Yuri Bezmenov

Yuri Alexandrovich Bezmenov (Russian: Юрий Безменов, also known as Tomas David Schuman; born 1939, Soviet Union - 1997), worked as a journalist for Novosti Press Agency. In this capacity, he secretly answered to the KGB. After being assigned to a station in India, Bezmenov eventually grew to love the people and culture of India, while, at the same time, he began to resent the KGB-sanctioned oppression of intellectuals who dissented from Moscow's policies. He decided to defect to the West. Bezmenov is best remembered for his pro-American, anti-communist lectures and books from the 1980s.

Early life

Yuri Alexandrovitch Bezmenov was born in 1939 in a suburb of Moscow to a high ranking Soviet Army officer. He was educated in an elite school inside the Soviet Union and became an expert in Indian culture and Indian languages.

At the age of 17 Bezmonov entered Institute of Oriental Languages which is a part of Moscow state university, which was under the direct control of KGB and Communist Central Committee. In addition to languages, Bezmonov studied history, literature, music and graduated in 1963. During his second year Bezmonov sought to look like an Indian, being encouraged by his teachers to do so because the graduates of his school were later on employed as diplomats, foreign journalists or spies.

As a Soviet student he was also required to take compulsory military training in which he taught how to play "strategic war games" using the maps of foreign countries, as well as how to interrogate prisoners of war.

After graduating Bezmonov spent two years in India working as a translator and public relations officer with the Soviet economical aid group Soviet Refineries Constructions, which built refinery complexes.

In 1965 Bezmonov was recalled to Moscow and began to work for Novosti again, as an apprentice for their classified department of 'Political Publications' (GRPP). Soon he discovered that about 75 percent of the Novosti's staffers were actually KGB officers, with the other 25 percent being "co-optees," or KGB freelance writers/informers like himself. However, Bezmonov did no real freelance real writing, but edited and planted propaganda materials in foreign media, and also accompanied delegations of Novosti's guests from foreign countries on tours of the USSR or to international conferences held in the Soviet Union.

After several months Bezmonov was formally recruited by the KGB as an informer - an offer he stated one could not simply say "no" to - while still maintaining his position as a Novosti journalist. He then used his journalistic duties to help gather information and to spread "disinformation" to foreign countries for the purposes of Soviet propaganda and subversion.

Rapid promotion followed and Bezmonov was once again assigned to India in 1969, this time as a USSR press-officer and a 'P.R.' agent for the KGB, in which he continued Novosti's propaganda effects in New Delhi, working out of the Soviet Embassy. Bezmonov was directed to slowly but surely establish the Soviet 'sphere of influence' in India. In the same year a secret directive of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union opened a new secret department in all embassies of the USSR all over the world, including India, titled "Research and Counter-Propaganda Group." Bezmonov became a deputy chief of that department, which gathered intelligence from such sources as Indian informers and agents, regarding most every important and politically significant citizen of India instrumental in shaping the public opinion and national policies. Those who favored the Soviets expansionist policy into their own country were promoted to higher positions of power, affluence and prestige through various operations by KGB-Novosti. Those who refused to cooperate with Soviet plans realized character assassination in the media and press.

Bezmonov states that he was also instructed not to waste time with idealistic Leftists, as these would become disillusioned, bitter and adversarial when they realized the true nature of Soviet Communism. To his surprise he discovered that many such were listed by the Soviets for execution once they achieved control. Instead Bezmonov was encouraged to recruit such persons as were in large circulation, established conservative media, rich movie makers, intellectuals in academic circles, and cynical, ego-centric people who lacked moral principles.

During that period Bezmonov himself increasingly realized the insidious and ruthless nature of the Soviet system, and carefully began planning to defect.

Defection to the West

In February of 1970, Bezmenov clothed himself in hippie attire, replete with a beard and wig, and joined a tour group by which he escaped to Athens. After contacting the American Embassy and undergoing extensive interviews with United States Intelligence, Bezmenov was granted asylum in Canada.

After studying political science at the University of Toronto for two years, Bezmenov was hired by the Canadian Broadcasting Company in 1972, broadcasting to the Soviet Union as part of its International Service. In 1976, the KGB compelled his departure from that position, and Bezmenov began free-lance journalism. He later became a consultant for Almanac Panorama of the World Information Network.

Pro-American lecturer, writer, advocate

In 1984, he gave an interview to G. Edward Griffin who, at that time, was a member of the John Birch Society, an anti-communist group. Bezmenov explained in this interview the methods used by the Soviet KGB to secretly subvert the democratic system of the United States.

Using the name Tomas D. Schuman, Bezmenov authored the book Love Letter to America, published by W.I.N., Almanac Panorama, Los Angeles 1984, ISBN 0-935090-13-4. In Love Letter to America he writes, "Like a true-life Winston Smith, from the George Orwell book 1984, Tomas Schuman worked for the communist equivalent of Orwell's Ministry of Truth - The Novosti Press Agency (RIA Novosti). Novosti, which means "News" in Russian, exists to produce slanted and false stories to plant in the foreign media. The term for this KGB effort is "disinformation".

Tomas D. Schuman was associated with World Information Network (WIN) located at 31220 La Baya Dr. #110, Westlake, CA 91362. WIN published WIN PANORAMA books and cassettes along with the WIN Panorama Report newsletter. WIN also published under the name WIN Almanac Panorama, or ALmanac. In 1985, Tomas D. Schuman wrote No Novosti is Good News, Almanac, ISBN 0935090177 and in 1986 he wrote World Thought Police, Almanac, ASIN B0007246RO. An order form at the rear of Love Letter To America offers a book called KAL 007 and a cassette called "Radio Moscow" by Schuman.

Tomas Schuman (Yuri Bezmenov) L.A. 1983 pt.IV 1/2 lectured that the Soviet Union may have shot down flight Korean Air Lines Flight 007 aka KAL 007 to kill Larry McDonald, a member of the United States House of Representatives.

See also

• List of KGB defectors

External links

• Transcript of A Conversation with Yuri Bezmenov.
• Full video interview with Edward Griffin.