I had a different topic for my blog this week but
ended up not posting it. When I logged
onto my site, my eyes were immediately drawn to a new comment waiting for
review in my inbox. I was surprised,
even though I expected she would contact me one day. In this case, “she” refers to Caroline Walker,
the producer of the documentary film, Forgive
Me Sergei. Her movie motivated me to
write my book, A Rose for Sergei. Caroline’s and my opinions, however, differ
immensely. We are strangers, but our
lives have overlapped by very unusual circumstances. We have a lot to say about Sergei Kourdakov
and his book, The Persecutor. I believe his story. She does not.
Excerpt from my May 4, 2015 post – The
Persecutor vs. Forgive Me, Sergei:
“This film motivated me to write A Rose for
Sergei. I wanted to offer a different
point of view and try to show you that maybe…just maybe, the movie got some of
Sergei’s story wrong. How easy it is to
talk negatively about someone who is no longer here. How easy it is to think that no one would
care if you did.”
—K. Kidd
Comment regarding above post received November 9,
2015:
“As the producer of the documentary film,
Forgive Me Sergei, who put my name, face and reputation on the line by moving
forward with production after discovering discrepancy after discrepancy inside
and outside of Russia -- and after raising most of the film's seed money from
Evangelicals and Episcopalians in my hometown via enthusiastic talks about my
exciting research and passion for the story, I can assure you that I cared VERY
much what people would think about the outcome of the research shown in the
film. In the year 2000, no one
controlled me, the director, or the Russians we interviewed. And, sharing your Cold War mentality that the
story was absolutely true and that the Russian government was omnipresent, I
was suspicious nearly the entire time I was in Russia until a particular
discrepancy proved to me that Sergei lied.
The poor Russian lady in Vladivostok who wanted to sell me Nutrisystem .
. . . I was so rude to her :-( No one
could have been more conspiracy-minded than I was.”
—Caroline Walker
My response on November 12, 2015:
“Caroline, I know years of research went
into the making of your movie. I respect
all the time and effort you put forth. I
bought your movie and watched it several times.
Your interviews with those in Canada, and the detective who investigated
Sergei’s death in California, were very informative. Nevertheless, the parts filmed in Russia left
me skeptical. I believe a documentary film
should cover all sides of the story; therefore I wish you had continued your
research and journey to Washington D.C.
If you had talked with anyone in the intelligence field, the outcome of
your movie might have been different.
All personnel who came in contact with Sergei Kourdakov knew he had been
thoroughly investigated by the U.S. Government.
If he had been lying about his past, it would have been uncovered years
ago.”
—K. Kidd
