The Venona Papers

The Venona Papers refer to a collection of secret U.S. government cables and intelligence decrypts from the 1940s and 1950s, revealing that Soviet spies had infiltrated Western institutions, including the U.S. government. These documents confirmed the existence of espionage networks and identified some individuals involved, such as government officials and scientists. The Venona project was conducted by American and British intelligence agencies to intercept and decode Soviet communications, providing critical insights during the Cold War. The revelations impacted American politics and public perceptions of national security and contributed to the anti-Communist climate of the era.