Code Name Cobra

 

            The 1984 Bavarian Agency for the Protection of the Constitution (LfV) contained the following information:

                        

R O M A N I A

When an intelligence officer of the Romanian Embassy in Bonn defected to the West in 1984 important information was obtained on the activities of the Romanian Intelligence Service on the territory of the Federal Republic of Germany. The defector presented evidence of the preparation and the actual carrying out of criminal activities with a political background by the Intelligence Service, represented by officers of the Romanian Foreign Intelligence Service CIE who had diplomatic status with the Romanian Embassy in Bonn. 

Case Number One 

On 2, 1984 a tear gas assault was made on a Romanian born German citizen, residing in Cologne by two Romanian "tourists" who allegedly had traveled from Paris to Cologne. The unidentified culprits escaped from the house of the victim with money, papers and documents. The victim was known as a former communist, faithful to the regime and carrying out an official mission in the Federal Republic of Germany. After her return to Romania she lost her former position with the Romanian Party because of alleged anti-Romanian behavior in a foreign country; she took advantage of her stay in a Southern European country to remain in the West. Since that time she had been active within the Romanian emigre circles in the Federal Republic of Germany.  The attack which had the case name of RITA - CORBU had been organized and directed by the Romanian Embassy in Cologne or Bonn respectively. Ion GRECU, Counter Intelligence Chief of the CIE, First Secretary and Press Attache of the Embassy was the one directing the case. Cultural Attache LUPU had been ordered to deceive the victim, spy on her following the attack and distract the suspicion from the Romanian Embassy. 

Case Number Two

A Romanian physician, a close relative of a high ranking member of the Romanian Government traveled to the Federal Republic of Germany and applied for asylum.  In June 1984 the counter-intelligence unit of the CIE headquarters received the order to find the refugee and forcibly take him back to Romania.  The operation was supposed to be concluded by the time of the scheduled party meeting of the Romanian Communist Party in November 1984.  In case the operation was unsuccessful and the refugee not returned to Romania, a specialist was supposed to come from Romania to assassinate the asylant. An operating group was formed at the Romanian Embassy, acting from the Embassy under the guidance of the deputy director of the CIE and the section chief for West Germany. As of June 1984 nine members of a search troup, disguised as tourists,were travelling within West Germany; this group consisted of physicians, representatives of companies and CIE officers.  Numerous contact persons living in the Federal Republic of Germany were activated, federal agencies were - under pretence - officially included in the search action. Following are the names of the persons who were substantial in directing the case: 

-   Constantin CIOBANU.Councillor of the Embassy 

-   Ion GRECU,First Secretary 

-   Ioan LUPU,First Secretary 

Case Number Three

At least since October 1983 preparations had been made by the CIE'for a bomb attack on Radio Free Europe (RFE) in Munich. The below-listed persons were responsible for the exploration of the object and its environment:

Constantin CIOBANU,Councillor of the Embassy

Dan MIHOC, Second Secretary. Chief, Technical Bureau

Ion CONSTANTIN, Third Secretary, Chief, Consular Section

In the summer of 1983 CONSTANTIN received the order in Bucharest to collect detailed information concerning a bomb attack on RFE. Following his stay in Munich on 11 and 12 October 1983 he wrote a 13-page exploratory report on the "target" RFE.  CIOBANU, as a Resident, confirmed in a supplement the accuracy of CONSTANTIN's report which he (CIOBANU) had checked through a on-the-spot survey.  In December 1983 CONSTANTIN attended a two-day orders conference in Bucharest.  He was given surveillance reports of the objects by CIOBANU and MIHOC for comparison.  Thereafter he received the order to obtain yet further information. In 1984 he made two more trips to Munich to gather missing details.   

            I had the chance to read a summary of the Constantin report, which described the

  

·       traffic in the area, 

·       traffic signs and parking, 

·       the facility and wall surrounding it, 

·       the different entrances/gates, 

·       certain offices on the first floor, 

·       the presence of certain security personnel, and other installations in the immediate vicinity.   

