39 Facts About William Remington

William Walter Remington was an American economist who was employed in various United States government positions.

William Remington's career was interrupted by accusations of Communist espionage made by Elizabeth Bentley, a Soviet spy and defector.

William Remington was sentenced to three years in federal prison.

William Walter Remington was born on October 25,1917, in New York City.

William Remington was raised in Ridgewood, New Jersey, by parents Lillian Maude Sutherland and Frederick C Remington.

William Remington's father worked for the Metropolitan Life Insurance Co.

William Remington then earned a Master's degree from Columbia University in 1940.

In subsequent trial testimony, William Remington stated that while he was a Republican when he entered college, he "moved left quite rapidly" and became a radical but was never a YCL or CPUSA member at Dartmouth.

William Remington admitted having been active in Communist-allied groups such as the American Peace Mobilization, but denied any sympathy with communism and swore under oath that he was not and had never been a member of the Communist Party.

William Remington had a follow-up meeting with Golos in March 1942, and it was then that William Remington was introduced to a woman identified as "Helen Johnson", a researcher helping Golos with his book.

Only years later, William Remington claimed, did he learn that Helen Johnson was actually Elizabeth Bentley.

On nearly a dozen occasions in 1942 and 1943, William Remington met with Bentley and supplied her with information.

William Remington later asserted he was unaware "Helen Johnson" was connected with the Communist Party, he believed she was a leftist researcher concerned whether American big business was fully aiding the Soviet war effort against Nazi Germany, and the information he supplied her was publicly available.

William Remington implicated a number of her contacts, including Remington.

William Remington was by this time disillusioned with communism and had broken off his relationships with radical organizations, and so the investigation revealed nothing of interest.

In 1946, William Remington was working with the Office of War Mobilization and Reconversion.

In 1947, William Remington was interviewed by the FBI and questioned before a federal grand jury in New York City about the information he had given to Elizabeth Bentley.

William Remington testified that no confidential information was involved, and the issue seemed to end there.

William Remington became an anti-communist informer from this time and for the following year.

William Remington sent the FBI information on more than fifty people, only four of whom were connected with his own case.

William Remington said that his wife's adherence to Communist doctrine was the reason for the end of their marriage.

When she repeated her charge on NBC Radio's Meet the Press that William Remington was a Communist, he sued her and NBC for libel.

When William Remington's lawyers attempted to subpoena Bentley, she could not be found.

Ann William Remington, now divorced from him, was subpoenaed to appear before the grand jury.

William Remington testified that her husband had been a dues-paying member of the Communist Party, and that he had given secret information to Elizabeth Bentley while knowing that Bentley was a Communist.

The grand jury decided to indict William Remington for committing perjury when he denied ever being a member of the Communist Party.

William Remington's defense was that he had never handled any classified material, hence could not have given any to Miss Bentley.

We found the aircraft schedules, which were set up exactly as she said, and inter office memos and tables of personnel which proved William Remington had access to both these items.

Ann Moos William Remington reversed herself again and testified that her ex-husband had been a Communist Party member and that he had knowingly given secret information to Elizabeth Bentley.

William Remington noted that Remington's act of perjury had involved disloyalty to his country.

William Remington was sentenced to five years in prison, and he should serve every minute of it.

The second Remington trial began in January 1953 with Judge Vincent L Leibell presiding.

The jury found William Remington guilty of two counts, for lying when he said he had not given secret information to Elizabeth Bentley, and when he claimed not to know in college of the existence of the Young Communist League, even though it had a chapter at Dartmouth while he was a student there.

Two days later, November 24,1954, William Remington died of his injuries.

William Remington's funeral was held in Ridgewood, New Jersey on November 28,1954.

When McCoy confessed four days later, he said he hated William Remington for being a Communist and denied any robbery motive.

William Remington remained a puzzling figure for Americans who had difficulty understanding how a "golden boy" from a prestigious family could get caught up in espionage.

Clearly, William Remington was no political innocent duped by the Communists, and his conviction for perjury seems justified.

Yet William Remington was no pro-Soviet automaton, no slave to Party or ideology, and not even the FBI, at least privately, was willing to classify him as a Russian spy.