Confessions - Part 5, Moscow
IV Moscow, 1972
In "The First Circle" Alexander Solzhenitsyn describes the predicament of those prisoners in special camps of the Soviet Union known as "sharashka", who by virtue of their technical qualification are forced to work at developing scientifically advanced products for the regime. While their conditions were perhaps the best in the whole of the "Gulag Archipelago" they were nevertheless prisoners. In an important sense all scientists in the Soviet Union were "slaves". This became apparent in the 1970’s as a result of the activities of a few brave men who documented the situation. Most notable in this respect were Zhores Medvedev the biologist, and Andrei Sakharov the physicist. Another example was provided by those Jewish scientists who had applied to emigrate from the Soviet Union to Israel.
Following the 1967 Mid-East war, and the thinly disguised anti-Semitic tone in the Soviet press, many Jews applied to emigrate from the Soviet Union. Of course they followed the established legal procedures, and as a result of the international situation the number being allowed to leave gradually increased. Many were also refused permission, and these were mainly the technically qualified. As a result of the selective discrimination practiced against these would-be Jewish emigrants, the number of scientists and technically qualified persons, centered mainly in the large cities of the RFSSR, grew until they represented numerically a significant group in unprecedented opposition to Soviet Government Policy. In 1972, by which time there were several hundred of these refuseniks, people in the West were becoming aware of the problem.
My own involvement in this situation came about as a result of a visit I made to the Soviet Union in August 1972, to attend the Fourth International Biophysics Congress in Moscow. What follows is an account of my personal experience.
My interest was naturally aroused when I received a letter announcing the setting up of a briefing service in London for groups of American Jewish students taking the cheap tours to Russia available from there. Since it was sponsored by a well-known organization involved in helping Soviet Jewry it seemed reliable. I replied and soon became involved in helping the American student (let's call him A) who would organize this project, to find cheap accommodation in London. I was arranging my own trip to Russia but A and I planned to meet in London so that he would brief me following a visit he would make to Israel, where he would gather information on the current situation from the newly arrived immigrants.
I first began to worry about A when the people with whom I had helped locate him in London said they had not seen him for weeks. In effect he had not returned from his trip to Israel, and there was a pile of mail waiting for him. I called several times and left my number, but received the same annoyed reply. Finally, just a week before my departure for Moscow A called.
We met in the West End of London, walked around a bit, and then found a place to eat. I asked where he had been all this time, how the project was going, where he was staying, and so on. It quickly became apparent that he was avoiding answering questions. He told me he was cooperating with a group of people who were interested in helping Soviet Jewry, that they were quite reliable, but that he could not tell me anything about them. However, if I wanted to make effective use of my trip to Russia, then they would like to talk to me. I went over this with him, but could get no further details, so I took the plunge and said yes. He made a phone call, gave me a number at which I could reach him (because he knew I was trustworthy), and he said he would call me. Absolutely no one else was to know about this. The next day he called and he took me to a restaurant. It occurred to me that this was all a joke, or that I was being conned. The thought that this person was someone else other than the student A had also occurred to me, but I had recognized his voice from our few telephone conversations in the States. Also, when we went to pick up his mail at American Express I looked over his shoulder to check his identification.
When they arrived at the restaurant, the two men were obviously sizing me up - asking me discrete questions. One of the men was a taxi-driver, the other was the "contact" D. He was a flashy dresser, hardly inconspicuous by English standards, wearing a light blue suit, quite long hair over his ears, and a large glassy ring. They both spoke with that unmistakable twang which was familiar to my ears as Jewish cockney. Everything seemed kosher, so we left, driving through the labyrinthine maze of London streets in the accustomed rain.
