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 tookoY 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.
eeFocus 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