Robert S. Allen
Robert S. Allen | |
|---|---|
 Robert S. Allen as a Colonel | |
| Birth name | Robert Sharon Allen |
| Nickname(s) | Bob |
| Born | July 14, 1900 Latonia, Kentucky |
| Died | 23 February 1981 (aged 80) Washington, DC |
| Buried | |
| Allegiance |  United States of America |
| Service |  United States Army
 Wisconsin Army National Guard |
| Years of service | 1916-1929, 1943-1946 |
| Rank |  Colonel |
| Unit |  Third United States Army 6th Cavalry Regiment |
| Battles / wars | Mexican Punitive Expedition World War I World War II |
| Awards |  Silver Star Legion of Merit Bronze Star Purple Heart Croix de guerre |
| Spouse(s) | Ruth Finney (1929-1979) Adeline Sunday (1980-1981) |
| Other work | Journalist Author |
Robert Sharon Allen (July 14, 1900 – February 23, 1981) was a Washington D.C. correspondent and Washington bureau chief for The Christian Science Monitor.
Allen was born in Latonia, Kentucky to Harry and Lizzie (Elizabeth) Greenberg. Robert's given name was Herman Greenberg. He changed his name and lied about his age in order to join the military on September 6, 1916. His father officially changed his name to match his son's in 1918 claiming that there was a german "taint" to the last part of his name and he desired a real American Name.[1] After that time all the family except his brother Isador used the name
In 1931, with Drew Pearson, he anonymously co-authored Washington Merry-Go-Round (New York, H. Liveright)[2] and More Merry-Go-Round and later wrote the daily column of the same title.
He was a veteran of World War I and served on General Patton's staff in World War II. He was a Soviet spy in 1933, paid $100 a month.[3] According to John Earl Haynes, Harvey Klehr and Alexander Vassiliev in their 2009 book Spies: The Rise and Fall of the KGB in America,[4][5] Robert Allen was instrumental in co-opting the recognition of the Soviet Union by the Roosevelt Administration, opening the way for the Soviet Union to be that allied force during World War II.[6]
In 1933, Allen was a fully recruited and undoubtedly witting Soviet agent. Under the assigned cover name of "George Parker," he covertly exchanged privileged information for money. He provided the Soviets with intelligence about Japanese military fortifications; news about potential appointments in the incoming Roosevelt administration; and information about the US government's plans for diplomatic recognition of the Soviet Union.
In the early forties he co-wrote the newspaper strip Hap Hopper with Drew Pearson. The strip was drawn by Jack Sparling.[7]
In 1947, he edited the book, Our Fair City,[8] an expose of corrupt conditions in American municipalities. He also wrote Lucky Forward: The History of Patton's Third Army. Papers concerning his military career reside in the George S. Patton Museum at Fort Knox, Kentucky.
Allen was a CIA wiretap subject, according to documents released by the agency in 2007. Associated Press reported,
"Under pressure from Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy" in 1962, CIA director John McCone "agreed to tap the telephones of columnists Robert S. Allen and Paul Scott in an effort to identify their sources for classified information which was appearing in their columns," says a memo[9] a decade later to the agency's director."[10]
He died in Georgetown, Washington, D.C. from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Allen, who had cancer, had ended his journalism career when his illness made it impossible for him to work.
See also
References
- ^ "Cincinnat Enquirer". The Cincinnati Enquirer. August 27, 1918. Retrieved September 28, 2018.
- ^ "POLITICAL NOTES: Merry-Go-Round". Time. September 14, 1931. Retrieved December 10, 2010.
- ^ Usdin, Steven T. (2018). Bureau of Spies: The Secret Connections between Espionage and Journalism in Washington. Prometheus Books. pp. 19–23. ISBN 9781633884779.
{{cite book}}:|access-date=requires|url=(help) - ^ Haynes, John Earl; Klehr, Harvey; Vassiliev, Alexander (2010). Spies: The Rise and Fall of the KGB in America. New Haven, Connecticut: Yale University Press. ISBN 9780300164381. Retrieved January 31, 2011.
- ^ Ricks, Thomas E. (December 1, 2010). "Patton's Third Army deputy intel officer briefly was on the KGB's payroll". Foreign Policy. Retrieved December 2, 2010.
- ^ Nicholson, Samuel (September 11, 2010). "Washington Decoded: A Most Unlikely Agent: Robert S. Allen". Washington Decoded. Retrieved January 11, 2011.
- ^ "UFS Comic Strip Renamed". Stripper's Guide. January 13, 1940. Retrieved June 7, 2014.
- ^ Allen, Robert S., ed. (1947). Our Fair City. New York: Vanguard Press. ISBN 9780405058516.
- ^ CIA Family Jewels, June 26, 2007
- ^ "Some examples of CIA Misconduct". USA Today. Associated Press. June 27, 2007. Retrieved June 5, 2013.
Sources
- Obituary: "ROBERT S. ALLEN, POLITICAL COLUMNIST". The New York Times. February 25, 1981.
- Writers from Kentucky
- Suicides by firearm in Washington, D.C.
- 1900 births
- 1981 deaths
- Journalists from Washington, D.C.
- American military personnel of World War I
- American military personnel of World War II
- Guggenheim Fellows
- 20th-century American non-fiction writers
- Male suicides
- Recipients of the Legion of Merit
- Recipients of the Silver Star
- American spies for the Soviet Union