Constantin had received instructions to collect detailed information on the RFE/RL facility in Munich, referred to by the code name "Cobra." In December 1983, while in Bucarest, Constantin was given two days of briefing by and was shown the reports from Ciobanu and Mihoc.  Even though his own report wad been evaluated at "good," Constantin was asked to obtain additional information of interest (Constantin did not elaborate to Source.)  In 1984, Constantin made two more trips to Munich, where he asked one of his collaborators (No Further Information) to help him in this project. Of extreme interest was mention of the headquarters group in Bucharest responsible for organizing "physical attacks on anti-Romanian personnel abroad" and "usually hires foreigners to carry out the operations themselves."

 

Bela von Liszka: A Double Agent Game ©

 

All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players: they have their exits and their entrances; and one man in his time plays many parts, his acts being seven ages.

William Shakespeare 

 

Bela von Liszka was born on October 31, 1895, in Kecskemet, Hungary. After serving in the Austro-Hungarian Army in World War I, he graduated from the University of Budapest with a PhD in law. He was the mayor of Kecskemet, Hungary, from 1938 to 1944. He fled Hungary in May 1945, first to Austria and then to Munich, West Germany. In 1951, he started working as an actor-announcer for RFE in Munich. For unknown reasons, RFE terminated him in November 1951, only to re-hire him in April 1952. 

On December 6, 1955, von Liszka was in his apartment in Munich, when his doorbell rang at 7:30 PM. He opened the door and found a man standing there, who spoke in German. He said his name was Miklos Rosner and he had a letter for von Liszka, purportedly written by his son, Georgy, a physician in Budapest. Von Liszka then invited the man in. For a few minutes, they both spoke German. Then Miklos switched to Hungarian after he was convinced of von Liszka’s identity.

Unknown to von Liszka, CIA previously identified Rosner as Karoly Rose, a presumed officer of the Hungarian Intelligence Service (ÁVH) in September 1955, questioned Miklos Szabo[rf1] , exiled leader of the Independent Smallholder’s Party about his possible return to Hungary--Szabo had openly told others that he desired to return to Hungary (he eventually returned in 1957). On December 7, 1955, Rose made a similar pitch to RFE Hungarian Service employee Laszlo Bery, who rejected it.

Rose said he had delivered the letter as a favor for a Hungarian Foreign Ministry civil servant. Von Liszka read part of the letter and said it was not really from his son or was obviously written under pressure and he had no further interest in reading it. Rose did not contradict von Liszka.

Rose than pitched von Liszka by offering to pay all his expenses to return to Hungary, including for the shipment of his furniture and personal belongings. He also said he had “direct authority” from the Foreign Ministry to promise von Liszka that he would be given “complete amnesty.” Rose added that he could not resume his position as mayor, but would be given employment as chief librarian, or assistant chief librarian, chief bookkeeper, or assistant chief bookkeeper in the State Library. Arrangements for von Liszka’s return to Hungary would be made through the Hungarian Consulate in Vienna, Austria, or Berne, Switzerland.

As Rose left the apartment, he told von Liszka that someone else would contact him in January or February 1956, and that Liszka “better not rebuff.” Von Liszka then called a RFE co-worker, who reported the incident to his CIA contact. He in turn then telephoned the RFE security officer, who went to von Liszka’s apartment. The security officer interviewed von Liszka later that night and again the next day. The security officer told von Liszka not to discuss the Rose meeting with anyone else.

CIA and RFE decided to wait and see if Rose would try again or if another agent would come in his place. If so, von Liszka was to say that he was afraid to return to Hungary but did not want to put his family in danger, so he would agree to try to perform small favors. CIA’s Munich Operations Base (MOB) also ran traces on von Liszka and wanted to evaluate his fitness to be a double agent. In January 1956, CIA met von Liszka. He agreed to cooperate regarding any contacts from Rose, or anyone else from Hungary, and work as a double agent.

CIA’s Munich Operations Base chief reported in August 1956:

 

    In brief, we do not believe him capable of maintaining in the course of personal meetings with the AVH the fiction that he is not an AIS [American intelligence service] double agent. Our course in the past few months has thus been to disentangle ourselves from Subject although maintaining the appearance of being at all times willing to advise him
on what steps to take vis a vis the continued efforts to redefect him. We intend to continue to see Subject as he professes the need, since this is not costing any great effort on our part. Our one present single objective is to monitor further developments on the chance that we may find an opportunity to induce the AVH to make a further personal meeting with Subject and we may thus be able to identify another AVH asset. We intend to report further on Subject’s case only in the event of significant new developments.

