Observations at a Russian Cocktail Party

Document Type: 
Collection: 
Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 
CIA-RDP65-00756R000600040030-9
Release Decision: 
RIFPUB
Original Classification: 
K
Document Page Count: 
3
Document Creation Date: 
December 9, 2016
Document Release Date: 
May 4, 2001
Sequence Number: 
30
Case Number: 
Publication Date: 
June 9, 1955
Content Type: 
IRR
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PDF icon CIA-RDP65-00756R000600040030-9.pdf315.26 KB
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so rem f42- Approved For Release 2001/08/2 ; ClA_RDP65-00756R0006000400 - f IIOVl1~t aw" I RIPORT No IR-291-55~ AIR INTELLIGENCE INFORMATION REPORT U (Uhcl) Observations at a Russian Cocktail Party Where Western Service Attaches Were G AREA REPORTED ON - FRoM (.42rncI Sweden OAirA,_Stockholm, 9rreden -- - - 9 June 1955 -- A-?i B-3___ - LT COL $ H BBRKENKAMP & MAJOR D J HAVARD Personal contact REFERENCES (I ' Croi r . rnDer, d+,eclire, ,-rcrtiotj report, etc., ax applicable) BAIR 1B; IR-2711-55 SUMMARY: tooter canclea euinmarg of report. Gwc o gnifcance in fbtal ane.erntenee paragraph. List mcloeuret at lower left. Begin text of report on A F to- m 11 r -fart 11.) 1. This report contains an account of observations made at a cocktail party given by the Russian Military Attache in honor of his assistant, Major Vladimir Konobeev, who is terminating his tour in Stockholm and returning to Moscow. In addition, further information on Major Konobeev is related as it was received from t other sources. Although it is difficult to evaluate the rellab. .ity of the informa- tion in paragraph 6 and 7 of the following pages, it is being forwarded for whatever it is worth. t_IE?RARy StJr~_l~f.* XL nir1a'.A COD 3-0/ -7~ pQ to/ss' /V (IAZM,) yeti, (,N) CHARLES H. MacDONAlD Colonel, USAF Air Attache DIA Declassification/Release Instructions on File DAI.' INFY RMAT UN I EVALLATI[Ni 3 June 1955 A*!rtbassy, Stockholm A r it AND 32. AS AMEND ITS TRANSMISSION OR THE REVELATION OF IT' CONTENTS IN ANY MANNER TO AN UNAUTHORIZED PERSON IS PROHIBITED eY-t* 17 MAY NOT BE REPRODUCED IN WHOLE OR IN PART. BY OTHER THAN UNITED STATES AIR FORCE AGENCIES, EXCEPT BY PERMISSION Of THE DIREcftA O* O, F10 'NTi09C (CLASSIFICATION) kk'" a6 V;p ,,For Release 2001/08/27 : CIA-RDP65-00756R000600040030-9 Approved For Release 2001/08/27 : CIA-RDP65-00756R000600040030-9 BART Ii ON " AIR INTELLIGENCE INFORMATION REPORT ALirA, Stockholm, Sweden nt-291-55 1. On 3 June 1955 a cocktail party was given by the Russian Militai' and Air Attache, Colonel Semen Iouchtchenko. It was given in Colonel Iouchtchero's apartment at Linnegatan 21, Stockholm. 2. The reporting officer and Mrs. Berkenkamp attended the party and among the guests, the following "Iron Curtain" individuals were presents (Host) Colonel and Mrs. Semen Iouchtchenko (Russian Military and Air Attache) Major and Mrs. Vladimir Konobeev (Assistant Military Attache) Captain Nikolai Sokol (Russian Naval Attache) Colonel Serguei Svdokimov (Russian Asst Military Attache) Major Boris Konev (Russian Asat Military Attache) Lt. Colonel Roman Szcsepaniak (Polish Military-Naval-Air Attache) Captain Iladyslaw Wojcik (Polish Asst Military Attache) Tterpreter (name unknown) Possibly other members of the Russian Embassy There were several other women :)resent, presumably wives of the above officers, but their identity was not detervi{~r;,,--d. Also among the guests were: Swedish Foreign Liaison officers, including General .rmann British Are, Naval and Air attaches Canadian Army and Naval attaches Egyp. ian military attache Dutch m litary-air attache Finnish military attache Danish military attache American Army and Naval attaches Apparently all of the foreign service attaches assigned to Sweden were invited; however not all attended. This may have been due to another party at the Norwegian Embassy. 3. Major and Mrs. Konobeev were at the head of the receiving line most of the time. Some of the other iron curtain members made up the rest of the receiving line. Major Konobeev was the only iron curtain attache in uniform. The host, Colonel Iouchtchenko, seAsd to have full command of the situation. Several times a glance or a nod from him would cause other iron curtain members to move away from the person to whom they may have been speaking. Major Konobeev emphasised several times in conversation with Mrs. Berkenkamp on how glad he would be to return to Moscow after four years in Sweden. On one occasion when Major Konobeev had moved away from his position in the receiving line, one of the Canadian service attaches approached his and stated, "Cornbeef, how is it that you are wearing wings? I thought you were a soldier and not a flyer." Major Konobeev seemed anxious to discontinue the conversa.