HIST 102 · Capstone Research Project

"Witches Everywhere" — Research Notes

McCarthy, Venona & the Soviet Archives  ·  Five Case Studies  ·  Richland Community College

Instructions

How to Use This Form

This assignment requires your own independent research. You will investigate five individuals named by McCarthy as Communist infiltrators in the U.S. government. For each person, you are responsible for locating sources, reading them, and recording what you find — in your own words and with your own judgment. Starting links are provided as a convenience, not a substitute for research. You may use any credible scholarly or primary source you can find.

Your campus librarian is one of the most valuable resources available to you. Research librarians can help you locate digitized primary sources, scholarly books, and archival databases you may not find through a basic web search. Do not hesitate to ask for help — that is exactly what they are there for.

Cases are marked in one of two ways:

Primary Sources Provided Direct links to declassified NSA Venona cables and KGB archive documents are provided in the card. You are responsible for reading those sources yourself and recording what you find. You may also search for additional sources on your own. Copy a verbatim quote into each field — include the cable number, date, and URL.
Independent Research A starting link is provided, but you must go further. Use encyclopedias, scholarly books, government databases, or library resources to build a complete entry. You may find strong evidence, weak evidence, or none at all — all three are valid and gradeable findings. Record honestly what the sources actually show.

Field Guide — what to include in each section:

Government RoleAgency or department, position title, and years of service (e.g., "Assistant Secretary of the Treasury, 1945").
Soviet Code NameThe cryptonym used in KGB/GRU cables (e.g., "JURIST"). Note the source where the match is confirmed.
McCarthy's AccusationSummarize what McCarthy specifically claimed: Communist Party member, security risk, policy influencer, etc.
Venona QuoteCopy a verbatim passage from the declassified cable. Include the cable number, date, sending office, and URL. If no cable exists for this person, write "Not found in Venona decrypts" and explain why that matters for your assessment.
Vassiliev / Gorsky QuoteCopy a verbatim passage from the KGB archive record. Include the document reference and URL. If not found, record that clearly — an absence of evidence is itself a finding.
Spy or Sympathizer?Classify based on evidence: confirmed agent, probable agent, communist sympathizer, or unclear / not confirmed. Explain your reasoning in 1–2 sentences. This is your own judgment.
Evidence Confidence (1–5)1 = weak or circumstantial. 5 = direct cable + archive confirmation. Be honest about gaps. This is your own judgment.
Overall AssessmentChoose Strongly Confirmed, Partially Confirmed, Not Found, or Other — then add your own observations. This is your own judgment.

📂 Primary Source Links

NSA Venona Project — All Declassified Cables Vassiliev Notebooks — Wilson Center White Notebook No. 2 / Gorsky Memo (PDF) Haynes — McCarthy Lists & Venona Cross-Reference Americans in the Venona Papers (Wikipedia) McCarthy Senate Speech — Congressional Record (PDF) FBI — Venona Famous Cases

Part I — Individual Research Entries

Part II — NotebookLM Briefing Doc

📋 NotebookLM Briefing Doc

When you have completed all five research entries above, export this form as a .txt file and upload it to a new Google NotebookLM notebook as your only source. Then generate a Briefing Doc from your uploaded notes. Copy the full text of the briefing doc into the field below before downloading your final submission.

How to generate a Briefing Doc in NotebookLM: After uploading your .txt file, look for the Studio panel on the right side. Click Briefing Doc under the Generate section. NotebookLM will produce a structured summary drawn entirely from your uploaded notes. Copy the full output and paste it below.

Important: Upload only your exported Research Notes .txt file as the source. Do not add outside sources. The briefing doc should reflect your own research — nothing more.

Part III — Final Summary

📊 Summary & Reflection

Downloads a plain-text file of all your entries. Submit this file with your assignment.

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