Lawrence "Larry" Duggan (1905 – December 20, 1948) was an American economist and government official who served in the U.S. Department of State, specializing in Latin American affairs. He later became director of the Institute of International Education. Duggan's career and posthumous reputation were significantly marked by allegations of Soviet espionage during the McCarthy era, culminating in his death under suspicious circumstances.
Early life and career
Lawrence Duggan was born in 1905. He came from a well-respected family; his father, Stephen Duggan, founded the Institute of International Education (IIE). Larry Duggan graduated from Princeton University in 1928 and subsequently joined the U.S. Department of State in 1930 as an economist. He rose through the ranks, becoming the chief of the Division of American Republics in 1935, a position he held until 1944. In this role, he played a significant part in shaping U.S. foreign policy towards Latin America during the critical pre- and post-World War II period.In 1944, Duggan was promoted to Special Assistant to the Under Secretary of State. Two years later, in 1946, he left government service to succeed his father as the director of the Institute of International Education, an organization dedicated to fostering international educational exchange.
Espionage allegations and death
Duggan's name first surfaced in connection with Soviet espionage in 1939 when Whittaker Chambers, a former Soviet agent, identified him to then-Assistant Secretary of State Adolf A. Berle Jr. as a member of the "Ware Group," an alleged communist cell in Washington D.C. Chambers later retracted the specific accusation against Duggan.The allegations resurfaced prominently in 1948 when Elizabeth Bentley, another former Soviet agent, testified before a grand jury and the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC), claiming that Duggan had provided her with government documents for transmission to Soviet intelligence. Bentley claimed Duggan was one of her key sources during her espionage activities. These allegations placed Duggan under intense scrutiny during the burgeoning Cold War paranoia and the McCarthy era's anti-communist investigations.
On December 10, 1948, Duggan testified before a grand jury investigating Soviet espionage. On December 20, 1948, just ten days after his testimony, Larry Duggan fell to his death from his 16th-story office window in New York City. The official ruling was suicide. However, the timing and circumstances of his death, coupled with the ongoing espionage allegations and intense public pressure, led to considerable speculation and controversy. Some theories suggested he was murdered by Soviet agents to silence him, while others speculated he was pressured by U.S. authorities.