The Miernik Dossier (19 page)

I got up and put on my boots. Kalash, still not moving a muscle, said, “What is that imbecile doing in the car at this time of night?”

“I’ll ask him,” I said. “Maybe his wounds are bothering him.” (Miernik has removed his sling, but he still moves rather stiffly.)

Kalash said nothing more, and I assumed he went back to sleep at once. I walked to the car and looked in through the windshield. Miernik was sitting in the back seat with his thick Mont Blanc fountain pen in one hand and a smallish book in the other. He turned the pages of the book, ran his finger down the edge of the page, counted the lines to the point where his finger stopped, and then wrote a number on a sheet of paper. Then he repeated the process.

I guess I don’t have to tell you folks that he was writing a message, using a book code. I moved back out of the light but kept watching. Miernik was absorbed in his work. He went at it rapidly, with none of the fussiness and hesitation he usually displays. He’d find a word, note the number of its line on the pages, and enter it with the page number in a five-digit group. Judging by the place at which he’d opened the book, he was using three-digit pages. Therefore the first three digits are the page number and the last two the line number. I suppose he uses the first word on the line cited. The book had a gray cover with red lettering.

After five minutes or so, I started back to my tent. “What is he doing?” Kalash asked from the floor of the desert.

“He’s reading,” I replied.

Miernik came creeping back about ten minutes later. Kalash did not speak to him, and I was glad I didn’t have to. Catching him red-handed bothered me less than I might have expected. There is a certain satisfaction in being a successful Peeping Tom; otherwise no one would do this sort of work. But Miernik’s damn foolishness annoyed me. Why did he choose this time and this place to mess around with a book code? Where would he get rid of it? Not even the Soviets use natives with cleft sticks as moving dead-drops, and in the desert Miernik would certainly find no other way to get rid of his clandestine message. It would be typical of the man to entrust it to the Egyptian mails in the next small town we come to. The whole scene—sneaking out to the car at night, pulling down the shades, scribbling away in circumstances that offered a 99 percent chance for detection—was so amateurish. It made me angry that Miernik could be such a fool.

3 July.
Two things to record in connection with the events of
last night:

1. Miernik’s book is Tocqueville’s
Democracy in America,
World’s Classics edition No. 496 (Oxford University Press, 1959). He left it lying on his sleeping bag when he came out for breakfast.

2. This morning, in Marsa Alam, he did mail a letter at the post office.

59.  D
ECODED VERSION OF
M
IERNIK’S MESSAGE.
*

JOURNEY IN FINAL STAGE. MUCH TROUBLED YOUR FAILURE COMMUNICATE, GREATLY HOPE THIS MEANS NO CHANGE IN PLANS OR DIMINUTION HOPES FOR SUCCESS. COMPANIONS AMIABLE. HAVE ADDED ENGLISH GIRL (B)ALTIMORE (E)XCELLENCE (N)OWHERE (T)RIUMPHANT (L)OVE (E)XCELLENCE (Y)OUNG. EXPECT REACH DESTINATION TWELFTH OR THEREABOUTS. MONEY GIVEN COURIER VERY GENEROUS. HER PAPERS SUPERB. MY HOPE IS FOR SAME AFTER PRESENT VENTURE. TRUSTING FRIENDS TO PROVIDE AS FINAL FAVOR. NEXT MESSAGE FROM CAPITAL OF DESTINATION COUNTRY. AFTER THAT SILENCE UNTIL WE MEET AGAIN.

60.  R
EPORT BY A
P
OLISH NATIONAL CONTROLLED BY A
W
ESTERN INTELLIGENCE SERVICE (EXCERPT).

. . . Colonel Puszinsky of the Intelligence Service reported to the deputy foreign minister on 26 June that the requirements laid down for a joint Polish-Soviet operation in Africa had been fulfilled. The deputy foreign minister declined to be told full details of the operation and asked for an outline report only. Colonel Puszinsky assured him that a suitable Polish citizen, trained in intelligence work, had been assigned as a liaison between the Soviet Embassy in an East African country and an organization of freedom fighters in a different but neighboring country. The agent was en route to his assignment and on arrival would fall under control of the responsible Soviet officials. An official expression of gratitude on the part of the Soviets had been received by Colonel Puszinsky for communication to the deputy foreign minister.

61.  D
ISPATCH FROM THE
A
MERICAN STATION IN
V
IENNA (EXCERPT).

In the hope of allaying Geneva’s anxiety over the apparent confusion surrounding Christopher’s border-crossing operation, we have conducted a full debriefing of the Czech officer in command of Point Zebra. He states that the crossing by Christopher and Zofia Miernik was authorized by the Czech counterintelligence arm. The Czech CI officer who made the authorization was accompanied by a Russian known to our source as “Major Shigalov.” Our source believes that Shigalov is an officer of the KGB. It was Shigalov who instructed our source to create a diversion and permit the crossing by Christopher and the Miernik woman. There were no instructions to hold fire if Christopher and Zofia Miernik were discovered by the troops. Chances of that happening were regarded as minimal by Shigalov. Our source assumes that the crossing was a KGB operation designed to infiltrate personnel into the West with the credibility that accrues from a hazardous escape across the frontier. He has taken part in a number of other episodes that followed a similar operational script. We tend to agree with his judgment, assuming that his version of events is accurate. He has in the past been highly reliable.

