Career
In 1904, a 24-year-old Folkoff arrived San Francisco, where he ran an embroidery business. He helped found the California Communist Party and had gone as a delegate for the founding of the Communist International ("Communist International") in Moscow in 1919. A former garment presser and self-taught Marxist philosopher, Folkoff specialized in fund-raising for party causes.
He was in charge of West Coast operations.
He worked as a courier passing information to and from Soviet sources, and as a talent spotter and vetter of potential espionage recruits. He also worked as a Case Officer.
His code name in Soviet intelligence and in the files was "Uncle".