James Rouch: Plague Bomb

SURVIVED THE PURGES OF THE UNIT.

1956/7 WAS ATTACHED TO THE RUSSIAN LIAISON STAFF WITH THE EAST GERMAN INTELLIGENCE DIRECTORATE (HVA) WITH THE RANK OF SERGEANT-MAJOR. ASSISTED WITH THE RUNNING OF AN INDUSTRIAL ESPIONAGE NETWORK IN WEST GERMANY, USING EX-NAZI’S COOPERATING UNDER THREAT OF EXPOSURE. SPRING 1958 WENT TO OFFICER TRAINING ACADEMY AT KLEV AND FROM THERE TO THE KGB ‘FINISHING SCHOOL’ (CORRECT DESIGNATION UNKNOWN) AT GAGZINKA.

POSTED TO THE ADMINISTRATION SECTION OF THE STAFF OF THE POLITICAL DIRECTORATE WITH THE RANK OF LIEUTENANT IN SEPTEMBER 1961.

1968 APPEARED IN CUBA WITH THE RANK OF CAPTAIN, AND WORKING UNDER AMBASSADOR ALEKSANDRE ALEKSEYEVICH SOLDATOV MASTERMINDED THE PURGE OF THE CUBAN SECRET POLICE OF ELEMENTS NOT SLAVISHLY LOYAL TO THE MOSCOW LINE.

APPOINTED SECOND IN COMMAND OF THE INTERROGATION TRAINING WING OF THE KGB SCHOOL IN ‘69.

ATTENDED STAFF COURSE AT LENINGRAD DURING 72/73.

PROMOTED MAJOR IN 1974 AND GIVEN COMMAND OF A KGB SPETSNAZNACHENIYA (SPECIAL DESIGNATION) UNIT WITH UNDEFINED DUTIES, BELIEVED TO BE AN EXECUTION, ASSASSINATION AND ‘DIRTY JOBS’ SQUAD OF PICKED OFFICERS AND NCOS.

IT IS REPORTED THAT UNDER HIS GUIDANCE THE TECHNIQUE OF ASSASSINATION BY STAGED MOTOR ACCIDENTS WAS PERFECTED. AMONG VICTIMS OF THE METHOD HE DEVISED ARE THOUGHT TO BE THE DISSENT IRINA KAPLUN, EDITOR OF AN UNDERGROUND NEWSPAPER IN ESTONIA AND THE EXILE ANDREI AMALRICK, A SOVIET HISTORIAN, IN SPAIN. ROZENKOV WOULD HAVE BEEN CONSULTED WHEN THE SAME METHOD WAS USED TO ELIMINATE PYOTR MASHEROV, COMMUNIST PARTY CHIEF OF BYELORUSSIA AND A POLITBURO CANDIDATE MEMBER, WHEN HE WAS SUSPECTED OF PLANNING A GRAB FOR POWER IN THE EARLY EIGHTIES.

APART FROM A BRIEF APPEARANCE IN EARLY ‘82 WHEN HE WAS IDENTIFIED AS ONE OF THE COLONELS FOLLOWING THE COFFIN OF KREMLIN IDEOLOGIST MIKHAIL SUSLOV, HE FELL FROM SIGHT, REAPPEARING IN NOVEMBER 1982 AS GOVERNOR OF THE LUBYANKA PRISON AND INTERROGATION CENTRE. HE HAS HELD THE POSITION, WITH ONE ABSENCE TO ATTEND A FURTHER STAFF COURSE UNTIL HIS RECENT APPOINTMENT AS HEAD OF DEPARTMENT OF THE FIRST CHIEF DIRECTORATE OF THE KGB.

IT IS BELIEVED THAT HE IS NOT YET CONFIRMED IN THE POST, USUALLY HELD BY A GENERAL, AND AT PRESENT RETAINS THE RANK OF COLONEL. FULL EVALUATION FOLLOWS. SUMMARY.

ROZENKOV IS AN EXPERIENCED CAREER KGB OFFICER OF PROVEN ABILITY. IT CAN BE EXPECTED THAT UNDER HIS COMMAND THE DEPARTMENT WILL BE HIGHLY ACTIVE.

Static hissed from the radio. Rozenkov had not bothered to switch it off. He’d heard the pilot’s shouts of alarm and then terror as the helicopters had collided, and then the terrified howling of their crews as they’d plunged to the ground.

