YEAH, IT IS -- YEAH, IT
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| 01:46:40 |
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IS ALL IN FBI REPORTS. THERE IS A FEW LITTLE THINGS, TIDBITS, THINGS THAT ARE DOCUMENTED FOR SURE ARE IN THE, YOU KNOW, SOME OF IT IS IN VINONA,...
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| 01:47:31 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
FBI REPORTS BROUGHT AS EVIDENCE IN ANY PROSECUTION? >> NO, THE FBI DIDN'T SEEM TO
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| 01:47:36 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
BE TERRIBLY INTERESTED IN ALL OF THIS. I HAVEN'T HEARD -- WELL, OF COURSE, BAR WAS NEVER PROSECUTED. SERANT WAS NEVER PROSECUTED. SORBEL AND HIS PROSECUTION,...
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| 01:47:57 |
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PROSECUTIONS. >> THANK YOU. >> IT
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NOTE: The transcript for this program was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.