 

On March 27, 1957, CIA’s Deputy Director of Security (Investigations and Support) reported

 

    Reference is made to your memorandum wherein you request
a Proprietary Approval for Subject's use as an actor-announcer under Project TPTONIC. Subject's activities are to be closely controlled and supervised, He is not to have access to any classified information, he is not to be used operationally or be witting of Agency/Project relationship and his status may not be changed without the prior concurrence of this office.

TPTONIC was the CIA project cryptonym for the National Committee for Free Europe (NCFE), a project administered by the Directorate of Plans International Organization Division (IOD). NCFE was the parent organization of RFE, which had the cryptonym TPFEELING

 

 

Green Waves: John Lennon: Beaming the Beatles to Poland and Hungary, Wigs in Warsaw, and Window on the World ©

  

 

Green Waves: John Lennon: Beaming the Beatles to Poland and Hungary, Wigs in Warsaw, and Window on the World 

 

The Beatles John Lennon died December 8, 1980. A little-known Cold War story about him and the Beatles occurred in 1964, when "A recent hour-long Radio Free Europe broadcast to Poland featured interviews with the Beatles. On February 6, 1964, RFE in Munich sent the following telex message to RFE in New York:“Following information received from Poland about extraordinary popularity of the famous British team "Beatles", we are preparing special program of "Green Wave" on this subject. As you may know they will appear in Carnegie Hall on February 12th. Could you please ... send us extensive reportage on performance with as many sounds as possible. We would like to have sounds from the hall, recordings of the M.C. recording of one of their songs, interviews with listeners, press reactions and in interview with the Beatles. It is possible that the Beatles will also appear at Madison Square Garden. If so, we would like to have a reportage.”

"Green Wave" (Zielona Fala) was the name of the music programs broadcast by RFE's Polish Broadcast Department. The program's name was later changed to "Black on White."

Sometime later, journalist Tom A. Cullen, Newspaper Enterprise Association (NEA), wrote in his nationally syndicated article "Radio Free Europe at 14: Window of Words on World" that appeared in various U.S. newspapers, including the Washington Post, that appeared in May and June 1964:

“The response was overwhelming. Young Poles wrote in demanding more. According to the latest reports, Beatle wigs are now the rage in Warsaw. But light entertainment such as the Beatles is only a small part of RFE's total output. The bulk of its programs are made up of straight news, political comment, cultural and religious talks.”

 

The publicity photograph's caption read: "Beatle John Lennon gets some help with Polish from RFE editors Stanislaw Julicki and Joesph Ptaczek." The interview took place in London in a special train used for the filming of the Beatles movie "A Hard Day's Night." Stanislaw Julicki was the RFE broadcast name of Henryk Rozpedowski. 

Cullen concluded his article by quoting from a letter from a "Czech girl who is 22, I live in a small town. I was not allowed to go to university...Your broadcasts are my only window on the world.

In 1988, the "John Lennon Peace Club" (Mirovy Klub John Lennon --MJKL) was formed in Prague, Czechoslovakia to, "Work for world peace generally, human rights in Czechoslovakia specifically, and to encourage independent cultural activity."

 

The influence of John Lennon and his music in then Czechoslovakia in the Cold War also is demonstrated In Kampa Park, Prague, where there was a wall with various drawing and paintings paying tribute to John Lennon after his death. Persons from all over the world would pay tribute to him when visiting Prague by signing the wall, writing poems or copies of lyrics from Beatles' songs, lighting candles, and by placing flowers against the wall. It has been repainted over the years with new images of John Lennon and appeals for peace in the world.

 

Hungary was another country to which RFE broadcast Beatles music. Code names were used in place of real names to protect those who sent letters to Radio Free Europe For example, during the 1968 Radio Free Europe Fund campaign in the United States, one radio announcement was a letter from Hungary to be read by a "girl" with this text: "I enjoy listening to the Monkees and the Stones, but the Beatles are still my favorites. Why don't you play more Beatle records? My Friends and I would like it. My code is 'He left me and he is now going out with another girl.’ 

