SOVIET DEFECTOR DEFENDS BOOK AGAINST CRITICISM

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP90-00965R000504060003-7
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: January 11, 2012
• Sequence Number: 3
• Publication Date: August 1, 1985
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

STAT ---'{
Declassified in Part -Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/01/11 :CIA-RDP90-009658000504060003-7
J
~,G-E AP ~ NE[N YORK TII~~F.S
)N PAGE 1 August 1985
Soviet Defector Defends
Book Against Criticism
? In his article, Mr. Epstein wrote
lashed or inaccurate.
The book, ..Breaking With Mas-
~'," has been on the best seller list
for 22 weeks. But an article by Ed-
ward Jay Epstein in The New Repub-
lic magazine earlier this month
charged that Mr. Shevchenko, who
defected in 1978, made up important
parts of the book with the apparent
compiidty of the Central Intelll ence
The a e so so t to
S~v to Tde New York 17mes
WASHINGTON, July 31 - Break_
S~vchenl siletrkad~y Nom.
Soviet offidal to defect to the West,
today denied allegations that his best-
selling book is exaggerated, embel-
that Mr. Soknnatin had returned to
the Soviet Unim in July 1975, six
months before Mr. Shewrchenko ~
states. T~od:tyMr. ~~ni~
that he may have been wrong about
the date. "I thWt that it happened a
few mo~he befara" the date dted in
the book. he said. But he insisted that
the dinner and the dinner oonversa-
tlan were accurate.
Mr. Epstein, said today that Mr.
littl/s eatplanatian still does
count in his ~ds~ in the ac-
"I don't doubt that he met Arbatov
or Solomatin," Mr. Epstein said.
them t.~ wtla~he describes It. In the
book, he tells of relaying information
abort that meeting to the U.S. If the
meeting~took place before July 1975, it
was bee~~ ~e supposedly made
con-
~8-~n8 ~ 1975, while he was Under ~~ ~~ the C.I.A. aM the F.B.I. I! it
Secretary General and the ranking was anm' 1Ty; Solomatin wasn't
Soviet diplomat at the United Na- ~ ~ ~ U.S. Either way, the as
.:,...~
cast doubt on Mr. Shevchenko's claim
that he spied for the United States
s is essent cor-
rect. me a for Daniel
P c ovn an emocrat of New
York who a u cFiaT-rman
o e mate me mence ommrttee
an~3tans~Td r w was Di=
1977 to 1981.
Blames Faulty Memory
But Mr. Epstein's article cited a
number of apparent inconsistencies
in Mr. Shevchenko's account, several
of which the former Soviet diplomat
today blamed on a faulty memory.
..Human memory is not a perfect
instrument," Mr. Shevchenko said.
`I'm amazed that I didn't make more
~ ~tb ~I malreadym~r.,, He de-
describing amportaut of them was in
party at the ~~ a 1976 dinner
Solomatin, the h~ of the G.B. in
New York, at which they and Georgi
A. Arbatov, the Soviet authority on
the United States, supposedly dis-
cussed President Ford's ahattces of
winning re-electiott -discussions
that Mr. Shevchenko said he relayed
to the American case officers.,
en l~ational~ Press Club this ~t+ yellow shandchecked
morning. Mr. Shevchenko described said that he waited until now to re-
Mr. Epstein's charges as "unwar- ~ ~ the article because he was
tinted attacks" and .'plain false- out of Washington much of the time
hoods." If his book is a fraud, he said, and because he had not wanted to re-
"then two Presidents of the United spond at all. But, he said, "when it's
States are frauds, both Carter and been snowballing, I felt that I had to
Reagan, who knew about my story, react.,.
and the several Nafional Security ad- In answer to a question, he aF
visers also are frauds." knowledged that he had not been out
A number of high-ranking United. of the country on vacation late in
States officials have sal that Mr June, shortly before Mr. Enstein~c a*-
S
yer had said he was. ~~~
Mr. Shevchenko denied an C.I.A.
involvement with a book, except to
he p m trans a ors w en he
~ R' i r _venon u-
Russian. He said he assured the
agency t e w not revea e
names of its o ctals but the a en
i not e m waste e
not see it ore it was bushed and
not oa ar v e e portrait
that he oamted of the a?encv in the
book.
~tltottgh Mr. Shevchenko said he
could not speculate on Mr. Epstein's
motives in attacking his book, he said
that Soviet officials "have been work-
ing here in the United States to com-
promise me." He said he was told
that some Soviet officials were talk-
ing to Congressional assistants and
]ournalists, presumably to under-
mine his veracity.
Declassified in Part -Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/01/11 :CIA-RDP90-009658000504060003-7