maybe it is an exaggeration.”
Nevertheless, little by little, Vetrov acquired the reputation of being a big shot who could do a lot through secret connections and who spent lavishly while remaining a likeable and friendly fellow.
A fishy story for a spy operating abroad? Even more so from Sorokin’s perspective, since he was a counterintelligence officer. “Today, I agree,” he admits. “Including the fact that Vetrov was part of every party, big or small, and of every sport competition. He did want to play this role of generous factotum. As far as we were concerned, we thought that, being part of the trade mission, he had possibilities to buy half-price things we could not dream of having in the Soviet Union. Vetrov wanted everybody to benefit from it. Of course, this was a cover, too. Many high-ranking diplomats or civil servants, residing in Paris or part of a delegation on a trip to Paris, would buy TV sets and stereos only through this competent, helpful young man, who was not counting every cent. His colleagues or even vague acquaintances did not see anything wrong with it since they too were taking advantage of his generosity. However, in those days, we were educated in such a way, and the overall atmosphere was such, that I would never have imagined Vetrov capable, for instance, of receiving a commission on purchases made by the trade mission store, or, later on, by the embassy store. We were under the impression that with our salaries, more than comfortable compared to those in the USSR, we could be as hospitable in Paris as we were in Moscow. That’s the way the Vetrovs were living.”
By 1968, the ground shook under Vetrov’s feet. Whether it was a mistake on his part or a denunciation, Vetrov was accused of trafficking. The whole affair happened behind the scenes, and the witnesses we could interview were not able to give any details, but it is undeniable that some murky business deals were involved. A man less clever than Vetrov would have been sent back to Moscow on the spot, and if not brought before the criminal court, at least ousted from the KGB and the Communist Party. Those who were indebted to Vetrov, and the resident Krokhin in the first place, stood up for him resolutely. The scandal was quickly hushed up, to the extent that Vladimir stayed two more years in France.
There was another possible explanation, though, to the Vetrovs’ comfortable lifestyle. According to those who knew the couple well, Svetlana was the one wearing the pants in the household. Weaker, Volodia could not go against her desires. He would have decided to cover her dealings. Witnesses at the time assume that she was bringing objects from Moscow to sell in Paris, most probably art objects or gems. In Moscow, too, the Vetrovs lived much better than any other Soviet citizen who had spent five years abroad. The trafficking was, allegedly, going on both ways.
Some people also recall that Svetlana, as part of the national team in athletics, often traveled abroad. On each trip, the athletes, whose per diem was ridiculously low, took with them suitcases packed with various items such as caviar, jewelry, and expensive crafts, to sell them on the black market in the country of destination. With the money, they bought basic merchandise such as clothes, shoes, or tape recorders impossible to find in Soviet stores. Once they had sold their inventory at a high price in the USSR, the happy few who had the opportunity to travel outside the country would end up with an amount of money ten, fifteen, or twenty times higher than their initial investment. It is worth pointing out that trips to Western Bloc countries were the most profitable ones. Since Vladimir had been recruited by the KGB, Svetlana could travel only to socialist countries, significantly less interesting from a “business” standpoint. She was thus left with only one possibility: listening to her comrades as they bragged about their business achievements. Such
Nevertheless, little by little, Vetrov acquired the reputation of being a big shot who could do a lot through secret connections and who spent lavishly while remaining a likeable and friendly fellow.
A fishy story for a spy operating abroad? Even more so from Sorokin’s perspective, since he was a counterintelligence officer. “Today, I agree,” he admits. “Including the fact that Vetrov was part of every party, big or small, and of every sport competition. He did want to play this role of generous factotum. As far as we were concerned, we thought that, being part of the trade mission, he had possibilities to buy half-price things we could not dream of having in the Soviet Union. Vetrov wanted everybody to benefit from it. Of course, this was a cover, too. Many high-ranking diplomats or civil servants, residing in Paris or part of a delegation on a trip to Paris, would buy TV sets and stereos only through this competent, helpful young man, who was not counting every cent. His colleagues or even vague acquaintances did not see anything wrong with it since they too were taking advantage of his generosity. However, in those days, we were educated in such a way, and the overall atmosphere was such, that I would never have imagined Vetrov capable, for instance, of receiving a commission on purchases made by the trade mission store, or, later on, by the embassy store. We were under the impression that with our salaries, more than comfortable compared to those in the USSR, we could be as hospitable in Paris as we were in Moscow. That’s the way the Vetrovs were living.”
By 1968, the ground shook under Vetrov’s feet. Whether it was a mistake on his part or a denunciation, Vetrov was accused of trafficking. The whole affair happened behind the scenes, and the witnesses we could interview were not able to give any details, but it is undeniable that some murky business deals were involved. A man less clever than Vetrov would have been sent back to Moscow on the spot, and if not brought before the criminal court, at least ousted from the KGB and the Communist Party. Those who were indebted to Vetrov, and the resident Krokhin in the first place, stood up for him resolutely. The scandal was quickly hushed up, to the extent that Vladimir stayed two more years in France.
There was another possible explanation, though, to the Vetrovs’ comfortable lifestyle. According to those who knew the couple well, Svetlana was the one wearing the pants in the household. Weaker, Volodia could not go against her desires. He would have decided to cover her dealings. Witnesses at the time assume that she was bringing objects from Moscow to sell in Paris, most probably art objects or gems. In Moscow, too, the Vetrovs lived much better than any other Soviet citizen who had spent five years abroad. The trafficking was, allegedly, going on both ways.
Some people also recall that Svetlana, as part of the national team in athletics, often traveled abroad. On each trip, the athletes, whose per diem was ridiculously low, took with them suitcases packed with various items such as caviar, jewelry, and expensive crafts, to sell them on the black market in the country of destination. With the money, they bought basic merchandise such as clothes, shoes, or tape recorders impossible to find in Soviet stores. Once they had sold their inventory at a high price in the USSR, the happy few who had the opportunity to travel outside the country would end up with an amount of money ten, fifteen, or twenty times higher than their initial investment. It is worth pointing out that trips to Western Bloc countries were the most profitable ones. Since Vladimir had been recruited by the KGB, Svetlana could travel only to socialist countries, significantly less interesting from a “business” standpoint. She was thus left with only one possibility: listening to her comrades as they bragged about their business achievements. Such
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