CIA Spymaster_George Kisevalter

by Clarence Ashley III

  The general then got in touch with his grandnephew. They secretly met in a hotel room in Moscow, had a bottle of vodka, and talked. Valentine said, "Okay, Oleg, the curse of that madman Stalin is still around. You are a menace to me-you know about my sentiments regarding Communism and that I was in jail, thanks to Stalin. I am a menace to you-I know about your father being a White Army officer. We are contaminants to one other. Let us never correspond. Let us never meet again because in this miserable society one will threaten the other. I don't care how big you get, it's still that way." They agreed. They drank, they kissed, and they said good-by.

  That deputy chief later became the assistant first deputy to Malinovsky, minister of defense of the USSR. He became the chief of the Warsaw Pact Nations, the commanding officer of their joint army, and eventually the first deputy minister of war of the USSR. George displayed a copy of the general's attestat.7 The document, signed by Brezhnev, Khrushchev and others, had appeared in Pravda.

  Valentine Antonovich Penkovsky is still well known. His accomplishments in battles during the Second World War were renowned. Valentine also received the Order of Lenin on his sixtieth birthday in 1964 from Brezhnev, first secretary of the party. The sixtieth birthday is a big occasion in Russia today even as it was in tsarist Russia, when a railroad engineer or a high-ranking individual would get a gold watch and some sort of award. The relationship between Oleg and his great-uncle underscores the bona fides of Oleg Penkovsky and everything that he told the CIA-SIS team. The account of their meeting also illustrates that even powerful people in the USSR could hate Communism and still do nothing about it. As George said, "How could one afford to be a hero at the expense of all of his friends and relatives who would be punished, even executed, for his disloyalty to Communism? So, one can see how far it goes, how high it goes. How much higher can one get in political circles? He was a deputy chief to the minister of defense."

  In June of 1960, Oleg Penkovsky was recommended for an important new job, member of the Mandate Commission of the Military Diplomatic Academy. The commission would consist of three people: the chief of personnel of the GRU, the chief of the intelligence school, and him. He would be the sponsor of the incoming intelligence officers' class and, in time, be given the rank of general. As the class sponsor, he would process the incoming students. He would get to know them personally, and he would see them through their three years there and into their initial assignments. He was given a list of the students' names as well as their personal and professional backgrounds, the list that he would send in the letter to the CIA. He was given this job even though there was a cloud over his head. Then, just as suddenly, that job was canceled because of the onus of his father's history. He did not want to teach at the academy, and he was just being bounced around.

  In August of 1960 Penkovsky first contacted the American students in Moscow, and in November of that year the chief of personnel called him in again. He said, "We finally have a job for you. Go see Colonel Rogov; he is the chief in the GRU for unofficial cover." Rogov worked under Dzhermen Gvishiani, the son-in-law of Aleksey Kosygin, member of the Central Committee. This unofficial cover organization would be associated with scientific research and development and was loaded with KGB and GRU personnel. It's sort of like the circumstance where the CIA might, if they could (and, most assuredly, they cannot), place someone as an employee with the Coca-Cola Company abroad in order to operate in espionage. The outfit was broken down into units depending upon languages: the English-speaking nationalities, the German, the French, etc. Penkovsky would be in the English section, working for the GRU. He would accompany groups of scientists who actually were scientist/spies for steel works, who were visiting foreign countries with the ostensible purpose of fostering commerce between the nations.

  At that time, there wasn't an entity in the USSR that contacted foreigners, either inside the boundaries of the Soviet Union or abroad, that didn't contain an element of the KGB or GRU. This particular outfit had a KGB officer and five GRU officers. Penkovsky was the one with the Anglo-American connection. His committee of scientists was to attend meetings in London and attempt to obtain technical information. Penkovsky also would have to obtain intelligence information, so the CIA-SIS team had to be prepared to provide him with suitable information as his bounty. Later, they would take him to locations where he could take pictures that would add to the scheme. These would be targets that were not of too much value but would impress his superiors.

  George and the author summer of 1997.

