Hemingway, The KGB Spy? Archives Show Agent 'Argo' Was Willing Recruit

Guardian:

Up till now, this has been a notably cheerful year for admirers of Ernest Hemingway -- a surprisingly diverse set of people who range from Michael Palin to Elmore Leonard. Almost every month has brought good news: a planned Hemingway biopic; a new, improved version of his memoir, A Moveable Feast; the opening of a digital archive of papers found in his Cuban home; progress on a movie of Islands in the Stream.

Last week, however, saw the publication of Spies: The Rise and Fall of the KGB in America (Yale University Press), which reveals the Nobel prize-winning novelist was for a while on the KGB's list of its agents in America. Co-written by John Earl Haynes, Harvey Klehr and Alexander Vassiliev, the book is based on notes that Vassiliev, a former KGB officer, made when he was given access in the 90s to Stalin-era intelligence archives in Moscow.

Read the whole story: Guardian

Comments

[Khirad]

Been a spate of these kinds of stories, I can't remember the last one, The Guardian mentioned a few, but not all -- perhaps they aren't spy stories, but merely 'revelations' -- but I think of them as the same news niche.

Wow, so some of my favorite authors were... people. Although I never much got into Hemingway, this doesn't make him any less of a writer. While something of character should be worth noting, on the other hand, there are many cases of completely dysfunctional, yet brilliant writers.

[Steamboater]

Many artists supported Stalin during the 30's including Lillian Hellman etc but few becaume KGB spies. Whether Hemingway actually gave info is not the issue; he signed up for the KGB and that is. Of course he also went to Spain and fought on the side opposing the fascists during the Spanish Civil war so he may have been influenced by communists and there were many of them-not all--but many. By 1940, when fascism seemed be taking hold through Europe and Japan, it must have been easy for Hemingway to actively side with those opposing it and especially when so little was known about Stalin and his murderous polices. We knew much more about Hitler's Germany by then than Stalin's Russia.

[SaulBloodworth]

What do you mean, also? WWII was about the fascists, including Franco and Mussolini (with the endorsement of the Catholic Church) fighting the Soviets with the U.S. and the UK allied with the latter.

[Steamboater]

I didn't say any different and if we had known better Stalin was as much a fascist as Hitler.

[Greygolla]

See his name is on the list right under E. Roosevelt. They promised him a life long supply of good cigars and rum if only he would give them Cuba. That is why they had him killed, right after he had a secret conference with the Tailor of Panama.

[Pip1860]

That would make for a good thriller movie.

[ChristopherAtom]

The spy for whom the shotgun blows- Staring Danny Davito as Hemingway

[PSM42]

N E. 0C. 0N STUNT

They stole $10-22T (T as in Trillion) -- of OUR money -- and this is the rubbish that the Neocons spend it on.

Its going to be a very long century. Or however long it lasts. Given the Neocon's inflation fueling rip-offs and money printing, probably only until 2011.

[BlackBuddha]

I have to go pray now.... I just heard Michael Jackson died! I just can't believe it. I'm in shock.

It just takes that kind of loss to put your Whole World in perspective...

But I bet the blood in the streets of Tehran makes it so much easier to moonwalk.

[Godless Liberal]

All I can say is, Malraux, a mythomaniac! Who'd a thunk it?

[Feanor]

What's the big deal? It was the Cold War. Some were on one side, some on another. Besides, it sounds like it never amount to much.... I thought spying was supposed to be cool and romantic? Nobody busts Somerset Maugham's chops because he was a spy... pffft

[TeriMcCarthy]

I WILL NEVER BELIEVE IT! LEAVE ERNEST ALONE......Anyway he just wanted the vodka.

[AcaciaJules]

OMG...LOL! You took the words out of my mouth! That's the same reaction I had. It was all about the booze....

[BlackBuddha]

Sounds like you hate your Uncle Joe McCarthy!

