Straight, Michael

(1916–2004)

   The scion of a wealthy and powerful American family, Straight was recruited for the NKVD by Anthony Blunt in the mid-1930s at Cambridge. Straight, according to his autobiography, refused to cooperate with Soviet intelligence on his return to the United States. This self-serving account of his life has been challenged by scholars with access to Soviet records. In 1963 Straight, who was being considered for a senior federal appointment, informed the American and British authorities of his recruitment and Blunt’s role as a Soviet agent. Straight’s testimony opened the door to the prosecution of Blunt for espionage. The British authorities did not believe that the testimony was usable in a court of law and chose to use it instead to force Blunt to confess.