A Secret Life (21 page)
Authors: Benjamin Weiser
Tags: #History, #Europe, #Germany, #World, #True Crime, #Espionage
As Daniel and Henry drove Kuklinski from the hotel after the third meeting, Kuklinski suggested with a sheepish grin that they meet again that night. Daniel and Henry declined and suggested Kuklinski take his crew to a movie.
In the final meeting, which lasted two and a half hours, Kuklinski seemed much more relaxed, and he promised to remain alert and cautious so that he might be able to arrange another set of meetings in 1976. “Our farewell was capped by firm embraces and best wishes,” Henry noted, with the ritual toasts and quaffing of aquavit.
It was Henry’s impression, after the sessions ended, that whatever anxiety Kuklinski felt about security had not altered his resolve. “There is no doubt that subj is a political fanatic, whose strong anti-regime and anti-[Soviet] sentiments build the main portion of his motivation, and that he is willing to remain in place and work ‘to the last drop of his blood,’” Henry told headquarters.
“Despite that, the wear and tear of his nerves is beginning to show, resulting in a creeping fear, which at times seems to deprive him of previous, so-clearly-displayed, logic―and he is starting to think of a ‘way out.’”
Henry believed Kuklinski could remain in place “for some time to come, if we put his mind to rest by providing a package of clear-cut guarantees, and stress the human element of our relationship in personal messages to him.” Daniel and Henry had urged Kuklinski to engage in constant self-analysis “and to inform us immediately if and when the psychological burden of his work on our behalf should become intolerable.”
In a separate cable, Daniel and Henry wrote that Kuklinski seemed prepared to stay in place, although he “still claims―and shows―nervousness over something going on in the background.”
The agency prepared a twenty-three-page single-spaced typed set of instructions concerning security and communications for Kuklinski to be delivered in the next car exchange, which was scheduled for the fall. The CIA also offered cautions because of the Pawlowski espionage case.
We have received evidence from a number of sources that the Pawlowski affair has had far-reaching repercussions in your country and that there is an extensive investigation going on among military personnel. We realize that you did not personally know Pawlowski, but as all military personnel may be subject to closer security, we want to remind you to be especially discreet in your personal behavior.From our sources, we understand that there is much uneasiness among the military and that anyone who appears to be living [above] his means or who has access to western contacts becomes suspect. Even little things―unusual purchases―can bring one to the attention of the authorities. . . .We know that your professional work is very exhausting and demanding. This coupled with the special work you are doing for us must place a heavy strain on you physically and mentally. We hope this does not cause moods of depression, fatigue or nervousness which could draw attention to you. Your personal courage and dedication to our mutual cause are profoundly respected by all of us who work with you, but we do not want you to take unnecessary risks on our behalf.
Daniel wrote separately to Kuklinski:You know that I will be waiting eagerly to hear that you received this package securely. Although it is by necessity so brief, even such human contact as that has great meaning to us, as I know it does for you, in the difficult mission that we are carrying out together.[Henry] and I talked at length that day after you left, and I have returned in thought many times to the scenes of our most recent meetings. The truth is that they started on a difficult and anxious theme, understandably so because of what had happened the year before. It seemed to me that we faced this theme squarely, identifying facts, feelings and possibilities. . . .By the end of our last meeting, I had the strong conviction that―together―we had reached an honest and positive conclusion. . . . Your record of increased access to materials, repeated praise from your superiors, training and travel abroad is not the kind of record that someone under suspicion can expect. In short, it was a difficult year, but it is over. You had the alertness, calm, and courage to remain steadfast when lesser men would have faltered in one way or another. All of us salute you most profoundly for this. But there are some very specific lessons to be learned from this. . . .
Daniel advised Kuklinski there was much to “read and study” in the CIA’s latest package, and he hoped Kuklinski would not be offended if the security information repeated areas he already knew.
These “reminders” I ask you to accept in the spirit of their giving. The importance of your security, of your well-being and that of your family, is unmatched by any other consideration. Sure, we will labor over every package from you, to examine and benefit from the documents you have selected and copied so expertly. They will have, as they already have had, tremendous value to my government. But, always, our first concern in opening each package is to find the personal note from you, to learn that you are . . . OK!
“Czolem,” Daniel closed, meaning “I salute you.” A successful exchange took place October 12.
Over the next six months, Kuklinski felt the pressures alleviate somewhat; his work situation seemed stable, and his family was doing well. Waldek, now twenty-two, had never learned to drive and cared little about clothes or material goods. He remained a loner, rarely went out, and at times appeared completely detached from the world. He never asked for money, and when Kuklinski and Hanka offered to buy clothes for him, he would refuse, saying it was too expensive and reminding them they were building a new house. But he adored books―he had a collection of more than 1,000 volumes, including first editions―and he and Kuklinski spent many hours discussing various moral issues Waldek confronted in his reading. Kuklinski told his son: “I know the song in your heart and in your mind, and I’m proud of it.” Waldek was studying law at Warsaw University.
Bogdan, who was twenty, lacked Waldek’s intellectual curiosity, but shared his father’s passion for adventure. He loved to drive cars and motorcycles, had a knack for fixing them, and enjoyed sailing with his father. For a long time, Bogdan had wanted to be a doctor, but his grades had not been strong enough. Recently, they had begun to improve; he had finished with the highest grade in biology and had even participated in a national biology competition. Now he was preparing for graduation and was hoping again to study medicine. His girlfriend, Grazyna, General Hermaszewski’s daughter, was studying economics in Gdansk, but planned to transfer to Warsaw if Bogdan was accepted to medical school there. They spent all their free time together, usually at her house. Neither son showed any curiosity about Kuklinski’s work at the General Staff.
