The Assassination of Georgi Markov
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that spawned it. Jailors of three very and sometimes execution to speed their Vietnamese Government against American different “civilized” cultures (French, conversion to communism. POWs.” Both used the same means of Japanese and Vietnamese) donned the torture on inmates—are only the French mantel of absolute power, disregarded In 1993, Senator McCain returned criminals? ✪ By Thomas Boghardt - Historian - International Spy Museum, Washington, D.C. all universally held moral absolutes and to his cell in The Hanoi Hilton as part demonstrated man’s infinite capacity for of a US delegation discussing the US Fortunately, inhumanity and evil. Embargo. From his old cell he tearfully the assassination of georgi markov spoke the words, “It’s time to end it—to propaganda withers Conversely, American POWs end this chapter in United States and beneath the spotlight demonstrated the best of humanity— Vietnam history.” Waiting for his bus by London’s Waterloo Bridge, Georgi Markov suddenly felt their unconquerable human spirit. of truth. a sharp pain in his right thigh. As he turned around, he saw a heavy-set man, about 40 The heroism of the great majority of The embargo was lifted in February 1994. POWs went far beyond anything we Shortly thereafter debate erupted within Authors Note: This article drew heavily on the years old, bending to pick up a dropped umbrella. The man apologized in a foreign who have not been tested, can conceive. Vietnam’s leadership over the future of author’s experiences in Vietnam between 1991 Their courageous resistance to years of Hoa Lò. Foreign entrepreneurs proposed and 2003, as well as the vast body of POW accent, hurried to a waiting taxi and departed. Despite persistent pain in his thigh, sustained torture and coercion brought building a high-rise hotel and office historical material, including, Honor Bound: Markov proceeded to his office at the BBC. honor to themselves, their comrades- complex on the site. While The Hanoi The History of American Prisoners of War in-arms and their country. A reminder Hilton was anathema to Americans, Hoa in Southeast Asia, 1961-1973, by Stewart I. Thomas Boghardt that America’s cocoon of safety, security, Lò was a historic symbol of Vietnam’s Rochester and Frederick Kiley. But in the evening, he was hospitalized Meanwhile, the DS selected an agent to kill freedom and prosperity is not, and will 150-year struggle to overthrow foreign with a high fever. After three days of TRAMP, Markov’s code name. From the never be, an entitlement, but a fragile rule. Many leaders had been imprisoned agony, he died on Sept. 11, 1978. circumstantial evidence produced to date, it privilege purchased dearly by the patriots and tortured, while other heroes of the appears the man chosen for the gruesome of each generation. revolution died within its walls. Markov’s death remains one of the darkest task was an Italian-born Danish citizen, chapters of the Cold War—and the ending code name PICCADILLY, a petty criminal Senator John McCain, in his book, It was decided to preserve the prison is still being written. A famous Bulgarian whom the DS had pressed into service in “Courage Matters,” provides insight entrance as a museum, freeing the balance [Code Name: Piccadilly] novelist, Markov defected to the West in 1970. PICCADILLY was reportedly the into The Hanoi Hilton. “You must be of the site for new construction. All 1969. Eventually, he settled in London and only Bulgarian agent in London on the day afraid to have courage….I’ve been able remaining prisoners were removed, amidst began to produce radio programs that were of the attack. His intelligence file, however, to overcome fear because of an acute much international media highly critical of the Bulgarian regime. remains closed. sense of an even greater fear—that of curiosity, and demolition Broadcast by the BBC, Radio