By William F. Floyd, Jr.
Kent was seated at the breakfast table. Knight informed him that they had come to conduct a search of his residence. They instructed Kent that whatever he told them might be used against him in court. The investigators began questioning Kent. He stated that he had nothing in his possession that belonged to the U.S. government. Furthermore, he denied having any idea about why they would want to search his residence. Of course, this did not deter the investigators.
The raid on Kent’s apartment was the culmination of an investigation that had been going on for many months. In Kent’s apartment, the investigators found multiple suitcases and stacks of boxes jammed with papers and photographic plates from the U.S. Embassy where he was employed as a cypher clerk. They also found a red leather book hidden away in a cupboard that contained the names of hundreds of British citizens. Knight and the others were pleased that they were able to gather ample evidence that could be used to prove an espionage case against Kent.
The investigators hauled Kent off to the U.S. Embassy where he was held in custody. The investigators debriefed U.S. Ambassador to the United Kingdom Joseph P. Kennedy. He berated Kent and he formally dismissed him from his job at the U.S. Embassy. Since Kent no longer had diplomatic immunity, Scotland Yard could prosecute him for espionage.
Kennedy had been shocked at what he saw. Kent had not only comprised State Department cipher codes worldwide, but also had copied Kennedy’s memos, some of which expressed his controversial opinions about the war in Europe.
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