What did the declassified documents reveal?

Cold Open: This is a report from the VEWONA intercept, dated 18 February 1944, from the New York office to Moscow, reference number 3/NBF/T2396. The report details President Edvard Benes's visit to Moscow and subsequent statements. The document is available on The Black Vault's archive at https://archive.org/download/10febbenes/10febbenesdjvu.txt. Provenance: The document was released through The Black Vault, and its canonical PDF is available at the same URL. The document is part of the VEWONA intercepts, which were declassified and made available through various sources, including the FBI's Vault and The Black Vault. The Document: To the 8th Department, from "ZAYeTa", reporting: Ambassador Winant informed the Bank that, according to information from Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs in the Czechoslovak Government in Exile in London, Hubert Ripka, President Benes was satisfied with his trip to Moscow and with the attitude to the European question expressed by the Soviet government. Ripka told First Secretary of the Country, Rudolf Schoenfeld, that Benes, in a conversation with Prime Minister of the Polish Government in London, Stanislaw Mikolajczyk, stated: "The USSR is not against the renewal of relations with Poland, does not want a Communist Poland and does not demand the 1941 boundaries. It does want the recognition of the Curzon line with some amendments." The USSR insists on keeping in its own hands LVOV and demands changes in the composition of the Polish Cabinet and the removal of General Kazimierz Sosnkowski. In Benes's opinion, this attitude has been dictated not by temporary considerations, but by a desire for collaboration between the Country and the Island. Context: The report was likely written by Maurice Halperin, also known as "HARE", an American diplomat and cryptanalyst who worked at the State Department. The VEWONA intercepts were a series of coded messages intercepted by the British and American governments, which provided valuable intelligence on Soviet activities during World War II. Outro: This is what the public record looks like at its most ordinary. The VEWONA intercepts offer a glimpse into the complex web of alliances and negotiations that took place during World War II. The document is available on The Black Vault's archive at https://archive.org/download/10febbenes/10febbenesdjvu.txt.

Why was this case declassified?

This material was released by the National Security Agency (NSA) through the U.S. declassification and Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) process. The originating source document is linked on this page so the citation chain is auditable.

10feb Benes

◆ BLUF — The short version

Cold Open: This is a report from the VEWONA intercept, dated 18 February 1944, from the New York office to Moscow, reference number 3/NBF/T2396. The report details President Edvard Benes's visit to Moscow and subsequent statements. txt. Provenance: The document was released through The Black Vault, and its canonical PDF is available at the same URL.

Agency: National Security Agency (NSA)
Date: JUL 18 · 2026
Release: Declassified · U.S. public record (FOIA)
Source document: View the primary source document

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Episode notes

Cold Open: This is a report from the VEWONA intercept, dated 18 February 1944, from the New York office to Moscow, reference number 3/NBF/T2396. The report details President Edvard Benes's visit to Moscow and subsequent statements. The document is available on The Black Vault's archive at…

View the primary source document

Questions about this case

What was 10feb Benes about?: Cold Open: This is a report from the VEWONA intercept, dated 18 February 1944, from the New York office to Moscow, reference number 3/NBF/T2396. The report details President Edvard Benes's visit to Moscow and subsequent statements. txt. Provenance: The document was released through The Black Vault, and its canonical PDF is available at the same URL.
Why was this case declassified?: This material was released by the National Security Agency (NSA) through the U.S. declassification and Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) process. The originating source document is linked in the case notes above so the citation chain is fully auditable.

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