Davidov an army intelligence officer?
By Mike Kaszuba
Longtime Twin Cities peace activist Marv Davidov was once in line to be a member of the U.S. Army’s Counter Intelligence Corps, according to new records obtained by St. Paul non-profit Public Record Media (PRM).
Davidov’s little-known military career during the 1950s was brought to light in FBI records that were obtained from the United States National Archives. PRM’s Davidov-related record collection provides a comprehensive look at how federal officials investigated and tracked the well-known Minnesota peace activist over four decades.
According to the newly-released records, government officials began inquiring about Davidov’s military career in 1962 after learning that Davidov reportedly identified himself as an Army intelligence officer in December of 1954, and offered to give a talk on communism at a private home in Detroit. Officials in Detroit said that Davidov was then a 23-year-old Army private.
Government records show that Davidov was assigned to the 878th Interrogation Detachment as a reservist at Fort Snelling during the Korean War. Though the detachment’s mission was not outlined in the latest records release, documents indicate that the group’s focus was “Russian”. Davidov was given a “secret” clearance by the Army at the time.
In October of 1953, Davidov applied for assignment to the Army’s Counter Intelligence Corps and was approved two months later. He was scheduled to be transferred to the Corps’ facility in Baltimore after completing basic training.
However, records also indicate that the new assignment never occurred. Davidov had a background investigation that was completed in April 1954. Although the results of the investigation were not disclosed, documents show that four months later – in August 1954 – his transfer to the Counter Intelligence Corps was voided.
Davidov died in 2012, after a long career as a high-profile peace activist in Minnesota.
(Supporting documents for this article can be accessed by contacting Public Record Media at admin@publicrecordmedia.org , or at 651-556-1381)