Konstantin Volkov (diplomat)
Encyclopedia
Konstantin Volkov was an NKVD
agent and would-be defector.
for the Soviet Union
in Istanbul
, Turkey
, turned up at the British Consulate General and told an astonished British Official that he wanted to defect. He added that he was the deputy head of the NKVD
in Turkey.
He asked for $27,000 and a promise of political asylum, stating that if his demands were met he was willing to expose 314 Soviet agents in Turkey and 250 Soviet agents in Britain
. Most vital of all, he said there were two British diplomats in the Foreign Office and another man (i.e. Kim Philby
) in a very high-ranking position in the Counter Intelligence Section of the British Secret Intelligence Service
.
He demanded an answer within three weeks, and insisted that Istanbul not send his information by cable because the Soviets were reading British Cipher System traffic. The news was sent to Sir Stewart Menzies
, head of the SIS (commonly known to the media and the public as MI-6) by a diplomatic courier. In London, the matter was given to the head of the Russian Section, Kim Philby
, who took the necessary steps and flew out to Istanbul.
.
, who was one of the Soviet moles whom Volkov's defection would have exposed, arrived 21 days late. The Consulate officials who had met with Volkov were enraged by Philby's delayed arrival, believing his actions criminally incompetent.
Years later, after his own defection to the Soviet Union, Philby admitted to having informed his NKVD contact about Volkov prior to his own departure for Istanbul. He contemptuously described Volkov as, "a nasty piece of work," and referred to the incident as the greatest obstacle he ever faced.
Had Volkov talked, he would have been a walking encyclopedia for British and American Intelligence about the NKVD, GRU
, the armed forces and even the Kremlin
. His testimony could have struck a devastating blow to every facet of Joseph Stalin
's regime and power structure.
NKVD
The People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs was the public and secret police organization of the Soviet Union that directly executed the rule of power of the Soviets, including political repression, during the era of Joseph Stalin....
agent and would-be defector.
Approach
In early September 1945 Konstantin Volkov, Vice ConsulVice Consul
A vice consul is a subordinate officer, authorized to exercise consular functions in some particular part of a district controlled by a consulate....
for the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
in Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
, Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
, turned up at the British Consulate General and told an astonished British Official that he wanted to defect. He added that he was the deputy head of the NKVD
NKVD
The People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs was the public and secret police organization of the Soviet Union that directly executed the rule of power of the Soviets, including political repression, during the era of Joseph Stalin....
in Turkey.
He asked for $27,000 and a promise of political asylum, stating that if his demands were met he was willing to expose 314 Soviet agents in Turkey and 250 Soviet agents in Britain
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. Most vital of all, he said there were two British diplomats in the Foreign Office and another man (i.e. Kim Philby
Kim Philby
Harold Adrian Russell "Kim" Philby was a high-ranking member of British intelligence who worked as a spy for and later defected to the Soviet Union...
) in a very high-ranking position in the Counter Intelligence Section of the British Secret Intelligence Service
Secret Intelligence Service
The Secret Intelligence Service is responsible for supplying the British Government with foreign intelligence. Alongside the internal Security Service , the Government Communications Headquarters and the Defence Intelligence , it operates under the formal direction of the Joint Intelligence...
.
He demanded an answer within three weeks, and insisted that Istanbul not send his information by cable because the Soviets were reading British Cipher System traffic. The news was sent to Sir Stewart Menzies
Stewart Menzies
Major General Sir Stewart Graham Menzies, KCB, KCMG, DSO, MC was Chief of MI6 , British Secret Intelligence Service, during and after World War II.-Early life, family:...
, head of the SIS (commonly known to the media and the public as MI-6) by a diplomatic courier. In London, the matter was given to the head of the Russian Section, Kim Philby
Kim Philby
Harold Adrian Russell "Kim" Philby was a high-ranking member of British intelligence who worked as a spy for and later defected to the Soviet Union...
, who took the necessary steps and flew out to Istanbul.
Arrest and Execution
Meanwhile, Volkov returned to the Soviet Consulate, from whence he quickly disappeared. The last seen of him was a heavily bandaged figure being hustled aboard a Soviet transport plane bound for MoscowMoscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
.
Aftermath
Kim PhilbyKim Philby
Harold Adrian Russell "Kim" Philby was a high-ranking member of British intelligence who worked as a spy for and later defected to the Soviet Union...
, who was one of the Soviet moles whom Volkov's defection would have exposed, arrived 21 days late. The Consulate officials who had met with Volkov were enraged by Philby's delayed arrival, believing his actions criminally incompetent.
Years later, after his own defection to the Soviet Union, Philby admitted to having informed his NKVD contact about Volkov prior to his own departure for Istanbul. He contemptuously described Volkov as, "a nasty piece of work," and referred to the incident as the greatest obstacle he ever faced.
Had Volkov talked, he would have been a walking encyclopedia for British and American Intelligence about the NKVD, GRU
GRU
GRU or Glavnoye Razvedyvatel'noye Upravleniye is the foreign military intelligence directorate of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation...
, the armed forces and even the Kremlin
Kremlin
A kremlin , same root as in kremen is a major fortified central complex found in historic Russian cities. This word is often used to refer to the best-known one, the Moscow Kremlin, or metonymically to the government that is based there...
. His testimony could have struck a devastating blow to every facet of Joseph Stalin
Joseph Stalin
Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin was the Premier of the Soviet Union from 6 May 1941 to 5 March 1953. He was among the Bolshevik revolutionaries who brought about the October Revolution and had held the position of first General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union's Central Committee...
's regime and power structure.