Nikita Khrushchev and the compromise of Soviet secret intelligence sources

TY - JOUR

T1 - Nikita Khrushchev and the compromise of Soviet secret intelligence sources

AU - Easter, David

PY - 2021/4/27

Y1 - 2021/4/27

N2 - How securely did Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev handle secret intelligence? Former Soviet officials have claimed that he carelessly revealed intelligence and certainly in conversations with American, Italian and Iranian diplomats and ministers Khrushchev put at risk Soviet sources by boasting about intelligence successes and disclosing information that could only have come from intelligence. While Soviet officials appear to have overestimated the security impact of Khrushchev’s revelations, he may have compromised a covert KGB mission in Iran and an important surveillance operation against the American embassy in Moscow.

AB - How securely did Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev handle secret intelligence? Former Soviet officials have claimed that he carelessly revealed intelligence and certainly in conversations with American, Italian and Iranian diplomats and ministers Khrushchev put at risk Soviet sources by boasting about intelligence successes and disclosing information that could only have come from intelligence. While Soviet officials appear to have overestimated the security impact of Khrushchev’s revelations, he may have compromised a covert KGB mission in Iran and an important surveillance operation against the American embassy in Moscow.

KW - Khrushchev, KGB, DARIO, signals intelligence

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85105128646&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1080/08850607.2021.1874191

DO - 10.1080/08850607.2021.1874191

M3 - Article

SN - 0885-0607

SP - 1

EP - 27

JO - International Journal of Intelligence and Counter-Intelligence

JF - International Journal of Intelligence and Counter-Intelligence

ER -