After World War 2 and the emergence of the Cold War between the West and Soviet Union, Canada allied firmly with the Western bloc. In 1945, a Soviet embassy clerk in Canada, Igor Gouzenko, defected and brought documents exposing a Soviet espionage ring in Canada. This led to a secret investigation. Canada tried to restrain American actions in the Cold War while tolerating Communists at home. Canada benefited economically from the Marshall Plan and NATO membership, though it wanted to reduce military spending. Canada helped establish NATO as a military alliance against the Soviet threat.