What are Canada's contribution and attitude towards the Communist Witch Hunt?

Question

I'm doing a project on the Cold War and other events, but I'm finding it very hard to find information regarding Canada's attitude and contributions (if any) towards the communist witch hunt. All help is appreciated.

Answer 1

The Gouzenko Affair: On Sept. 5, 1945, a Russian cipher clerk - Igor Gouzenko - fled Soviet Embassy in Ottawa with 109 documents proving the existence of a Soviet spy ring in Canada. Revelations reverberated throughout world and helped to ignite the Cold War. Joseph Stalin's efforts to steal nuclear secrets and the then unknown technique of planting sleeper agents was exposed. With WWII over, this spy scandal changed perceptions of Soviet Union from ally to enemy and contributed to onset of Cold War. 12 Canadians arrested for conspiring with Soviets. Gouzenko eventually wrote memoirs and Fall of Titan.

You should be able to find some footage of Gouzenko (always shrouded in shadows) on CBC.

Good luck with your paper. This is all I know on this topic (start, middle and end!)

Answer 2

See John Sawatsky's book, "Men In The Shadows", published in 1979. It includes some interesting elements such as the "Fruit Machine", designed to find homosexuals.

Don't forget this word: Gouzenko.

Igor Gouzenko was the code clerk who defected from his post in the Soviet embassy in 1945, bringing with him info on KGB and GRU intel ops in Canada and the US. Where there's smoke, there's fire.

Also, the Canadian province of Saskatchewan, governed from 1944-64 by an opening social democratic party, became the place of sanctuary for many American liberals forced out of the US. See "Florence James" and "Burton James".

Answer 3

not sure if this will help, but here is the url for the communist party in canada

http://www.communist-party.ca/archive/History/index.html