At one time in my life, I considered myself to be John Le Carre’s number-one fan (okay, okay: I was young): I loved, loved, loved to read about Cold War intrigue. So I would be totally delinquent if I went without mentioning on this blog the extraordinary—in the full meaning of the word—case of the Russian spy who was just murdered in London by radation poisoning from a substance that is 250 million times more potent than cyanide.
I can’t possibly link to all the stories, but I will quote an enticing tidbit from today’s report in the Houston Chronicle—which first details the fears that other people may have been contaminated and then concludes with this [emphasis mine]:
London’s Metropolitan Police said they were investigating it as a “suspicious death” rather than murder. They have not ruled out the possibility that Litvinenko may have poisoned himself.
Yes, it would be a gross failure of imagination to discount that possibility, particularly after the statement Litvinenko wrote on his deathbed.
I would like to thank many people. My doctors, nurses and hospital staff who are doing all they can for me; the British police who are pursuing my case with vigor and professionalism and are watching over me and my family. I would like to thank the British government for taking me under their care. I am honored to be a British citizen.
I would like to thank the British public for their messages of support and for the interest they have shown in my plight.
I thank my wife, Marina, who has stood by me. My love for her and our son knows no bounds.
But as I lie here, I can distinctly hear the beating of wings of the angel of death. I may be able to give him the slip but I have to say my legs do not run as fast as I would like. I think, therefore, that this may be the time to say one or two things to the person responsible for my present condition.
You may succeed in silencing me but that silence comes at a price. You have shown yourself to be as barbaric and ruthless as your most hostile critics have claimed.
You have shown yourself to have no respect for life, liberty or any civilized value.
You have shown yourself to be unworthy of your office, to be unworthy of the trust of civilized men and women.
You may succeed in silencing one man but the howl of protest from around the world will reverberate, Mr. Putin, in your ears for the rest of your life. May God forgive you for what you have done, not only to me but to beloved Russia and its people.
Maybe it’s cheap psychology, or maybe I’ve witnessed, read about, and heard about way too many betrayals in my lifetime, but that statement is one of two things: the truth or the last great sleight-of-hand by a master manipulator. We may never know.
There’s one person with no doubts, however: Oleg Kalugin, now an American citizen and formerly the head of counterintelligence of the Soviet-era KGB. He thinks Putin had Litvinenko “eliminated.” Here he is on CNN’s American Morning.
S. O’BRIEN: … Poisoning by Polonium. How unusual would this be, even for the KGB. Is it possible? Does it strike you as a mode the KGB would indeed do?
OLEG KALUGIN, FORMER KGB COUNTER-INTELLIGENCE CHIEF: Well, KGB uses different ways to eliminate people — different poisons. The one they used now against Mr. Litvinenko, something which I never heard of. But, that does not mean they don’t work more for — other ways to eliminate people. This is a criminal regime, and Mr. Putin had personal reasons to get rid of Mr. Litvinenko. So the substance they use, I say, may differ, but the ultimate result is the same. They remove physically the enemies of Putin’s regime.
S. O’BRIEN: So when you — Litvinenko before his death said that it had all — you know, it was sort of a classic case or had all the fingerprints, essentially, of the KGB. You would agree with that. Are you saying that the president, Vladimir Putin would even be knowledgeable of something like this?
KALUGIN: I’m pretty sure that he is knowledgeable. Mr. Litvinenko never hided his disdain and contempt for President Putin. In fact, in his first book written in Moscow and translated into English, as a matter of fact, “Blowing up Russia,” Mr. Litvinenko said that Mr. Putin’s elevation to power was thanks to a major plot to bomb apartment buildings and that allowed Putin to ride a wave of indignation become president. Mr. Litvinenko exposed the plot by the FSB to put their man in charge of Russia.
Now Mr. Litvinenko in his daily — I mean, sorry, weekly reports to the Chechen press, and I used to read them regularly, he actually was very vicious about President Putin. He would blame him personally for many things. He never showed any respect. In fact, he brought in his articles some nasty personal things about Putin’s character and behavior.
S. O’BRIEN: But did all of that add up to a dire threat that Mr. Litvinenko posed to the Russian president and the administration as a whole? I mean, some people described him as more of a gadfly. As you say, personal attacks, consistent attacks, regular reports, but was he so dangerous?
KALUGIN: Well, since Mr. Putin took over as chief of the Russian Security Services in 1998, there were a number of deaths attributed to the Russian Security Services. Some people were poisoned. For instance, Yuri Scheckachefin (ph), a top editor of the Russian liberal newspaper, he died under circumstances similar to that of Mr. Litvinenko. The Ukrainian president, current president, Mr. Yushchenko, was also poisoned, and the substance used against him was obviously manufactured by the Russian KGB laboratories.
So Mr. Putin may look benign on the service, but he’s a former KGB guy of the old Soviet school, and the regime he has now been nurturing reminds me of the old Soviet days, not the worst type of Soviet days, but obviously very much in line with the practices of the Soviet KGB.
S. O’BRIEN: We’re out of time, sir, but I’m curious, are you fearful for your own safety?
KALUGIN: Well, I’ve always been aware of potential threats, and I have been taking measures. I received anonymous calls. I received anonymous letters with threats. I would deliver all these messages to the U.S. law enforcement authorities, and that’s the way I protect myself, and I’m also going public. This is another way to feel safer in this world.
Most fascinating.
