THE REGRE A DEFECTOR

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP90-00552R000606740001-9
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 20, 2010
• Sequence Number: 1
• Publication Date: July 19, 1981
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/08/20 :CIA-RDP90-005528000606740001-9
~?;iICLP, .F.PP
0~+ PAGE _L_~...
BOSTON CLOBB M.4GAZIIV~
lg ~Y 1981.
~ ~ ~,.,_, r--.,- -.. ~, ~Yasknrgtan ~~D.C~-~
irolae-Horodinca is a spy who came ~ti from
1 \~che cold Now, more ~than:.~a=year: after. he-;
-
Rio 7 4G1GG~Gaa' w u. Y' c w'~ -
. ..
.may have been a mistakes :~ ~~ ~+,
Discouraged, disillusioned-, and humiliated` a
his treamnenc at the- hands oF~he-American. intelli-~
.grace community,.abaiidonai by~ his:wiftand child,
h
c
omrto
k
:Horodinca says hets~thinkin~:of going ba
. _ ?.. ~_
year prison ttra> for treason. f~ ,:; r ~.~" ~ :~
ing good relations o
" '
-
m~ . J~. - ._ ~? =. ; j,.~.
bleakoption
Thathcwould evra ca?sidecsuch.a
_ -.x :- _ - ...
sugbests that deep-seated=problems ma~~ex~.st ~ia-the ,. Horodincai . insists he -never violated Amencan-
..way spies who: poxs through the- looking glass=are ;law, he .never sought . to -buy secret., documents or
troubling quesaoas-aboutvrttether his compla~~ .for defectuig. But both he and Traian; a fellow intel-
a'oout the US~ iatel}'igenee eotnriQU~yr will scare off Lgen~ officer, say a major reason was a shakeup in
~ = ``=' ~ ' a` .~~:3~- ~ the security hierarchy back home that made life in
ocher would-lx defectors. ~' .~s.:F r~-':?~,.~ .. ':.
It is dif?ieult to Check out . Horodiaca's~eom- ; ~~ field:intalerable.'Both say they were not recruit-
h anothar Romanian defector; Ni- . ed as defectors by American intelligeace-, they came
p`,,aiats. Althoup
i
cola Traian; insists they reflect quite similar expec- over on their owu.- ;. '='
fences on his part, the-. Central Intelligencc'-Agenry - In Horodinra's case, he was driving with his wife
has maintained a stony silence on-the charges.-The :and young .son on the night of February 23, 1980,
CL~ man wham the two- ideat'ifted as _ brlag`? in. when he suddenly pulled his car into Fort Belvoir,
~~ _~d befuddled 'army officers :with hls re-:
"resettlement". o?defactors declined to ~r
e of the:
har
g
.
g
c
"discuss Horodinca's asse;tion~ and .referred- all ques- quest for litical asylum. _, ~ ~' _:'"
bons to- the._CG1's:public~informaaon? offices which ~~~,FBI and CIA men`were called ia, he says,.,
r~' ' aad talked-to him::through the night, from= l l-p.m..'
commear~~ ~ ~ ' `?'~-~"~ ?- ,
refaced aa~Z
h
,
-
as
In faiiness.to the.CLA~it should be poiinted out:: t4 9 a,m~:~r they apparently decided that he was:
roblem-mad bcthat: East::Eumpea4> 'a bona fide defector, he~aad his faaiily~were taken to
f th
h
e p
at port o
t
' intelligence offiars Iead privileged lives in their soa ~ a posh hotelin downtown Washington:. ._ 1 . ? -~
cries and doubtless have iafIated~ ezpettatioas:of how: ; ~~h~. held me in ciutody for three days in dif_
they will br tinted- if they oariie over to rich :old ? fereat' hotels;' he'. recalls. - "They. said; `You ? did a .
,.
Uncle Sam.. ,~~_~ y.-~.;.*~?.~.~~"~`-`~~ ? good: decision to.defect ;You'll have a marvelous life
But even a~~ng some_exaggerauoa on,Horo-_ ~ hoe:`. Espcaally=your son. We'~will take"rare -of
dinca's part, there appears to be an?..insensiuvity in_ r you:.+, ~:. .. ~_... , -~ _-- -~~-.,~?r .:~. ~ :'?- _
dcaliag with-human beings who` aro experiencing ;: They. were then moved tai a"so=called safe house
trauma over their treason and attempted assumladoa ~ the suburbs of northern vrginia, a residence rent
into a totally different culture r-'- , '',~ '4 _ ed by a law fain as a cover for the CIA, the actual
This 7S Hosodincz's st?ry ?`z'' '__ `?i..~~. ,... lcssor......~~'~s.W.Y r~=`~,~`~' - . _ . ? -.~?n...~3-'~ , - ..
.C~
`?bear of a man.in -his mid 30s, with-a laugh-
~ing.round face:aad an ingratiating manner,-1
Romanian Embassy. One of his- responsibilities was
to deal~'with-?American newsmen, answeniig ques-
tions` about the actions:or .attitudes of his govern-
raent and attempting topick up low=grade~politiral
intclligetice on the atntudcs of the US governntient.
But,his larggrr responsibility, by his own account,
was to make friends among-:kev congressional aides
"on Capito!?: Hill.. Romania is one o e ew astern
bloc iiations? to get Most Favored Nation tariff treat
'
and maintain-
went, renewable on an annual basis,
n the Hill is of overriding impor-
Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/08/20 :CIA-RDP90-005528000606740001-9