 

CIA and Defectors from USSR, Part One: Project CAMANTILLA: The American Friends of Russian Freedom ©

CIA and Defectors from USSR, Part One: Project CAMANTILLA: The American Friends of Russian Freedom

 

AFRF was set up in 1951 by Reader’s Digest senior editor Eugene Lyons, Albert (Bert) Jolis, and William (Bill Casey). Lyons also was the first president of the American Committee for the Liberation from Bolshevism responsible for Radio Liberation, later Radio Liberty. Jolis was a successful diamond merchant, and Casey was a future CIA Director in the President Reagan administration. According the biography of Casey. Frank R. Barnett directed The New York AFRF office in 1951 and later described AFRF: “The idea was to get Red Army personnel in Berlin and Vienna to desert, to get them papers, find them jobs, resettle them in the West and make propaganda hay out of their defections.”

 

AFRF was primarily supported as a voluntary agency under the U.S. Escapee Program (USEP) directed by the U.S. Department of State that was formed in March 1952.  USEP had two objectives: “(1) to supplement the basic shelter and sustenance provided by refugees by voluntary relief agencies and the countries first giving them asylum and (2) to assist in permanent resettlement of escapees in free countries.” Reportedly, there were over twenty voluntary agencies in the USEP program, including AFRF.

 

In a 1955 Memorandum from the Acting Chief of the International Organization Division to the CIA’s Deputy Director (Plans), AFRF was described as

 

[Active in Europe in assisting, feeding, rehabilitation, and resettling new refugees from the USSR, including the two barracks in Munich…The AFRF receives funds for its European activities from…USEP, and has frequently requested additional support from the Agency (CIA), the American Committee for Liberation from Bolshevism, and from private foundations. 

 

In May 1952, Mr. Dulles (Director CIA) requested that the American Committee contribute subsidization it had been granting since June of 191 to AFRF…the subisidy continued until February 1953. 

 

It is our view that no further funds should be granted the AFRF by the Agency directly or through the American Committee. The AFRF is a regular recipient of USEP funds and can and should be overtly supported. It is out understanding that such welfare activities, although beneficial to our covert programs, are not to be covertly supported.

 

In addition to operations in Munich, AFRF also had a field operation in Brussels.

 

How AFRF worked with CIA is detained in a 1964, project renewal exchange messages between CIA East European Division at CIA headquarters to Germany.

 

Headquarters' functions have been and are limited to three routine support activities: 

 

·      our subsidy is routinely channeled to the New York Office through Finance on a quarterly basis; 

·      CAMANTLLLA accountings are routinely forwarded through KUVEST to Finance; and 

·      the Desk maintains occasional contact with the New York Office for administrative and support purposes. In our view, these facts characterize CAMANTILLA as being primarily a field type Project. 

 

The Chief CSB, Frankfurt sent a memo to the Chief East European Division in CIA headquarters for the renewal of the resettlement programs in Frankfurt for fiscal year 1964 that gives gave a detailed description of the activities of AFRF:

 

HARVARD would like to submit the following facts and comments pertaining to the part currently played by CAMANTILLA in connection with the resettlement of KUBARK (CIA) agents and defectors.

 

CAMANTILLA has become more and more the “outside arm” of HARVARD performing those resettlement and rehabilitation tasks, which would be extremely difficult for a KUBARK organization under official cover to handle. By referring to CAMANTILLA as the “outside arm” of HARVARD we mean to convey the fact that CAMANTILLA does not resettle some cases, while HARVARD performs the identical functions for others. While certain particularly sensitive cases may be handled exclusively by the HARVARD case officer, most resettlements are accomplished through the joint efforts of both organizations. 

 

Certain functions, e.g., the setting up of job interviews with West German employers – contacts and correspondence with local housing, medical, educational and welfare organizations – the sponsoring of individuals for immigration to the U.S., etc., can be far more effectively accomplished by a private refugees organization bearing none of the stigma of ODIBEX ** or ODIBEX intelligence. Official stature, on the other hand, facilitates other aspects of resettlement activity. The complimentary relationship between HARVARD and CAMANTILLA (one official and one non-official) provides the highly desirable degree of control and flexibility needed to cope with the often complex problems encountered in rehabilitation work.

