Ex-KGB Spy Meets Press, Shows He Can Keep Secrets ■ Intelligence: Ex-colonel says he saw only one POW in Vietnam. He met Oswald but refuses to give details. CIA and U.S. military. By MICHAEL PARKS "We wanted to know what TIMES STAFF WRITER headquarters did, what the stations MOSCOW—Oleg Nechiporenko did, what responsibilities the is a man who should have many agents had, ties with the military; interesting tales to tell. the structures in short," he said. A retired colonel from the KGB, "And we did learn some things." the Soviet intelligence service, Ne- Even earlier, Nechiporenko was chiporenko worked for much of his one of three KGB officers who met career at infiltrating the CIA, and with Lee Harvey Oswald less than with a smile and twinkle in his eye, two months before Oswald assassi- he says, "We had some successes." nated President John F. Kennedy Always probing for a CIA vul- in Dallas on Nov. 22, 1963. It was a nerability, Nechiporenko ques- pity, Nechiporenko said, that no tioned a CIA operative captured by one from the American govern- North Vietnam during the Vietnam ment has ever asked him about War. Later, he reviewed Vietnam- those conversations. But Nechiporenko is also a man 2 ese interrogations of other Ameri- can prisoners to see whether the who keeps secrets, and on Thurs- KGB could use the information, day, he was really saying very presumably to recruit agents in the Please see KGB, A7 LOS ANGEL ES TIMES KGB: Former Colonel Meets the Press ko said, of the activities of Soviet Continued from Al cooperation will help lift the grow- military intelligence, which was little. ing suspicion. far more likely than the KGB to be Speaking at a press. conference "The problem is very great," interested in what could be learned arranged by the Russian Intelli- Nechiporenko commented, earnest from the downed pilots and which gence Service, the KGB's succes- in tone, dapperly dressed in a blue had better working relations with sor in foreign espionage, Nechipo- blazer and gray slacks and with a their Vietnamese counterparts renko denied that, contrary to white goatee to help mask his than the KGB did. Nor would he allegations this month by a former emotions. "It requires an approach speak about the activities of other colleague, he had interrogated from a very responsible posi- KGB agents in Vietnam because he American personnel held by the tion. . . . Although people have did not believe in passing on "sec- Vietnamese, other than the single already died, there are some ondhand information." CIA agent. [Americans] who believe that their Nechiporenko castigated Kalu- dear ones are still alive." gin for "transgressing ethical bor- He gave a precise date for that The Russian Foreign Ministry 21/2-hour meeting in January, 1973, ders" in discussing cases of which just after the Paris Peace Treaty had just announced the formation he had no personal knowledge and was signed, and he categorically of a joint Russian-American parlia- said the former general was now rejected allegations by Maj. Gen. mentary commission to investigate "suffering from delusions" in de- Oleg Kalugin, the KGB's former the fate of U.S. servicemen who scribing him as a POW interroga- counterespionage chief, that he were captured or declared missing tor. had interrogated American prison- in action during the Korean and And even after underscoring the ers as late as 1978, long after the Vietnam wars and who, it is importance of his information on war ended and all prisoners were thought in the United States, might the Kennedy assassination, he re- have been brought to the Soviet fused to reveal what Oswald had declared to have been repatriated. Union. Nechiporenko's motive is clear. told him and the other KGB agents He wanted to absolve himself, the IV e treat the concern of in the Soviet Embassy in Mexico on KGB and Russia from suspicion Americans regarding the Sept. 27-28, 1963. that Soviet agents interrogated a fate of their countrymen with deep In Los Angeles, Kalugin stuck to number, perhaps dozens, of cap- respect, and we are prepared to do his account in an interview Thurs- tured American pilots to learn all we can to help," Tatyana Sarno- day with editors and reporters at about their aircraft, their tactics lis, the spokeswoman for the Rus- The Times. and the broad U.S. strategy during sian Intelligence Service, said. Visiting Southern California on a the Vietnam War—and then had But Nechiporenko undermined promotional tour for a book pro- them killed so that the United the intended message of shared duced by Cable News Network concerning the collapse of Soviet States would not learn of Soviet concern and openness with what own involvement. he would not say. communism, as well as his He acknowledged that he spoke yet-unpublished memoir, Kalugin Senior Russian diplomats feel emphasized that he knew that that the charges, raised recently in only of his own personal experi- ence, and only because Kalugin, Nechiporenko had talked to "two the Los Angeles Times Magazine, or three" Americans, including a could seriously harm the relation- the KGB's former chief of counter- intelligence, had identified him in CIA agent, in or near Hanoi be- ship that Russian Federation Pres- tween 1976 and 1978. ident Boris N. Yeltsin hopes to recent interviews with U.S. news media. The KGB, he said, hoped to enlist forge with Washington; they hope Please see KGB, A8 that a display of openness and _ He could not speak, Nechiporen-

