Laurence Duggan
Laurence Duggan | |
|---|---|
| Born | Laurence Hayden Duggan May 28, 1905 New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Died | December 20, 1948 (aged 43) New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Cause of death | Fall from building |
| Known for | Links to Soviet intelligence |
| Spouse | Helen Boyd |
| Children | 4 |
| Father | Stephen P. Duggan |
| Academic background | |
| Education | Phillips Exeter Academy |
| Alma mater | Harvard University |
| Academic work | |
| Institutions | Institute of International Education |
Laurence Hayden Duggan (May 28, 1905 – December 20, 1948) was a 20th-century American economist who headed the South American desk at the United States Department of State during World War II, best known for falling to his death from the window of his office in New York, 10 days after questioning by the FBI about whether he had had contacts with Soviet intelligence.
Despite public accusations by Whittaker Chambers and others, Duggan's loyalty was attested to by such prominent people as Attorney General Tom C. Clark, Eleanor Roosevelt, and Duggan's close associate journalist Edward R. Murrow, among others. However, in the 1990s, evidence from decrypted Soviet telegrams revealed that he was an active Soviet spy for the KGB in the 1930s and 1940s.