62.  I
NTERCEPTED TRAFFIC FROM
S
OVIET TRANSMITTER IN
D
AR ES
S
ALAAM (DECODED
5 J
ULY).

1. Initiate Golgotha 7 July.

2. Rendezvous 0147 15 July [map coordinates for a point 48 miles west-northwest of El Fasher] with Richard. Recognition code: Heaven is far away. Reply: Allah awaits us near at hand.

3. Long live the brave fighters of the Anointed Liberation Front and the great cause of the workers.

63.  C
ABLE FROM THE
A
MERICAN STATION IN
K
HARTOUM.

1.
AT DAWN ON 7 JULY THE BODIES OF THREE OFFICIALS OF CENTRAL GOVERNMENT WERE FOUND IN MARKETPLACES OF EL OBEID, OTBARA, AND KASSALA, THREE IMPORTANT TOWNS LYING IN A CRESCENT AROUND KHARTOUM AT AN AVERAGE DISTANCE OF 200 MILES.

2.
IN ALL CASES VICTIMS WERE MUTILATED INCLUDING CASTRATION AND CRUCIFIED HEAD DOWNWARDS ON X-SHAPED CROSSES.

3.
FIRECRACKER CONFIRMS ALL THREE MURDERS WERE CARRIED OUT BY CELLS OF ANOINTED LIBERATION FRONT AS FIRST STAGE OF “OPERATION GOLGOTHA.”

4.
“OPERATION GOLGOTHA” IS TERROR CAMPAIGN LONG PLANNED BY ALF. MURDERS, WITH MUTILATION AND CRUCIFIXION OF VICTIMS, ARE INTENDED TO DEMONSTRATE THAT ALF CAN STRIKE ANYWHERE AND ANYTIME IT PLEASES AGAINST CENTRAL GOVERNMENT AND ITS OFFICIALS.

5.
MURDERS WILL CONTINUE WITH CRUCIFIED VICTIMS BEING DISPLAYED PROGRESSIVELY CLOSER TO KHARTOUM. OPERATIONAL PLAN OF “GOLGOTHA” CALLS FOR CRUCIFIXION OF NEXT VICTIMS TEN DAYS HENCE AT POINTS 20 MILES CLOSER TO KHARTOUIN ON MAIN ROADS EAST NORTH AND WEST OF THE CAPITAL.

6.
FIRECRACKER WAS UNABLE FOREWARN US OF THIS ACTION AS ITS LEADER IS “AHMED” (TRUE NAME UNKNOWN), THE OTHER PRINCIPAL ALF FIGURE TRAINED IN THE USSR. DETAILS OF “GOLGOTHA” WERE COMMUNICATED TO “AHMED” BY A SOVIET CASE OFFICER WHOM HE MET IN LATE JUNE (DATE UNCERTAIN) IN KHARTOUM. INSTRUCTIONS TO INITIATE “GOLGOTHA” WERE SIGNALED BY SOVIET CLANDESTINE RADIO ON 5 JULY. (WE INTERCEPTED AND DECODED BUT WERE UNABLE DETERMINE DETAILS “GOLGOTHA” UNTIL AFTER IT WAS LAUNCHED.)

7.
WE EMPHASIZE TO FIRECRACKER IMPORTANCE OF LEARNING AND COMMUNICATING DETAILS NEXT PHASE “GOLGOTHA” BEFORE THIS TAKES PLACE.

8.
REQUEST HEADQUARTERS CLEARANCE TO BRIEF SUDANESE POLICE LIAISON ON DETAILS KNOWN TO US INCLUDING SOVIET INVOLVEMENT BUT NOT REPEAT NOT INCLUDING DISCLOSURE OUR CONTROL OF FIRE-CRACKER

9.
FOLLOWING IS TEXT OF ALF HANDBILL POSTED AFTER ASSASSINATIONS IN MARKETPLACES PRINCIPAL SUDANESE TOWNS (TRANSLATION FROM ARABIC):

BELOVED BELIEVERS!

