112. Telegram From the Embassy in the Soviet Union to the Department of State1
11855. Subject: Technical Penetration of United States Embassy Moscow. Ref: (A) Moscow 11792, (B) Moscow 11720, (C) Moscow 11770 (D) State 134109.2
[Page 361]1. Penetration appears to be limited to an antenna located in the south wing chimney that can be lowered or raised by a pulley system at the bottom of the chimney shaft. Listening post reported in para 2 of reftel B appears now to be a two way communications link between the antenna operator and monitoring site. Detailed inspection of line box and connections will be needed to verify this hypothesis. Only the four cables reported in reftel C, para 2, are in American territory.
2. Per para three of reftel D, voltage and audio checks were performed on the four cables which service the chimney.
A. The Uher microphone was found to be passing audio. The cable was cut at this time. DC and AC voltages were found on the mike cable.
B. The antenna cable was spliced without breaking the conductor paths to the antenna and a DC voltmeter was applied. At 0705 hours, plus 12 VDC and 25 VAC power was applied from the opposition end of the cable. At 0715, the voltage fell to zero, at 0733 12 VDC returned, 0743 off again, and at 0855 on again until we cut the cable at 1304 hours. Several frequency scans were conducted from 20–1000 megacycles while voltage was applied and before the cable was severed.
C. Cables three and four were also checked for voltage and impedence data. The smaller of the two cables registered 1000 ohms of impedence for the section leading back to the chimney and an open circuit for the oppositions cable end. The larger cable also read an open circuit for the oppositions segment of cable and one ohm for the chimney section.
3. Significant events in chronological order which occurred Friday:
| 0600–0700 | — Cable voltage and impedance measurements conducted. |
| 0640 | — First char force personnel was refused permission to enter south wing char force change room. |
| 0710–0855 | — B plus applied repeatedly by opposition to the antenna cable. |
| 0855–1205 | — B plus remained steady. |
| 1015–1205 | — Frequency spectrum scans of antenna cable conducted. |
| 1240 | — Pounding sounds emanating from opposition end of tunnel. |
| 1245 | — Light coming from opposite end of tunnel first observed. |
| 1255 | — Visual sighting occurred approximately halfway down tunnel between resident Seabee and opposition. |
| 1305 | — Antenna cable cut to pressure antenna electronics. |
| 1320 | — Watch posted by opposition at point where three large cables enter the tunnel. Observation post was basement area of adjoining apartment building controlled by opposition. |
| 1326 | — Four cables retrieved at demarcation between opposition and Embassy grounds. |
4. At 1400 hours work commenced to gain access to the second tunnel entrance hidden under the char room subflooring. This entrance will be enlarged to permit the materials required for a barrier wall to be erected at the Embassy grounds boundary in the tunnel proper.
5. Once chimney and char room tunnel are secure from further compromise work will commence on analyzing the antenna array assembly. Departmental guidance is requested soonest regarding antenna disassembly and/or retrieval.
- Source: Department of State, Office of the Secretariat Staff, Special Adviser to the Secretary (S/MS) on Soviet Affairs Marshall Shulman—Jan 21, 77–Jan 19, 81, Lot 81D109, Box 3, Moscow Embassy Security, 5/26/78. Secret; Niact Immediate.↩
- Telegram 11792 from Moscow, May 27 is in the National Archives, RG 59, Central Foreign Policy File, [no film number]. Telegrams 11720 and 11770 from Moscow, and 134109 to Moscow, are printed as Documents 107, 108, and 111.↩