Posted by Duncan on April 10, 2014 at 14:55:14 user Duncan.
In Reply to: Re: Ransome The Spy posted by Roger Wardale on April 10, 2014 at 10:14:04:
I've seen Evgenia referred to as "a Jewess" as well, though I can't remember where. I think it might have been a reference from one of the US spies who called her "the big girl". It's interesting, because the assumption was that she was big because of her height, but I think she was also probably one of the most senior female Bolsheviks - you needed the approval of "the big girl" to get through to Trotsky.
The US federal archives have translations of all the KGB files that were declassified in the 90s and that does include a breakdown of Romanov jewels - 35 diamonds and 3 strings of pearls - that the Ransomes supposedly delivered to raise money for the Comintern.
It is often presented that this was a price they paid to be "allowed" to leave, but I suspect that is over-simplifying matters.