by Arno Baker
“Lavrenti, it was your damn responsibility to avoid such fucking problems in the first place! Nevertheless as a Chekist I know how these things can happen. Neither you nor I can be in the toilet to clean up every time one of these fuckers takes a crap! But somebody will have to pay for this, the Soviet people will be justified to expect the exemplary punishment of those who are guilty of dereliction of duty or treason!”
Stalin then switched back to Russian,
“All right, what do you recommend to resolve the immediate situation?”
Beria answered,
“Minister Abakumov will explain.”
Stalin went on smoking quietly, the doodles he had already been drawing with great skill, were the heads of people, and animals, mostly dogs or wolves. He only looked up once as Abakumov was beginning to outline his action plans but then the dictator immediately looked down at his sketches and just listened. Beria was terrified by the feigned indifference and said nothing. Abakumov began,
“Comrade Stalin. We have a plan to get Rosenberg and his family out. We have informed him that he must convince Greenglass to obtain a passport for himself and his wife and children. We are not certain Rosenberg will cooperate or even manage to deliver Greenglass. All networks are in the process of being shut down throughout North America. We still have many reliable informants in the United States that must remain dormant for at least six months to one year.”
Stalin nodded in approval but didn‘t raise his eyes to look at Abakumov when he said,
“I approve. Shut everything down now! We must be ready to take advantage of the new situation that will arise. The American reaction could be unpredictable and most of our agents will probably be arrested and interrogated.”
Beria nodded and smiled, fully playing the part of the informed insider.
“Comrade Stalin, we are prepared for any possibility.”
Stalin finally put down his pencil and looked up at Beria, letting a few long seconds go by as head of the MGB and NKGB grew progressively more terrified. Then he lowered his eyes once more and said,
“I sincerely hope so, Lavrenti! Because there will be few opportunities to correct this situation in the future.”
Poskerbyshev ended his note taking since Stalin had in effect terminated the meeting. The two visitors turned around and walked out, Beria exiting first followed by Abakumov. Once the door was closed behind them Stalin returned to his desk and waved at Poskerbyshev to come closer and said in a low voice,
“Remember that Abakumov is to be arrested as soon as this mission is completed. He will have to shoulder the blame.”
He was already opening the first file on top of the new stack on his desk and paid no attention to his assistant as he left the office.
“Yes, comrade Stalin.”
XXIII
The luncheonette in the East Village near Avenue C was almost deserted that night, with only a few customers at the counter while a juke box was constantly playing an array of jitterbug tunes. The two men in the last booth were huddled in intense, almost whispered conversation. Julius was smartly dressed in a coat and tie while David looked disheveled and unkempt as usual. Julius ordered a cup of coffee and some apple pie. David only had tea with lemon and said he wasn’t hungry. Julius was doing the talking,
“As I was telling you some months ago, there are some big problems. People have been arrested and will probably talk very quickly knowing the methods that are likely to be used on them by the cops and the FBI. We just can’t stay here like sitting ducks, Davy, we gotta get moving and obey orders. I mean we must be consistent and follow the leadership don’t you agree? What happens to the movement, to our ideals! You know what I mean Davy?”
David took a sip of tea but he looked surly and combative, not the pliable, convinced party member of five years before. His life was a mess and he couldn’t see his way out of it since his partnership with Julius in a failed machine shop business that had soured very badly. They actually risked bankruptcy very soon if they were unable to raise enough cash to keep it afloat. David had other worries as well, his kids needed guidance and Ruth was recovering slowly from her accident. To top things off there was the old female rivalry between Ruth and Ethel that made life miserable. David was now feeling belligerent and almost hostile.
“Yeah? What the hell does that mean, eh? ‘What about the movement, what about our ideals?’ Come on! Just look at us now Julie! We’re failing in business even though we can do as good a job as any, and we’re in danger of getting screwed for that stupid work we did years ago for the Russians. If I had to relive those times I can assure you that I would never have gotten involved, let me tell you.”
Julius pursed his lips at his brother-in-law’s negative attitude. He knew that the timing was awful, with the growing crisis since the arrest of Klaus Fuchs that had hit the newspapers. Julius still wasn’t aware of the fateful connection that would come to his doorstep very soon. But he did know that the new Soviet case officer had been absolutely clear. The families were to apply for new passports and be ready to travel either to Canada or Mexico on very short notice. Passports took two to three weeks so they could leave anytime after that. As usual he remained very calm and conciliatory,
“What I mean is that you, Davy, just like me, are “hot” right now and must accept the idea of leaving the country. I told you to get passports for yourself, Ruthie and the kids. You’ll travel to Paris where the network will take care of you. Once you get there you‘ll be scot free. Every one of us will be marked by a million little things that can go sour. I‘ve got to drop the apartment we used. The sooner, the better. The cops will be zeroing in on the place.”
“The one on 12th Street?”
