ASSAULT ON MARINE CORPORAL JON HILDRETH -- THE OFFICIAL SOVIET VERSION

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP87-00812R000100010012-0
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: December 27, 2016
• Document Release Date: December 11, 2012
• Sequence Number: 12
• Publication Date: March 14, 1985
• Content Type: CABLE

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Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/12/11: CIA-RDP87-00812R000100010012-0
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FM AMEMBASSY MOSCOW
TC RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHOC IMMEDIATE 8202
INFO RUFHFT/AMCONSUL FRANKFURT 7438
RUFHLG/AMCONSUL LENINGRAD 1525
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C O N F I D E N T I A L
DEPT. FOR A/SY/OPS/FO/MSG AND EUR/SO\'
FRANKFURT FOR ADS
LENINGRAD FOR PO AND RSO
E.O. 12356: N/A
TAGS: ASEC, UP. US
SUBJECT: ASSAULT ON MARINE CORPORAL JON HILDRETH -- THE
OFFICIAL SOVIET VERSION
1. SUMMARY: COLONEL NIKOLAI FOMENKO. CHIEF OF DIPLO-
MATIC MILITIA. REQUESTED AN URGENT MEETING WITH THE RSC
ON MARCH 7, 1985. AFTER SETTING THE PROPER STAGE BY
RELATING A NUMBER OF PREVIOUS INCIDENTS ALLEGEDLI
INVOLVING CORPORAL HILDRETH; FOMENKO AND HIS TWO AIDES
PROCEEDED TO DESCRIBE HILDRETH'S ACTIVITIES AT THE
INTOURIST HOTEL ON THE MORNING OF MARCH 6. 1985, SPECIFI-
CALLY ACCUSING HIM OF PHYSICALLY ASSAULTING AN ELDERLY
MALE EMPLOYEE OF THE HOTEL. WHEN QUESTIONED A SECOND
TIME BY THE PSO ON MARCH 8, HILDRETH STATED THAT AT
NO TIME DID HE ASSAULT AN EMPLOYEE OF THE INTOURIST
HOTEL AND ONCE AGAIN AFFIRMED THE ACCURACY OF HIS
ORIGINAL ACCOUNT OF HIS ACTIVITIES ON THE DATE IN
QUESTION (REF A). EMBASSY CONTINUES TO BELIEVE THAT
HILDRETH WAS THE SUBJECT OF A PREMEDITATED ASSAULT AND
THAT THE SOVIET COUNTER-CHARGE IS COMPLETELY SPURIOUS.
END SUMMARY.
2. EMBASSY SECURITY OFFICERS MET WITH COLONEL NIKOLAI
FOMENKO AND HIS AIDES AT HIS REQUEST AT 1730 HOURS.
MARCH 7. 1985. AFTER A BRIEF DISCUSSION OF SEVERAL
ON-GOING ROUTINE MATTERS, FOMENKO BEGAN RELATING A SERIES
OF INCIDENTS ALLEGEDLY INVOLVING QUESTIONABLE ACTIVITIES
ON THE PART OF CORPORAL JON HILDRETH. (IT WAS IMMEDIATELY
APPARENT THAT HIS INTENTION WAS TO ESTABLISH THE APPRO-
PRIATE CONTEXT IN WHICH TO RELATE THE INTOURIST HOTEL
INCIDENT: I.E., HILDRETH IS AN HABITUAL TROUBLEMAKER.)
FOMENKO BEGAN WITH AN INCIDENT WHICH OCCURRED IN MID-
CONFIDENTIAL
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/12/11: CIA-RDP87-00812R000100010012-0
 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/12/11: CIA-RDP87-00812R000100010012-0
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CONFIDENTIAL
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DECEMBER 1984 IN WHICH HILDRETH ALLEGEDLY ENTERED A
MOSCOW HOTEL ATTIRED "IN HIS UNDERWEAR," AN ACT THE
SOVIETS CONSIDERED INAPPROPRIATE. A SECOND INCIDENT
MENTIONED INVOLVED MILITIA RESPONDING TO A NOISE COMPLAINT
AT THE HOTEL ROOM OF TWO AMERICAN FEMALE STUDENTS.
