'CONTRBAND' MATERIAL CONFISCATED FROM AMERICAN TOURISTS

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP74B00415R000200130033-6
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: December 20, 2016
• Document Release Date: July 10, 2006
• Sequence Number: 33
• Publication Date: March 24, 1972
• Content Type: TELEGRAM

Original to be Filed in Decentralized Files.
RF.CFIYEB
lam' ~;?
AvR 4 8 46 Ah 197Z K
ANAI.YS!S `BRANCH
DATE- a ch 24, 1972
SUBJECT "Contraband" Material Confiscated from American Tourists
REF : Moscow A 178,, March 1 ff B 744,r'2
-
(177) Ar, T
rAn account of the activities of Leningrad customs officials which
appeared in Leningradskaya Pravda on March 1.9 provides information
about three separate incidents in which customs officials in
Leningrad confiscated "contraband" material from visiting American
citizens. The article does not indicate when the incidents occurred.
The first incident involved two unidentified members of an American
student group who arrived in Leningrad by air from Paris. The
article relates that during the customs inspection, an examining
officer found anti-Soviet material published by Posev hidden under
toilet paper iii the suitcase of a "loudly dressed graduate student."
A few minutes later, another customs inspector located similar
material in the suitcase of the leader of the group.
In another case mentioned in the article, customs officials con-
fiscated more than 2,700 copies of the Bible and the New Testament
from Brook Rodger Mill (phonctic) who arrived in Leningrad on the
Soviet passenger ship "Mikhail Kalinin". Using the vessel as a
hotel during the stop-over in Leningrad, Mill was observed leaving
the vessel looking "rather fat" and returning looking sorrewhat
thinner. According to the newspaper acdount, the Soviets expelled
Mill from the country.
T th third inc;den+ cus}cv.s officer confiscated 35 Bibles
from Valentina Ivanovna Popova who arrived in Leningrad on board
the passenger vessel "Aleksandr Pushkin". Additionally, he found
and presumably confiscated wl,000 hidden in hair curlers and some
watches concealed in hair netting %hich Mrs. Popova had not listed
on her customs declaration.
LIMITED OFFICIAL USE For Department Use Only.
Initials: 11 -61 U5-323
Exempted from atoma c ~aCl In n out __
Dra~te 6.ta Ura ling at one o.: --]-Contents and Clas i cati~aa Aparav :
Clearances:
PC1I/INT:EF ur4ritz CONS ~ MIN:PHKlosson
ease 2007/03/06: CIA-RDP7 B00415R000200130033-6
 Approved For Release 2d
b M? : 'W 7~90415R000200130
03e3-~
rag
Moscow A-251
The press account provides the first information that the Embassy: has
received about two of the three incidents. Mr. Mill did not or was not
able to contact the Embassy to report the difficulties he encountered with
Soviet customs authorities, The Embassy has previously reported the Popova
case. (Mos uur 44)7 , August 10, 1970.)
BEAM
LIMITED OFFICIAL USE
Approved For Release 2007/03/06 : CIA-RDP74B00415R000200130033-6
 STAT Approved For Release 2007/03/06 : CIA-RDP74B00415R000200130033-6
Approved For Release 2007/03/06 : CIA-RDP74B00415R000200130033-6