• •

KGB: No Details Given on Session With Oswald Oswald With Session on Given Details No KGB: they were willing to cooperate In In cooperate to willing were they

future," Kalugin said. At least two two least At said. Kalugin future,"

the men as operatives. operatives. as men the

of the Americans interviewed by by interviewed Americans the of

Continued from A7 A7 from Continued

of the encounters should exist and and exist should encounters the of

members were privy to the knowl- the to privy were members

United States, but attempts by the the by attempts but States, United

Kalugin said. said. Kalugin

edge of those interviews. Records Records interviews. those of edge

Nechiporenko returned to the the to returned Nechiporenko

KGB to locate them later failed, failed, later them locate to KGB

A8 A8

"There was an appearance, as if if as appearance, an was "There

"At least a half dozen" KGB KGB dozen" half a least "At

FRIDAY, JANUARY 10, 1992 * * 1992 10, JANUARY FRIDAY,

such American POWs were trans- were POWs American such

bassy and telephone taps—that the the taps—that telephone and bassy

U.S. investigators had concluded— had investigators U.S. ported to the Soviet Union. Union. Soviet the to ported

held inside the Soviet Union. Kalu- Union. Soviet the inside held gin said that, to his knowledge, no no knowledge, his to that, said gin

based on surveillance of the em- the of surveillance on based

prisoners were transported and and transported were prisoners

be stored at intelligence headquar- intelligence at stored be ten voiced in the United States by by States United the in voiced ten

ters in Moscow. Moscow. in ters

POW-MIA groups that American American that groups POW-MIA

As for Oswald's Mexico visit, visit, Mexico Oswald's for As

Kalugin discounted theories of- theories discounted Kalugin

Oswald back for a second meeting. meeting. second a for back Oswald

involves three countries—the countries—the three involves

get a Cuban visa, as well as a visa visa a as well as visa, Cuban a get

Americans what Oswald said and and said Oswald what Americans

assassin was seeking Soviet help to to help Soviet seeking was assassin

lem of the Kennedy assassination assassination Kennedy the of lem

we have never been asked by the the by asked been never have we Mexico City," he said. "The prob- "The said. he City," Mexico ingly, that there was much more to to more much was there that ingly,

what he did at the embassy in in embassy the at did he what

to return to the Soviet Union. Union. Soviet the to return to

the conversation, enough to ask ask to enough conversation, the

"Really, this is important, and and important, is this "Really,

Nechiporenko suggested, teas- suggested, Nechiporenko

secret," he said. "We would like to to like would "We said. he secret,"

Los Angeles contributed to this report. report. this to contributed Angeles Los

Oswald told us is our commercial commercial our is us told Oswald

again lapsed into silence. "What "What silence. into lapsed again

discuss that in certain form, to to form, certain in that discuss

would be a breach of contract." contract." of breach a be would

publish it, and if I gave it without without it gave I if and it, publish

the consent of my colleagues it it colleagues my of consent the

spot for world history, as well." well." as history, world for spot

ment of U.S. history but a blank blank a but history U.S. of ment

Union—and what happened in the the in happened what Union—and

United States is not only an ele- an only not is States United

United States, Cuba and the Soviet Soviet the and Cuba States, United

Times staff writer Scott Harris In In Harris Scott writer staff Times But the retired KGB colonel colonel KGB retired the But