The KGB and Ballet?

[BW]

Thanks to Alexandra's good news spotting, there's a very interesting link today to an obituary written by Patricia Sullivan in The Washington Post that does relate, in part, to ballet.

It's entitled KGB Archivist, Defector Vasili Mitrokhin, 81 and no, Mitrokhin was not a ballet dancer, however he was an archivist who apparently planned ahead because

for 12 years (he) secretly made notes from the Russian spy agency files until he defected to Britain in 1992, died of pneumonia Jan. 23, the British government announced yesterday.

Mr. Mitrokhin's handwritten notes were hidden in his shoes, buried in milk containers under the floorboards of his dacha or under his back garden and smuggled out of Russia by British agents in six trunks. The notes contained multiple revelations on the activities of the much-feared KGB for more than 70 years in the Soviet Union, Europe, Afghanistan and the United States...

If you haven't yet read the whole story, you really ought to - it's intriguing on many different levels.

The part of the article that makes reference to ballet is, as Alexandra already quoted in Links:

Among the disclosures in his files were assassinations, covert operations and a plot to break the legs of ballet star Rudolph Nureyev, who had defected.

I have not yet read Plisetskaya's autobiography (I, Maya Plisetskaya) but I did note that she and Mitrokhin are both born within a year or so of each other...and I'd wager quite a bit that the two certainly knew each other later in life.

Well, now I have two more books on my "Must Read" list.

Anyone have any insights on this subject - the KGB and its "interest" in ballet dancers?

(The utter ineptitude of the CIA in the face of Mitrokhin's first attempt to defect is another theme, for a non ballet related board! )

[Mel Johnson]

I've mentioned this before, but there was, in the first Bolshoi tour of the US, a KGB man semi-concealed in the male corps, who was particularly obvious. I just thought he was a klutz who had somehow made it into the company by family connections or graft or something, but the story broke about 1969 that he was there to tackle any dancer who looked like s/he might dive into the orchestra pit in order to defect. There was a similar idiot who was sent with the first tour of the Moiseyev Company, too.

[Alexandra]

There are some great (relatively light-hearted) stories in Sasha Anawalt's biography of Joffrey, about the KGB, spying, and enterprising dancers on tour. It's been awhile since I read that book and this is from memory, but I think I remember a story where some dancers figured out that the microphones were in a chandelier, and had fun with that.

[Mel Johnson]

Erika Goodman and Ann Marie de Angelo were roomies in Moscow, and they figured out that the bug was in the radiator. They got up on their first morning in the room, and said "Good morning, radiator, don't you think it would be lovely if there were TWO pillows on each bed instead of one? We think it would! Don't you agree, radiator?" When they came back to the room that evening, sure enough, two pillows on each bed.

When we were supposed to travel from Moscow to St. Petersburg, the trucks to carry the scenery, lights and other impedimenta of a ballet company on tour rolled up - a fleet of flatbeds in a driving sleet storm! Penney Currey, the stage manager, raised Cain over it, pointing out that these trucks were totally useless for our purposes and Mr. Joffrey joined her complaint. As we were all waiting about on the loadout dock, a figure in the black trenchcoat, black slouch hat, dangling cigarette, dueling scar, and - yes, sunglasses - at midnight, yet, cheaters! came up to us and said to Mr. Joffrey (I think. It was hard to tell with the dark glasses) "Meestair DZhoffrey, have no fear, the correct transportation will arrive directly...The man who has ordered the wrong trucks has been dealt with.... :speechless:

[carbro]

As we were all waiting about on the loadout dock, a figure in the black trenchcoat, black slouch hat, dangling cigarette, dueling scar, and - yes, sunglasses - at midnight, yet, cheaters!  came up to us and said to Mr. Joffrey (I think.  It was hard to tell with the dark glasses)  "Meestair DZhoffrey, have no fear, the correct transportation will arrive directly...The man who has ordered the wrong trucks has been dealt with.... :speechless:

Too funny, Mel! It sounds like these guys (or more accurately, this guy) saw too many Rocky and Bullwinkle shows.

[glebb]

I don't think things have changed much. I was in Moscow a few years ago and mentioned to the welcome-host on my way to the hotel from the airport that I would like to see the ballet. Lo and behold the next day on the street (everything else had been arranged by COMPOS tour agency) a very tall man with a mustache in sunglasses, leather coat and hat stopped my tour guide to offer us tickets for Bolshoi/GISELLE/Ananiashvili that night, seventy-five American dollars.

[Mel Johnson]

"Psst! Naked pictures of MiG-29?"

[citibob]

Bugs in the radiator... nowadays in America, we have video bugs just about everywhere. And it is widely believed that secretive government agencies spy on as much Internet traffic as they can. Makes a KGB bug in the radiator seem quaint.

[Ari]

And it is widely believed that secretive government agencies spy on as much Internet traffic as they can.

Good morning, CIA. Aren't you learning a lot about ballet, CIA?

[Treefrog]

My parents -- who were official government guests at the time -- had a similar experience with the bug in their hotel room. After days of complaining to the front desk about the lack of hot water, to no avail, they finally addressed their complaint to the bug.

"You would think," my father said loudly in the direction of the lamp, "that such a technologically advanced country wouldn't have such trouble producing reliable hot water."

In the morning they had lovely showers ...

[carbro]

Ari, you'll let us know if you spot John Ashcroft at the Kennedy Center, I hope.

[Mel Johnson]

He'll be the guy trying to put clothes on naked statues.

[BW]

Great responses - love those stories. And the John Ashcroft vision, as well - too scary! :sweating:

Now I have yet another book to add to my list - the biography of Joffrey. Many thanks!

[MJ]

Good morning, CIA.  Aren't you learning a lot about ballet, CIA?

Wrong Agency Ari, the NSA (AKA No Such Agency) does most of the internet snooping. Several acres/hectares of mainframes gotta do something!

MJ