255. Memorandum From Paula Dobriansky of the National Security Council Staff to the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Clark)1
SUBJECT
- Attempted Assassination of the Pope: Unofficial Soviet Paper
At Tab I is the text of an intemperately-worded “unofficial” paper delivered by Soviet Embassy Charge Bessmertnykh to Under Secretary of State Eagleburger. The demarche disclaims any Soviet or Bulgarian responsibility in the attempted assassination of the Pope, alleges that the U.S. is waging a “slanderous campaign” against the Soviet Union and Bulgaria, and further accuses the U.S. of libeling Soviet leaders.2 The paper reflects a strong reaction to Western speculations that Andropov, as former head of the KGB, must have been intimately involved in the attempted assassination. It concludes with usual Soviet rhetoric by saying that unless this campaign of vilification against Soviet and Bulgarian leadership ceases, the Soviets will feel “free to act accordingly”—whatever this means.
[Page 840]Under Secretary Eagleburger has already rejected the protest and its allegations as entirely false. In fact, he noted that U.S. official comment on this issue has been restrained. Lastly, the Under Secretary mentioned that the offensive tone and content of the paper could affect U.S. views of the new Soviet leadership’s attitudes on our bilateral relations.
I do not believe that any further action on our part is warranted. Dennis Blair and Al Myer concur.
- Source: Reagan Library, Executive Secretariat, NSC: Country File, USSR (12/20/1982–12/21/1982). Secret. Sent for information. A stamped notation on the memorandum reads: “WPC has seen.” Attached but not printed is a December 23 memorandum from Bremer to Clark, under cover of which he sent the Soviet paper printed as an attachment below.↩
- Reports about potential Soviet involvement in the May 13, 1981, assassination attempt on Pope John Paul II arose following a question Pipes received in a December 17 interview recorded for CNN, the substance of which leaked that day. “I responded that given the virtually certain participation of the Bulgarian secret services, which the KGB controlled, it was not implausible to assume that the KGB had had a hand in it, although there was no hard evidence to this effect,” recalled Pipes, who had given the interview with the understanding that it would be aired after his departure from the administration at the end of that week, upon the conclusion of his 2-year sabbatical from Harvard. (Pipes, Vixi, p. 205)↩
- Secret. A typewritten note at the top of the memorandum reads: “Unofficial translation.”↩