A moment before he’d received the codeword signalling a successful strike, but it wasn’t the loss of the gunships and their crews that had taken the edge from his satisfaction with the destruction of the GRU roadblock. Soon after had come word that the civilians had altered course and were now heading directly toward another Military Intelligence patrol.

With hindsight Rozenkov could wish he’d put more KGB units into the field, but there was nothing he could do about that now. He would have to accept that he was suddenly reduced to one piece, and that from here on it would be necessary for him to play with every shred of his skill and cunning.

Major Morkov burst into the room. His face was flushed and sweat stood out on his forehead as he thumped his fist down hard on the desk. ‘The order came from you. It could only have come from you.’

‘Calm yourself, Comrade Major.’ Rosenkov pretended ignorance. ‘If you will tell me what you think I have ordered to be done, I shall tell you whether you are correct or not. It is not possible for me to admit to, or deny any accusation the details of which I am not aware.’

From a drawer he took a miniature Japanese tape recorder and switched in on. ‘Proceed, feel free to repeat what you have just said, in the same tone if you wish.’ Folding his hands over his stomach and swivelling gently back and forth in his chair, he waited.

Morkov hesitated. As a matter of course he knew that all conversation in the room would be taped, but the ostentatious use of the personal recorder warned him to be especially on his guard. Word had come from General Mischenko himself that the protest was to be made in the strongest possible manner, with a show of indignation and anger, and in doing that he knew he could count on his chiefs protection, but this was Rozenkov’s home ground, and already he was laying traps.

Not eager to be the one to spring them and learn and suffer the consequences, Morkov decided to cover himself, make sure that he stayed well within the limits of the extent of that protection. In a deadpan monotone he delivered the gist of the complaint with no more feeling than he would have employed in asking the way to the lavatory.

‘I report that field company one-four-nine of Military Intelligence Command, on temporary attachment to Tenth Guards Army, southern sector, Zone, has suffered heavy casualties while operating in conjunction with and under the direction of Department A of the KGB.’

‘That is most interesting, Major. Can you tell me, precisely what are the casualty figures?’

‘Preliminary reports are vague, but it would appear… that the unit has ceased to exist, Comrade Colonel.’

‘Then it would seem that the casualties are very heavy indeed. I presume in that case that there are no eye witnesses to the attack.’ Getting no response, Rozenkov drove relentlessly on. ‘Would the unit be one of those you have indicated on my map?’ Still there was nothing from the liaison officer. ‘Ah, then their loss will not affect the outcome, the successful outcome, of this KGB operation.’

‘No… Comrade Colonel.’ The words near choked him. It had been a trap, but so carefully prepared and concealed that he was snared before he even knew it was there.

As he left the room he was already planning his next move. If word of this ever leaked to Military Intelligence GHQ, then it would do him no good at all. To outweigh that, if it should ever happen, it was more vital than ever that he turn the whole operation to the advantage of the GRU. Whatever the risk, whatever the cost, he must make sure it was a unit under his control that intercepted the civilian peace delegation.

This was not the time for finesse, for subtlety, it was determined and if need be ruthless action that was called for. Speed was of paramount importance but he no longer dared use the scrambler phone in his office in this building. There was an unwritten agreement between the two intelligence agencies that a liaison officer’s communications with his HQ should not be intercepted, but Morkov was a realist in a harsh world and was aware that if the line was not already bugged, it would be soon.

Leaving the building would be reported to Rozenkov, and regarded with suspicion but there was no choice. For what he was setting in motion he needed to be certain of utter secrecy. The only way he could feel confident of that was by returning in person to GRU headquarters and using their transmitter.

When he reached the exit the five minute wait while his car was summoned from the motor pool was agonizing. For fear of being overheard by the white gloved KGB guard who sprang forward to open the door for him, and was slow in closing it, he waited until they were moving into the traffic flow before instructing his driver.

From the picture window of his top floor office, from behind two inches of armour glass that slightly distorted the view, Rozenkov watched the liaison officer’s hurried departure, and that of the anonymous grey Moskvich saloon that followed at a discreet distance. The tail was hardly necessary, he could be quite certain as to where the major was heading, but he had already learned the hard way not to underestimate the man’s ambition; he was not about to make the same mistake over his desperation.