Amtorg Trading Corporation

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Amtorg Trading Corporation, also known simply as Amtorg, was the first Soviet trade representation in the United States when it was established in New York in 1924 through the amalgamation of the American firms Products Exchange Corporation (1919) and Arcos-America Inc (1923), the latter being the US office of All Russian Co-operative Society (ARCOS). Amtorg served Soviet import and export firms seeking to conduct foreign trade in the US throughout the Communist era. It also served as a front for Soviet intelligence operations in the US. This was especially important in the early years, when the Soviet Union was not recognized by the US and did not have a permanent embassy in Washington, DC.[1] [2]

[edit] References

  1. ^ Ropes, E. C., American-Soviet Trade Relations, Russian Review, Vol. 3, No. 1 (Autumn 1943), p. 91
  2. ^ Rafalko, Frank J., A Counterintelligence Reader, Vol. III, Chapter 1, pp. 21-22