Vasili Mitrokhin
Vasili Mitrokhin (March 3, 1922 – January 23, 2004) is a former KGB officer who defected from Russia. He was exfiltrated from Russia in 1992 by the British Secret Intelligence Service (SIS). Mitrokhin was accompanied by his family and 6 cases representing twelve years of daily note taking of KGB files going back as far as 1918.
Biography
Vasili Mitrokhin was born in central Russia in 1922. He began his career as an intelligence officer in 1948 working for the Committee of Information—the temporarily combined MGB (future KGB) and GRU (Soviet military intelligence).[1] His first five years in intelligence were during the final paranoid years of Stalin's dictatorship, when intelligence agencies were enjoined to conduct investigations against usually imaginary Titoist and Zionist conspiracies.[2]
Mitrokhin tried twice to defect to the CIA, but was turned down each time because the CIA wanted to "maintain high moral ground" by not recruiting KGB defecters.[3] Subsequently, he turned to the SIS, who exfiltrated Mitrokhin from Latvia, including his family, and 6 cases of notes on KGB files.[4]
Vasili Mitrokhin died of pneumonia on January 23, 2004, at the age of 81.[5]
Major Works
Mitrokhin collaborated with British historian Christopher Andrew to publish several books based on the archive, including:
- The Sword and the Shield: The Mitrokhin Archive and the Secret History of the KGB (1999)
- The Mitrokhin Archive II: The KGB and the World (2005)
Mitrokhin Archive
In 1992, following the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Mitrokhin defected to the United Kingdom. He brought with him an extensive cache of documents that he had smuggled out of the KGB archives over decades. British intelligence services, including MI6, facilitated his defection and safeguarded the archive.
The Mitrokhin Archive revealed the full extent of Soviet espionage, including operations in the United States, Europe, and other parts of the world. It exposed numerous agents and operations, including some that had remained undiscovered for decades. The archive became a vital resource for historians and intelligence experts.
In particular, the archive's documents revealed:
- Extensive Soviet Espionage in the West: The KGB had deeply infiltrated Western governments, media, and academia, with agents operating in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, and other NATO countries. Key operations included influencing political discourse and acquiring classified military and technological information.
- Espionage in the United States: The archive confirmed the identities of Soviet spies such as Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, and their roles in passing atomic secrets. It also revealed that the Soviet Union had extensive infiltration into the Manhattan Project during World War II.
- Soviet Influence in Developing Nations: The KGB worked to support communist movements and destabilize governments in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. The documents detailed efforts to supply arms, fund political campaigns, and infiltrate anti-communist governments in countries such as India, Afghanistan, and Angola.
- Disinformation Campaigns: The KGB engaged in widespread disinformation efforts, such as forging documents, spreading conspiracy theories, and manipulating public opinion to undermine trust in Western institutions and leaders. One notable operation was the dissemination of fake documents implicating the U.S. in biological weapons research.
- Soviet Control over Communist Parties: The archive revealed the extent to which the Soviet Union controlled and funded communist parties worldwide, including in Western democracies. The KGB used these parties as tools for espionage and to influence political systems in countries such as Italy and France.
- Operations Targeting Religious Institutions: The KGB actively infiltrated and undermined religious organizations, particularly the Catholic Church, viewing them as threats to communist ideology. Documents detailed efforts to discredit Pope John Paul II and counter his influence in Poland during the 1980s.
References
- ↑ Andrew & Mitronkhin 1999, p. 1
- ↑ Andrew & Mitronkhin 1999, p. 1-2
- ↑ Trulock 2004
- ↑ Andrew & Mitronkhin 1999, p. 1, Trulock 2004, AP 2004
- ↑ Trulock 2004
Sources
- Andrew, Christopher & Vasili Mitrokhin (1999), The Sword and the Shield: The Mitrokhin Archive and the Secret History of the KGB, Basic Books, ISBN 0-465-00310-9
- AP, Associated Press (2004-01-30), Vasili Mitrokhin dies at 81, The Guardian Retrieved on 05-18-2007
- Trulock, Notra (2004-03-03), Vasili Mitrokhin Is Dead, Accuracy in Media Retrieved on 05-18-2007