  George with Eva at the CIA Retirees Dinner, 16 September 1997.

  Remembering Ferdi.

  Only fifty Trailblazers were chosen; George was the only case officer (spymaster).

  George and his parents in Petrograd, 1915.

  George at Louisiana maneuvers of 1941.

  Searching for a radar site on Unalaska Island, 1943. George is the tall one.

  Soviet pilot Major Senchenko signals his readiness for takeoff /rom Ladd Feld. Photo courtesy Michael Gavrisheff.

  Major Shevlakov readies his P-40 for the long trip to Krasnoyarsk. Photo courtesy Michael Gavrisheff.

  Gen. Reinhard Gehlen in 1945 at Fort Hunt, Virginia, "the Snake Farm. " George's ability to empathize with this German paid big dividends. When the CIA later facilitated the establishment of the BND, the West German Intelligence Service, Gehlen became its head and George enjoyed a close association with its leader.

  Major Kisevalter, Pentagon 1946.

  letter from Gehlen to George, January of 1946, Alexandria, Virginia.

  Lt. Col. Pyotr Semyonovich Popov, GRU. Photo courtesy David E. Murphy, CIA.

  Cufflinks used in Popov operation and given to George upon his retirement. Photo by L ezuis f Watson.

  CL-1 direcdrr Allen Dulles (right) presents Distinguished Intelligence Medal to George, 18 May 1959, for his work With the Popov case.

  Allen Dulles portrait. Photo courtesy CIA Museum.

  Col. Charles MacLean Peeke standing beside Col. Oleg Penkovsky, whose image is excised from the picture. Photo taken at reception in Ankara, Turkey, in May of 1956 and delivered to the U.S. Embassy in Moscow by U.S. student Eldon Ray Cox in May of 1960. Photo courtesy CIA.

  Marshal Sergev Sergeyevich Varentsov, good friend and mentor of Colonel Penkovsky. Photo courtesy (JA.

  Colonel Penkovsky at the Mount Royal Hotel, London. Photo courtesy CIA.

  Harold T. ("Shergie") Shergold, Penkovsky, Michael Stokes, and George at the Mount Royal Hotel, April 1961. Photo courtesy CIA.

  Leonard McCoy.

  Ted Poling, circa 1952.

  Sir Dickie Franks (left), chief of the SIS, with George in London, 1964.

  Memento from Richard Helms, director of the CIA, to George, spring of 1970.

  Helms (left) congratulating George upon his retirement, April 1970.

  A reunion of old friends. George is in the center on the couch. Ted Poling is at top left.

  At Arlington National Cemetery, the flag, at half-mast, stands guard over rows and rows of white tablets.

  The final review.

  Young Alexander Andreev, ca. 1916. Photo courtesy Alexis A. Andreiev.

  Andreev family, circa 1913. Front row, left to right: Natalia (Natasha) Andreev; Yulia (Julia) Andreev; Elena (Lena) Andreev. Center row, left to right: Col. Alexander Andreev's sister, Ksenya (Aysa); Col. Alexander Andreev with Raisa (Raya) on lap; Col. Alexander Andreev's mother; Col. Alexander Andreev's wife, Raisa (Raya) with Michael (Misha); a Kisevalter family relative, Tamara; Boris (Borya). Back row, left to right: daughter of another officer; Alexander (Sascha) Andreev with Yuri (Yura); two of the family housemaids; the nursemaid/governess. The names in parentheses are familiar names, like "Bob "for "Robert. "Photo courtesy Alexis A. Andreiev.

  CHAPTER 12

  Common Purpose

  The relationship between George and the British had begun with mutual respect and eventually would develop into one of admiration and friendship. George believed the British to be
able, sophisticated, and prepared. He was pleased with their ability to provide backup support for the operation and gratified by their operational capability in Moscow-particularly in light of the CIA's inability to establish the needed resources there. As the case developed, he would discover that Harold Shergold ("Shergie") and Mike Stokes were capable, easy to work with, and likable. The British were delighted to have George on the team. With his Russian background, his experience in the Popov case, and his encyclopedic knowledge of Soviet Intelligence at the GRU, they were happy to leave the running of Penkovsky to him.