- tion because he immediately moved back to his position in the receiving line with the comment that a soldier had to be able to do-anything. (From contact with other western attaches, it is believed that Majors Konobeev was an observer in the Russian air army during World War II). 4, The interpreter, mentioned in par 2, did not participate in the social gathers but appeared to be standing aside to assist when needed. He stated to Mrs. Berkenkamp that be, was the Russian interpreter rrvd com%d speak English and Swedish quite well. He had spoken only a few words when bec*vrr..d srwecy by Colonel Iouchtchenko. He left inwediately and excused himself somewbat emnart'aased. 5. Major Konev spoke English feason,4u well., however he stated that upon his first arrival in Sweden his English + s s6imee it better but it had deteriorated as his NOTE: THIS DOCUMENT CONTAINS INFORMATION AFFEC TINE T E ... SI ITS _. ND S AM E. E 41 AMU 3'. A IT MAY NOT BE REPRODUCED IN WHOLE OR IN PART. BY G'-~ Approved For Release 2001/08/27 : CIA-RDP65-00756R000600040030-9 N! UNITED STATES WITHIN THE MEANING OF THE ESPIONAGE ACT. 50 U. S. C.- ;'t.'ct. , tN ANY MANNER TO AN UNAUTHORIZED PERSON IS PROHIBITED BY LAW. SATES AIR FORCE AGENCIES, EXCEPT BY PERMISSION OF THE DIRECTOR OF IR-291-55 U. I..OYC..MCNT /.INTIN. OIIIC[ 41 Ap oved For Release' 2QO1/08,127~!r"CIA-RDP65-00756R000600040030-9 #Ir 112-BART ii a+ac ro I JUNE 1941 (CLASSIFCAT)ON) AIR INTELLIGENCE INFORMATION REPORT A"w) . REPORT NO. QIirA, Stockholm, Sweden IR-291-55 . PAGE 3 OF 3 Swedish improved. Captain Sokol when acai^essed in E lish k d t as a 1-6 hat we speak 3+adiah since he did not understand fish very well, Most of the conversation was about everyday ,"matters such as the weather, how we liked Sweden, etc., and was of no particular significance. 6. A British Service attache, who knows Major Konobeev better than most, volunteered the following: Although he and the Dutch Service attache were invited to (and attended) this party, neither of their respective wives were invited. He felt that the reason, in the case of his wife, was that she had reminded Major Konobeev of his rudeness at the Service Attache Ball last May 12th; her reason for doing this was when Major K,Onobeev twice terminated her dancing by calling her Russian officer dancing partner away in the middle of the dance. He also stated that Konobeev once said he (Konobeev) was an air gunner during World War II, was shot down and had suffered frostbite of the hands. After the war Konobeev transferred to the Red Army. The British believe, however, that Konobeev is still a full fledged member of the Red Air Force and a member of the MVD; also that Konobeev is not his real name. This informant further stated that Konobeev once had a visa to England denied on the basis of his affiliation with the MVD. Konobeev has a very intimate knowledge of England - almost as if he had lived there. for some time. 7? A reliable Swedish source also volunteered the information that Konobeev was in the Red Air Force during World War II,but as a pilot; that he was shot down, received frost bite on his hands, that he is still in the Red Air Force in the MVD even though he declares he is in the Red Army. Also, that he is the Number One man in the Russian Eibasily in Stockholay and that Konobeev is not h -Is real name. Cd KENTS of the Preparing Officers: 8. This is the time in the ( past several years at least) the Russians have had a going away pz~rty for an assistant attache. In the past they have left Sweden without any prior knowledge to attache colleagues. During the month of April Major Ionobeev informed Major Havard of this office that he was returning to Moscow in June or July on leave, and would return. The change occurred within the past few weeks making his return to Russia permanent. Major Konobeev has been the most friendly of the Russian and Iron Curtain attaches. His knowledge of several language unobstructed conversations with other western attaches, and the fact that the Russian attache saw fit to have a farewell cocktail party for this individual, indicate that Major Konobeev is recognized in his own go rnment, or at least in the Russian labaasy in Stockholm, as one of greater importance than perhaps his rank or title reveals. 9. Paragraphs 1 through 5 are evaluated A-1; paragraphs 6 and 7, B-3, I DAVID' $. HAVARD EUGENE H. BERKE NKAMP Major' USAF Lt, Colonel, USAF Assistant Air Attachg Senior Assistant Air Attache NOTE: THIS DOCUMENT CONTAINS INFORMATION AFFECTING THE NATIONAL DEFENSE OF THE UNITED STATES WITHIN THE MEANING OF THE ESPIONAGE ACT, 50 U . S. C.- 31 AND 32, AS AMENDED. ITS TRANSMISSION OR THE REVELATION OF ITS CONTENTS IN ANY MANNER TO AN UNAUTHORIZED PERSON IS PROHIBITED BY LAW. IT MAY NOT BE REPRODUCED IN WHOLE OR IN PART. BY OTHER THAN UNITED STATES AIR FORCE AGENCIES, EXCEPT BY PERMISSION OF THE DIRECTOR OF INTELLIGENCE, USAF. ?yF/ ~OF/AL- (CLASSIFICATION) IR-291-55 Approved For Release 2001/08/27 : CIA-RDP65-0075,6R000.600040030-9