Gouzenko Deciphered Part 3

Andrew Kavchak guides us down the long road to commemorating a Cold War hero.

Interview by Brendan McShane

Posted October 21, 2020

Dundonald Park in Ottawa sits across the street from the apartment that Igor Gouzenko, the first Cold War defector, previously resided. This apartment building was where Gouzenko and his family hid from Soviet pursuers, and this park was where RCMP officers kept watch of the premises. Today, seventy-five years later, a plaque stands in Dundonald Park memorializing Gouzenko.

Andrew Kavchak, former federal civil servant, autism advocate, and amateur historian, explains his lengthy efforts for the municipal and federal recogition of Gouzenko in Ottawa. The author of several books, Kavchak discusses the writing of Remembering Gouzenko: the Struggle to Honour a Cold War Hero, as well as other books related to Soviet history.

Gouzenko: The Series

Gouzenko Deciphered

Evy Wilson, the daughter of Igor and Svetlana Gouzenko, remembers her parents’ stories on the 75th anniversary of their escape to Canada — the first Cold War defection.

Gouzenko Deciphered Part 2

Dr. Calder Walton provides us a peek behind the Iron Curtain.

It's War. It's War. It's Russia

Russian defector Igor Gouzenko’s chilling warning of a Soviet spy ring in Ottawa sent shock waves through Canada and the West.

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