Burdett stayed at his first job, at the "Brooklyn Daily Eagle", for five years. During his time at the "Eagle" Burdett worked as a film, theater and book critic. Burdett first joined the Communist Party in 1937 while working at the "Eagle", through a group there that was affiliated with the American Newspaper Guild (ANG). He was approached about spying by Nathan Einhorn. Einhorn, a reporter and executive secretary of the New York ANG local, wanted Burdett to meet with Joseph North, the editor of "New Masses", the Communist Party USAs journal. At the meeting North suggested a spy mission and introduced him to an unnamed man. At another meeting in New York's Union Square Burdett learned that his mission was in Finland. Finland had fought a 1939 Soviet invasion to a stalemate. His contact at Union Square was later identified by Burdett in a photo as the liaison between CPUSA and the KGB, Jacob Golos.