I'LL SWAP MY BOOK FOR THE KROGERS

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP75-00149R000600330015-7
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: December 9, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 21, 2000
• Sequence Number: 15
• Publication Date: December 17, 1964
• Content Type: NSPR

Og3b
Approved For Release 2001/07/27 :CIA-RDP75-00149800060033 E01 I
Appr4
Kroers'
for the
my book
`I'll swap
enieneed in July 1865 to.'a
ear's Imprisonment unit four
son in a- labour ramp,.)
URING the past few weeks,
here have been persistent
umours that the " memoirs "
of the Soviet spy Kim Philby
re about to be published in
he West. Philby appears to
lave made a number of con-
acts with Western publish-
ng organisations, and there
s also evidence that the
IF S has been pushed by
ifirtat Russian sources.
Recently, the Sunday Times
ens offered the chance to
Iublish an 30.000-word nianu-
?cript by Philby. After con-
ideration, we decided that
re could not justify such a
4ep to ourselves. The
uestion of financial reward
eas not the decisive one-
'hil by made it clear that he
ras not interested in mrmeu
or himself. It was rather a
natter that memoirs trout
his admitted K G B officer,
?ould only be a deliberate
dtenipt to damage Western
aterests, including Western
ntelligenee organisations.
However, we did take steps
o ascertain what sort of
nanuscript Philby was offer-
rtg- It turns out to be not
imply his memoirs - but
ather an indictment of
ester-n secret ope'r'ations
gainsr the Soviet Union.
94.5-55.
Two weeks ago, Murray
'ogle was in Moscow on a
esentifie feature assignnumt
or the Sunday Titles Colour
lagazine. Philby Stet SAyle
everat times: during thew'
meetings, Philby made the
emnarketble suggestion that
e might withdiaw his book
l the Soviet spies Peter and
feten Kroger were eachan
or r;erald Brookd.
roger -s were sentenced in
fareh 1961 to twenty years
rMwas"b
`I am a KGB
officer"
room at Ihr I.cnin.:ral~.tir
II aet in \1o> na on, ri ii,
re except for 1v o chars
ll a table on .,h-'in Blood
It-r hlrm, ui ~' . I ,t~n,l'
.., a in" !: d~. r?ulr,
I 1'h.~l . . "this
ll ;t' .. ;,llll~ i-llll'Nl.l'rc.
rl tar a dank
I .,rrepteri his ofT,?r :cal lm
I -luun i'hibv vNn, l!r,-ll
,,',r(s cnat nd r. flannel-,;
1ur11 ua n ., .
ilea., ;ul:l ,iol
air anI11d. u III, .,. -n
_ I -- 1115 ltlfil'rlll rs L1'
Ills ,111 'il'..
our cu]IVtl latlon he
teal -. 1 am erc:n'
n'
of the Is G B. .,, rl,u pro
know," tie made no we're
('omit lord on pave 2
 Approved FW&k e 2001/07/27: CIA-RDP75-00149R000600330015-7
Conversations with
? .,o} 'iii- vnu so R"' Perhaps two for one seems a
: ,, I have anything against the
the to make tats exchange with had bargain in the West, but we poor chap personally, but I
the lirogers't
ncttnued from page I a pity about Brooke. he really adult life. The fight against
was a silly fellow-. He got faaeiitn and the flight- against
.if ht, k(.It employment and involved with the NTS (The imperialism were, ?ituadament?
told me at one stage he had People's Labour Front ", a ally, the same fight."
been on the telephone with his v'e'nerable Russian refugee Daniel and Stayav*y, the
employers). Organisation) and they gave him imprisoned Hefter,: "I was
After Philby said that he a list of people to contact who completely against it. I th*nltht
s?,rked for the X GB I took the were supposed to he working the whole thing was a regret-
,,pt irtunny to make my position inside the Soviet Union. We table reversion to the old spirit.
adr.u': I did not propose to con- have penetrated what is left of Of course, they were guilty as
(filet a formal interview in the the N T S sn thoroughly that the charged, smuggling their
.sense of asking' him a set of very first person he contacted criticism of the Soviet Union
quostions, ))t4 tt*t I held myself waH a K G it man. All this came abroad to be published. They
free to write si account of our qu% at Brooke's trial and is should have got a week in Sail,
meeting at sol7ir subsequent *e known in the West." or perhaps a public censure
time; and that I did not think I said, "There seems to be a from their colleagues in the
there was any point in our feeling in the West that Brooke Writers' Union. What's the
+lei,.ittng the merits or other- was mire or IV.% innocently point of sending them to a
mime of ('ommunism, or in my handing; nut antid'ommunist labour camp? But you have to
nfleriii g 111111 any c?+iiiimc?nts on literature and was grabbed by make some allowances for what
the career he had chosen. jr, your people in order to exchange these Russians have been
said in reply that lie would him off for the Kroger,." through at the hands of foreign
assume that it was possible that Philby: " Well, check it out invaders-they're sensitive on
I worked for some Western with any- of your Russian-speak- the area of their own people
fnt,?itigonce service. (Ile subse- ing rollea; ues here in Moscow." getting involved with
quent)y aid: ") naturally took (I did: )'hilby's version of foreigners. You can understand
pre,autions against any rough Brooke's activities seemed to even if you don't agree. The
,full-vnu would not have got square with the reports of old spirit survives here and
ten yard, down the street.") people who attended his trial.) there, but you'll have to admit
But he seemed, at the time. Philby continued: " Now, the these sentences were against
T1;1!1(, relaxed- N TS really belongs to the the whole direction things have
u e niet subsequently at a C I A. it used to he financed been taking here."
niin+hrr of restaurants norm- t'.v the S I S but it was handed His book. " My book Is about
nafed 11Y Philby. During then" liver to the C I A some time in R0.000 words long. No more than
I'mi Russian meal, vodka, wine 1050, 1 aught to know-it was eight pages are political, in the
and hrandv flowed freely, anti nil- who handed it ovrr. This sense of discussing the merits
i'h,lbv taiked lengthily, even certainly makes Brooke some of Communism. Of course,
- togmhicely. Ile is irl early. a sort of Western agent, doesn't many young people became
no+?iahle t>pe (it drinker and he It? It's up to you and the Communists in the early
,rem, to Have an inn head- I Americans to decide who wants 'thirties: the question, in my
i oul,l netect no change in hi.s him back " case Is why I remained one, and
alerines, or joviality as the i said " Are you helping saw it through to the end,
carters arrived with relays of things along by ill-treating through the Stalin period and
Iii iii' hundre,l gramme., of Brooke, as you are reported to everything else. I make my
,r six hunilre(I gratmn,.s Iii' doing in the West" " Philby: position clear on these matters.
if A;,ueoiau brandy. "in the first place Brooke is The main part of my book is
'P+.?