I had received a briefing in Washington before leaving. This had been a friendly affair, not taken too seriously, even though one of the memos said "read and discard this sheet". But, this was a different matter altogether. An hour of intense discussion sufficed to show me that this was meant to be taken very seriously. The situation as D explained it was that they were an underground Jewish group interested in helping Jews in the Soviet Union - nothing more could be gleaned. Unfortunately, many American Jewish students who were going to the Soviet Union were parading themselves openly in an extremely naive way. Many had been detained and threatened in one way or another after taking in books, etc. in a very amateurish fashion. This was bad since most were unprepared and the impact turned them off further involvement. While the Soviet authorities could not legally do anything to them, nevertheless the threats to an isolated youth in a strange environment were enough. Also, some could perhaps succumb and say things that might be used against them later (how to develop Soviet spies). Finally this situation was affecting the work of their own group, since they sent people in and out of Russia, and it became more and more difficult for them to operate with hundreds of Jewish students running around contacting Soviet Jews at the least excuse, and dropping books and goods all over the place. It ruined the scene; they had actually not heard from one of their men for several months and assumed that he had been caught. For these reasons they had decided to help A to brief people in a more realistic way, so that we would be prepared for eventualities over there. Of course, they had a dossier on me, they had contacts in the States and they knew I was coming. They knew they could trust me.
During the discussion I asked some questions. No they were not JDL. In fact they had tipped off the British authorities to a JDL member sent over from the States to plant a bomb in England. Since this was their backyard, they called the action, and they didn't want reprisals. A said he had been worried about the same thing and had done some checking and was satisfied. Of course, it occurred to me that they could be Israeli or British intelligence or even American or Soviet (!). This last possibility seemed so remote - how could a group of Soviet agents operate so openly in London; but such a possibility could not be ruled out.
It appeared that the young woman who brought us tea was the taxi driver's wife. I had to make a phone call, and noted that the number on the telephone was taped over. D, while talking, kept watching the window. It seemed very authentic.
Then A began to brief me. A map of Moscow - notoriously difficult to procure - was produced. Names and telephone numbers were given, for me to write down in convenient form. How to get to places. Who to try and see, in what order or priority. What to tell certain people and what to ask them. The information was dense and compelling. But, above all else was the feeling they gave me for the place. What to expect. To expect to be followed after making "contact", to expect telephone calls at night in the hotel. Where to make telephone calls from and how to obtain the confidence of people contacted. Where to meet people, and how to pass things to people (always alone, preferably in an elevator). It was an unusual experience. I was pretty confident by the end that this was on the level.
But, then came the blockbuster, would I take some microfilm into the Soviet Union. I said I would think about it (it is difficult to suddenly say no to people who are helping you). They asked me if I had a leather belt that could be cut lengthwise in two, and they could insert the film into it. Since I was not a "professional" and as long as the Russians assumed I was an amateur, although a bit more circumspect than the next, I would not be in any danger. However, if they should find microfilm secreted on me the situation would change drastically. This was a warning and it was up to me. I asked if I could know what was in the microfilm. They showed me some samples - most innocuous. Could I be present when the microfilm was inserted into the belt (by an expert, it would take several hours) - no, absolutely not.
I said I would think it over and let them know. They took me back to the subway. I would meet A the day after next to go over the names and numbers and give my final word about the microfilm. The day after that, having received my visa in London, I would leave for Moscow.
It was a difficult decision; I even went alone to buy a suitable belt - but I had more or less decided against it. Although I had a good chance of being unsuspected - a respectable scientist going to an International meeting organized by the Russians themselves - but the eventualities if detected were too horrible to contemplate. It was unpleasant not being able to discuss it with anyone, especially as we were meeting good old friends in a holiday mood.
When I met A I told him I had decided not to take the microfilm, unless I could see the actual material put in the belt. There would be no possibility of substitution if I were present. We made a phone call and spoke to D. He said no, once again, and I felt very relieved. We stepped out of the phone booth and went to get a bus. We were standing in line at the bus-stop when a small van pulled up in front of me. The line had about 50 people in it; we were just about at the middle and I was by the kerb. The van stopped, an old man with a yellowish, wizened face, whom I had never seen before, opened the door towards me and said "get in". I bent down towards him, my heart pumping wildly and said "No thanks, here comes a bus" (I half expected A to push me in, but he didn't). I moved back, the man slammed the door and drove off. It happened so quickly, but we both got his number. We immediately telephoned again and told D what had happened. About an hour later a taxi came by where I was staying and we had an intense conversation about the incident. They said it was probably nothing, but, it was a strange feeling going out to dine that evening with a group of friends, not being able to tell them about it, and drinking to my departure for Moscow the following morning.
