Who was the "Irish Communist"?

TomF

I don't know exactly how, but I came across a 2000 review of a group of books dealing with findings in then newly-opened archives of the KGB. One of the books is by a Cambridge U. historian, Christopher Andrew, and has this:

"Numerous other [KGB spies]...are identified by Andrew only with code names—long lists of code names. Sometimes Andrew notes that they cannot be identified 'for legal reasons,' like 'Grum,' a 'leading Irish Communist' approached by the KGB in 1977... .Are the authorities preparing to pounce? Andrew does not say, leaving the guilty parties to fret and worry, if they are still alive."
http://www.nybooks.com/articles/118

I suppose I perked-up when I read this because in yesterday's Irish Times was a note that Sean Garland, President of the Workers Party, has returned to the Republic, as expected, and the U.S. is expected to request that the Republic extradite him to the U.S. to face charges there that he helped in the distribution of North Korean counterfeit U.S. $100 bills. I expect we all know that North Korea is one of the few surviving Communist states in the world.

Is it possible that the "Grum" referred-to in the Andrew book is still alive and politically-active in Ireland?

Zombrex

TomF wrote:

Is it possible that the "Grum" referred-to in the Andrew book is still alive and politically-active in Ireland?

I would say he is one of the pinkos on Boards.ie ... he could even be me ... you will never know ... :cool:

TomF

Will I post a bank account number so that a few million in those super $100s can be deposited to my credit?

billy the squid

your credit card number would be better

to support the cause and all that

the russians had the KJB the Americans had the CIA , so what. they were in a long running dissagreement, the "irish spy" forged money while the american spies murdered heads of state.

TomF

Do you know for a fact that it was an Irish spy, ('Grum,' a 'leading Irish Communist'?) who forged money?

Victor

Aren't we about 50 years late for outing communists?

Dar

Victor wrote:

Aren't we about 50 years late for outing communists?

That's exactly what the commies want you to think! Be vigilant!

FTA69

Probably Anthony Coughlan.

Uncle F

Probably Garland.

Good to hear he is in the south and staying put.

To extradite any Irish citizen to the U.S would terrible. If it’s true about the allegations then he should face the Irish criminal system. But as of now the yanks still have not issued any evidence. Well that’s according to his website www.seangarland.org

Maskhadov

who Was the third communist in the Dáil ????

The Corinthian

Victor wrote:

Aren't we about 50 years late for outing communists?

And 60 years late for outing Nazis too, I suppose.

FTA69

While agreeing with the technicalities of Garland's case I can't bring myself to sympathise with the sticky bas....

history_buff

Victor wrote:

Aren't we about 50 years late for outing communists?

Funny, if people applied this logic to German war veterans, the world might be a more tolerant place.

TomF

Read recently that Kim Il Sung II has disappeared into China. Kim was associated with the large operation counterfeiting US$100 bills, and there is suspicion that China has cooperated with the U.S. in "disappearing" Kim.

If this is so, can we expect Sean Garland to soon "disappear" from the Republic?

TomF

Maybe the correct name of the disappeared one is Kim Jong Il. I was typing his name as "Kim Il Sung II" meaning Kim Il Sung the second.

Hobbes

TomF wrote:

Read recently that Kim Il Sung II has disappeared into China.

Strange, I heard "Kim Joeng Il" was visiting China and his location is being kept secret. Its a bit of a stretch to say hes been kidnapped.

LostinBlanch

TomF wrote:

Do you know for a fact that it was an Irish spy, ('Grum,' a 'leading Irish Communist'?) who forged money?

Careful, next you'll be saying that you'll be going on about the Workers Party printing press :eek:


Not of course that I am suggesting that any member of the workers party were ever involved in anything so underhand (though I have met people who were suggesting exactly that).