The article by the NYT reporter, Denney, is an interesting read. He is actually on our side, so the Times wouldn’t have him on the payroll nowadays.
Note that this is the fifth installment of a series. We are posting all eight parts from June 3 to June 10.
I just checked Denny's entry on the index by author my profile page. I posted stories Denny filed from Moscow from March 1938 to August 1939. How much earlier he was in Moscow I don't know. I also don't know if he was part of the NYT Red detachment or just doing straight reporting, such as it was possible to do in Stalin's home town.
If you haven't ever done so I recommend taking a look at his entry on the index. He has had a very interesting war so far.