 

Of the 62 resettlement cases with which the two HARVARD case officers were involved during the period 1 July 1962 through 30 June 1963, CAMANTILLA provides varying degrees of assistance—in many instances the major portion .. with the resettlement of 41. These 41 cases actually represent 60 individuals when wives and children – many of whom also required employment, schooling and housing .. are added in CAMANTILLA provided help in integrating 25 of these cases into the local economy. 14 were assisted to immigrate to the U.S., one to Canada, and one to South Korea. 11 of these cases immigrating to the U.S. were met by CAMANTILLA’s New York representative and given various types of help, including employment counseling and placement. The breakdown by nationality of the CAMANTILLA assisted cases is as follows:

 

Bulgaria          9

Czech              8

Russian           5

Polish              5

Hungarian      5

Romanian       2

Estonian         1

Albania           1

Lithuanian      1

German           1

Chinese           1

Korean            1

Ukranian        1

 

Without the benefit of CAMANTILLA’s unofficial cover status our resettlement efforts would lose much of their “human welfare warmth” which we fee has contributed much to the success of the defector program.  If the resettlement function is ever placed solely in the hands on an official cover organization, it is likely that resettlement could degenerate to the expedient of a mere monetary “pay off” rather than the providing of sympathetic attention to individuals problems. 

 

Should the USEP program, as some time in the future, be abolished, we recommend that serious thought be given to the possibility of retaining CAMANTILLA (or a similar counterpart) as a “privately endowed” institution. Even though its funding may be only thinly disguised, it is felt that such an organization is essential to the continuance of a useful resettlement program.

 

 

Monsignor Bela Varga ©

Monsignor Bela Varga

 

 

The first Radio Free Europe program to Hungary took place on August 4, 1950, when Monsignor Bela Varga, advised the listeners: 

 

To attempt no futile uprisings at this time. Pending the day of liberation, which will permit them to use their strength effectively, … the free world knows and feels that their own battle is their battle. It is no longer in different or neutral. It is wholeheartedly allied to us in this great crusade, which is being waged for world freedom.

 

1951 advertisement “A Plea to All Americans of All Faiths.” Short statements from each accompanied their photographs and the Freedom Gram:

Monsignor Bela Varga:

Having lived and fought against the Godless terror of the Communists
behind the Iron Curtain, I know how they use the weapons of hate
and lies and torture to gain control of the hearts and minds of men. Over Radio Free Europe, on which I am privileged to broadcast to my imprisoned countrymen, the spirit of hope and freedom is kept alive. Through the Crusade for Freedom all Americans can support the campaign of Truth against Communism,

The prevailing print media theme in the 1958 Crusade advertising was “FREEDOM IS NOT FREE! Your dollars are needed to keep RADIO FREE EUROPE on the air.” One 1958 Crusade campaign newspaper and magazine advertisement contained the phrase, “Don’t Let Freedom be CUT OFF THE AIR”! This one showed a cable to a Radio Free Europe microphone being cut by a pair of pliers. The text read, in part, “Can you imagine it: A policeman’s wary eye following you wherever you go...your neighbor’s ear anxiously pressed to your door, listening for the slightest slip of your tongue...a loud speaker ‘serenading’ you all day with warnings, instructions, propaganda lies?” 

 “He Knows Freedom is Not Free! Do you?” read another advertisement, which showed a photograph of a man, identified as Bela Varga, with a tear drop under his left eye. Monsignor Bela Varga was previously identified as one religious leader, who was quoted in the Advertising Council’s 1952-1953 Crusade campaign.  The advertisement also had three small photographs that showed “broadcasting tubes wear out fast...help us buy more”, one of a technician in Munch with, “Your truth dollars pay the salaries of dozens of technicians like him,” and a third which showed antenna towers with, “Your dollar pays for one minute of broadcasting time.” The same photograph and similar text was used in the February 1958 issue of Readers Digest.

The Advertising Council sent out a master campaign kit in 1958 to “Crusaders all over the country” to help them understand how the Ad Council information could best be put to use. Bob Keim, Account Executive of the Advertising Council announced that the kits would achieve three results:

1. Familiarizes the public with the fact that this year’s campaign is underway, 

2. Explains the campaign’s purpose and nature, and 

3. Appeals for truth dollars in support of Radio Free Europe.13 

The kit detailed the mailing activities of the Advertising Council that resulted in more than “$5,000,000 in donated space and time”.

