Martin Manhoff was born in Seattle in 1917. He attended the University of Washington, majoring in art, and then joined the US Army after graduation. He fought in Europe in the Second World War, landing on the beaches at Normandy four days after D-Day in June 1944. He returned to the States after the war and married Jeannette (Jan) Kozicki, another UW graduate, in 1950. Soon after, Martin left to learn Russian at the Army Language School in Monterey, California.
In early 1952, Martin and Jan moved to the Soviet Union, Manhoff was stationed at the U.S. embassy in Moscow in the Soviet Union from until 1954. When Martin was then expelled from the USSR on espionage charges, they returned to Washington state for the remainder of their lives. Martin died in 2005 and Jan died in 2014.
Information obtained from "THE LOST ARCHIVE OF MAJOR MARTIN MANHOFF" written by Douglas Smith, [https://www.aseees.org/news-events/aseees-blog-feed/lost-archive-major-martin-manhoff]
Photographs, film, documents, and artwork made and collected by a local couple, Martin and Jan Manhoff. Martin Manhoff was stationed at the U.S. embassy in Moscow in the Soviet Union during 1952-1954. The photos and films were made at a time when foreigners were discouraged from or even forbidden to take pictures in the USSR. Manhoff even took film footage of Stalin’s funeral in 1953 from the roof of the U.S. embassy. The Manhoffs later owned and operated a photographic supply store in the Seattle area.
No restrictions on access.
Restrictions may exist on copying, quotation, or publication. Contact University of Washington Libraries Special Collections for details.
Gift of Douglas Smith, 2019.