In "The First Circle" Alexander Solzhenitsyn describes the predicament of those prisoners in special camps of the Soviet Union known as "sharashka", who by virtue of their technical qualification are forced to work at developing scientifically advanced products for the regime. While their conditions were perhaps the best in the whole of the "Gulag Archipelago" they were nevertheless prisoners. In an important sense all scientists in the Soviet Union were "slaves". This became apparent in the 1970’s as a result of the activities of a few brave men who documented the situation. Most notable in this respect were Zhores Medvedev the biologist, and Andrei Sakharov the physicist. Another example was provided by those Jewish scientists who had applied to emigrate from the Soviet Union to Israel.
Following the 1967 Mid-East war, and the thinly disguised anti-Semitic tone in the Soviet press, many Jews applied to emigrate from the Soviet Union. Of course they followed the established legal procedures, and as a result of the international situation the number being allowed to leave gradually increased. Many were also refused permission, and these were mainly the technically qualified. As a result of the selective discrimination practiced against these would-be Jewish emigrants, the number of scientists and technically qualified persons, centered mainly in the large cities of the RFSSR, grew until they represented numerically a significant group in unprecedented opposition to Soviet Government Policy. In 1972, by which time there were several hundred of these refuseniks, people in the West were becoming aware of the problem.
My own involvement in this situation came about as a result of a visit I made to the Soviet Union in August 1972, to attend the Fourth International Biophysics Congress in Moscow. What follows is an account of my personal experience.
My interest was naturally aroused when I received a letter announcing the setting up of a briefing service in London for groups of American Jewish students taking the cheap tours to Russia available from there. Since it was sponsored by a well-known organization involved in helping Soviet Jewry it seemed reliable. I replied and soon became involved in helping the American student (let's call him A) who would organize this project, to find cheap accommodation in London. I was arranging my own trip to Russia but A and I planned to meet in London so that he would brief me following a visit he would make to Israel, where he would gather information on the current situation from the newly arrived immigrants.
I first began to worry about A when the people with whom I had helped locate him in London said they had not seen him for weeks. In effect he had not returned from his trip to Israel, and there was a pile of mail waiting for him. I called several times and left my number, but received the same annoyed reply. Finally, just a week before my departure for Moscow A called.
We met in the West End of London, walked around a bit, and then found a place to eat. I asked where he had been all this time, how the project was going, where he was staying, and so on. It quickly became apparent that he was avoiding answering questions. He told me he was cooperating with a group of people who were interested in helping Soviet Jewry, that they were quite reliable, but that he could not tell me anything about them. However, if I wanted to make effective use of my trip to Russia, then they would like to talk to me. I went over this with him, but could get no further details, so I took the plunge and said yes. He made a phone call, gave me a number at which I could reach him (because he knew I was trustworthy), and he said he would call me. Absolutely no one else was to know about this. The next day he called and he took me to a restaurant. It occurred to me that this was all a joke, or that I was being conned. The thought that this person was someone else other than the student A had also occurred to me, but I had recognized his voice from our few telephone conversations in the States. Also, when we went to pick up his mail at American Express I looked over his shoulder to check his identification.
When they arrived at the restaurant, the two men were obviously sizing me up - asking me discrete questions. One of the men was a taxi-driver, the other was the "contact" D. He was a flashy dresser, hardly inconspicuous by English standards, wearing a light blue suit, quite long hair over his ears, and a large glassy ring. They both spoke with that unmistakable twang which was familiar to my ears as Jewish cockney. Everything seemed kosher, so we left, driving through the labyrinthine maze of London streets in the accustomed rain.
