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> As fascinating as I find "how" the spies did it, I'm more interested in "why" they did it? Was it dissatisfaction with something in their lives? For the money
by ardy42 7y ago
> As fascinating as I find "how" the spies did it, I'm more interested in "why" they did it? Was it dissatisfaction with something in their lives? For the money (boring)? Because they didn't want to see the US so far ahead of the USSR?
IIRC, in the 30s and 40s it was a lot more common and respectable to be a Communist due to the experience of the Great Depression an limited information about the failures of central planning.
- vkou 7y agoAlso, because many worker rights in the West were only very recently won after a very long and bloody political struggle by socialists, trade unions, etc (Who were bitterly opposed by the government.) When said governments are very clearly acting against their own people, is it no surprise that defectors may choose to side with an opposing ideology?