Letter, Lieutenant General W. Kozew to Comrade Markus Wolf

Translation from Russian

Top Secret!

Dear Comrade Wolf!

The publication of remarks by the state prosecutor Antonio Albano and the decision by investigating judge Illario Martella about the handover of Sergej Antonow [Sergei Antonov], Todor Aijwasow and Sheljo Wassilew to the court due to their participation in the assassination attempt on Pope John Paul II was a renewed occasion for strengthening the anti-Bulgarian and anti-socialist campaign in the West.

Although there is no evidence, Martella’s indictment provided a catalyst for the Western mass media to a certain extent and caused the propaganda effect expected by the enemy. In his indictment, Martella speaks simply of evidence, but references mainly Agca’s slanderous statements, and in so doing he ignores the numerous contradictions and lies contained in them, which were already exposed as such in the pre-investigation. These lies have been analyzed in the global press and comprehensively commented upon. Albano’s paradoxical interpretation of Agca’s “confessions” regarding the preparation for an assassination attempt on Walesa, his acquaintance with Antonow’s wife, meeting together with her and other similar inventions was revealingly criticized. In Albano’s words, the fact that Agca recanted these and other assertions is evidence that Turkish reoffender is sincere and believable with regards to his other statements.

According to available information, the opening of a court procedure against Antonow and the two other Bulgarian citizens will be drawn out in order to continue the unrestrained anti-socialist campaign in the West for as a long as possible. Proceeding from the current state of affairs, we are of the view that the effort to influence the Western public to a great degree in a direction that is negative for the socialist states has succeeded in the context of the hostile propaganda campaign connected to the pope assassination. That means that all opportunities must be used to carry out further counter measures which strengthen the effect of such revealing articles like those published in the “Washington Post,” in the “Repubblica,” in the “Milliyet,” in the “Sette Giorni,” and others that characterize Agca as an “exposed liar” and cast doubt on the objectivity and the impartiality of the Italian court organs to our benefit. In this context, we are searching for further authors and press products for the publishing of materials in the interest of a positive impact on the international public, primarily in Italy, the United States, Turkey, and other Western countries.

We are taking measures to evaluate the deficiencies and to expose the tendentious character of the investigation being conducted as well as to investigate and clarify the composition of the court that will be tasked with the establishing the truth in the planned legal farce.

For carrying out of the resulting measures, we require information about the attitude of the Pope, of the circles in the Vatican, of the Italian foreign ministry and representative political circles in the West to regarding Antonow’s treatment as well as information regarding Western journalists, writers and personalities of societal and political life, who could support us in the objective revelation of the truth in connection to lawsuit against Antonow. The objective materials that have been published in Turkey, in Italy, in the USA and in additional Western countries, the scandal with Francesco Pazienza and the refusal by the USA to expel him, the availability of a range of documents and facts in the investigation materials that find themselves in blatant contradiction to Martella’s indictment, can be exploited in further measures revealing the secret services of the USA, Italy and Turkey as the actual organizers of the campaign that has been unleashed against the socialist community of nations.

Using this opportunity, I would like to thank you sincerely for the timely support that has been given to us thus far and express the conviction that you will continue to support us in carrying out measures to expose the activities of the opposing secret services.

As an attachment, we are sending Martella’s indictment over to you for the possible [unclear]

With socialist greetings,

W. Kozew

Lieutenant General

Head of the I. Central Administration of the MDI of the PRB