O BELOVED OF ALLAH! TODAY THREE CURSED LICKSPITTLES OF THE KHARTOUM CLIQUE THAT OFFENDS GOD AND THE TEACHING OF HIS PROPHET HAVE BEEN SENT TO ETERNAL PUNISHMENT. GOD IS GREAT. YOU WILL FIND THEM IN YOUR MARKETPLACE WITH THEIR FACES IN THE DUST. OTHERS WILL DIE AS THEY HAVE DIED. O BELOVED OF ALLAH! IT IS WE THE ANOINTED LIBERATION FRONT WHO HAVE TAKEN GOD’S VENGEANCE ON THESE MEN WHO SELL OUR BIRTHRIGHT TO THE IMPERIALISTS! THE HOUR COMES NEARER WHEN ALL THESE VICTIMS IN KHARTOUM SHALL DIE OR FLEE OUR VENGEANCE! NEXT TIME WE STRIKE CLOSER. WE SHALL STRIKE EVER CLOSER!

64.  D
ISPATCH FROM
W
ASHINGTON TO THE
A
MERICAN STATIONS IN
K
HARTOUM AND
G
ENEVA (
8 J
ULY)
.

1. Khartoum is instructed to inform the Sudanese authorities of the details of “Operation Golgotha,” and to brief the head of the Sudanese Special Branch on the activities, membership, and plans of the Anointed Liberation Front.

2. No operation is authorized that involves any risk to the life of Prince Kalash el Khatar. Khartoum may suggest the infiltration of Prince Kalash into the ALF to Special Branch and to the Amir of Khatar. Any decision to utilize Prince Kalash in this manner must, however, be made by the Amir and by the appropriate Sudanese officials. Khartoum may assure all parties of its cooperation, but it may not assume operational responsibility, which belongs to the Sudanese. Not only the appearance but also the reality of noninterference in the internal affairs of Sudan must be preserved.

3. Surveillance and reporting by Christopher with regard to the activities of the party traveling with Prince Kalash will be continued. Christopher will be handled by [his case officer from Geneva], who is assigned to temporary duty in Khartoum for the duration of Christopher’s activity within Sudan. Control of all U.S. aspects of this operation remains the responsibility of Khartoum.

4. In addition to his reporting function, Christopher is authorized to involve himself in covert action against all opposition elements, short of the use of violence. Khartoum will fully brief Christopher on all operational aspects of which he does not already have knowledge.

5. Khartoum’s briefing of Christopher should include the information that Headquarters has tentatively concluded that Tadeusz Miernik and Ilona Bentley are agents of the Soviet intelligence service. We believe Miernik is probably an asset of the Polish intelligence service on loan to the Soviets as principal agent in charge of their operations with regard to the ALF. Bentley is believed to be a Soviet agent assigned to monitor the performance of Miernik. These conclusions are based on evaluation of information from a variety of sources,
*
all of which tend to confirm that Miernik is the key to Soviet control and exploitation of the ALF in its terrorist phase. (The role of Zofia Miernik cannot at this time be determined. It is possible that she was employed as a courier to supply funds to Miernik, although her use in this role would not conform to normal Soviet funding techniques. It is somewhat less possible that she was defected as a payment to Miernik in order to assure his optimum operational performance. The entire scenario of double defection of a brother and sister is typical of the elaborate cover mechanisms of the Poles, and the anomalies in the Miernik situation may well be explained by the involvement of the Polish intelligence service in what is essentially a Soviet operation.)

6. Headquarters is hopeful that Christopher will be able to remove any doubts that Miernik and Bentley are under Soviet discipline. Khartoum may use its discretion to invent an operational device that will permit Christopher to confirm that these two operatives are, in fact, what we suspect them to be.

7. Our objective is the neutralization of Miernik and maximum embarrassment of the Soviets through public exposure of their role in the operations of the ALF. The prerequisite for attainment of our objective is the neutralization of the ALF. Headquarters is confident that the Sudanese security forces, aided by the information we are able to provide to them, will be able to deal effectively with the threat presented by the ALF.

8. Headquarters, in consideration of British sensitivity to operations in one of their former colonial areas, has instructed London to brief its liaisons with the British intelligence services on “Golgotha” and the situation concerning Miernik and Bentley. It is considered that the British may have information that is not at this time available to us. The pooling of information and of operational resources can work to mutual advantage. Christopher’s cover will be protected.

65.  R
EPORT BY
C
HRISTOPHER.

4 July.
Apart from ten or twelve hairbreadth escapes from death, the trip continues uneventfully. The peril comes from Kalash, who believes that cars are meant to be driven at their maximum speed. The road along the coast is fairly good until Ras Banas, about a hundred miles north of the Sudanese border, where it turns into a goat path. With the Red Sea on our left and a range of bleak hills on our right, we hurtled down the coast, one rear wheel often spinning in empty air over the edge of a precipice. Pedestrians and camels, and cars when we met them, scattered before the Cadillac like flocks of ducks. One terrified nomad went over the edge of a low cliff in a swan dive; if he landed on his head he must certainly have been killed. Kalash drives on, muttering in Arabic, with no hint of expression on his face, while the girls shriek and Miernik covers his eyes.