[RogerHWerner]

What is so astonishing about this article is that The Guardian thought it worthwhile publishing. Someone ought to remind The Guardian that in 1941, the US and USSR were allies and Communism didn't quite have the stigma that it gained after the Cold War began in 1946. The number of capitalists that aided Lenin and Stalin in a very real way would shock most people. The names of these 'helpers', enablers really, would be even more surprising. McCarthy was too dumb to understand his accusations but in fact the major Wall Street banks and their personnel (many of whom later entered government service) helped fund the first three USSR Five Year Plans (while at the same time funding fascism in Italy and National Socialism in Germany). These men weren't Communists or even Communist sympathizers...they were simply capitalists making a buck and if that meant selling to socialists...

Offering to aid the USSR was hardly unusual in the 1920s -and 1945, so why pick on Hemingway when the list of Soviet Union's Western enablers would be a long and illustrious one? Because Hemingway talked with the KGB rather than the Politburo? I hardly that that matters.

[MikeDarooky]

Communism always had the stigma, don't kid yourself about that. If this is true it is very easy to explain (and I'm not so sure about the self importance idea). People were trying to help out and fight the Nazi's all over. THE ENEMY OF YOUR ENEMY IS YOUR FRIEND!! Maybe this was the only way he could help out. Reagan never would have done it though. I think this is typical Russian misinformation.

[SaulBloodworth]

Exactly. Truman gave land-lease help to the Soviet Union until 1946, entitled by Congress.

[MisterHands]

I have a small cabin on the North Umpqua river- that was built and owned by Mr.Hemingway's son, Jack.

[nellie]

Why do I find this so funny...

[Chuckwheat]

Papa was Oswald's mentor.

[protagonia]

And both were involved with fiction.

[PersonaNonGrated]

Well, back then, if you weren't an automaton that worshiped McCarthy and made sure to stay away from brown people, you were probably doing everything you could to stop those people.

[nycwerewolf]

Well, I'm a "brown person" and I can't respect traitors to our country. Thats a big no no and for good reason. No matter what his intentions were it was wrong. Fortunately I was never much of a fan of his work as a writer. However, I think Mariel Hemmingway is a terrific actress. I loved her in Manhattan and Star 80.

[MikeDarooky]

Russian misinformation.

[FZliveson]

"Brown Person"?

Do you work for U.P.S.?

[SaulBloodworth]

He was not a traitor. The U.S. was allied with the Soviet Union in WWII.

[sasson]

I can only imagine his reports:

The whiskey burned my throat. It was good. It made me remember that nurse in Italy. We were in Italy. She was good company. She was all I had. The crow flies at midnight. Repeat. The crow flies at midnight.

[tom928]

LOL

[motu]

gawd I miss the good ol days...

[nellie]

HA HA!

ROFL!!!!!

[JohnCochtosten]

Haha, you are a genius.

[ethancorso]

Brilliant!

[chickenpieeggs]

it's interesting that this pic reveals Hemmingway had NO definition in his body...his arms were small...no muscle tone whatsoever...what kind of BS promo pic is this? this guy was a poser.....all the way... a great writer...but not the bruiser he portrayed himself to be....

[Ellyllon]

Writers are DREAMS.

[Hopalongpoppyseed]

Such stuff as dreams are made of.

[writerjohnny]

It's interesting that an anonymous poster speaks with such courage long after Hemingway's death. More to the point ANYONE who sees one picture and makes such an embarrassing assumption is probably a little jealous of a guy who fought in two wars against Germans in World War One and against Franco's Fascists in Spain with their Nazi provided weapons, hunted big game on 4 continents, drank and ate like he was three men and still had enough in him to become the greatest American writer ever. Even more to the point Hemingway's life is an open book with hundreds of people who saw EXACTLY how he lived and oh by-the-way, please provide a link to the quote where he "portrayed" himself as a "bruiser".

[faceplant]

I am a little dubious of this story. It's entirely possible that someone in the KGB was making things up to please superiors. If you weren't prepared to do things like that, Stalin's regime had precious little use for you, after all. As best I can recall, Hemingway found his Spanish Civil War experience just a bit eye-opening as to how the Russians went about things, so 1941 would seem a rather late date for a successful recruitment.

[Hopalongpoppyseed]

Yeah, what we are dealing with here is disinformation and cons seeking marks.