“The collapse of the spy career”: Oleg Penkovsky
On May 11, 1963, the military collegium of the Supreme Court of the USSR sentenced one of the most resonant espionage cases:
“Oleg Vladimirovich Penkovsky to be found guilty of treason and on the basis of Article 64 of paragraph“ A ”of the Criminal Code of the RSFSR to subject the death penalty – the execution with the confiscation of the property personally owned by him. On the basis of Article 36 of the Criminal Code of the RSFSR, to deprive the convicted Penkovsky military rank Colonel of the reserve and add to the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR the idea of deprivation of its orders and medals ”
Oleg Penkovsky – a veteran, an orderly carrier who made a brilliant career after the war – was one of the most productive agents of the Western intelligence services in the USSR. The trial of it was covered in detail in the Soviet media. Moreover, these were not only dry transcripts of court hearings, but also full feuilletons. For example, on December 16, 1962, Izvestia published an article by the well -known prose writer Anatoly Agrav “spies”:
“The secret agent“ Alex ”, in the world – Oleg Vladimirovich Penkovsky, was very indignant when they came to arrest him. And he screamed with the boss bass:
– How dare you! Do you know who you take?
However, after spy equipment was extracted from behind the drawer of his desk-miniature cameras, secretions, shifroblocks and even a fake Soviet passport sent to him in case of failure-when the whole farm showed him, Penkovsky sat down, smoothed the hair of Holem with his hand, frantically swallowed the air and said quietly:
– Yes … I confess. I myself confess everything. I am to blame for my great mother-rodina … I will tell you everything, please take into account my sincere …
Penkovsky forty -three years. He was born in Soviet times, studied in a Soviet school, graduated from the Soviet higher educational institution. The country gave him this opportunity: Penkovsky’s father died early, and until eighteen years old he lived on dependent with his mother. “Personal business” is impeccably in all points. With a strange sensation, you are leafing through the characteristics of Penkovsky, accumulated in the folder over many years: “Politically literate. Demanding on itself. It is well versed in all current events. He knows how to keep state secret and shows vigilance “”
Much attention was paid to the motives of Penkovsky and his personal qualities:
“Meanwhile, the little man turned out to be the row, the man. That is, it was not, of course, but for many years: they do not betray the homeland “suddenly.” A calculating careerist, a liar, a flatterer, a lecher, a bribe taker, a partner, a coward – there is a whole bouquet. Moreover, all these ailments of the human race are brought in it to their extreme expression. So to speak, to hyperbola, to a satirical generalization … I was not told when Penkovsky came into the view of foreign intelligence and how they got it. But I know for sure that there are dozens of “hooks” for which such pikes are caught. Hard to money – you can buy, took bribes from the representatives of the firms with “souvenirs”, “samples” and other greyhounds – you can confuse, the lecher – you can slip a woman, a coward – you can intimidate, a career – you can play on exorbitant ambition … from all one He is vulnerable to the sides – take him with his bare hands. And after all, these character traits were visible per kilometer! Well, there are mean people. This one was pathologically greedy. It seems that a person received a solid personal salary, not to mention the “sraereniki” who flowed to him from abroad, so no, everything was not enough for him. Little, little! He often visited abroad, brought all kinds of junk from there and, risking everyone, handed over to commission stores. And at home he was limited to his family in expenses, arranged scandals for each ruble that was spent without his knowledge, and even the old woman who raised him, forced him to go to work so that she “justified her bread” ””
(Izvestia, December 16, 1962)
“ВЧК ОГПУ”
