F.B.I. charges two Russian diplomats in ‘classic spy case’

Press, 22 May 1978, Page 9

F.B.I. charges two Russian diplomats in ‘classic spy case’

Newark (New Jersey) Iwo Soviet citizens, officials of the United Nations, have been arrested on a country road near Newark, New Jersey.

Federal Bureau of Investigation agents charged [ them with espionage, saving! they had received classified! information on an antisubmarine warfare system, the Associated Press reportA third person, identified by the F. 8.1. as an official of the Soviet mission to the United Nations, was named as a conspirator in the plot, but was not arrested because be has diplomatic immunity, tne F. 8.1. said at a news conference. The classified material in- ! ciuded data on underwater! acoustics systems, the F. 8.1.! said. The bureau said that Ru-| dolf Petrovich Chernyayev, I aged 43, a personnel officer [: at the United Nations Secre- | i tariat, and Valdik Aleksan-h drovich aged 39, anil assistant to the United i Nations Under SecretaryGeneral were arrested. ’ < The F. 8.1. Director (Mrj< William Webster) said in h Washington that the arrests ! culminated an investigation ‘ that began last August. H The F. 8.1. named Vladimir , Petrovich Zinyakin, aged 39. • [ attache to the Soviet !r

[Union’s United Nations mis-! i sion, as the fellow con-i Ispirator. Thomas Emery, special agent in charge of the F. 8.1. in New Jersey, said that [ classified information' wanted by the Russians was [ doctored in Washington before it was passed to them. He said that a United! States Navy officer, who • was not identified, co-oper-! ated in the investigation. | Information supposedly I waiting for the three when I [they were caught on Satur-| I day was of a much higher! nature and had not been! | laundered by intelligence[ [agents in Washington, Mr[ i Emery said. ! He said that the Russian! [ agents went to a location p used before to drop off; (money for their bogus in-b . telligence source and to pick !< I up classified documents. I, Inspector Homer Boynton, | of the F. 8.1. said the Federal I < complaint was filed under al; section of law accusing the | < Soviets of conspiring to 11 “communicate, deliver and I i transmit ... to a foreign it Government. . . sketches, I' photographs, plans, docu-|l ments, notes and informa-11

■ | tion relating to the national •! defence of the United I States.” I The New York Times . | news service has reported : [ that a State Department ■official said the United I States would soon discuss ' with the Soviet Union what lit wanted Moscow to do ! about Mr Zinyakin. j The F. 8.1. said the RusI sians surreptitiously picked lup sketches, photographs, I photographic negatives, ! plans, documents, writing, notes and information from ! drop sites on at least seven I previous occasions beginning on October 22. I The complaint says the materials involved underi water acoustics, submarine [ [■detection systems, what is j called the L.A.M.P.S. heli-1 (copter system, and other! [classified Navy materials. I [According to the defence de-1 partment, L.A.M.P.S, an acr-l I onym for light airborne I I multi-purpose system, is( (designed to enalrge the! [range of radar and electronic! | interception equipment for! ■ anti-submarine detection as| ■ well as to provide over-the-1 ihorizone targeting capability I I for firing anti-ship missiles. !