Espionage
Malisoff fell under FBI scrutiny in 1940 on the basis of observed contact with KGB Officer Gaik Ovakimian. According to Venona project information, the Soviets, in 1944, were having considerable trouble with Malisoff as he wanted a sizable lump sum payment to help him establish a laboratory. When his request was flatly refused, Malisoff complained with considerable irritation "that the materials handed over by him on one question alone—oil, by his estimate had yielded the Union millions during past years and the aid requested by him was trifling." Malisoff was an extremely active and important agent; his Case Officer, Leonid Kvasnikov, who specialized in scientific-technical espionage, had met with Malisoff twenty times in 1943 alone. Malisoff had previously raised the funding question with Mikhail Shalyapin and Gaik Ovakimian who had preceded Kvasnikov.
In August 1943 Pavel Mikhailov, the New York Soviet Military Intelligence (GRU) Rezident sent an inquiry to Moscow regarding Malisoff. But the GRU "was forbidden to meet Malisov since the latter is connected with the Neighbors ."
In 1945 Malisoff was connected with the Institute for the Unity of Science for a short time.
Read more about this topic: William Malisoff
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