Spy Lost

Condemned to death by the KGB, Tuomi was born in America and an important asset to Soviet espionage. He collaborated with the FBI and saved his life but sacrificed his family in Russia. Kaarlo Tuomi (Rudolph Robertovich Saastamoinen) was born in 1916 in a Finnish farm community in Ishpeming, Michigan. His stepfather was a member of the Communist Party, and decided to move with his family to Russia in 1933, during the Great Depression. Tuomi worked in the lumber industry in Soviet Karelia. Later, from 1939 until 1946, he served in the Soviet army, fighting against Finland. After demobili-zation he lived in the city of Kirov, graduated from the Pedagogical Institute, and worked as an English teacher in various schools until 1957. At the same time, he was recruited by the KGB, went through training, and became a spy for Soviet Russia when he returned to the United States. He was quickly picked up by the FBI, and turned into a double agent, working under the direction of the Bureau, while pre-tending to continue as a Russian spy. His family (wife, three children, and sister) remained in Russia. He died in Palm Beach, Florida, in 1995 at the age of 78.