CIA INDUCED RUSSIAN TO DEFECT: JAPAN PRESS

• Document Type: FOIA
• Collection: FOIA Collection
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 05539027
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: U
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: March 8, 2023
• Document Release Date: May 29, 2019
• Case Number: F-2016-00620
• Publication Date: May 11, 1981

Approved for Release: 2019/04/11 C05539027
ARTICLE APPEARED
ON PACE-7�
CHICAGO TRIBUNE
11 May 1981
IA induced Russian
to defect: Japan press
. TOKYO (Reuters)�The CIA, with
the help of a British intelligence
agent, prompted the defection of a
Russian pilot with his MIG-25 fighter
plane five years-ago so the West could
study the craft, the Kyodo news agen-
cy said Sunday.
The news agency, quoting unnamed
Japanese security officials, said Cen-
tral Intelligence Agency officials, in a
secret missory in Moscow, offered
Soviet Lt.7.-71/iktor Belenko political
asylum in the-United States in return
;� for a fully equipped,IMIG-25. Belenko
now lives: in-the-U.S. t.under- a new
identity.- - ---� -
The CIA refused Sunday to comment
, on the Kyodo report, and no official
Japanese-comment was immediately
'available; -�.� - � ' �
,
k THE PILOT FLEW the supersonic
interceptor, called the �Foxbat," to a
' civilian airport on Japan's northern
island of Hokkaido on Sept. 6, 1976.
The plane was airlifted to an airport
-near Tokyo, where U.S. and Japanese
� experts examined it for two :months.
before returning it to the Soviets.
U.S. experts said it wasn't as sophis-
ticated as intelligence reports had in-
dicated. They said it was heavier than
expected, its electronic system was
behind U.S. technology, and it was
ineffective against low-flying U.S.
bombers, -
Kyodo (rioted Japanese officials as
saying an agent of the British Foreign
- Office's- M-16 intelligence department
� first approached the Russian pilot at a
Moscow bar in October, 1974.
. � �
KYODO SAID the Russian pilot was ;
approached after he made a demon-
stration flight at the world aviation
show in London the previous month.
Contacts were then taken over by a
C/A agent and continued with three to
four more CIA agents until the pilot
was transferred to Sokolovka air base
1,000 miles east of Most.ow. - � "m ,
A decision on the proposed defection
was left to the pilot's discretion after
he was given his new assignment,
_where he was the commanding officer
� of a flight unit�.it added. �
(b)(3)
�
Approved for Release: 2019/04/11 C05539027