Talk:List of Western Bloc defectors

Latest comment: 8 months ago by Marnanel in topic Anti-government activists as defectors

Untitled edit

I personally knew a US Army Staff Sgt by the last name of Moses who defected in 1961? or 1962? from I Troop, 3rd Sqdn, 14th Armored Cavalry,in Bad Hersfeld, Germany, because he had been passed over so many times for promotion. 173.19.87.215 (talk) 21:32, 17 February 2014 (UTC)He was returned several days later, the Stasi, ostensibly, having no use for him. If anyone knows anything about this man, please contact me michjolin@gmail.com. Joe MichaudReply

Anti-government activists as defectors edit

I wonder who added Black Panther activists to the list. They couldn't possibly "defect" for they are not U.S. military or civil servicemen, as such they bear no legal obligations to the U.S. government, nor did they take any oath of allegiance or smth of the sort, which could place them in the line along with escaped soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, etc. Any of them, who dodged the draft during the Vietnam years, should be noted as draft evader or deserter in "Profession/Prominence," instead of their party affiliation. Assata Shakur is a female, how she could be drafted or otherwise involuntarily enlisted by the U.S. authorities? She and all other activists of the anti-government movements should be placed in the List of Cold War era terrorists, instead of defectors. A defector is a legal person, who was given certain degree of rights and responsibilities, and purposefully violated certain laws of the country of citizenship, not its border-crossing regulations. 93.73.36.17 (talk) 13:56, 25 August 2017 (UTC)Reply

@93.73.36.17 See Defector: "In politics, a defector is a person who gives up allegiance to one state in exchange for allegiance to another, changing sides in a way which is considered illegitimate by the first state." Shakur was a US citizen at the time, and therefore owed allegiance to the US government. Marnanel (talk) 19:56, 2 September 2023 (UTC)Reply

Pre "Cold War" defectors? edit

Would it be fitting to include people who defected to the proto-Soviet Union during the revolutionary period following WWI? This might include people who fled to the soviet union following failed revolution in the Baltics, Finland and Germany? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2A00:23C6:7400:7E01:9E2:F129:FA58:3D1D (talk) 17:21, 20 July 2020 (UTC)Reply