a simple google search indicates that the man was a journalist there are several photographs available on the library of congress web site he was unlikely to be an accredited diplomat journalists are covert gatherers of intelligence by definition and a ussr based journalists was undoubtedly on the fbi counterintelligence radar the russians would be unlikely to use such a resource as a spy when they had accredited diplomats in the intelligence establishment who were protected by diplomatic immunity they also had a significant establishment of agents in place at the time