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104-10014-10064
2025 RELEASE UNDER THE PRESIDENT JOHN F. KENNEDY ASSASSINATION RECORDS ACT OF 1992
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DOC DATE: 20 NOV 91
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ACTION: SE/USSR/10-3 (752) INFO: C/ORMS, DOMDS, LIMITO, ODPD, SEDORECORD.
FILE, DD0-2, SE/RR-3 (9/W)
91 6320813
ASR
PAGE 001
TOR: 201455Z NOV 91
IN 6320813
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
E.B. ((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. NIKONOV 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. PE 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 DÉPUTY.¨
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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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.
6.
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.
7. FULBRIGHT PROFESSOR WHO IS NIKONOV'S FORMER PROFESSOR
AND FRIEND IS:
NAME: E.B. ((SMITH)}
008: 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.
074-005-011, 201-0005925
8. FILE: DEFER. DECL OADR DRV HUM 4-82.
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