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2025 RELEASE UNDER THE PRESIDENT JOHN F. KENNEDY ASSASSINATION RECORDS ACT OF 1992

OPERATOR: SEEGER, EDWA BADGE: KT283 DATE : 14 SEP 93 OFFICE : IMS/FABOSS PHONE: 047552 TIME : 15:24 ROOM : GC520HB PRINTER: T019 PAGE : 001 REQUESTER: HM877 DSN: SPET 21162 DOC DATE: 20 NOV 91 MHF#: 91-6320813

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SECRET FRP: STAFF

ACTION: SE/USSR/10-3 (752) INFO: C/ORMS, DOMDS, LIMITO, ODPD, SEDORECORD. FILE, DDO-2, SE/RR-3 (9/W)

91 6320813 ASR PAGE 001 IN 6320813 TOR: 201455Z NOV 91 SPET 21162

SECRET 201454Z NOV 91 STAFF

CITE ST PETERSBURG 21162

TO: MOSCOW INFO DIRECTOR.

FOR: LIMIT SE/USSR/10 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 Ε.Β. ((SMITH)), HAD SEVERAL DISCUSSIONS IN MOSCOW WITH "SLAVA" ((NIKONOV)), WHO IS A LONGTIME FRI?ND AND 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. DCOB STEVEN R. HEIBERG HAS BEFRIENDED 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 IS 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 REGARDED 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 DIRECT EXPOSURE TO THE U.S. HE HAS HAD AT LEAST ONE ADDITIONAL IREX-SPONSORED TRIP TO THE U.S. AND HAS SPENT PERIODS OF TIME AS A PERSONAL GUEST AT THE HOME OF THE U.S. PROFESSOR IN MARYLAND.

  4. ΝΙΚΟΝNOV CAME TO WORK IN HIS POSITION AT THE KGB AS A RESULT OF BEING A CLOSE FRIEND OF BAKATIN. DURING 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. HE WAS DISMISSED BY HIS BOSS (NFI) FROM THIS POSITION AND CALLED 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 KGB RANK AND 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. ΝΙΚΟΝOV'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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OPERATOR: SEEGER, EDWA BADGE: KT283 DATE : 14 SEP 93 OFFICE : IMS/FABOSS PHONE: 047552 TIME : 15:24 ROOM : GC520HB PRINTER: T019 PAGE : 002 REQUESTER: HM877 DSN: SPET 21162 DOC DATE: 20 NOV 91 MHF#: 31-63208:3

WHICH MIGHT BE RAISED, NIKONOV PERSONALLY REVIEWED KGB FILES TO DETERMINE IF LEE HARVEY ((OSWALD)) HAD BEEN A KGB AGENT. HE REVIEWED FIVE THICK VOLUMES OF FILES ON OSWALD. NIKONOV IS NOW CONFIDENT THAT OSWALD WAS AT NO TIME AN AGENT CONTROLLED BY THE KGB. FROM THE DESCRIPTION OF OSWALD IN THE FILES HE DOUBTED THAT ANYONE COULD CONTROL OSWALD, BUT NOTED THAT THE KBG 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 REFLECTED THAT OSWALD WAS A POOR SHOT WHEN HE TRIED TARGET FIRING IN THE USSR.

  1. IN PREPARATION FOR ESTABLISHMENT OF A LIAISON RELATIONSHIP WITH THE SWEDISH INTELLIGENCE SERVICE, NIKONOV PERSONALLY PERFORMED AN INQUIRY FOR BAKATIN INTO THE FATE OF SWEDISH DIPLOMAT RAOUL ((WALLENBERG)). THERE IS STILL PRESSURE FROM THE SWEDISH SIDE TO HAVE A DEFINITIVE ANSWER ON THIS MATTER BECAUSE OF THE CONTINUING IMPORTANCE OF THE WALLENBERG FAMILY. NIKONOV WAS AMAZED TO FIND OUT THAT THE KG3 HAD NOT BEEN ABLE TO PREVIOUSLY ESTABLISH WHETHER WALLENBERG HAD DIED AND UNDER WHAT CIRCUMSTANCES. HE WAS ABLE TO FIND PARTIAL EVIDENCE FROM FOURTEEN DIFFERENT SOURCES (NF:). NIKONOV NOW BELIEVES, BUT FOUND NO CONCLUSIVE PROOF, THAT WALLENBERG WAS EXECUTED LATE IN 1947. THERE WERE INDICATIONS THAT WALLENBERG WAS SUSPECTED OF HAVING CONTACTS WITH OTHERS WHO WERE ACCUSED OF PROVIDING FALSE DIPLOMATIC IDENTITY DOCUMENTS TO OTHERS BEYOND JEWS SAVED FROM THE HOLOCAUST. AMONG THESE WERE NAZI WAR CRIMINALS WHO WERE ALLOWED TO ESCAPE. THERE WAS NO PROOF OF WALLENBERG'S GUILT IN ANY OF THESE CHARGES.

  2. FULBRIGHT PROFESSOR WHO IS NIKONOV'S FORMER PROFESSOR AND FRIEND IS: NAME: Ε.Β. ((SMITH)) DOB: C.1920 CIT: USA OCC: PROFESSOR OF HISTORY AT UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND, RETIRED LOC: RESIDES NEAR ANNAPOLIS, MD OTHER: FULBRIGHT PROFESSOR FOR WINTER 1991 TERM IN ST PETERSBURG STATE UNIVERSITY, USSR, TWO PREVIOUS FULBRIGHT 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 TOWARDS THE U.S. GOVERNMENT. HE VOLUNTEERED INFO ON NIKONOV AND OTHER USSR, PRC AND GERMAN CONTACTS TO HEIBERG AND CAN PROVIDE CONSIDERABLE 810 AND ASSESSMENT INFO ON THEM.

  3. FILE: 074-005-011, 201-0005925 DEFER. DECL OADR DRV HUM 4-82. END OF MESSAGE SECRET

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