# Did any Western defectors not regret their decision? (Cold War) **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 14, 2012, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-any-western-defectors-not-regret-their-decision-cold-war/625181 "2012-06-14T21:37:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Atomic\_Alex](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atomic_alex/32/175_2.png) [@Atomic\_Alex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atomic_Alex)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2012, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-any-western-defectors-not-regret-their-decision-cold-war/625181/1 "2012-06-14T21:37:52Z")
In the Cold War there were a number of defectors from the West to the Soviet Union or affiliates, on reading of their subsequent histories it appears that the majority fairly quickly came to regret their decision and some tried to be repatriated to their country of origin. Are there any examples of defectors who apparently never regreted defecting and believed they made the right decision? Thanks ---
**Author:** ![Mdcastle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/958977/32.png) [@Mdcastle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mdcastle)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2012, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-any-western-defectors-not-regret-their-decision-cold-war/625181/2 "2012-06-14T22:19:54Z")
21 American and one British POW in the Korean War intially refused repatriation and there were 6 American defectors after the war. Some of them eventually returned but some did not. ---
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2012, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-any-western-defectors-not-regret-their-decision-cold-war/625181/3 "2012-06-14T22:49:27Z")
A high profile case which deserves mention is Kim Philby: > **[Kim Philby](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kim_Philby)** > > Harold Adrian Russell "Kim" Philby ORB, OL ODN (1 January 1912 – 11 May 1988) was a British intelligence officer and a double agent for the Soviet Union. In 1963, he was revealed to be a member of the Cambridge Five, a spy ring which had divulged British secrets to the Soviets during World War II and in the early stages of the Cold War. Of the five, Philby is believed to have been most successful in providing secret information to the Soviets. > Born in British India, Philby was educated at Wes... Philby is a strange case, however you slice it. Hard to tell what really motivated him, or what he did or did not regret any given point. ---
**Author:** ![Simple\_Linctus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Simple\_Linctus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simple_Linctus)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2012, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-any-western-defectors-not-regret-their-decision-cold-war/625181/4 "2012-06-14T22:52:53Z")
Kim Philby was one who was I was going to bring up. Since someone else brought up Philby, I ought to bring up Edward Lee Howard, who seemed very pleased with his defection to Moscow, at least up to the point in 2002 where, as [this article puts it](http://www.cracked.com/article_19440_the-6-most-hilariously-inept-spies-all-time.html), he died from a suspiciously broken neck. ---
**Author:** ![GreasyJack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/df705f/32.png) [@GreasyJack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreasyJack)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2012, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-any-western-defectors-not-regret-their-decision-cold-war/625181/5 "2012-06-14T23:26:51Z")
[Joe Dresnok](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Joseph_Dresnok) is possibly the only defector still living in a communist country\*. He was a high school dropout who frankly didn’t have much going for him in the free world when he defected to North Korea in the 60’s. In North Korea, he’s been set up as a full-fledged member of the elite and a minor celebrity (one of his jobs was to play the “evil capitalist” in numerous North Korean soap operas, he also taught at the major state university). He’s lived a very comfortable life in a very nice apartment and had two marriages that were probably completely arranged by the state. He certainly doesn’t regret it and at least based on the impression given by the books and documentaries of his life before defecting, it seems hard to say that he would have done much better in life had he stayed in the US. \*I know there’s a few left-wing radicals wanted in the US who are still hiding out in Cuba, but I don’t know if that really counts. ---
**Author:** ![Atomic\_Alex](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atomic_alex/32/175_2.png) [@Atomic\_Alex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atomic_Alex)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2012, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-any-western-defectors-not-regret-their-decision-cold-war/625181/6 "2012-06-15T21:36:23Z")
> [@GreasyJack](#): > > [Joe Dresnok](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Joseph_Dresnok) is possibly the only defector still living in a communist country \<…\> He certainly doesn’t regret it and at least based on the impression given by the books and documentaries of his life before defecting, it seems hard to say that he would have done much better in life had he stayed in the US. That kind of makes you wonder why more people didn’t try that particular trick! 😃 Thanks for the answers everyone ---
**Author:** ![Donnerwetter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b2d939/32.png) [@Donnerwetter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Donnerwetter)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2012, 6:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-any-western-defectors-not-regret-their-decision-cold-war/625181/7 "2012-06-16T06:54:43Z")
> [@Disposable Hero](#): > > Are there any examples of defectors who apparently never regreted defecting and believed they made the right decision? Here’s a person you probably have never heard of: > **[Arnold Schölzel](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arnold_Sch%C3%B6lzel)** > > Arnold Angelus Schölzel (born 21 October 1947) is a German editor and former defector, currently the editor-in-chief of the newspaper Junge Welt. Prior to 1989, Schölzel worked at Humboldt University in East Berlin, and also was an informant for the East German domestic intelligence agency, the Stasi. > Arnold Angelus Schölzel was born on 21 October 1947, and grew up in Bremen, West Germany, and at age 16 became a member of the Social Democratic Party of Germany, the largest moderate left-wing p... This guy deserted from the West Germany army in the 60s while he was a conscript. He is an unrepentant communist, he was an informer of the East German Stasi and today is the editor of a communist newspaper. ---
**Author:** ![Atomic\_Alex](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atomic_alex/32/175_2.png) [@Atomic\_Alex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atomic_Alex)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2012, 8:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-any-western-defectors-not-regret-their-decision-cold-war/625181/8 "2012-06-16T08:59:11Z")
You’re right, I hadn’t heard of him, thanks! ---
**Author:** ![Veneriable\_Slacks](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/838e76/32.png) [@Veneriable\_Slacks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Veneriable_Slacks)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2012, 10:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-any-western-defectors-not-regret-their-decision-cold-war/625181/9 "2012-06-16T10:19:58Z")
German born, Russian spy Richard Sorge. His wiki page is interesting. I read a book about him years ago. He was hanged for spying in Japan, 1944. ---
**Author:** ![Sigene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df788c/32.png) [@Sigene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigene)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2012, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-any-western-defectors-not-regret-their-decision-cold-war/625181/10 "2012-06-17T04:27:39Z")
seem to have at least be satisfied with their decision. At least I’ve found no online indication that he or his wife had ‘changed their minds’. The kids pretty much grew up in Russia during the 80s and 90s so they are probably more likely to be happy with their lives. [http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1891&dat=19861011&id=b7UfAAAAIBAJ&sjid=VtcEAAAAIBAJ&pg=3007,2092042](http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1891&dat=19861011&id=b7UfAAAAIBAJ&sjid=VtcEAAAAIBAJ&pg=3007,2092042) [http://www.chron.com/CDA/archives/archive.mpl/1986\_271585/local-researcher-his-family-defect-to-soviet-union.html](http://www.chron.com/CDA/archives/archive.mpl/1986_271585/local-researcher-his-family-defect-to-soviet-union.html) [http://blogs.houstonpress.com/hairballs/2008/01/the\_cancer\_researcher\_who\_went.php](http://blogs.houstonpress.com/hairballs/2008/01/the_cancer_researcher_who_went.php) ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2012, 5:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-any-western-defectors-not-regret-their-decision-cold-war/625181/11 "2012-06-17T05:44:27Z")
> [@Donnerwetter](#): > > Here’s a person you probably have never heard of: > > [Arnold Schölzel - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arnold_Sch%C3%B6lzel) > > This guy deserted from the West Germany army in the 60s while he was a conscript. He is an unrepentant communist, he was an informer of the East German Stasi and today is the editor of a communist newspaper. I wish I had been in his house as a fly on the wall. To see his reaction when …the wall fell.