Rodney Barker - Dancing with the Devil - Sex, Espionage and the U.S. Marines - The Clayton Lonetree Story

Perhaps it will come as no surprise that information relating to CIA activities as they pertained to the Lonetree case comes, in part, from Aldrich Ames. Mr. Ames’s efforts to shed light on whether or not and how the KGB might have used Lonetree to divert attention from his activities, as well as the way losses due to him factored into the CIA’s perception of the seriousness of the Lonetree case, were helpful and he deserves to be thanked.

As long as I’m dipping the pen in gall, this appears to be the place for me to mention Ronald Kessler, author of Moscow Station: How the KGB Penetrated the American Embassy, which covered some of the same ground I have, although in dramatically different fashion. Published within two years of the Marine Spy Scandal, Mr. Kessler’s book alleges that the NIS had criminally mishandled the investigation, the KGB had successfully penetrated the embassy code room, and the U.S. government was engaged in a massive cover-up. Mr. Kessler was kind enough to share with me the transcripts of many of the interviews he conducted, for which I am appreciative. But in all honesty, looking at his book now, I feel it is so full of erroneous presumptions that it is best viewed as a cautionary tale that illustrates the trap a writer of fact-based spy books falls into when he’s in a hurry to publish provocative claims. Time magazine reached a similar conclusion when, just months after turning its cover and eight inside pages of extracts over to the book, it conducted its own investigation into Mr. Kessler’s assertions: The printed results amounted to a remarkable retraction. Even Aldrich Ames, in a letter to me, described Moscow Station as a significant piece of disinformation that provided him with almost as much cover as the Lonetree case did. According to Mr. Ames, when Kessler resuscitated the fear that the embassy had been penetrated, the CIA took a second look at the case, which meant more wasted energy and diverted resources. “It was sensationalism and lies… but of course I was rooting for the Kessler thesis.”

In the process of reconstructing the internal consciousness of Clayton Lonetree, I drew on a number of sources, including a personal conversation and letters from Lonetree to me; interviews with his mother, father, and sister; interviews with all his attorneys; notes taken by the defense team’s investigator; interviews with psychologists who interviewed him; letters he wrote to a variety of people; published articles and books; and conversations with teachers, counselors, and friends of his. My ability to do the same with Violetta comes from personal conversations with her; questions submitted to her and answered through an intermediary; interviews with her mother, her sister, close friends, former instructors, and her coworkers in the KGB; and letters she wrote to Clayton Lonetree.

From the Marine Corps, both active and retired, I want to especially thank Lt. Col. Dave Beck, Maj. Dave Henderson, and Lt. Col. Mike Powell for the hours they gave me. As well, Col. Craig Mayer, Col. David Breme, Col. Jim Schwenk, Maj. Jay Drescher, Maj. Dwight Sullivan, Col. Tom Bowman, Mast. Gun. Sgt. Joey Wingate, Cap. Andy Strotman, and Brig. Gen. Mike Rich. And for allowing me to experience what it was like to be a Marine security guard in training for a day, my thanks to Major Milburn, Colonel Benson, Master Sergeant Roland, and Captain Whielden.

From the Navy, my appreciation to Lt. Comdr. Forrest Sherman, Commander Mounts, Capt. Phil Roberts, and Lt. Comdr. Jerome Cwiklinski.

From the Naval Investigative Service (now called the Naval Criminal Investigative Service), which was understandably reluctant at first to participate in what might have been another round of NIS bashing but took a chance in order to have its side of the story told more fairly, I’d like to extend my appreciation to Lanny McCullah, Goethe “Bud” Aldridge, “John Skinner,” and Angelic White. As well, Kent Walker, Dave Moyer, John Triplett, Robert Powers, Vic Palmucci, Ron Larsen, Diana Collins, Al Reese, Al Billington.

From Capitol Hill, I want to recognize Rep. Christopher Shays for his personal support of this project; Sen. Jeff Bingaman for his ongoing interest; Rep. Olympia Snowe and former congressman Dan Mica.

From the State Department, past and present, I am obliged to Ambassador Arthur Hartman, Robert Lamb, Mark Sanna, Jeffery Chapman, Tom Macklin, Greg Guroff, Warren Zimmerman, and Effy Wingate.

From the intelligence arena, I am indebted to Donald “Jamie” Jameson, Joseph Evans, George Carver, Herb Romerstein, Angelo Codevilla, David Whipple, Robert Mayhew, and Stan Levchenko.

From the FBI, thanks to Mike Giglia and Dick Ault.

From Russia, I can’t say enough good things about my interpreter, Natasha Lebedeva, and my three research assistants, Elena Vasina, Vasilli Gatoff, and Valentin Korolev. It goes almost without saying that I am also grateful to Genrietta Khokha, as well as Violetta Seina and Aleksei Yefimov. Additional thanks must go to Valery Tishkov, Maj. Gen. Oleg Kalugin, Natasha Gevorkyan, Raisa Drobyazko, Nikolay Khalip, Galya Moravyova, Yuri Zakharovich, Sergei Kondrashon, Rem Krasil’nikov, Vittoria German, Ludmilla Vronskaya, Galina Oleynick, Nikita Petrov, Andrei Semirot, and Mikhail Lyubimov.

Before listing the many civilians who contributed to the making of this book, I would like to single out Amy Knight, who began as a valuable resource and ended as a close friend; Mike Stuhff, who throughout this incident gave a lot and received very little; Diana Ingertson, an unexpected but rich source of information; William Geimer and Larry Uzell of the Jamestown Foundation, for their aid and advice; Tom Williams, for his confidence that I would handle the material he shared with me in an understanding manner; Eileen Stombaugh, for her excellent research assistance; Pete Earley, who introduced me to Aldrich Ames; and Lee Calligaro and Lou Saccoccio, for including me in their appellate efforts. Thanks too to Sally Tsosie, Spencer Lonetree, the late William Kunstler, Ronald Kuby, Rich McBride, Ken Peel, Boris Boguslavsky, Donna Hartman, Hank Holzer, Jay Peterzell, Stan Cloud, Don Oberdorfer, William McAllister, Robert Cullen, Peter Carey, John Peregoy, Reuben Snake, Johnny Whitecloud, Val Anisimow, Danny Devine, Tom Holm, Catherine Werner, Mary Ann Razim, Diane Saenz, Robert Slusser, Martin Cruz Smith, Dave Williams, Nancy Snyder, Valerie Manning, and Talia Carner.

Also deserving mention are Drs. Hugh Hill and Sandy Read, who kindly provided me with comfortable quarters while I was in Washington, D.C.; Donald Barliant and Janet Bailey, oh that everybody could have such friends; and my agent Anne Sibbald of Janklow and Nesbit Associates, who has been more than that.

Last but hardly least, I want to acknowledge the enthusiastic support and help and everything else I asked for and received from Rita Feinberg; the enlightened counsel of my editor, Michael Korda; and the patience and creative partnership of my wife, Star Liana York.

RODNEY BARKER, bestselling author of The Broken Circle, lives in Santa Fe.