Lukes Publishes Article on Soviet Spy Tyler Kent
Igor Lukes, Professor of International Relations and History at the Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies at Boston University, published an article in Forum 24 on former American diplomat Tyler Kent as well as how truth and lies play a part in diplomacy and politics.
The article, “Truth as an Instrument of Evil: Soviet Spy Tyler Kent,” is based on the premise that disinformation has been used as a weapon in warfare forever. The central figure of the article is Tyler Kent, an American diplomat who in the 1930s served at United States embassies in Moscow and London. In both places, Kent acted as a spy for the Soviet Union.
In London, Kent learned about the secret correspondence between President Franklin D Roosevelt and Prime Minister Winston Churchill. Kent stole at least 1,500 document from the embassy and planned to share them with isolationist Senators in Washington. The documents proved that Roosevelt illegally plotted with Churchill – in violation of the Neutrality Acts of the 1930s. Had Kent been able to reveal this information, it isn’t clear that Roosevelt would have won this third term in 1940. Instead, the U.S. and UK conspired, arrested Kent (in violation of his diplomatic status) and sent him to a British prison, where he (de facto an honest whistleblower) remained for the duration of the war.
The full article can be read on Forum 24‘s website.
Igor Lukes is a past winner of the 1997 Metcalf Award for Excellence in Teaching and the 2020 winner of the Gitner Prize for Faculty Excellence at the Pardee School. He writes primarily about Central Europe. His work has won the support of various other institutions, including Fulbright, Fulbright-Hays, the Woodrow Wilson Center, IREX, and the National Endowment for the Humanities. Read more about Professor Lukes on his faculty profile.