Julius shook his head as he ate the apple pie,
“No, I got rid of that one some time ago; I mean the one in the West Village. Too many people went there and all those comings and goings were bound to attract attention. Can’t leave any loose ends Davy, we have to be consistent and coherent. We all took chances for a reason, an ideal, a great cause. You did too and perhaps now you may feel differently but just remember how convinced you were then, how full of faith in Soviet Russia...”
David Greenglass had heard it all before: it barely made for a good soap box speech but then within minutes the small gathering would probably whittle away once the familiar rhetoric became too predictably extreme.
“So, you’re going to have to bail out too? And you’re insisting that we should as well? Look Julie, I have got big money problems, Ruthie is not well so she can‘t work, she‘s got an infant child to nurse plus the boy so, in fairness I can‘t burden her with these worries on top of everything else. No, I need money to cover my debts and other expenses. Then we can start talking about plans and what we should do. I think that‘s how things stand.”
Julius became even more earnest and serious.
“Davy I understand what you’re saying and I know your situation, the business just can’t feed us both, things are tough everywhere. I’m telling you what you should expect as a worse-case scenario and plan accordingly.”
David was alluding to a situation that couldn‘t be ignored any longer.
“Look Julie, let’s be practical. I’m gonna need to sell you back my shares in the tool business. Things aren’t turning out the way we expected. I need the money real bad and I know you can get it from them to make me square again. Ruthie is badgering me every day about it so I have to come across. I can’t just let her suffer like this, and be worried after her accident!”
Julius nodded and felt genuinely bad for his younger brother-in-law also because he knew this would end up souring things with Ethel as well. She and Ruth did not get along and at times they genuinely disliked each other. Ruth was always protective of her husband whom she thought of as weak and hysterical but she attributed that weakness and the other character flaws to the patronizing and authoritarian attitude of Ethel as the older sister who was constantly bossing her younger more fragile brot
her around.
“I understand David and I am sure it can be done. We’ll talk about that but in the meantime there’s another problem you should know about.”
David didn’t like it when Julius would spring new “problems” on him to avoid discussing the older ones.
“Yeah, which one?”
“Klaus Fuchs, the German scientist who was at Los Alamos was arrested in London. Normally he has no connection to us but the courier, the guy who came to Albuquerque and handed you a wad of cash was normally Fuchs’courier. If they arrest him they will surely make the connection to you.”
David was realistic enough to know that this was more than simple conjecture and that the offer to leave the country was very serious. After all the Russians knew what they were doing.
“How long do you think that‘ll take?”
“If I could predict that we wouldn’t be having this conversation. Maybe six months at the most if we’re lucky. I have no idea how the Brits will handle Fuchs but we must assume he will break. The Russians are pretty smart about these things but still it could suddenly spin out of control. That’s why you should get out as soon as you can. The money will be available, enough for your trip and for you to settle your debts. Ethel and I will follow a few days later.”
David could see that Julius was right but how could he discuss traveling with Ruth in her condition? At least if Julius could get him the money for starters that would go a long way.
“I have large debts to pay off to all my old friends, Julie. But …about the trip with Ruthie and all. I don’t know.”
Julius suddenly felt optimistic that David was coming around.
“Ok Davy, I’ll be back in two weeks, by then I’ll have some money for you and specific instructions. Work on your passports, get those pictures taken, don’t delay that! It’s important!”
David also felt better and the only thought bothering him was Ruth and her illness.
“Yeah, Julie, I’ll try...we’ll get the pictures taken. I promise.” Julius paid the bill and walked out of the luncheonette with David. But even though they had more or less agreed on many points he suddenly felt unsure once again as they shook hands outside and he saw his brother in law so poorly dressed, unshaven with bags under his eyes.
A few days later David and Ruth Greenglass were posing for a passport photographer with their two children. David applied for two passports at the post office. The couple had discussed the idea of going to Mexico and from there to Paris. But Ruth attempted to chip away at those plans. She fundamentally didn’t want to leave and go to a place where she wouldn’t speak the language or know anyone. David began to feel very unsure about the move after talking with her. Yet he badly needed the money that Julius had promised if he agreed to get the passports. As he finally explained,
“Look, what do we have to lose? We go ahead and get the money so I can settle those nasty debts. After that there should be enough for us to hold out even more. If the Russians are willing to pay a little they will also agree to pay more. Then we’ll see if we go or we stay and take our chances.”
Ruth agreed but had secretly made up her mind: she would go nowhere and intended to remain on the Lower East Side with her family nearby.
Beria turned to Kvasnikov,
“Comrade Stalin said that we may be faced with a major organic failure of our most sensitive espionage apparatus. This requires more analysis than you have planned to undertake in this instance. We are using rules that have worked in the past so why are we suddenly at the mercy of so many leaks and cracks in the chain? We must find out quickly and come up with recommendations. So don’t delay the interrogation of the former officers, understood?”
Kvasnikov nodded and knew exactly what Stalin was alluding to and how he expected the investigation to proceed.
