Igor Gouzenko

Born outside of Moscow in 1919, the son of a Czarist sympasthiser and a school teacher. Educated at Rostov-on-Don and Verkne Spasskoye.

Attended the Moscow Engineering Academy and the Moscow Architectural Institute and joined the Komsomol (the Communist Youth Movement) in 1937. Was recruited by the NKVD in 1939 and served as code and cipher clerk.. Served as an intelligence officer on the front lines duing World War II battles against the German Army in 1941.

Was sent to Ottawa, Canada in 1943, working in the Russian Embassy as a cipher clerkbut also spying on Canadian authorities and sending secret information about the back to Moscow.

Was exposed to a free society for the first time and grew to like the Canadian lifestyle. Also grew disenchanted with the Soviet system and when he was unexpectedly recalled to Moscow in 1944 , decided to defect. On September 5, 1945 left the Soviet embassy with a briefcase stuffed full of secret documents. These documents expose the existence of and size and scope of a Soviet spy ring operating within the Canadian borders. Went to a Canadian newspaper in an attempt to turn this information over but was laughed out of the offices and considered a crank. Likewise, attempted to turn his information over to the Canadian governmental authorities, but they also refused to believe his story.and returned to the newspaper once again.