On this
blog post I continue my conversation with Author George Yuhasz. A recent
Twitter exchange with him carried this message, “We have something in common
regarding Sergei.” Now that got my attention! I jokingly tweeted back, “If you
knew Sergei, I’m going to fall off my chair.”
It turns
out that he had met Sergei. And just like that the Twitter connection wove back
through the years and linked to a specific time and place: 1972 in Washington,
DC. I wanted to know all the details. “How, what, where, who do you work for?”
It turns out this award winning author was a former Special Agent … who
actually knew quite a lot about Sergei Kourdakov.
I didn’t
fall off my chair when I read his response to my questions, but it was a good
thing I was sitting down. His intriguing story about “meeting” Sergei is
fascinating.
1. In what capacity did you meet Sergei? What
were your initial thoughts about him?
I actually
met with Sergei twice socially with a senior DOD agent to whom I had been
assigned. I was new to the intelligence community and was being given
opportunities to engage in OJT [On-the-Job Training] activities outside of
classroom studies and briefings in order to gain experience. Because I was
young, it was thought that I could relate more easily with Sergei in a “soft”
situation and that more could be learned about him in the process. My role was
to keep him talking and on point in regard to specific areas of interest. The
former was easy; the latter proved to be more challenging.
The first
meeting took place at the Marriott Hotel Restaurant in Rosslyn, VA near Key
Bridge and the Adams Street Apartments where I was living at the time. The
second meeting took place at the Grog and Tankard Bar on Wisconsin Avenue in
Georgetown. I found Sergei to be quite affable and extremely likeable. We
bonded, or so it seemed, quickly and found common ground on a number of topics,
especially sports. However, he discovered soon after first meeting that I had
little interest in organized religion and appeared to be disappointed. My
partner did engage him further on this subject because of the link to Sergei’s
KGB history. One of the goals was to obtain as many names as possible for cross
referencing and verification purposes, as well as to identify potential future
Intel sources. I wrote the summary reports of these meetings (Part of my
training), which were passed on for analysis and evaluation, particularly
pointed toward assessing the veracity and consistency of the information
provided by him during formal interviews.
Sergei
would express great concern over being followed and watched constantly. I
noticed that Sergei’s eyes were always moving, examining everything around him.
My partner, Jack, disclosed to me later that Sergei was not under surveillance
and if he was being followed it was likely the KGB. Sergei was all about
staying out of Soviet hands and I had a strong impression, as did many others
on our side, that he would do anything to avoid being returned to the Soviet
Union. A couple of times Sergei tested our reactions by making a provocative
comment. “You are spy. Yes?” I remember him remaining silent and staring at me
and also that I smiled and replied, “Yes. But we are all on the same team.
Yes?” Sergei’s response was to roar with laughter and order more drinks. You
could not help but like Sergei but there was an underlying edge to him that
left me feeling uneasy. I spoke with Jack about this and was told he shared my
feelings about Sergei and to only regard him as a source, nothing more. “He
could charm a king cobra” was Jack’s assessment. This statement was not lost on
me because Jack had spent time in India. Before taking on this new job, I had
worked undercover as a special agent with the Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs, now DEA. However, I
sensed at the time that playacting in the intelligence world was going to take
on altogether different dimensions going forward in my career.
2. I know you were not involved in the official
interviews with Sergei – But did you or your co-workers believe his story about
defecting from the Soviet Union?
In the
final analysis, Sergei’s story about defecting from the Soviet Union was
considered credible as far as I know. There were inconsistencies in his story
and it appeared that he exaggerated his status with the KGB.
Self-aggrandizement was certainly part of his psyche. However, one thing that
must have been focused upon during debriefings and interviews was his service
as a radio officer. According to Sergei, he had served aboard a submarine and a
trawler, both sensitive posts. I do not know what information he provided about
this part of his career. However, it seems that a tremendous amount of
attention was given to other areas of his life and that little, if much of
anything, was mentioned of his radio officer service in pubic accounts.
Curious. When Jack and I attempted to get him talking during our meetings about
radio operations, Sergei changed the subject. I don’t know exactly what Sergei
divulged in the “official” debriefings and interviews, particularly about
Soviet radio operations. Was all the hoopla about the KGB and hardships and
obstacles he faced because of his defection some kind of smokescreen initiated
by him and/or our government? Why? For what purpose? Or, did the U.S.
government merely debrief him for all useful information and then cast him
aside?
George
Yuhasz is a former U.S. government special agent and contractor, and has worked
in the private sector as a private investigator and security consultant. A
graduate of American University's Schools of International Service and Government,
he also holds a M.A. degree in psychology from
the
University of Northern Colorado.
* * *
Thank you, George Yuhasz, for
taking the time to answer my questions for this interview. I truly enjoyed reading
about Sergei Kourdakov from your perspective. I did know that Sergei was very
concerned about being handed back to the Soviets. He was cautious and on the
lookout all the time. However, I never observed that boastfulness, that false
bravado side of Sergei. He was quite the opposite whenever we were together,
very down to earth in fact.
I was shocked to discover that Special
Agent Yuhasz met with Sergei at the Key Bridge Marriott for a “soft” unofficial
meeting. After reading that, it was no wonder Sergei thought I was a spy when we
dined and danced at the very same place. I’m sure Sergei must have thought that
was where all “spies” meet — when in fact it was only a coincidence that he and
I went there too.