  According to Shergold, however, George's extensive knowledge of the GRU almost boomeranged at the first meeting. The group had to form an assessment of Penkovsky before proceeding and they had to establish ground rules. George wanted to make it quite clear to Penkovsky that he could not fool the team on anything about the GRU. Accordingly, he overplayed his hand a bit with his vast knowledge of the GRU. In that first meeting the team did become concerned that George was excessive in demonstrating his knowledge. Penkovsky now seemed worried. He may have been wondering, "Am I really with the West? Are these people KGB? This chap knows too much." George not only knew the personalities of the GRU, he knew the buildings, and he knew just how Penkovsky had gotten there. He could mentally walk down the streets of Moscow and that was a bit disturbing to Penkovsky.

  While his delegation was to be squired about to various British enterprises, Penkovsky had a dual mission: he would facilitate the delegation's interests in obtaining knowledge about technology in hard metals from the various British firms, and he would gather intelligence information for the GRU. In addition, if the opportunity arose, he would try to spot candidates for GRU recruitment. If he observed such an individual, he would advise his supervisors or the local Soviet Union intelligence personnel, and then step aside as they enlisted some other GRU or KGB operative to actually make the recruitment. This way, his cover would not be blown.

  The delegation visited three cities: Leeds, where the steel mills were located, Birmingham, and London. Penkovsky appeared at official lunches in London and side tours in Birmingham that were part of the program. In the evenings and on some occasions for an hour or so in the afternoons, he had meetings with the CIA and SIS case officers. Since he was running the delegation, he could sneak off when the others were asleep and meet with the case officers. Sometimes they would meet at one or two in the morning when all of his "rabbits," as he called them, were asleep. It was also easy for him to break loose from his delegation during the day. Nobody would question either his movements or the time spent away from the delegation. It would be well within the pattern of expected behavior. He controlled the delegation expense account, and when the British would invite them for dinner, the Soviets could pocket their meal allowance. His delegates were naturally content with his easy management style and knew they could be candidates for return trips if he recommended them. He was considerate of them and in the future they might, in turn, recommend him.

  Often there was a humorous element with the espionage activities. The team of four usually would send George out if there were a surreptitious contact with Penkovsky, say on the street, to guide him into a safehouse. Otherwise, Penkovsky might not know where to go. He would be told to walk on a certain street at a certain time. George would then sight him and signal to him to follow to the meeting place. George could nod or say a few words to him in Russian and Penkovsky would know just what to do. With English, Penkovsky might be confused, particularly in areas completely strange to him.

  George told of one such rendezvous. "So, on a day that was dreary, naturally, we planned to meet. To make things worse, it started to rain cats and dogs. It was a real storm. It was in the middle of a downpour when I found the guy. I said, 'Follow me. Keep going where I go. I'll take you to the safehouse. It's in a hotel.' He followed me. I got to the hotel door. It was a revolving door. He was right behind me. I went through the door. There was a big lobby. It was full of people. They were all sitting around reading newspapers, and it seemed as though they all looked tip when I entered. They were curious. It was a full house. Maybe they were salesmen. I don't know what the hell they were, but I had drawn their attention by walking in. Somehow, the instructions to Penkovsky had lost a beat. I was inside and he was still outside. I was standing there like a dope. I waited. I looked around. Everybody was still staring at me. The rain on my wet coat dripped down to the floor and began to create puddles. Finally, I became impatient, so I went outside to pick him up. Simultaneously, he went inside. Now, I was outside and he was inside. I got in the revolving door again and started around. Almost immediately he got in the door. Now we are in together. I'm afraid that he will come out of the building, so I stay in the door as the sector in which I am berthed passes the hotel lobby. He doesn't get out of the door as his sector passes the outside entrance. We are in the fool door going around together. This drew even more attention from the crowd. Finally we got together, somehow, dripping wet, like fools, inside this place. He followed me to what would be our safehouse for the occasion. You might say it happened to he the apartment we reserved. There, the other three guys were ready. I was met with 'What has been keeping you guys? We've been waiting.'

