Education
He graduated from Cornell University in 1924, where he became friends with Anna Colloms, who was also a student.
He graduated from Cornell University in 1924, where he became friends with Anna Colloms, who was also a student.
In 1938, Epstein volunteered for the International Brigades during the Spanish Civil War, and was badly wounded. Epstein married Ruth Beverly Wilson, whom he met while convalescing from his injuries, and both allegedly served as Soviet intelligence operatives. During World World War II, Epstein was stationed by Soviet intelligence in Mexico City.
Epstein was put in charge of the Gnome Project, which was the secret plan to free Ramón Mercader, Leon Trotsky"s murderer, from jail.
Epstein is referenced in decrypt 800 New York to Moscow 28 May 1943, and another decrypt on 30 May 1943. The material cites Epstein as having placed two agents in the prison where Mercader was held.
The plan called for moving Mercader out of Mexico once the jailbreak was made. Jacob Epstein"s code names in Soviet intelligence are "Harry" and "Garri".
Epstein is referenced in the following decryptions:
800 Komitet Gosudarstvennoy Bezopasnosti (Committee for State Security) New York to Moscow, 28 May 1943;
816–817 Komitet Gosudarstvennoy Bezopasnosti (Committee for State Security) New York to Moscow, 30 May 1943;
899 Komitet Gosudarstvennoy Bezopasnosti (Committee for State Security) New York to Moscow, 11 June 1943;
1142 Komitet Gosudarstvennoy Bezopasnosti (Committee for State Security) New York to Moscow, 10 August 1944;
174–176 Komitet Gosudarstvennoy Bezopasnosti (Committee for State Security) Mexico City to Moscow, 29 December 1943;
193–194 Mexico City to Moscow, 14 March 1944. pg.1
193–194 Mexico City to Moscow, 14 March 1944. pg.2
193–194 Mexico City to Moscow, 14 March 1944. pg.3
193–194 Mexico City to Moscow, 14 March 1944. pg.4
193–194 Mexico City to Moscow, 14 March 1944. pg.5
212 Komitet Gosudarstvennoy Bezopasnosti (Committee for State Security) Mexico City to Moscow, 25 March 1944;
261–262 Komitet Gosudarstvennoy Bezopasnosti (Committee for State Security) Mexico City to Moscow, 16 April 1944;
281 Komitet Gosudarstvennoy Bezopasnosti (Committee for State Security) Mexico City to Moscow, 21 April 1944;
553–554 Komitet Gosudarstvennoy Bezopasnosti (Committee for State Security) Mexico City to Moscow, 29 June 1944;
893 Komitet Gosudarstvennoy Bezopasnosti (Committee for State Security) Mexico City to Moscow, 28 November 1944;
237 Komitet Gosudarstvennoy Bezopasnosti (Committee for State Security) Moscow to Mexico City, 20 April 1944;
248 Komitet Gosudarstvennoy Bezopasnosti (Committee for State Security) Moscow to Mexico City, 27 April 1944;
288 Komitet Gosudarstvennoy Bezopasnosti (Committee for State Security) Moscow to Mexico City, 11 May 1944;
511 Komitet Gosudarstvennoy Bezopasnosti (Committee for State Security) Moscow to Mexico City, 24 August 1944;
626 Komitet Gosudarstvennoy Bezopasnosti (Committee for State Security) Moscow to Mexico City, 29 October 1944;
634 Komitet Gosudarstvennoy Bezopasnosti (Committee for State Security) Moscow to Mexico City, 5 November 1944.