MCDONALD SAYS U.S. COVERING UP KGB ROLE IN POPE SHOOTING

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP90-00552R000505120118-0
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 27, 2010
• Sequence Number: 118
• Publication Date: January 29, 1983
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

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Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/08/27: CIA-RDP90-00552R000505120118-0
CHATTANOOGA NEWS-FREE PRESS
29 January 1983
Afc.Do,"ald Says U.S. Covering
717
up KGB Role In Pope Shooting
By JEFF POWELL "In an updated version of the pro- Congressman McDonald added
News-Free Press Political Writer gram Tuesday (Jan. 25) they said ' that "the thing that is frightening to
the
t
h
d 'fi
h
'
"
a
growing evidence t
There is
U.S. government officials are "trying
to suppress" information linking the
Soviet secret police to the assassina-
tion on Pope John Paul II in
the spring of 1981, Georgia Congress-
man Larry McDonald charged Fri-
day.
In letters delivered Friday morn-
ing to President Reagan, CIA Direc-
tor William Casey, and Rep. Ed Bo-
land, D-Mass., chairman of the House
Select Committee on Intelligence,
Rep. McDonald asks the officials to
act on published allegations about a
government-inspired "cover-up" de-
signed to keep U.S./Soviet arms con-
trol and trade arrangements from
being jeopardized.
"The letter to Boland asks that he
schedule immediate public hearings
into reported attempts by U.S. offi-
cials to suppress investigations by
the Italian government and news-
men, including U.S. newsmen, into
the reported role of the Soviet KGB
in the attack on the pope," Rep.
McDonald's press secretary, Tommy
Toles, said Friday.
"The letter to Casey specifically
asks whether the CIA is involved in
any effort to cover up, and, if so, who
gave the order for a cover-up," Mr.
Toles continued. He added, however,
that "no one expects" the CIA direc-
tor to admit there is a cover-up, "but
the reason for writing the letter is to
bring it to the attention of the pub-
lic.'
The third letter, to the president,
according to Mr. Toles, "outlines evi-
dence that the KGB is involved based
on reports in both the Reader's Di-
gest and the NBC television news.
"Last year, NBC presented a pro-
gram called The Man Who Shot the
Pope - A Study in Terrorism,"' the
press secretary explained. "The ten-
tative implications at the time were
that the KGB was, perhaps involved
y
a
rm
evidence that the ;
KGB was responsible, ultimately, in
the attempted assassination, prima-
rily because of the pope's vigorous.
support of the Solidarity movement
in Poland, and (NBC) pointed out that
that becomes more significant be-
cause at the time the head of the
KGB was Yuri Andropov, now head
of the Soviet government."
Mr. Toles continued, saying that
the recent NBC report claimed the
CIA and American officials have "at-
tempted to squelch" the investigation
by Italian authorities into the pur-
ported KGB links to the assassination
attempt through the Bulgarian secret
police.
According to the NBC reports, Mr.
Toles said, the apparent. reason for
the "cover-lip"-was that "the U.S. is
afraid of international repurcussions
if it is shown that Andropov, now
head of the Soviet government, or-
dered the assassination, and it would
endanger on-going arms control talks
and trade talks between the two na-
tions."
Rep. McDonald, when asked if he is
convinced there is a KGB connection
to the attempt to ki the pope, re-
sponded, "Yes, in my own mind I feel
that the evidence clearly and
overwhelmingly points that this was
an assassination attempt to destroy
the polish pope who had given sup-
port to the Solidarity movement in
Poland_that was jeopardizing the sta-
bility of the subjugated countries in
Eastern Europe.
"...The Soviets were very fearful of
what happening in Eastern Europe
and felt that the movement in Poland
had to be suppressed," continued the
congressman. "To do that required
the destruction of the Polish Pope
who was giving so much support and
morale to the Solidarity movement.
,,In my own mind, very clearly, the
KGB was behind the assassination at-
tempt."
me is the growing evidence that our
'government is trying to suppress that
information."
Mehmet Ali Agca, a Turk, was
jailed by Italian authorities for shoot-
ing and wounding Pope Paul May 13,
1981, and authorities have charged
Sergei Ivanov Antonov, former head
of the Bulgarian Airlines office in
Rome, with active complicity in the
assassination try.
In its latest report, NBC said evi-
dence is "even more persuasive" than
earlier -reported that both the Bul-
garian and Soviet secret police were
involved in the incident.
Declaring that "some key officials
of the. CIA" in Rome and Washington
are "actively discouraging American
newsmen and Italian investigators,"
diplomatic correspondent Marvin
Kalb said, "Part of the explanation
lies in .the ironic fact that many in
the U.S. and western Europe would
rather not be presented with proof of
Soviet complicity at this time.
"That could shatter hopes for de-
tente, trade and arms agreements,"
NBC said. -
Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/08/27: CIA-RDP90-00552R000505120118-0