I had received a briefing in Washington before leaving. This had been a friendly affair, not taken too seriously, even though one of the memos said "read and discard this sheet". But, this was a different matter altogether. An hour of intense discussion sufficed to show me that this was meant to be taken very seriously. The situation as D explained it was that they were an underground Jewish group interested in helping Jews in the Soviet Union - nothing more could be gleaned. Unfortunately, many American Jewish students who were going to the Soviet Union were parading themselves openly in an extremely naive way. Many had been detained and threatened in one way or another after taking in books, etc. in a very amateurish fashion. This was bad since most were unprepared and the impact turned them off further involvement. While the Soviet authorities could not legally do anything to them, nevertheless the threats to an isolated youth in a strange environment were enough. Also, some could perhaps succumb and say things that might be used against them later (how to develop Soviet spies). Finally this situation was affecting the work of their own group, since they sent people in and out of Russia, and it became more and more difficult for them to operate with hundreds of Jewish students running around contacting Soviet Jews at the least excuse, and dropping books and goods all over the place. It ruined the scene; they had actually not heard from one of their men for several months and assumed that he had been caught. For these reasons they had decided to help A to brief people in a more realistic way, so that we would be prepared for eventualities over there. Of course, they had a dossier on me, they had contacts in the States and they knew I was coming. They knew they could trust me.
During the discussion I asked some questions. No they were not JDL. In fact they had tipped off the British authorities to a JDL member sent over from the States to plant a bomb in England. Since this was their backyard, they called the action, and they didn't want reprisals. A said he had been worried about the same thing and had done some checking and was satisfied. Of course, it occurred to me that they could be Israeli or British intelligence or even American or Soviet (!). This last possibility seemed so remote - how could a group of Soviet agents operate so openly in London; but such a possibility could not be ruled out.
It appeared that the young woman who brought us tea was the taxi driver's wife. I had to make a phone call, and noted that the number on the telephone was taped over. D, while talking, kept watching the window. It seemed very authentic.
Then A began to brief me. A map of Moscow - notoriously difficult to procure - was produced. Names and telephone numbers were given, for me to write down in convenient form. How to get to places. Who to try and see, in what order or priority. What to tell certain people and what to ask them. The information was dense and compelling. But, above all else was the feeling they gave me for the place. What to expect. To expect to be followed after making "contact", to expect telephone calls at night in the hotel. Where to make telephone calls from and how to obtain the confidence of people contacted. Where to meet people, and how to pass things to people (always alone, preferably in an elevator). It was an unusual experience. I was pretty confident by the end that this was on the level.
But, then came the blockbuster, would I take some microfilm into the Soviet Union. I said I would think about it (it is difficult to suddenly say no to people who are helping you). They asked me if I had a leather belt that could be cut lengthwise in two, and they could insert the film into it. Since I was not a "professional" and as long as the Russians assumed I was an amateur, although a bit more circumspect than the next, I would not be in any danger. However, if they should find microfilm secreted on me the situation would change drastically. This was a warning and it was up to me. I asked if I could know what was in the microfilm. They showed me some samples - most innocuous. Could I be present when the microfilm was inserted into the belt (by an expert, it would take several hours) - no, absolutely not.
I said I would think it over and let them know. They took me back to the subway. I would meet A the day after next to go over the names and numbers and give my final word about the microfilm. The day after that, having received my visa in London, I would leave for Moscow.
It was a difficult decision; I even went alone to buy a suitable belt - but I had more or less decided against it. Although I had a good chance of being unsuspected - a respectable scientist going to an International meeting organized by the Russians themselves - but the eventualities if detected were too horrible to contemplate. It was unpleasant not being able to discuss it with anyone, especially as we were meeting good old friends in a holiday mood.
When I met A I told him I had decided not to take the microfilm, unless I could see the actual material put in the belt. There would be no possibility of substitution if I were present. We made a phone call and spoke to D. He said no, once again, and I felt very relieved. We stepped out of the phone booth and went to get a bus. We were standing in line at the bus-stop when a small van pulled up in front of me. The line had about 50 people in it; we were just about at the middle and I was by the kerb. The van stopped, an old man with a yellowish, wizened face, whom I had never seen before, opened the door towards me and said "get in". I bent down towards him, my heart pumping wildly and said "No thanks, here comes a bus" (I half expected A to push me in, but he didn't). I moved back, the man slammed the door and drove off. It happened so quickly, but we both got his number. We immediately telephoned again and told D what had happened. About an hour later a taxi came by where I was staying and we had an intense conversation about the incident. They said it was probably nothing, but, it was a strange feeling going out to dine that evening with a group of friends, not being able to tell them about it, and drinking to my departure for Moscow the following morning.
posted by Jack Cohen at 6:24 PM
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