HILDRETH WAS IN THE ROOM WITH THE TWO STUDENTS AT THE
TIME. A THIRD INCIDENT INVOLVED HILDRETH ARRIVING AT
THE AMERICAN EMBASSY IN AN INEBRIATED STATE AND FAILING TO
PAY THE TAXI DRIVER FOR THE RIDE. FINALLY, FOMENKO
BROUGHT UP THE INCIDENT AT THE INTOURIST HOTEL (HE
MIS-IDENTIFIED THE HOTEL AS THE COSMOS HOTEL) WHICH HE
DESCRIBED AS A SERIOUS AFFAIR AS IT INVOLVED A PHYSICAL
ASSAULT ON AN ELDERLY MAN EMPLOYED AT THE HOTEL. ACCOR-
DING TO THE MILITIA REPORT, HILDRETH ENTERED THE RESTROOM
NEAR THE LOBBY OF THE HOTEL IN THE EARLY MORNING HOURS
OF MARCH 6, 1985, TURNED OFF THE LIGHTS. AND WHEN APPROACHED
BY THE 64-YEAR-OLD MALE TOILET ATTENDANT. ASSAULTED THE
ELDERLY MAN BY PUNCHING AND KICKING HIM. ONLY AFTER A
SECOND SOVIET EMPLOYEE ARRIVED ON THE SCENE WAS HILDRETH
OVERPOWERED, TAKEN INTO CUSTODY, AND BROUGHT TO THE
MILITIA OFFICE LOCATED NEAR THE MAIN LOBBY. THERE,
ACCORDING TO FOMENKO. HILDRETH ASSAULTED TWO UNIFORMED
MILITIA OFFICERS WHO ATTEMPTED TO QUESTION HIM. HE
SUBSEQUENTLY BROKE FREE OF THE MILITIA AND FLED THE
HOTEL WHEN A CANADIAN CITIZEN, NOT IDENTIFIED BY THE
MILITIA (BUT KNOWN TO HAVE BEEN ROBERT SHALKA) INTERVENED
ON HILDRETH'S BEHALF. WHEN SPECIFICALLY ASKED BY THE
REPORTING OFFICER WHY THE MILITIA OFFICERS DID NOT PURSUE
HILDRETH WHEN HE RAN FROM THE ROOM, FOMENKO EXPLAINED
THAT THE MILITIA OFFICER IN CHARGE AT THE HOTEL WAS
YOUNG AND INEXPERIENCED AND HESITATED TO PURSUE HILDRETH
ONCE THE "CANADIAN" IDENTIFIED HIM AS AN "AMERICAN DIPLO-
MAT". FOMENKO CONCLUDED HIS REPORT BY STRONGLY REQUESTING
THAT THE EMBASSY TAKE MEASURES TO ENSURE THAT SIMILAR
ACTIVITIES DID NOT OCCUR IN THE FUTURE. HE DID NOT INDI-
CATE THAT HILDRETH WOULD BE THE SUBJECT OF PNG ACTION.
(FYI: CORPORAL JON HILDRETH DEPARTED MOSCOW ON ROUTINE RE-
ASSIGNMENT TO CANBERRA ON MARCH 8, 1985.)
3. ON THE MORNING OF MARCH 8, 1985. CORPORAL JON HILDRETH
WAS AGAIN INTERVIEWED BY THE R50, THIS TIME WITH
SPECIFIC REFERENCE TO THE SOVIET CHARGE THAT HE ASSAULTED
A HOTEL EMPLOYEE IN THE RESTROCM OF THE INTOURIST HOTEL.
HILDRETH AGAIN AFFIRMED THE ACCURACY OF HIS ORIGINAL
STATEMENT AND DENIED THAT HE ASSAULTED ANYONE AT THE
HOTEL ON THE NIGHT IN QUESTION. HE WAS THEN OFFERED
FULL IMMUNITY FROM DISCIPLINARY ACTION AND GIVEN A FINAL
OPPORTUNITY TO CHANGE HIS STORY. HE DID NOT.
LIMITED OFFICIAL USE SECTION 02 OF 02 MOSCOW 03170
DEPT. FOR A/SY/OPS/FO/MSG AND EUR%SCV
FRANKFURT FOR ADS
LENINGRAD FOR PO AND R50
E.O. 12356: N/A
TAGS: ASEC, UP, US
SUBJECT: ASSAULT ON MARINE CORPORAL JON HILDRETH -- THE
4. BASED UPON CORPORAL HILDRETH'S FIRM DENIAL OF
IMPROPER CONDUCT, OUR KNOWLEDGE OF HIS CHARACTER AND
PAST PERFORMANCE. AND THE COMMENTS OF EYEWITNESS ROBERT
SHALKA, WE HAVE NO CHOICE BUT TO BELIEVE THAT HILDRETH
WAS THE SUBJECT OF A PREMEDITATED ASSAULT. CONSECUENTL
WE VIEW THE SOVIET COUNTER-CHARGE AS SPURIOUS.
5. WE PLAN NO FURTHER ACTION AT THIS TIME AND WILL
AWAIT A SOVIET RESPONSE TO OUR NOTE. HARTMAN
END OF MESSAGE CONFIDENTIAL
CONFIDENTIAL
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/12/11: CIA-RDP87-00812R000100010012-0