Haakon Chevalier
Haakon Maurice Chevalier was an American citizen having been born in New Jersey of French and Norwegian parentage. In 1927, he commenced employment with the University of California, as an associate professor of Romance languages.[1]
Student communist
In an interview for Gregg Herken’s 2002 book, Brotherhood of the Bomb, Haakon Chevalier—a professor of French literature—said that he and Robert Oppenheimer had been members of “a ‘closed unit’ of the Communist Party” at the University of California at Berkeley. (A “closed unit” means a “secret unit.”) In 1964, Chevalier had written to Robert to inform his one-time intimate that in a forthcoming memoir called Oppenheimer: The Story of a Friendship, he was going to confirm they had both been Communists. Oppenheimer responded angrily, threatening a lawsuit, and in the published version Chevalier called their unit a Marxist discussion group. Chevalier’s widow allowed Herken to read her private journal and memoir, in which she confirmed that both her husband and Oppenheimer had been members of a closed CPUSA unit and noted, “Oppie’s [Oppenheimer’s] membership in a closed unit was very secret indeed.”[2]
Translator
During the conference of the International Labor Office in Philadelphia, Pa., in 1944, Chevalier acted as translator for the French delegation, and also for the Latin-American Communist labor leader, Vincente Lombardo Toledano.
During the United Nations Conference on International Organization at San Francisco, California, in the spring of 1945, Chevalier again, served as a translator. In October 1945, Chevalier received an appointment to act as translator at the trials of the German war criminals.[3]
Espionage agent links
Louise Bransten first met Gregori Kheifets in 1942, and soon afterward commenced an intimate association with him. In fact, Bransten was unquestionably the closest associate of Kheifets, and he frequently confided in her.
While Louise Bransten's open activities appeared to have been related principally to the American-Russian Institute, a Communist- front organization, she frequently met with individuals such as Haakon Chevalier, professor of Romance languages at the University of California, Joseph North, editor of New Masses; Earl Browder, his brother, William Browder, Lement Upham Harris, Gerhart Eisler and Nathan Gregory Silvermaster.[4]
Espionage attempt
Soviet official Peter Ivanov contacted one George Charles Eltenton and requested him to obtain information concerning some highly secret experiments on the atomic bomb that were being carried on at the Radiation Laboratory of the University of California.
After this contact by Ivanov, Eltenton in turn approached Haakon Chevalier and requested him to assist in obtaining the desired information. Eltenton explained that he had a direct contact with an official of the Soviet Government and that this official had explained that since Russia and the United States were allies, the Soviet Government was entitled to any technical data that might be of assistance to that country.
Chevalier following this approach of Eltenton, contacted Robert Oppenheimer, the director of the atomic bomb project, and told him of the conversation he had with Eltenton.
Oppenheimer allegedly told Chevalier that he considered such acts or such attempts to obtain information on this project as constituting treason against the United States.[5]
References
- ↑ The shameful years; thirty years of Soviet espionage in the United States, HCUA, January 8, 1952
- ↑ [1]
- ↑ The shameful years; thirty years of Soviet espionage in the United States, HCUA, January 8, 1952
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedHCUA - ↑ The shameful years; thirty years of Soviet espionage in the United States, HCUA, January 8, 1952