f all the top-secret chive, she memos be tween the politburo — the inner cabinet — carried the highest security classification In May 1983, Viktor Cheb: rikov, chairman of the KGB, wrote a hand-signed letter to General Secretary. Yuri Andropoy asking for instruc- tions ~ a well he might. He Was reporting a highly irrege lar contact,” given the icy rhetoric between Washington and Moscow and the. virtual shutdown in their. relations The document was kept, lik others, ina beige cardboard folder’ marked. “special file ‘ripes in the top righthand Init Chebrikoy wrote of an approach” by Senator Ed ard Kennedy. through the g0od offices of John Tunney, 2 former Democratic ‘senator from California. ‘The Soviets appeared to believe this was a request from Kennedy for help th plenty of | in counter-acting Ronald Res eft in the bank, | gan's arms. policies, More _t0 Alexander | importantly perhaps, it ap peared they unders die as ailing forthe | AMR owed maw re pay ca cuaSoriet relations, ith the plied, “jus In Kennedy's view, said ll be to do that | Chebrikov, “the principle dan- ser was that Reagan refused'to ‘correct that policy Tn Chebrikow's report, the senator suggested “that in the interest of world. peace would be useful and timely to take afew extra. steps. to counteract the militaristic policies of Ronald Reagan’ According to the document Kennedy was asking for an in vitation for face-to-face talks with Andropov. "The senator considers that would equip him with the Soviet posit on arms control and ances on the subject inthe Further, Kennedy believed it desirable to organise an American television interview From the KGB's Kennedy file with Andropov and other Sov: iet officials and offered help. They (the officials) would have the chance to address di rectly the American people with their own explanation of Peaceful Soviet initiatives, Kennedy apparently said he was motivated by a desire (0 reduce the threat of nuclear wwar, but Chebrikoy said Tun: ney had informed the Rus Slans the senator was ecting his efforts at becoming president of the US in 1988" By then, went the narrative, he would be 56 and would have distanced himself from per: Sonal problems that had weak ened his position Tunney, now a lawyer in Los Angeles, rejects the thrust of the KGB memo, claiming Kennedy had no inte Teddy, the KGB and the top secret file running in 1988, and that there had been of the senator chances. He cal bullshit led it Tunney confirmed, how- ever, that he made some 15 Visits to the Soviet Uni ing that period, acts io-between" for a k torial friends, and u thers, still in gove who wanted a cutback ion dur. gas a ‘of sena- named rament, “represented the views of for me senators,” he said. AS he suggestions about mage-enhancement he ‘Said: "I did not make that kind Of representation about public relations. [told them i cad it would be good PR if they an- nounced a cutback. Asked why Che might have written Tunney said he ¢ brikoy & false rent of the approach, ought ‘someone was trying to sound bigger than they were in their self-interest to be with me and with Ken ined)” Friends of Kennedy point out that records att Show the sen he time the Russians hard on haman ts and they say th hat if he had gone to Moscow he would have met dissidents as well ‘Not that the initia anything: a typed the file, bearing Andropo's signature, showed hi impressed. The note, addressed. to Andrei Gromyko, the minister, and Dimitri Ustin the defence minister, ‘want you to look this o give me your impressi for read: "i iver and s. The ‘guestion of recetving Kennedy Taises doubts in my mind. If the time comes to tall Democrats, then it better to. meet of presidential “candida k to the ould be ‘of the the more so since Kennedy has re- cently” reduced. his profile.” political The last Earth Summit tookoY FINS 2 FEBRUARY 1972 Focus “13 THE KREMLIN | Teddy, the KGB and the top secret file The last Earth Summit took place 20 years ago in Stockholm. Since then, our subject has aged considerably. eeFocus FEBRUARY 199-11 SUNDAY TIMES DIALOGUE WITH hough the Soviet Union has colapsed, ts secrets Ive (on. Tim Sebastian, former award-winning BBC BB tonne | Seat pea