At work, Kuklinski occasionally dropped hints of marital problems. Before heading to an exchange, he would buy roses or other flowers, explaining to Hanka that he needed a cover for the occasional encounters with his American friends from Vietnam. Word even spread on the General Staff of Kuklinski’s surreptitious liaisons in parks around the city. Within the male-dominated General Staff, this led to nothing more than a few raised eyebrows, and Kuklinski did nothing to dispel the rumors. If he was ever seen going to a late-night exchange, such gossip might explain his behavior.
On December 21, 1975, in a year-end letter to Daniel, Kuklinski said he had taken Daniel’s cautions seriously and had not allowed the incident of the previous year and the chase by the SB to discourage him.
Dear Daniel,Your personal letters and the entire pertinent correspondence are for me a special kind of reward for tensions and anxieties which, after all, I included in my thoroughly thought out and absolutely mature decision to initiate our cooperation. Although never, not even for a moment, did a thought come to my mind that my life’s path should be different (during my efforts to break away from the chase, I only thought, why does it come so soon?).Nevertheless, a feeling of wanting to live and act―because it is useful and helpful―is probably very necessary for me. I thank you for this, because while reading your letters I can indeed think that way. I also thank all those who in a non-personal manner steer my efforts in the right direction, who exert themselves in preserving the durability of established contacts, and who, to a no lesser degree than I, take a risk in contacting me for regular exchanges....Daniel, although the recent period of time did not spare me shocks and psychological tensions, the state of my health is good and the feeling of security stronger than ever before. I think this is not only a question of routine and natural adaptation. The curing factor is mainly my murderous tempo of work, continued access to information which is subject to a specific and restricted kind of secrecy, and also further proof of deepening confidence of the leadership of the Polish Armed Forces General Staff.
The serenity in his family life was clearly a source of great satisfaction to him. He described Waldek’s strong moral character and his deep immersion into philosophy, literature, and the law; and noted Bogdan’s improved grades and rekindled dream of medical school. Hanka’s doctors had diagnosed pains in her limbs as arthritis, but despite her fragility, she worked diligently and maintained their household. “She is my true friend, and I cannot imagine that anyone could be her match,” Kuklinski wrote.
In response to earlier questions about his decision to participate in the housing cooperative on Rajcow Street, Kuklinski said he had been reluctant at first, feeling that the project might draw him unwanted attention, and he wondered if he could afford it. But he eventually agreed to join under pressure from colleagues, including General Hermaszewski, who said it would be feasible over time. Kuklinski emphasized that he was careful to maintain his frugal lifestyle to avoid attracting attention. They had not added any furniture, rugs, or curtains to the apartment, and they had had the same refrigerator for seven years and the same TV for fourteen.
The General Staff was planning a fifth cruise in the summer of 1976 through Scandinavia. Because of the Pawlowski affair, Polish counterintelligence was now scrupulously investigating any military personnel traveling abroad, and Kuklinski had considered withdrawing from the voyage, under the pretext of needing to supervise his house construction. “But this can also arouse suspicions,” he added, saying he had decided that he should not alter his plans. That night, he made the exchange in a heavy downpour. The agency’s letters included a note from Daniel thanking him for his latest films.
As you predicted, it appears that you have been incredibly busy since your return. Certainly the results in your last package showed the superb effort and product of long, arduous hours of work. We are deeply grateful. Still, as I wrote you, the first thing we look for in opening each package from you is your personal note, to learn that all is well.
Daniel and his staff paid keen attention to the tone of Kuklinski’s messages, in part because they had a new reason for concern. The CIA had been under harsh scrutiny in the news media, and Senator Frank Church had initiated a series of investigative hearings in Congress to look into a wide range of abuses by the agency, including plots to assassinate foreign leaders and the surreptitious opening of mail sent by American citizens. Daniel and other officers worried that sources like Kuklinski would be following the news of the investigations and might fear that their own activities would be exposed.
A copy of Kuklinski’s letter was sent to the Deputy Director of Operations (DDO) by the Soviet Division chief, who noted that Kuklinski’s last letter made “no mention at all of the investigations of the CIA, nor has he done so in earlier messages.”
We can take his silence on this score as a sign of his trust in us, or as further evidence of his resolve―under any and all circumstances―to follow the path he has chosen. Although he has had some chilling experiences, and even proposed a suspension of internal contact last year, he has never stopped collecting and copying documents in the three and one-half years of his work with us.
The DDO wrote back, saying Daniel’s letter had been shown to Director William Colby.
As it turned out, Kuklinski had indeed been aware of the investigations but seemed more concerned about the burden they were on CIA officers than about any risks to himself. On February 15, 1976, he wrote to the Americans:
It is with great concern that I follow the daily reports sent by the Polish Press Agency about the blind hue and cry against this organization. It is not for me to evaluate these facts, nor do I fear that this may affect my security (which is not certain in any case).I am, however, amazed by the fact that in a situation where the forces of violence are extending even farther [in the world] that such actions are being undertaken. I believe, however, in the American people, in their enormous creative powers and instinct, which will not permit the strength and effectiveness of its state and its executive authorities to be weakened.I send to all of you, gentlemen, expressions of my highest respect and esteem along with best wishes and regards to Daniel.Jack StrongWarsaw
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