Victor Grossman

Who is Victor Grossman?

Victor Grossman is an American publicist and author living in Germany.

In 1952, while serving as a U.S. soldier in Austria, Grossman swam the Danube River and became one of a handful of soldiers from NATO nations who defected to the Soviets. Grossman later stated he defected because he feared prosecution by U.S. authorities for not declaring his membership in left-wing political organizations prior to entering the army. Following assessment by Soviet authorities, Grossman was sent to the German Democratic Republic, where he studied journalism at Karl Marx University. He subsequently worked in publishing and media, including the creation of propaganda targeting foreign interests, before working as an unaffiliated journalist from 1968 forward. In 1994, Grossman traveled to the United States and received a discharge from the U.S. Army after a hearing.