The Venona Papers provided evidence that certain individuals in the United States were Soviet spies. Which term best describes these people?

• A. Soviet Spies
• B. Double Agents
• C. Whistleblowers
• D. Espionage Suspects

Answer: (A)

The idea being tested is recognizing people who secretly worked for a foreign power by giving it information. The Venona Papers showed Americans who were covertly supplying secrets to the Soviet Union, so the best label for them is Soviet spies. Spies are individuals who gather and pass along confidential information to another country, which is exactly what these documents reveal about those individuals.

The other terms don’t fit as well. Double agents would specifically imply deceiving one side about who they truly serve—while some cases on Venona involve deep cover, the overall picture is that these people were providing information to the Soviets, not merely pretending to serve the United States. Whistleblowers expose wrongdoing to authorities, not act as foreign intelligence sources, and espionage suspects are people under suspicion rather than confirmed spies.