AUTHOR TELLS ABOUT LIFE AS 'DIPLOMAT'

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80-01601R000400060001-4
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: December 12, 2016
• Document Release Date: September 12, 2000
• Sequence Number: 1
• Publication Date: April 22, 1972
• Content Type: NSPR

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COURIER JOURNAL
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STATI NTL
~y >P;trrvlJ lvo>vnrr
~qn+-Afghanistan with the United States
Information Service, the rumors began
circulating among the Afgha~~e Cent
ltobet~ Trautman was a spy
tral Inte).ligence Agency.
`- "Hoty could anyone think I was a spy
vt?ith you as a wife?" tvas Trautman's
amazed comment to his wife, Kathleen,
referring to her reputation for being
"outspoken."
Dirs. Trautman broke into laughter-as
she told the story of how, after a Stag
party her husband attondecl at the Rus-
sian Ismbassy, the family was boycotted
by the Affhans for months because of the
suspicion that he was a CIA agent. But,
in - Afghanistan, Itiirs. Trautman said,
one never really knows +vho the spies are.
':~' She li~?ed in honinville
~?~ Mrs. Trautman, . a 39-year-old former
Louisvill2'resideut and mother of three bushes when the sub}ecL came ut~.
includes the spy incident and other et-
pericuces the family had during their Dirs. Trautman said their mission in
year-long tour of duty in the "hardship" A{ghanistan was to inform the Afghans
post of Afghanistan in her .iirat book, about the United States. And that, she
"Spies Behind the Pillars, Bandits ab the said, meant et;tertaining the affluent,
Pass" It is the story of the .Trautmans educated Afghan minority becatvtse "they
in diplortatic. circles, which they decided- had the po+~~er:' The Afghans were
after their year in Afghanistan, +vasn't similarly entertained by representatives
for .them.. from other ccnntries in a constant round
Trautman,- a 'staff writer for The . of cocktail parties at various embassies.
Courier-Journal for three years, joined "They were all alike, Bob said. The
the- United States, Information Agency in only difference was that the Russians
1965. Aftet' two years in ~vashi;igton, he served vodka and +r-e served gin:'
Was told he would he stationed in Beirut .
-and he was given extensive French les- ? Cook spoke ~n;lish
sons. Three, months before they were to
leave,' the Trautmans. were told they The Trautmans were lucky enough to
would be going to Afghanistan ins+.ead.. 'enough to take tl em onot ors of the coon
1 Under "constant' srrutiuy trysidc while other diplomats stuck with
' -the American community.
. :So in 1967, Kathleen Tra~zt-n.~n was Trautman has been with the British
settling her family into a country where news agency Reuters since he left the
the language was foreib;, to them, drain- , USIA in 19G6.. The family lives in Beth-
age ditches set?+?ed as the municipal sewer esda, 11Id. Ivlrs. Trautman has already
system, and their conduct as rel;resenta- started working on her second book, "I'd
fives of America +vas urde, wnstant Love to Go Around the World With You
scrutiny. ~ - ~ ~ But I IIave To Go to the Dentist." She
.At that time, a report ~n tl:e wif., was said it's about "being ?0:'
?:indudcd in the ferei~;n service officer s
fitness re to ~ ? IT?tti;l,encirautrianefound inS children's om~+galzines~ sandrafortotwo
b d w1, stationed ?.
d
Kathleen Trautman has written
a book about her family's experi-
ences in Afghanistan.
- ~
government or her husband; ~. she was
told.
Dirs: Trautman thougl~t it was impor-
tant for people to know that ti~ere was
-free speech in America. She +voulcl cam-
meet on the fact tha? not everyone agreed
+vith U.S. policy in Viclnam, +vhil+nother
change
, ~u ~ ~- ,, 'ears, whale her lots an ~ .
herself being constantly c~.as~ised by Y
~Qt~~, wives o r outspokenness at in Washington, +vas a rese~ah Cocpernr~.
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 STATI NTL
Approved For Release 2001/~'~':~t~~(?~R[J~.~~~U'I~T~i9~000400060
2 d MAC 1972
Thy spies buc~ped inter
each o~h~r in ~fgha~~stan
By ~i7AVl-III.z.AU I.A HAY.
- Scripps-Howard SfoN Writrr
Kathleen Trautman has lovely red
hair, alluring .green eyes and what she
describes?as"a "big flannel mouth."
It's this last fe