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By Joe Edwards
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Unredacted documents relating to the assassination of former President John F. Kennedy have revealed details about Anatoliy Golitsyn, a Soviet KGB defector described by former CIA counter-intelligence director James Angleton as "the most valuable defector ever to reach the West."
Why It Matters
Former President Donald Trump has repeatedly promised to declassify the remaining JFK files, a collection of thousands of government documents concerning the assassination of Kennedy in Dallas, Texas, in November 1963.
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These files include investigative reports, memos, communications, and various other records related to the government's inquiry into Kennedy's death.
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What To Know
The documents are an account by Golitsyn's "administrative assistant" Donald Deneslya.
Deneslya's cover was being a student at Georgetown University and aiding Golitsyn in writing a book. In reality, he was a CIA operative, which Golitsyn knew, the documents say.
A newly unredacted section reveals that when Golitsyn was given Deneslya as an administrative assistant after he was processed by the CIA, he was also given guards and a settlement of $200,000 which, adjusted for inflation, would be the equivalent of over two million dollars.
"He turned up traitors in many Western countries, including but not limited to: [General Stig] Wennerstrom in Sweden : two West German Generals, and [West German Chancellor] Willy Brandt's Secretary; a high-level French leak in NATO..."
Previously unredacted versions of the documents from 2023 mention that Golitsyn's code name was "Stone," and his alias was "John Stone."
These also mention that Golitsyn was given property in Virginia—the same state where the CIA's headquarters are located.
Golitsyn's defection had significant repercussions. He revealed that the KGB had agents deeply embedded within Western governments, including French military intelligence and even within French President Charles de Gaulle's cabinet. This information led to the Martel affair in early 1962, straining French-American relations and causing a temporary breakdown in intelligence sharing between the two nations.
Golitsyn also warned of Soviet strategic deception. In his 1984 book New Lies for Old, he argued that the apparent liberalization in the USSR was a calculated move to lull the West into complacency. He suggested that reforms such as reducing the Communist Party's role, introducing a separation of powers, and granting greater freedoms were orchestrated to mislead Western nations about Soviet intentions.
He also supplied information about multiple famous Soviet spies, including the Cambridge Five—a ring of agents who supplied intelligence to the Soviet Union from Britain.
Golitsyn passed away on December 29, 2008, at the age of 82.
What People Are Saying
Trump said in his January executive order: "I have now determined that the continued redaction and withholding of information from records pertaining to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy is not consistent with the public interest and the release of these records is long overdue."
Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard said on X: "President Trump is ushering in a new era of maximum transparency. Today, per his direction, previously redacted JFK Assassination Files are being released to the public with no redactions."
What Happens Next
Those who are interested in reading all of the documents, which amount to more than 1,100 individual entries, can do so here.
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