Top Russian diplomat ‘was American spy’

Press, 15 July 1980, Page 9

Top Russian diplomat ‘was American spy’

NZPA New York The .American Central Intelligence Agency had a topI level spy in the Soviet Forieign Ministry for an unspecified number of years in 'the 19705, “Newsweek” magazine has reported. Quoting unidentified i United States Government officials, the magazine said the spy, code-named “Tria-j non,” was considered one of | the most valuable operatives' on the C.l.A.’s payroll. i Trianon was a Soviet diplomat overseas in the early I 1970 s when the C.I.A. re-, cruited him, the magazine; says. When he returned to' Moscow, he passed on intelligence from his vantage, in a high-level job in the So-’

viet Foreign Ministry, the magazine said. It. adds that the spy’s information began to slip during the presidency of Gerald Ford from 1974 to 1976. United States officials began to fear that the spy had been discovered, the magazine reports. In April. 1977. it says, the agent filed a report on a breakfast meeting between the former American Secretary of State. Henry Kissinger. and the. Soviet ambassador to the United States (Mr Anatoly Dobrynin). The report, the magazine reports, said Dr Kissinger had attacked the American National Security Adviser

(Dr Zbigniew Brezinski). and the Carter Administration’s Strategic Arms Limitation | Agreement initiatives. Almost no-one in the Car- ; ter Administration took 'Trianon’s report of the Kisj singer-Dobrynin meeting se- ! riously. “Newsweek” says. It added that Dr Kissinger last week strongly denied making the reported statements ;to Mr Dobrynin and accused ! the Carter Administration of! ‘leaking the Trianon story I just before the Republican! convention to discredit him. I The C.I.A. heard that Tria-! , non had committed suicide, not long after the KissingerDobrynin breakfast, but the agency is unsure of the truth of the rumour, the! magazine says.