YURCHENKO'S RE-DEFECTION RAISES INTERESTING THEORIES

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP90-00965R000403270010-8
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: February 9, 2012
• Sequence Number: 10
• Publication Date: November 7, 1985
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

n/ Declassified and Approved For Release 2012/02/09 :CIA-RDP90-009658000403270010-8
' v '^T~~~ r- ,?---rte.-.
'1 BOSTON GLOBE
S
~~ ~ 7 November 1985
Yurchenko's re~lefection
raises interesting theories
Legislators have criticized the CIA for keep-
ing loose reins on such a heavyweight find.
However, his easy escape Is neither implausi-
ble nor inconsistent with agency practices.
Several Soviet defectors have been allowed out
of isolation a short time after their cax offi-
cers deemed them genuine and reliable.
Says former CIA director William Colby,
"You really have to begin treating the guy like
a normal person. You can't keep him in pris-
on. There are very clear rules on this."
In fact, the rules resulted from the cax of
Yuri Nosenko, another xnior KGB official who
defected to the West in 1962. Becaux some of
Noxnko's information conflicted with that of
a previous KGB defector, and becaux the pre-
vious defector was much favored by xnior CiA
day, raises xveral questions.
How did Yurchenko, the 5th highest-rank-
ing official in the KGB and thus a valuable in-
telligence asxt, elude his CIA escorts? Why did
he re-defect to the Soviet Union? Was his ini-
tial defection to the West genuine, or was it the
first step of an elaborate deception by the
KGB? And if the latter, what might have moti-
vated such an operation?
Yurchenko defected to the US embassy in
Rome last July. In September, he reportedly re-
vealed details about Soviet spying to the CIA.
On Monday, Yurchenko surprised the US intel-
ligence rnmmunity by appearing at the Soviet
embassy here and claiming that he had not
defected voluntarily, that the CIA had kid-
napped, drugged and tortured him.
The State Department has called Yurchen-
ko's story "completely falx."
How Yurchenko escaped his CIA supervi-
sors is not yet clear. Monday, Yurchenko said
he had been kept in total isolation and had
broke away during a "a momentary lapx" in
security.
On the other hand, intelligen officials
have said Yurchenko was dintng wit his CiA
escort at a restaurant in Washington'~~,eorge-
town section Saturday night, got up, said he
would return shortly, and disappea.
Con~e?ation reported
[ABC News yesterday reported that Yur-
chenko asked his dining companion: "What
would you do tf I walked out? Would You shoot
me?"
["No, of courx not," the CIA escort rcport-
edl said. "We don't treat defectors that way."
Yurchenko departed, reportedly saying, "If
I'm not back in 15 minutes, don't blame your-
--...,
By Fred Kaplan
Globe Staff
WASHINGTON -The case of Vitaly Yur-
chenko, the Soviet defector who reversed him-
self and returned to the Soviet Union yester-
counterintelligence officers, Noxnlco was kept
in isolation for 3~~ years and repeatedly ques-
tioned by interrogations who suspected he had
been xnt by Moscow to purvey disinforma-
tion. Even under this pressure, Noxnko never
changed his story, and was finally released.
In the mid-1970s, the case was reviewed,
Interrogation procedures were changed, and
xveral counterintelligence officers were fired.
Why Yurchenko ultimately decided to re-
turn is another mystery. ~ Says Colby. "There
have been lots of defectors who have choxn to
go home. There's nothing new about that."
Even so, very rarely has someone as highly
ranked as Yurchenko made the turnaround.
Oae possible theory
A leading theory, provided by CIA officials,
is that Yurchenko had a girlfriend in Canada,
the wife of a Soviet diplomat, who he thought
would` also deftct to be with him. When she
refused, he despaired, began to rr-Iss his fam-
ily, and tried to undo what was looking more
and more like a big mistake.
Another possibility concerns Yurchenko's
16-year-old son, still in the Soviet Union. if
Yurchenko was in fact allowed to move about
a bit, it is not unlikely that Soviet officials "got
to him." says one US intelligence offtcial.
"They rnuld have said, 'If you stay to the US.
your son has no career, no Job, no future. If
you come back and go around telling everyone
that your experience lh the West was horrible.
we'll glue your son a nice Job, we'll give you an
income, maybe a dacha somewhere.' "
Once such hypotheses as these are consid-
ered, the poesibillttes for intrigue become end-
less. Could Moscow have planned the whole
enterprix? Could Yurchenko have been told to
pretend to defect, give the West some impor-
tant -but not vital -material, and then re-
defect, denouncing the CIA and proclaiming he
was treated inhumanly?
Some, including President Reagan, suspect
this might have happened. Colby, among oth-
ers, doubts it, saying, "I don't think they'd ux
a xnior officer for something Ilke this."
if the Yurchenko affair was a ploy, the in-
tent would have been twofold, said one former
intelligence officer: "It would make the next
guy who was planning to defect think twice
before going. And it would make the United
States less wfiling to believe his credentials if
he did defect."
Interestingly, he said, even if the Yur-
chenko cax was not a Soviet xtup, the effect
may be exactly the same.
Declassified and Approved For Release 2012/02/09 :CIA-RDP90-009658000403270010-8