  "Some other funny things happened. Once, the local police arrested me. They said, `You are a Scotsman. This is the time for the ten-year census. You haven't registered! What is the matter with you? You didn't report in for your census, McAdam.' Oh my God, I forgot! The name in the hotel registry is McAdam. I am McAdam, and I am it 'resident.' So, to the laughter of the British intelligence, we had to pause and make restitution. They actually had to spring me, to get me off the hook. I was apprehended and I had no way to explain it. The British intelligence people had to work our way out of it. I was unwittingly violating all of the registration codes by not reporting in. This was in Leeds, England, and I was required to have the Scots registry, whatever that is, because of a certain ten years law, for Pete's sake. I didn't even know my father's name! What a circus we created.

  "Even good things happened. What is difficult to understand, though, is why in the world the English, in that day and time, would still have cities with different kinds of electric current, e.g., DC and AC. Eventually, the team happened to hit a place with DC. Our usual recorders there were useless. However, in our weighty suitcases, carried around almost like curses, we had some mobile recorders powered by batteries. We then could tape throughout the entire meeting with Penkovsky without incident. With just a little foresight and by having dragged around these heavy burdens from city to city, we could record."

  Penkovsky was not a scientist. He knew nothing about metallurgy or related sciences, but he had a GRU mission to perform espionage to whatever degree he could, as long as it was accomplished smoothly and successfully without tipping off his status. Of course, the CIA-SIS team did not want to compromise military resources, but with the help of the British intelligence and with the modest KF 3 camera the Soviets had issued him, they allowed him to take a few shots of some RAF aircraft. They also gave him pamphlets on British steel technology in order to better fulfill that assignment.

  For his part, Penkovsky identified the entire roster of the Soviet intelligence personnel in London for the SIS. He had to meet them officially and he therefore told the team just who these people were. The British were delighted to have this clarification of their records. Additionally, when the case officers showed him thousands of photographs, he identified some five hundred GRU and probably more than two hundred KGB. He often worked twenty hours a day. Outside of meeting for hours with the case officers, taking care of his delegation, and traveling, he had his GRU assignment and had to make reports to his superiors. He met with the team seventeen times, totaling about fifty hours. At the meetings, in addition to relating much vital information, he continuously responded to new requirements that were thrown at him.

  The team gave him two German-manufactured Minox cameras and sent a photographer from the SIS to
train him in their use. They were reasonably sure of Penkovsky, but just for the record they threw a Minox at him and told him to go ahead and photograph some things, to take pictures of the room, etc. He did so, being careful with each frame. The team had them developed and the photos were perfect. He was so good with the cameras that when repeatedly re-tested to make sure that he was doing things properly, he completely succeeded each time. Similarly, the team trained him in coded radio transmission and he broke the first message they sent to him. The team was using the Russian Cyrillic version of code so that his messages would not need translation. To make sure the KGB couldn't break these messages, George spent several hours writing two that were deeply coded. Penkovsky had them decoded in twenty minutes. He was an amazingly quick study. The CIA-SIS team members were fortunate to have such an able man to train, and this good fortune later paid great dividends.

  The radio receiver itself was of Soviet make-not the best but adequate. It would enable him to receive one-way voice broadcasts from points in Western Europe at a frequency and a time known only to Penkovsky and his case officers. The messages would be in the form of a series of cut numbers (numbers expressed in Morse code but truncated for efficiency). He would compare the cut numbers with those on a one-time pad sheet of random numbers designated for that calendar day. A prescribed relationship between the two sets of numbers would generate a third set of numbers. The third set then would designate certain letters in the Cyrillic alphabet that spelled out the intended message. There were only three copies of each pad of random numbers manufactured: one for Penkovsky, one for the SIS, and one for the CIA. The broadcasts could be monitored by the Soviets, but they would have no way of knowing the recipient or his location. Nor could they decipher the messages. Random number codes are virtually impossible to break.