[104-10211-10001.pdf — page 88]
689. anything about FELCHLIN's background, presumably well docu-mented by the KGB because FELCHLIN had been to the USSR intwo different capacities, merchant seaman and diplomaticcourier, prior to arriving in Moscow as the Assistant ArmyAttache; also FELCHLIN had had prior official associationwith GRU officers in Austria, Germany, and the United States,and he continued to be in liaison with one of them in Moscow.NOSENKO could recall nothing about FELCHLIN's intelligenceactivities in the USSR or his trips about the country, orwhat had been done about them by the KGB. In speaking ofFELCHLIN's expulsion from the Soviet Union, NOSENKO reportedthe KGB file noted that FELCHLIN had been caught takingphotographs on some occasion, but he did not know that FEL-CHLIN in June 1954 was arrested in Kiev with another Assist-ant Army Attache, F.J. YEAGER. (Erroneously identified byNOSENKO as an Air Force Attache, YEAGER likewise should havebeen NOSENKO's target.) NOSENKO also did not know thatFELCHLIN, with another Army Attacne and two Air Force Attaches,in September 1953 had made an unprecedented train trip through-out Siberia and that six months later, at the end of March1954, had been the subject of a newspaper article whichcharged that they had lost "spy documents" on the train.NOSENKO was unable to provide a date for FELCHLIN's expul-sion from the Soviet Union, and he knew nothing of the un-usual circumstances of FELCHLIN's departure from Moscow;he insisted that nobody else was declared persona non grataalong with FELCHLIN. In fact, FELCHLIN was expelled alongwith Air Force Major Walter MeKINNEY, and the Soviets re-fused to permit the two to leave Moscow aboard the Ambassa-dor's personal plane until Ambassador BOHLEN himself protested.Confronted by his lack of knowledge of the persona nongrata action, NOSENKO said that he could not be expected toknow the details because this incident occurred after hetransferred from the U.S. Embassy Section to the TouristDepartment in June 1955. NOSENKO was then told the recordeddate of the expulsion, 3 July 1954, and he replied that thiswas not true.- Discrepancies appeared in NOSENKO's account of one  of the best known incidents in the history of KGB operations  against the American officials in the Soviet Union, the  subject of reports by GOLITSYN and other CIA sources and the  subject of training materials. This was the seizure of  sensitive technical collection equipment on 5 May 1955 in  Stalingrad from three Assistant Military Attaches from the  U.S. Embassy--Major John S. BENSON, Captain STROUD, and  Captain MULE--and their expulsion from the Soviet Union two  days later. NOSENKO claimed direct responsibility for KGB  work against these officers (Pages 103-105); he described  an earlier attempt to defect MULE, his own plans for seizing  this equipment at a railroad station outside Moscow, and his  role in developing plans for the successful operation in  Stalingrad. When NOSENKO was pressed under interrogation to  give the entire story of the equipment seizure and the persona  non grata action, he said that the operation was carried out  after he was in the Tourist Department and therefore he knew  no more about it. When told that the operation took place  at least a month before his alleged transfer, NOSENKO could  offer no explanation for his lack of knowledge.TOP SECRET