CIA Cable: KGB Official Nikonov and Review of Oswald Files (104-10014-10064)

‘ito4-10074-10064 [2025 RELEASE UNDER THE PRESIDENT JOHN F. KENNEDY ASSASSINATION RECORDS ACT OF 1992

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% QPERATOR : SEEGER, EOWA BADGE: KT283 - DATE ; Iu SEP 93 *
OFFICE : 1MS/FABOSS PHONE: 047552 TIME : 15:24 %
* ROOM : GC520HB PRINTER: TOIS9 PAGE : 001 *
% REQUESTER: HM877 *
% OSN: SPET 21162 DOC DATE: 20 NOV 91 MHF A: 91-6320813 %
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STAFF

ACTION: SE/USSR/10-3 (752) INFO: C/ORMS, DOMOS, LIMITO, OOPD, SEDORECORO,
FILE, 000-2, SE/RR-3 (9/W)

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TOR: 201455Z NOV 931 SPET 21162

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SEER CTO201454Z NOV SI STAFF
CITE ST PETERSBURG 21162
TO: MOSCOW INFO DIRECTOR.
FOR: LIMIT SE/USSR/I0 INFO SE/RR
SLUGS: WNINTEL GTDANCER
SUBJECT: KGB OFFICIAL NIKONOV
REF: NONE
TEXT:

1. ACTION REQUIRED: NONE.

2. DURING THE WEEK OF 3-9 NOVEMBER 1991, U.S. PROFESSOR
—£.B. ((SMITH)), HAD SEVERAL DISCUSSIONS IN MOSCOW WITH ‘'SLAVA"
((NIKONOV)), WHO IS A LONGTIME FRI?7ND ANO NOW DEPUTY TO KGB
DIRECTOR ((BAKATIN)). THE PROFESSOR HAS KNOWN NIKONOV WELL
SINCE 1976. HE CURRENTLY IS INSTRUCTING ON A FULBRIGHT GRANT
AT ST PETERSBURG STATE UNIVERSITY UNTIL 22 DECEMBER 1991. SEE
PARA 7 FOR BIO ON THE PROFESSOR. OCOB STEVEN R. HEIBERG HAS
BEFRIENDEO THE PROFESSOR, WHO WAS DINNER GUEST AT HEIBERG'S
HOME ON 10 NOVEMBER AND PROVIDED THE FOLLOWING INFO ON NIKONOV
AND HIS NEW KGB JOB.

3. NIKONOV 1S THE GRANDSON OF FORMER SOVIET FOREIGN
MINISTER VYACHESLAV MOLOTOV. THE U.S. PROFESSOR TAUGHT NIKONOV
IN 1976 AT MOSCOW STATE UNIVERSITY WHILE A FULBRIGHT
PROFESSOR. NIKONOV WAS REGARDEO AS EXTREMELY INTELLIGENT AND
CAPABLE BUT GAVE THE IMPRESSION THAT HE WAS AN IDEOLOGICAL
HARDLINER. THE PROFESSOR BELIEVED THAT HE WAS LIKELY TO BE A
RISING STAR IN THE SOVIET SYSTEM AND RECOMMENDED HIM FOR AN

. IREX-SPONSORED VISIT TO THE U.S. AS EXPECTED, NIKONOV'S VIEWS
AND RHETORIC MODERATED VERY VISIBLY AFTER HIS FIRST OIRECT
EXPOSURE TO ?7HE U.S. HE HAS HAD AT LEAST ONE ADDITIONAL
IREX-SPONSOREO TRIP TO THE U.S. AND HAS SPENT PERIOOS OF TIME
rr A PERSONAL GUEST AT THE HOME OF THE U.S. PROFESSOR IN

ARYLANO.

4, NIKONOV CAME TO WORK IN HIS POSITION AT THE KGB AS A
RESULT OF BEING A CLOSE FRIEND OF BAKATIN. OURING THE AUGUST
1991 COUP ATTEMPT NIKONOV SAID THAT HE REFUSED TO FOLLOW HIS
BOSS'S ORDER TO ACT IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE DECLARED STATE OF
EMERGENCY. FE WAS DISMISSED BY HIS BOSS (NFI) FROM THIS Se ae
POSITION AND CALLEO BAKATIN TO SEEK ADVICE. BAKATIN SAID HE , ,
WAS ALSO OPPOSING THE COUP AND WOULD LOOK OUT FOR NIKONOV ONCE
ORDER WAS RESTORED. SOON AFTER THE COUP BAKATIN CALLED HIM TO
ASK THAT HE ASSIST WITH RESTRUCTURING THE KGB. AFTER iT WAS
; AGREED THAT NIKONOV COULD DECLINE TO ACCEPT TWO-STAR MILITARY
Taal, KGB RANK ANO WORK IN THE JOB FOR AN EQUIVALENT CIVILIAN.
COMPENSATION PACKAGE, HE CAME TO THE KGB AS BAKATIN'S DEPUTY.* ~~
NIKONOV SAID HIS FRIENDS WERE DELIGHTED THAT HE HAD DECLINED
THE KGB COMMISSION.

