The Miernik Dossier

56. REPORT BY CHRISTOPHER’S CASE OFFICER (FROM CAIRO).

1. Christopher reported to this officer at 0820 on 1 July at the safe house provided by the Cairo station. He observed no surveillance en route to our meeting. I found the agent in good condition, but in only fair spirits. He delivered written reports (attached) and a lengthy verbal report, which is summarized below.

2. Christopher reports that Miernik has made no move to take him into his confidence concerning the latter’s assumed mission in Sudan. Christopher expressed reservations about Headquarters’ theory that Miernik is in fact a Soviet/Polish agent with any specific mission in Sudan. Christopher stated: “I think you guys ought to consider the one possibility you haven’t considered-that Miernik is not telling an elaborate cover story, but the truth.” I assured Christopher that this possibility had been thoroughly considered and had not yet, in fact, been rejected.

3. Christopher bases his doubts on his observation of Miernik in the course of the journey. Miernik seems, in Christopher’s words, a much less suspicious character outside of Geneva than in it. He is given to emotional outbursts (see Christopher’s report on the incident with a group of German tourists in Verona, Italy) and to a general carelessness of behavior that is not, in Christopher’s view, characteristic of a professional agent. Christopher now has almost no doubt that Zofia Miernik is, in fact, Miernik’s sister: “No one could fake the affection he obviously has for her.” Christopher was advised to bear in mind that Miernik’s seemingly uncontrolled behavior may in fact be a device to divert suspicion. This would be consistent with the weakness of Polish operatives for elaborate role-playing.

4. In this officer’s opinion Christopher’s judgment has to some extent been impaired by an apparent attraction to Zofia Miernik. Nothing in Christopher’s report made specific reference to this point, but he reports on the activities of this girl with less than his usual objectivity.

5. Christopher was, in addition, very favorably impressed by Sasha Kirnov. His attitude seems to be a mixture of professional admiration for the manner in which Kirnov conducted the border-crossing operation, and what must be regarded as personal liking for Kirnov. Christopher has by no means abandoned his caution with respect to Kirnov the KGB man. But he states openly that he found Kirnov the human being quite admirable. (Christopher is more than usually sympathetic to Jews who suffered under the Nazi regime, and this is not the first time Christopher’s operational effectiveness has been compromised by his inability to be objective about the Jewish victims of World War II.)

6. As an indication of Christopher’s considerable intuitive equipment, this officer mentions that Christopher expressed a caveat about Ilona Bentley before I had briefed him on our suspicions concerning this woman. He found her appearance in Naples questionable and had already begun to regard her as a potential opposition agent. Christopher cites Bentley’s sexual relationship with Miernik and presumably with Collins as a classic Soviet tactic to compromise and control these individuals. His mind is open as to whether Bentley is in place as an independent reporting asset for the Soviets, with instructions to monitor Miernik’s performance of his assignment. He thinks it possible also that Bentley has been assigned to influence, and report upon, Prince Kalash el Khatar.(See Christopher’s reporting for a claim by Khatar that he too had sexual relations with Bentley on 23 June.) If this is the case, Bentley merits the closest possible surveillance by Christopher.

7. In accordance with instructions, this officer refrained from giving Christopher a full briefing on the situation in Sudan concerning the Anointed Liberation Front. Khartoum should note that Christopher knows nothing of (a) interception of Soviet radio traffic; (b) the existence of Firecracker; or (c) the proposal to co-opt symbolic leadership of the ALF through the use of Prince Kalash as an agent provocateur.