Oleg Kalugin and Yours Truly

I had the great pleasure of meeting Oleg Kalugin at an International Spy Museum event that took place in mid November 2009, in Washington D.C.

I attended the VIP ceremony beforehand and had the chance to rub elbows with some ex-KGB folks, including the famous Oleg Kalugin. Oleg Kalugin is a retired Major General of the KGB, and onetime deputy resident and acting chief of the KGB Residency at the Soviet Embassy in Washington. He is also the author of "The First Directorate: My 32 Years in Intelligence and Espionage against the West".

I asked him specifically about the KGB's role in the anti-war protests of the 60s here in The States. He was reluctant to answer, but did admit the KGB supported the anti-war movement. He made sure to clarify that they were under strict orders not to recruit any of the protest leaders, as they did not want that getting out in the press, thus tainting the movement. The "peace" protesters at the time most likely did not need any encouragement; most were ideological communist to begin with. Another former KGB agent in attendance, who shall remain nameless, eluded to the Soviet Union supporting the anti-war movement through secret funding. He believes fully that Russia is still working to subvert U.S. policies through Active Measures aka Influence Operations.