Reinhold Kramer and Tom Mitchell, "'PS: Burn after Reading': The Kellock-Taschereau Commission and Soviet Espionage" (U Toronto Press, 2026)
About this episode
The episode discusses the Kellock-Taschereau Commission's role in uncovering Soviet espionage in Canada post-World War II.
After Soviet cipher clerk Igor Gouzenko defected in 1945, Canada was shocked by the revelation that its own citizens were engaged in espionage for the Soviet Union. "P.S. Burn after Reading": The Kellock-Taschereau Commission and Soviet Espionage in Canada (University of Toronto Press, 2026) explores how the Canadian government used the controversial Kellock-Taschereau Commission—sometimes judiciously, sometimes not—to uncover and thwart domestic spies during the early days of the Cold War. Drawing on a wealth of sources, including the Commission’s extensive records, GRU documents turned over by Gouzenko, American Venona decrypts, Soviet KGB archives, and newly released British MI5 and MI6 files, authors Dr. Reinhold Kramer and Dr. Tom Mitchell provide a comprehensive account of the crisis. They reveal that, despite some civil liberties missteps, the government’s suspicions were largely justified. The book weaves together the evidence against the spies, the tradecraft of Soviet espionage, complex legal challenges faced by the state, and the political fallout. With access to hundreds of newly released British intelligence files, P.S. Burn After Reading offers both specialists and…
People in this episode
Host: Miranda Melcher
Guests: Reinhold Kramer, Tom Mitchell
Topics covered
- Soviet espionage
- Cold War
- Canadian intelligence
- civil liberties
- Kellock-Taschereau Commission
Keywords
- espionage
- Canada
- Cold War
- Kellock-Taschereau Commission
- civil liberties
- Soviet Union
- intelligence
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: University of Toronto Press, GRU, KGB, MI5, MI6
Books & works: P.S. Burn after Reading
More episodes of New Books in National Security
- Meghan Garrity, "Mass Expulsion: The Politics of Forced Population Removal" (Oxford UP, 2026)
- Edward Goldring, "Purges: How Dictators Fight to Survive" (Cornell UP, 2026)
- Steve Feldstein, "Bytes and Bullets: Global Rivalries, Private Tech, and the New Shape of Modern Warfare" (St. Martin's Press, 2026)
- A. J. Murphy, "Pentagon Capitalism: How the Cold War US Military Modeled Itself on Private Business" (Harvard UP, 2026)
- Jacob Hagstrom, "Asymmetric Warfare: Politics and Cultures of Violence in the Modern Era" (Cambridge UP, 2025)
- Hossam el-Hamalawy, "Counterrevolution in Egypt: Sisi's New Republic (Verso Books, 2026)
Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the New Books in National Security podcast page.