Doe Network

1495DFNY - Juliet Stuart Poyntz

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Juliet Stuart Poyntz circa 1906 at age 20 (left); Circa 1937 (2nd & 3rd) Circa 1918 (5th)

Name: Juliet Stuart Poyntz
Case Classification: Missing
Missing Since: June 4, 1937
Location Last Seen: New York City, New York

Physical Description

Date of Birth: November 26, 1886
Age: 50 years old
Race: White
Gender: Female
Height: unknown
Weight: unknown
Hair Color: Unknown
Eye Color: Unknown
Nickname/Alias: Unknown
Distinguishing Marks/Features: Unknown

Identifiers

Dentals: Not available
Fingerprints: Not available
DNA: Not available

Clothing & Personal Items

Clothing: Unknown
Jewelry: Unknown
Additional Personal Items: Unknown

Circumstances of Disappearance

Juliet Stuart Poyntz was one of the founding members of the American Communist Party. A graduate of Barnard College and Columbia University, she traveled all over the world promoting Communism, until she dropped out of the American Communist Party in 1934 in order to work as an agent for the OGPU, the secret police agency of the Soviet Union and predecessor of the KGB.

She received intensive training in espionage and returned to the United States. In 1936, she was recalled to Moscow for debriefing and to receive further instructions. But while she was there, she became disillusioned. She had been interrogated and her loyalty questioned. She had barely managed to allay suspicion before returning to the United States. Badly shaken, she quit her espionage work and openly denounced Communism. She told people she was thinking about writing her memoirs.

On the day she disappeared, Juliet Stuart Poyntz took a phone call at her hotel from a former lover. She put on her hat and coat and walked out into the night. In her room, her clothes were neatly folded, her passport was in her drawer, and a candle was burning. She was never seen again.

One of her friends, the anarchist Carlo Tresca, investigated her disappearance and concluded that an old lover had lured her out to be kidnapped and killed.

In early December 1937, her lawyer reported her missing to the New York City Police Department. In her apartment at the American Women's Association Clubhouse at 353 West 57th Street, she had left behind all of her belongings. She also left behind a bank account containing $10,500 which had not been touched since she was last seen. She was declared legally dead on October 26, 1944.

Investigating Agency(s)

Agency Name: N/A
Agency Contact Person: N/A
Agency Phone Number: N/A
Agency E-Mail: N/A
Agency Case Number: N/A

NamUs Case Number: N/A
NCIC Case Number: N/A

Information Source(s)

Wikipedia: Juliet Stuart Poyntz
Bernard College Archives
Spies and Spymasters of Espoinage
Marxist History
Nursing Clio
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Admin Notes

Added: prior to 2011; Last Updated: 05-18-2022 - By: Htmlcnvtr


Questions or comments? Please contact appropriate member of the Area Team

** Listed information is from the time of disappearance.

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