5. NIKONOV'S FIRST ASSIGNMENT FROM BAKATIN WAS MAKING

ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE KGB-CIA LIAISON RELATIONSHIP WHICH HAS NOW
COME INTO BEING. IN PREPARATION FOR ONE POSSIBLE QUESTION

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,BEEN ABLE TO PREVIOUSLY ESTABLISH WHETHER WALLENBERG HAD DIED
AND UNDER WHAT CIRCUMSTANCES. HE WAS ABLE TO FIND PARTIAL

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x OPERATOR : SEEGER, EOWA BADGE: KT283 DATE : 14 SEP 93 %
* OFFICE : |MS/FABOSS PHONE: 047552 TIME > 15:24 *
* ROOM : GC520KB PRINTER: TOIS9 PAGE : 002 *
¥ REQUESTER: HM877 te
* OSN: SPET 21162 DOC DATE: 20 NOV 8} Mur #: 91-63208i3 *

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WHICH MIGHT BE RA'SEO, NIKONOV PERSONALLY REY'EWED “SB FILES TS
DETERMINE IF LEE HARVEY ((OSWALD)) HAD BEEN A KGB AGENT. HE
REVIEWED FIVE THICK VOLUMES OF FILES GN OSWALD. NIKONCV IS ‘ow
CONFIDENT THAT ZSWALD WAS AT NO TIME AN AGENT CONTROLLED BY THE
KG3. FROM THE GESCRIPTION OF OSWALO IN THE FILES HE DOUBTEDO
THAT ANYONE COULD CONTROL OSWALD, BUT NOTED THAT THE KBS
WATCHED HIM CLOSELY AND CONSTANTLY WHILE HE WAS IN THE USSR.

HE COMMENTED THAT OSWALD HAD A STORMY RELATIONSHIP WITH HIS
SOVIET WIFE, WHO RODE HIM INCESSANTLY. THE FILE ALSO REFLECTES
THAT OSWS.D WAS A POCR SHOT WHEN HE TRIED TARGET FIRING IN THE
USSR,

6. IN PREPARATICN FOR ESTABLISHMENT OF A LIA!SON
RELATIONSHIP WITH THE SWEDISH INTECLIGENCE SERVICE, NIKGNOV
PERSONALLY PERFORMED AN INQUIRY FOR BAKATIN INTO THE FATE OF
SWEDISH DIPLOMAT RAQUL ((WALLENSERG)). THERE IS STILL PRESSURE
FROM THE SWECISH SIDE TO HAVE A OEFINITIVE ANSWER ON THIS
MATTER BECAUSE OF THE CONTINUING [MPORTANCE OF THE WALLENBERG
FAMILY. NIKONOV WAS AMAZEO TO FIND OUT THAT THE KG3 HAD NOT

EVIDENCE FROM FOURTEEN DIFFERENT SOURCES (NF:). NIXONOV NOW
BELIEVES, BUT FOUND NO CONCLUSIVE PROOF, THAT WALLENBERS WAS
EXECUTED LATE IN 1947. THERE WERE INCICATIONS THAT WALLENBERS
WAS SUSPECTEC OF HAVING CONTACTS WITH OTHERS WHO WERE ACCUSED
OF PROVIDING FALSE OITPLOMATIC IDENTITY DOCUMENTS TO OTHERS
BEYOND JEWS SAVEO FROM THE HOLOCAUST. . AMONG THESE WERE NAZI
WAR CRIMINALS WHO WERE ALLOWED TO ESCAPE. THERE WAS NO PROCF
OF WALLENBERG'S GUILT IN ANY OF THESE CHARGES.

7. FULBRIGHT PRGFESSOR WHO 1S NIKONCV'S FORMER PRCFESSOR
ANC FRIEND IS;
NAME: €.B. ((SMiTH)}

”

008: C.1920

CIT: USA

OCC: PROFESSOR SF HISTORY AT UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND,
RETIREO

LOC: RESIDES NEAR ANNAPOLIS, MC

OTHER: FULBRIGHT PROFESSOR FOR WINTER 199! TERM IN ST
PETERSBURG STATE UNIVERSITY, USSR; TWO PREVIOUS FUL3RIGHT
ASSIGNMENTS IN MOSCOW AND SEVERAL IN PRC AND GERMANY; HOSTS
FORMER STUDENTS FROM USSR AND PRC ON U.S. VISITS

THERE ARE NO BASE TRACES ON SMITH. HE SERVED IN THE
MILITARY AND IS VERY WELL DISPOSED TOWAROS THE U.S.
GOVERNMENT. HE VOLUNTEERED INFO ON NIKONOV AND OTHER USSR, PRC
AND GERMAN CONTACTS TO HEIBERG ANO CAN PROVIDE CONSIDERABLE 810
AND ASSESSMENT INFO ON THEM.

074-005-011, 201-0005925 toe
8. FILE: OFFER. DECL OAOR ORV HUM 4-82.
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