Robert Edward Webster (October 23, 1928 – November 11, 1999[1]) was an American technician of the Cleveland, Ohio-based Rand Development, who defected to the Soviet Union in 1959 and returned to the United States in 1962.
During a seven-week stay beginning in May 1959, Webster began dating Vera Platanova, a waitress at the Hotel Ukraine, who was suspected of being a KGB agent.
[3] On October 17 he attended the US Embassy in Moscow (having already sent a postcard[6]), meeting with Richard Edward Snyder.
He filled in an "Affidavit for Expatriated Person" form and wrote a resignation letter to Rand.
Re-applying a year later, he was granted an exit visa in February 1962 and returned to the United States on 20 May, classified as an alien.