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| Mitrokhin's Archive |
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For the last two weeks Indian officials furiously commented the publication of the second volume of the world known "Mitrokhin's Archive" of the KGB files full of proofs of the Soviet intelligence "cultivating" the "Mother of India" Indira Gandhi and "fertilizing" other Indian prominent politicians with millions of dollars.
Indian ex- and current officials did not save on invectives, splashing torrents of them on the late Mitrokhin, his co-author Christopher Andrew, the book, the files and the publishers.
"Lies", "silly allegations", "blasphemy", "rubbish" – that is a short list of the terms the Indians are using, describing the book.
I would like to quote several pieces from the Hindustan Times' article " Mitrokhin revelations silly, say Indian spies ", which, strangely enough disappeared from the website of the newspaper (http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/181_1496029,0008.htm), but thanks to GOOGLE, it was found as a cached copy.
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Vasily Mitrokhin, the KGB archivist who defected
(photo: BBC) |
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"Retired joint director of the Intelligence Bureau, M.K. Dhar, who has authored exposes of the intelligence community's activities, says "accusing Promode Dasgupta of being on the IB's payroll amounts to blasphemy".
Dhar, who knew the former secretary of the Bengal Communist Party in his personal capacity, said " Promode Dasgupta was a man who had no home, no family. He lived in Alimuddin Street in the most austere manner. There was no sign of affluence about him. He could not have been on the payroll of any intelligence organization. Dasgupta was a real revolutionary. Anyone who casts doubt on him must produce proof as I can state from person knowledge that he was a very honest person".
Dhar similarly rubbishes allegations that the CIA (the ex-director meant the KGB - P.S.) probably funded former PM Indira Gandhi, "It is a matter of record that Mrs G did use the communists to stabilize her government and negotiate with Moscow, but for anyone to say that she directly received material benefit from any quarter is ridiculous," he told HT.
Former Intelligence Bureau director, V.G. Vaidya, now in Pune, was unwilling to comment on the allegations since he had not read the book. He, however, said, "Anyone can write anything. It does not mean that the world has to accept it as Gospel truth. One must remember that American author Seymour Hersh had written that Morarji Desai was on the CIA payroll when he (Desai) was Indira Gandhi's deputy. But then Morarji Desai sued him," Vaidya recalled.
Serving intelligence officials are, similarly, dismissive about the Mitrokhin book. A few admitted that they wanted to read the book "out of curiosity" but maintained that the allegations publicised so far appeared to lack credibility.
"These things do take place. Agencies routinely pay people who can access information in a foreign country. But to suggest that Mrs. Gandhi was taking money is downright stupidity," said one official.
Another official was more forthright. "If a serving Prime Minister needs money, there is no dearth of means to get it. Why would any PM, let alone a dynamic person like Mrs. Gandhi, run the risk of taking money from a foreign power?"
The politicians, mostly from the parties connected to those, who were on KGB payroll also sounded their protest in various forms. A good example is the CPM, which plans to sue a national daily that carried excerpts of a former KGB agent's book and to take legal action against domestic publishers of the controversial Mitrokhin's book. Penguin India is expected to release the book in mid-October and it expects a fight.
"This is beyond imagination that a leader like Indira Gandhi would be influenced by such things," Union HRD Minister Arjun Singh said adding, "it is a malicious propaganda."
There were also those, who demanded to ban the book in India. Well, the Indian government has shown a good sense and made it clear that it had no intention to ban Mitrokhin Archive II. "I am in the business of providing more freedom, not for denying it," Information and Broadcasting Minister Jaipal Reddy said.
But lets consider an option that Mitrokhin really lying? Who can believe the "traitor, who sold the secrets of his Communist Motherland" to the "imperialist pigs"? Maybe his Archive is just a pile of disinformation collected or fabricated by the British? It is known that they had "some misunderstandings" with India in the past and they might have just avenged some old offence by publishing the second part of Archive after Mitrokhin's death, stuffing it with KGB related rumors? The first volume of the Archive was really good, so they just used the good name to get even with Gandhi clan?
I did not read this book yet. I have ordered it, but frankly I am not going to be surprised by the revelations from the second volume of the Archive.
Who needs a "traitor " Mitrokhin, when the KGB ex-officials, still sitting high in the Russian government publish their memoirs full of stories of the bribery of the Indian officials?
Of course they are published in Russian and for some unknown reason are not translated yet to English.
