It’s autumn in New York, and a great month to take a walking tour. Coming to New York anytime soon? Here are eight Cold War Spy Spots close to Midtown Manhattan that you’ll want to take a look at the next time you visit.
MOMA – 11 West 53rd Street
During the Cold War, the CIA frequently funded cultural events to promote American values. Several members of MOMA’s postwar Board of Directors had connections to the intelligence community, and saw the museum as a way to showcase the talents of American artists like Jackson Pollock, Willem de Kooning, and Robert Motherwell.
Nelson Rockefeller, Vice President of the US under Gerald Ford called work by these artists “free enterprise painting.”
The museum mounted traveling exhibitions, primarily in the 1950s, that were designed to present America as the ‘vanguard’ of the art world. The artists who participated probably didn’t realize that funding was provided by the CIA, although several of them spoke openly against communism and Soviet government restrictions.
According to CIA officer, Donald Jameson
It was recognized that Abstract Expressionism was the kind of art that made Soviet Realism look even more stylized and more rigid and confined than it was.. And that relationship was exploited in some of the exhibitions.
Want to learn more about art, especially modernism, and the fight against communism. Check out the post on the Cultural Cold War.
Steinway and Sons, Steinway Hall – 109 West 57th Street
In 1966, Anatoli Rudenko arrived in NYC on a tourist visa. Trained as a piano tuner by the KGB, he applied for a job at Steinway & Sons, and obtained a work visa with their help. He was quite skillful and was soon servicing the pianos of high profile clients like the renowned composer and concert pianist Vladimir Horowitz and the politician Nelson Rockefeller. Rudenko’s superiors in Russia were pleased until he confessed to a secret marriage that represented serious security risks. Consequently, he obtained little or no useful intelligence.
Harry Winston – 718 Fifth Avenue
Remember the song Diamonds Are A Girls Best Friend? Well, as it turns out, spies like diamonds too. Harry Winston, the “jeweler to the stars,” was once investigated by the FBI for laundering diamonds to fund Soviet espionage. Whether true or not, Soviet intelligence is known to use jewels as a source of hard currency. Although nothing came of the FBI’s investigation of Winston, he drew the attention of law enforcement again when it was discovered that the family governess, Lona Petka was an NKVD operative — code named LESLIE. Petka supposedly made contact with her handler, Rudolf Abel, while taking the Winston children to Central Park. Later, Czech spy Hana Koecher worked for Winston grading diamonds.
JM Kaplan Fund – 55 Fifth Avenue
According to press reports, the JM Kaplan Fund, was one of several New York based entities that funneled secret CIA monies to educational and cultural foundations during the 1950s. The goal was to counter the growing influence of Soviet front groups like the World Peace Council. These groups were tasked with subverting democratic movements and promoting Soviet foreign policy. The public and private foundations used CIA funds for their own programs or forwarded the money to other organizations without disclosing its true source. The activity was revealed during congressional investigations in 1975-1976.
Plaza Hotel – Robert Maheu
If you’ve watched the show Mafia Spies (now streaming on Paramount Plus) you may remember Robert Maheu, a former FBI agent turned private investigator. On September 14, 1960, he met the Chicago gangster John Roselli at the Plaza Hotel to explore the possibility of recruiting the Mafia to assassinate the Cuban dictator Fidel Castro. The planning for the operation dragged on for three years before fizzling out.
160 East 65th Street (Apartment 26D)
Arkady Shevchenko, the highest ranking Soviet official to defect to the United States, lived on 65th Street while holding an undersecretary-general position at the United Nations. While his duties called for him to fairly represent the interests of all member nations, Shevchenko’s priority was to provide information and support to the USSR. Ultimately he became convinced that the Soviet Union was on the wrong path. In 1975, he contacted the CIA, requesting political asylum. Shevchenko continued his work at the UN while sensing increased KGB surveillance of his movements. In 1978 he activated an emergency escape plan provided by Aldrich Ames (who later became a KGB mole inside the CIA). In his 1985 memoir, Brew
Permanent Mission of the Russian Federation to the UN – 136 East 67th St
In 1977, the FBI initiated an investigation of Soviet espionage activities conducted from the USSR’s mission to the UN. Code named OPERATION LEMON AID, the operation involved an individual who would pose as a potential spy. The double agent was to report on Soviet tradecraft, including recruitment. Arthur Lindberg, a US Navy officer with money troubles and access to secret antisubmarine warfare intelligence was selected to be the infiltrator. In August 1977, Lindberg made his initial contact which was followed by a steady stream of phone calls and letters from the Soviets. Subsequently, the FBI learned details of 1970s Soviet tradecraft. The FBI obtained enough information to make arrests, setting a trap that resulted in the arrest of two KGB officers. Valdik Enger and Rudolf Chernyayev stood trial for espionage and were convicted in 1978. The following year the two were swapped for five Soviet dissidents in an exchange at JFK Airport.
400 East 54th Street – The Revere
While serving as a CIA officer, Aldrich Ames lived at The Revere. a short walk to his office in what was then the Pan Am Building at 200 Park Avenue. During his time in New York, Ames was involved in major CIA operations, including serving as handler for Sergey Fedorenko, a nuclear arms expert assigned to the Soviet UN delegation. He was also involved in the 1978 defection of Arkady Sevchenko which was discussed earlier. Despite his successes, there were warning signs that Ames might be a problem. He was an excessive after work drinker at the nearby Oyster Bar, located in Grand Central Station and had his driver’s license suspended for drunk driving. He also left a briefcase full of sensitive photographs on the subway. Ames later told The New York Times that the first seeds of his treason were planted during his New York assignment. As a mole inside the CIA, Ames exposed more than two dozen agents operating in the USSR. At least ten of these agents were later executed.
Want to delve more deeply into New York City’s spy sites? Check out the book by H. Keith Melton and Robert Wallace titled Spy Sites of New York City. There’s more information here.
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Featured Photo by cessie901: View from top of Empire State Building – 1970: Flickr
160 East 65th Street: Apartment 26D (Courtesy of Zillow)
