761.00/6–453: Telegram
No. 598
The Ambassador in the Soviet Union
(Bohlen) to
the Department of State
1671. Soviet citizen early yesterday evening entered living section of Embassy. Having entered Zook’s1 apartment, insisted on seeing Ambassador. In response request for assistance by occupant Apartment 2, Embassy officers McSweeney and Garvey2 went there, made it quite clear to visitor he was on Embassy property, that Embassy acted only in accordance with usual understanding functions diplomatic mission. He insisted again on seeing Ambassador. In order most expeditiously accomplish his departure, Embassy officers listened his story which included his Jewish background, service in Military Investigation Branch during war, employment with Office of Procurator in Krasnodar Krai and Tula Gunworks, detention for trial for violating government regulations regarding [Page 1187] travel allowances and release after two months in accordance recent general amnesty. He stated that he knew where there were many other people who felt as he did in universities, government institutions, et cetera, and when repeatedly informed that the American Embassy was not interested in this sort of thing, he only asked for the Embassy’s “blessing”. He appeared in highly nervous state and kept refusing to leave premises. Embassy officers therefore concerned with arranging for his departure from Embassy as soon as possible without any incident which might reflect upon Embassy. As in other cases he asked to be taken from Embassy in Embassy car. Embassy officers reminded him he had been told at beginning Embassy could accept no responsibility for him to which he agreed. Eventually after about four hours, he left Embassy on his own.
At time of his departure it was noted extra plain-clothes men were stationed around Embassy building including group in automobile at curb next to Embassy entrance.
Department will note great similarity between this incident and that which occurred approximately a year ago when Ambassador Kennan was here. Both bear strong indication of agent provocateur activity.
These cases present great difficulty in handling since while avoiding any grounds for implicating this Embassy, we would not wish on the outside chance that the individual is operating on his own to request of Foreign Office that militia guarding Embassy come in and arrest him or to expel him by force from the Embassy with the resulting scandal. These considerations account for length of time necessary before the officers of the Embassy who saw this man were able to persuade him to leave the premises.
Assuming that this was provocation, it is difficult to see exactly what the Soviet authorities had in mind at this time other than a straight police operation either to test out the Embassy and whether I would see him or to have a record in the MVD files in event of some future desire to implicate the Embassy in illegal activity.3
This incident is known only to those directly involved and the senior officers and will be held in complete secrecy.
- Benjamin M. Zook, translator at the Embassy in the Soviet Union.↩
- James A. Garvey, Second Secretary of the Embassy.↩
- Telegram 1687 from Moscow, June 5, reported that a Soviet security police officer had called at the Embassy regarding a “crazy” individual missing from his family and possibly seen lurking around the Embassy. Embassy officials described in general terms the incident related here, and the Soviet police officer departed “seemingly satisfied”. (761.00/6–553)↩