Newspaper: ads sent to 1,651 dailies and 4,500 weeklies Business papers: business ads were sent to 736 business papers

House magazines: mailed to 3,000 house magazines.
Radio: mailed to all radio stations, including two sets of spot announcements Television: five filmed commercials and written spot announcements to all program directors. 

 

Soft Diplomacy The Harlem Globetrotters Basketball Team and Nikita Khrushchev ©

 Harlem Globetrotters and Nikita Khrushchev

 

The 1959 Crusade for Freedom fund-raising campaign for Radio Free Europe in Ogden, Utah,

represented a true grass-roots rallying effort. The goal in Utah was $15,000. Hal Harmon,

a "Tripper" in 1954, was Crusade regional chairman of Utah, Montana and Idaho. For the third

year, C.D. Micholson of the Kennecot Copper Company, Salt Lake City was state chairman and

Sid Weese, Ogden-Utah Knitting Company, was the Weber County chairman.

 

The Ogden campaign featured a "Freedom bowling joust," newspaperboy door-to-door campaign, a White Elephant sale sponsored by the American Legion Auxiliary, a "Crusade for Freedom Ball," Truth Broadcast contest and a basketball exhibition game between the Harlem Globetrotters and the Washington Generals on March 19, 1959, in the Ben Lomond high school gymnasium.

 

One of America's iconic sport-entertainers is the Harlem Globetrotters basketball team, which was founded in 1926. Abe Sapperstein, whose parents were Polish immigrants, founded the team. Since 1926, the Harlem Globetrotters have played over 25,000 games in 120 countries and

perhaps 200 million spectators.

 

On February 18, 1959, the Ogden Standard-Examiner newspaper quoted Sid Weese as saying

“The Trotters have been turning them away everywhere and my advice is to get your tickets

early.” The newspaper proudly reported on that forty newspaperboys would be guests of the Crusade for Freedom at the basketball game because “of their fine work in making their quota in the Crusade drive.”

 

In the "Women's Section" of the newspaper on February 23, 1959, there was a full-page overview of how the "Crusade for Freedom campaign helps get the Truth behind the Iron Curtain" and "Pierce the Iron Curtain with the Truth" with Radio Free Europe broadcasts.

For the evening with the Harlem Globetrotters, six international vaudeville acts as "an added floor show," were part of the evening’s entertainment program

 

The Harlem Globetrotter also played nine sold-out games in Moscow in the summer

1959, as part of the US-Soviet cultural exchange program. Seven vaudeville acts were part of the

program, including bicyclist Kim Yohoi, who reportedly received louder applause than the

Globetrotters. The other acts included, “A Scottish mono cyclist who balanced cups and saucers, a German brother and sister act in which she twirls head down on her brother’s head, an Argentine youth doing flamenco dancing on roller skates, and a table tennis match.”173

 

Their opponents were the San Francisco Chinese Basketeers. Reportedly, the Globetrotters were

out walking on a sight-seeing tour of Moscow, when “a big Russian car whizzed by, quickly

stopped and out stepped Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev,” who shouted in English, “Ah,

basketball.” He shook hands with the Globetrotters and then chatted with the team for five

minutes, while posing for photographers. He was quoted as saying through a translator,

“Basketball is very interesting, very interesting.”

 

Prior to the opening game at Moscow's Lenin Central Stadium on July 6, 1959, they were again

greeted by Nikita Khrushchev. An estimated 135,000 spectators attended the games in Moscow.

The Globetrotters were paid the equivalent of $4,000 dollars in Rubles for each game. But they

had to spend the money in Moscow as it was illegal to export the money.

 

On the final night of the tour, the Globetrotters were guests of a sports dinner in the Sport Palace.

Vaselli Napastnikov, director of the Sports Palace, said, “Your team has done more to help

Russian-American relations than any other sports organization that has come to Moscow. We

invite you to return as soon as possible.” The Globetrotters were awarded the “Athletic Order of

Lenin Medal” for their tour.