Lets take just a few of these books. Leonid Shebarshin, ex-chief of the Soviet Foreign Intelligence Service, a deputy chairman of the KGB from 1989 to 1991, the ex-head of the whole Soviet "residentura" in India, wrote a fascinating book "The Hand of Moscow". One of the brightest Russian journalists Leonid Mlechin wrote a heavy "Foreign Intelligence Service - Special File" dedicating huge part of it to the "Indian Mafia" in the KGB, and to its heads – Shebarshin and Vyacheslav Trubnikov, the ex-chief of the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service and the ex-head of the whole Soviet "residentura" in India, who is currently the Russian ambassador to India! Captain Vadim Sopriakov, professional spy and saboteur of the KGB, who also worked in India, published his "The East is a Delicate Business". These three books give a perfect picture of the KGB's involvement in the India's internal and foreign policy.
Here is a small aperitif from Mlechin's book - an official document of the KGB:
To: The Central Committee of the Communist Party of the USSR
The KGB is currently conducting contacts with Rajiv Gandhi, the son of the Prime Minister of India. (according to the Central Committee's approval over the KGB note num. 1413-A/OB from 14.07.80.)
Rajiv Gandhi is truly thankful for the financial support to his family, which comes owing to the commercial deals of the company controlled by him with the Soviet state foreign trade companies. In a confiding talks Gandhi noted that most of the financial means coming through this channel are used to support the Rajiv Gandhi's Party.
The head of the Committee V. Chebrikov (12.02.83)
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| Rajiv Gandhi (photo BBC) |
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India was a playground for the KGB. It was a lucky ticket for any young KGB officer to go to India for it was a great jumping-off place to reach the highest levels of command. Why? Because the job was ten times easier than in any other country, because India was a "friendly state" and its secret and security services paid almost no attention to the KGB's and other Soviet secret services activities, being busy with Chinese and Pakistani ones. This friendliness was bought by the huge deliveries of the Soviet weapons and total political support of India by the USSR. And of course cover ups of the Indian provocations against Pakistan as it happened in 1971.
The only opponents of the KGB operatives in India were the agents of the other foreign countries- the USA, Britain, etc. And they were not considered friendly ones by the Indian counterespionage. It was easy to recruit foreign citizens and agents, blackmailing them with threats to turn over to the Indian authorities as the spies. India was the place, where and from where the KGB conducted it biggest operations and actions, unanimously claim the authors of all the abovementioned books. For example it is from India to the world came the rumor of the USA using the chemical and biological weapons in Vietnam. The KGB initiated it and later the Soviet doctors "proved" it as if they have tested the victims.
The Indian department of the KGB was named "The Indian Mafia" and was the most powerful department in the force, some kind of the KGB inside the KGB. The proof of that was already mentioned – the heads of the Indian "residentura" turned to be the heads of the KGB and its successor –SVR – the Russian Foreign Intelligence.
As for recruiting the local politicians it was also a walk in the park. Of course everything was done confidentially, for not to let the foreign spies know who is on the KGB's payroll and use it to blackmail parties and officials.
Captain Vadim Sopriakov dedicated a whole chapter to the story of recruiting the high-ranking Indian official. Of course, it is impossible to know whom exactly did he recruited, for he calls him "Herman". The KGB's agent-to-be visited Europe for many times and was a good source of information. How good? As good as can be a man who lives in a palace and can receive an urgent letter from the head of the state at 02:00 PM.
As for the book of Leonid Shebarshin, the feeling after reading it is that one of the main goals of the KGB in India was to guarantee that Gandhi's party remains at power. It was a kind of symbiosis – the KGB sustains the Party, the Party covers its actions. Shebarshin was very accurate not to name anybody influential, but he implies many interesting details, such as that the KGB was "buying" or at least creating strong connections not only with the active politicians but with the "retired" power brokers, those who stood behind the ruling family – ex-ministers, friends of the family, sponsors. And another point, it made no difference whether the politician was taking money for himself, buying palaces, or just for his party, continuing to live from the scraps. It was still a payroll of the KGB…
It is impossible to cram the contents of several books into one article, but the point is that Mitrokhin's Archive II is not the book Indian officials – current and retired has to fear. They are being quietly sold out by their ex-recruiters, who can, if they want, or asked by their superiors, tell the whole story not in Russian, but in English, as the Mitrokhin's Archives are published…
Related items:
History of Indo-Soviet Military Cooperation
Milestones in the History of Indo-Soviet Relations
Military Cooperation between Russia and India (1991 – 2005)
Military Cooperation Between Russia and India in 2004-2005
Milestones in the History of Indo-Russian Military Cooperation
The Soviet and Russian Weapons of the Indian Defense Forces
BrahMos Russian - Indian Enterprise
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