In the basement of the Lubyanka in Moscow the two dismissed case officers were being given the royal treatment. Stalin expressly ordered that they be placed in the same cells as Kamenev and Zinoviev just before their executions to be sure they understood what they could expect… For the moment they were held separately in an individual interrogation chamber. While Gaik Ovakimian was chained to his chair and kept under surveillance he could hear what was going on next door where they were “working” on “Sam” Semyonov. Abakumov, Feklisov and Yatskov were all in the room where two muscular KGB interrogators had already punched Sam in the face so many times that both his eyes were swollen and blood was dripping from his broken nose. He had screamed at first but now even that liberating effort had stopped and he was very close to passing out.
A prison doctor was brought in and said,
“We are too close to the limit, he is not a very strong specimen, comrade.”
Abakumov nodded so the two thugs unchained Sam and placed him on a gurney. The doctor was allowed to perform the most basic clean up and dress some of the wounds to prevent infection. Beria would never forgive an “accidental” death because of poor supervision. That would probably mean the Gulag for those responsible.
They all listened as the chief interrogator played back the tape of what had been extracted earlier,
“Why did you use Harry Gold as courier for two separate networks?”
There were moaning sounds then Sam’s voice managed to say,
“Please, please. Stop, please stop. I have told you everything. I can only repeat what I said before…”
There were more blows and Semyonov fell silent. A voice said,
“I think you were working for the Americans. How could you be so stupid? They turned you during the war while you were at Amtorg. You needed money for your son’s surgery, that’s why. The hospital bills were too much for you and the FBI knew this. They offered to pay and you agreed. Then they asked you for a favor in return...that’s how it happened…”
“No, no! I never did anything like that, never…”
More blows and desperate cries could be heard from Semyonov who may have fallen from the chair given the heavy thud recorded on the tape. Then came the voice of Abakumov who was present for a time during the interrogation.
“Semyon, listen carefully. If you were to create a trail for the FBI to roll up our networks this was the best way to set it up. You are a professional so you would know how to reach such a disastrous result, wouldn’t you?”
Sam was able to react and gather all his energy,
“I...I know...you can say it looks that way but the answer is no: it didn‘t happen. First of all Gaik…Gaik Ovakimian made that decision...he...he was often drunk and couldn’t take the pressure in the XY line. He transmitted his approval to Orlov. I was not involved at all.”
Abakumov was convinced that he was on the right track and that soon Sam would be spilling his guts all over the floor.
“If what you say is true, Semyon, then Orlov, who is also a true professional, should have known better! It is impossible for officers like him and you to simply “make a mistake” and let the drunkard Ovakimian issue orders and bring about the destruction of entire networks! But it was you Semyon, who said nothing and did nothing when you should have reported the whole matter to the Center. Wouldn‘t that have been the proper procedure? So now, one more time: who did you meet from the FBI? When and how was the initial contact made?”
“I was never approached by any American agent. I never approached them either. It would have been very simple. I could have done it far sooner if had I decided to.”
Abakumov laughed,
“Logic rarely plays a part in espionage activity, Sam. You’re a scientist and you must find a chain of events that is logical in every instance for things to work. But here things don’t happen that way at all. If you didn’t want to betray earlier you could change your mind and do so later on. Isn‘t that so?”
There were more blows until there was only silence and the tape recorder was turned off.
The doctor was still working on Semyonov‘s badly bruised body and gave him an injection of sulfa drugs to prevent infection.
He knew that Sam had to be kept alive because they were not finished with him. But he requested that they not hit him again at least not for several days,
“Comrade Abakumov, if I may make a suggestion, the prisoner must be given a chance to revive and needs a few days’ rest. I recommend that he be removed to the clinic.”
Abakumov at first shook his head; he wanted to get to the bottom of the matter as quickly as possible because Beria would immediately start complaining to the Boss. Then he took a look at Semyonov who had passed out again on the gurney. He was clearly in no condition to continue the interrogation on that same day and stay alive. So they would move on to Ovakimian who had been listening in utter terror on a loudspeaker to what was happening in the cell next to his.
The thugs and the officers burst into Ovakimian’s cell while Semyonov was being carted to the clinic upstairs for more serious treatment. Abakumov did most of the talking,
“Gaik, I know that you listened with interest to what Sam told us. The poor man is on his way to the clinic to be kept alive so we must continue with you. Actually I am sure you didn‘t lose a single word. Right? Of course! So since you heard everything it will be very simple for you to answer those same questions.”
Ovakimian looked terrified as the two interrogators positioned him with his hands firmly locked in iron cuffs on the armrests so they could strike him at will. He immediately admitted that he had been drunk many times when fateful decisions were made. He kept on talking and didn’t withhold important details as Semyonov had attempted to do. Abakumov called off the thugs and Ovakimian managed to convince them that there was no point in hitting him since, like his unfortunate colleague, he may have been negligent but was never disloyal. After an hour of forced confessions during which he wet his pants several times, he was taken back to his cell where he cowered in fear for days.
Back in Abakumov’s office Feklisov was the first to express an opinion,
“I don’t think the damage goes any further than what we know. Semyonov and Ovakimian are clearly not traitors and for the sake of morale I would recommend that they be reprimanded and reassigned to lowly positions later on. The real problems are elsewhere.”