Free Europe feeling remorse….If fear is a condition commenced in late 1994, and Deutsche Welle, his programs became The end of the Cold War inaugurated the of courage, so to is love. It is love that 90 years after Maison so popular that five million out of eight hunt for those responsible for Markov’s makes us willing to sacrifice, love that Central opened. million Bulgarians regularly tuned in, even death—as yet with mixed results. In gives courage. And it was love that though the Bulgarian authorities heavily 1992, former Bulgarian intelligence chief helped me endure five years of captivity Hoa Lò Museum opened jammed the frequencies. In June 1977, Vladimir Todorov was sentenced to 16 in a Hanoi prisoner-of-war camp, the in 1998 with most Bulgarian dictator Todor Zhivkov decided months in jail for destroying multiple love and compassion that came from exhibits portraying the Markov had overstepped the line and files on the Markov case, and former my comrades. Whenever I was down, French period. The tone decreed that “all measures could be used to Deputy Interior Minister Stoyan Savov my fellow prisoners picked me up, many was set by notices posted neutralize enemy émigrés.” Bulgarian State committed suicide rather than face trial. times at risk to themselves….You get throughout stating, “Hoa Security (DS) snapped into action. Ex-DS officer Vasil Kosev, widely believed courage by loving something more than Lò Prison – A Crime [Code Name: TRAMP] to have supervised Markov’s assassination, your own well being.” by French Colonialists Lacking the technical wherewithal, DS died in an unexplained car crash in 1991. against jailed Patriots director Dimitar Stoyanov asked his Soviet The assassin remains at large. In 1993, Neither the United States nor its allies ever and Revolutionaries.” brethren for assistance, but even the hardened Scotland Yard managed to track down formally charged North Vietnam with the -YVT76>[V)S\L(UNLS KGB men were reluctant to become and interview PICCADILLY in Denmark, documented war crimes. The Socialist The propaganda message ;OL:[VY`VM*VTTHUKLY+\Z[`9OVKLZ accessories to murder. “The days when this but Sofia was unresponsive to requests Republic of Vietnam claimed that those in the small American )`1PT(YTZ[YVUN kind of thing could go unpunished are gone,” for evidence that would have justified his in Hoa Lò were criminals, not POWs— section remains unchanged, (ZVUS`[OL[OPYKMPNO[LYWPSV[[VILJVTLSLHKLYVM[OL)S\L(UNLSZ exclaimed KGB chairman Yuri Andropov. extradition to Britain. Today, it seems, pirates and bandits who attacked without “American POWs were He eventually agreed to provide the DS with the trail has gone cold. PICCADILLY is authority or provocation. treated humanely, with 9HSLPNO,+\Z[`9OVKLZOLSWLKKL]LSVW[OLTVZ[MHTV\ZHLYVIH[ PJZ[LHTL]LYMVYTLK-YVT76>[V)S\L(UNLS[LSSZOPZZ[VY`HMHZ[ technical assistance only. The KGB residence believed to be alive, but his whereabouts special leniency,” despite WHJLKKYHTH[LLTPUN^P[OHJ[PVUHUKO\THUPU[LYLZ[HUKJHW[\YPUN in Washington, D. C. procured several are unknown. ✪ Hoa Lò reverted to a prison for Vietnamese overwhelming evidence to [OLPUP[PH[P]LHUK[LUHJP[`VMH[Y\L(TLYPJHUOLYV Left: Piccadilly umbrellas, and a top secret KGB poisons in 1973. The fall of South Vietnam in the contrary. No notices *SV[O WHNLZ Right: Georgi Markov - Hristo Hristov, Kill laboratory transformed them into deadly 1975 provided a bumper crop of political state, “Hanoi Hilton—A the Tramp. The Murder of Gerogi Markov and weapons that could eject tiny pellets of the The author would like to thank Richard H. prisoners requiring incarceration, torture crime by the North 6 / * 7 & 3 4 * 5 : 0 ' 0 , - " ) 0 . " 1 3 & 4 4 Bulgarian and British Government Policy, Sofia, Ciela, 2005 extremely lethal toxin ricin from their tips. Cummings for his support for this article. ¼ 0 6 1 3 & 4 4 $ 0 . 7 & / 5 6 3 & % 3 * 7 & / 0 3 . " / 0 , - " ) 0 . " 1 dispatch fall 2006 1.