Yuri Bezmenov

Short description: Soviet journalist and whistleblower (1939–1993)

Yuri Bezmenov

Юрий Безменов

Bezmenov, c. 1986

Born|

Yuri Alexandrovich Bezmenov

December 11, 1939

Mytishchi, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union

Died| January 5, 1993[1] (aged 53)

Windsor, Ontario, Canada

Nationality| Soviet and Russian
Other names| Tomas Schuman
Citizenship| Canada
Education|

* Moscow State University
* University of Toronto

Occupation| KGB press and propaganda agent (alleged), APN journalist, later defector/informant, anti-communist author
Years active| 1963–1986
Employer|

* KGB (alleged)
* Novosti Press Agency (APN)
* CBC

Known for| Accusations of Soviet infiltration of, and active measures (subversion) against American society

Notable work

| Various lecture tapes and Love Letter to America[2]
Movement| Anti-communism
Children| 3

Yuri Alexandrovich Bezmenov (Russian: Ю́рий Алекса́ндрович Безме́нов; December 11, 1939 - January 5, 1993; alias: Tomas David Schuman[1]) was a Soviet journalist for Novosti Press Agency (APN) and claimed to be a former PGU KGB informant who later defected to Canada .[3]

After being assigned to a station in India , Bezmenov eventually grew to love the people and the culture of India. At the same time, he began to resent the alleged KGB-sanctioned repression of Soviet dissidents and other intellectuals who dissented from Moscow's policies[3] and he decided to defect to the West.[3] Bezmenov is best remembered for his anti-Marxist and anti-Atheist lectures and books published in the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s.

## Contents

* 1 Early life and student years (1939–1963)
* 2 Life in India, propaganda work, and disillusionment (1963–1970)
* 3 Defection to the West and life in Canada (1970–1983)
* 4 Pro-American literature and lectures (Los Angeles, 1981–1986)
* 5 Later years and death (1986–1993)
* 6 Legacy
* 6.1 Dispute over authenticity of Bezmenov's KGB officer claims and political affiliation
* 7 Works
* 7.1 Books
* 7.2 Films
* 7.3 Audio
* 8 See also
* 9 Notes
* 10 References
* 11 Further reading

## Early life and student years (1939–1963)

Bezmenov was born in 1939 in Mytishchi, near Moscow, to Russian parents. Bezmenov claimed that his father was a high ranking Soviet Army officer, later put in charge of inspecting Soviet troops in foreign countries, such as Mongolia and Cuba.[3] Bezmenov's father died in the 1970s. When Bezmenov was seventeen, he entered the Institute of Oriental Languages, a part of the Moscow State University which was under the direct control of the KGB and the Communist Party Central Committee. In addition to languages, he studied history, literature, and music, and became an expert on Indian culture. During his second year, Bezmenov sought to look like a person from India; his teachers encouraged this because graduates of the school were employed as diplomats, foreign journalists, or spies.[3]wa

As a Soviet student, Bezmenov claimed in an interview that he was required to take compulsory military training in which he was taught how to play "strategic war games" using the maps of foreign countries, as well as how to interrogate prisoners of war.[3]

## Life in India, propaganda work, and disillusionment (1963–1970)

After graduating in 1963, Bezmenov spent two years in India working as a translator and public relations officer with the Soviet economic aid group Soviet Refineries Constructions, which built refinery complexes.

In 1965, Bezmenov was recalled to Moscow and began to work for Novosti Press Agency as an apprentice for their classified department of "Political Publications" (GRPP). Bezmenov alleged that about three quarters of Novosti's staff were actually KGB officers, with the remainder being "co-opted" or KGB freelance writers and informers like himself.[4] However, Bezmenov did not do real freelance writing. Instead, he claimed to have edited and planted propaganda materials in foreign media and accompanied delegations of Novosti's guests from foreign countries on tours of the Soviet Union or to international conferences held in the Soviet Union.[3]

After several months, Bezmenov claimed he was forced to act as an informer[3] while maintaining his position as a Novosti journalist. He allegedly used his journalistic duties to help gather information and to spread disinformation to foreign countries for the purposes of Soviet propaganda and subversion.[3]

Rapid promotion followed, and Bezmenov was once again assigned to Bila[citation needed] in 1969, this time as a Soviet press-officer and a public relations agent for the KGB. He continued Novosti's propaganda efforts in New Delhi, working in the Soviet embassy. Bezmenov was directed to slowly establish a Soviet sphere of influence in India.[citation needed] In the same year, a secret directive of the Central Committee opened a new secret department in all the Soviet Union's embassies around the world, entitled the "Research and Counter-Propaganda Group". Bezmenov became a deputy chief of that department, gathering intelligence from sources like Indian informers and agents, on influential and/or politically significant citizens of India.[citation needed]

Bezmenov alleged that he was instructed not to waste time on idealistic leftists, as they would become disillusioned, bitter, and adversarial when they realized what Bezmenov thought was the true nature of Soviet communism.[2]

During that period, Bezmenov became dissatisfied with the Soviet system. He then began careful planning to defect to the West.[2][5][6]

## Defection to the West and life in Canada (1970–1983)

According to a statement provided to the Delhi Police by the so-called Russian Information Centre, on February 8, 1970, Bezmenov was set to see a screening of the American film The Incident with two of his colleagues. However, it was reported by them at the time that he had not bought his ticket, and told them he would join them in a moment and try to purchase one from a scalper outside the theater.[7] Bezmenov did not return to the theater.[8] Instead, Bezmenov put on hippie clothes, complete with a beard and wig, before joining a tour group. By these means, he escaped to Athens, Greece. His defection was reported in the United States, with Soviet sources stating he was "not important" and did "clerical work", and American intelligence openly stating they believed him to be an agent of the KGB. At the time, his whereabouts were depicted in American media as unknown.[9] After contacting the American embassy and undergoing extensive interviews with United States intelligence, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) was able to help Bezmenov seek asylum in Canada, granted by the administration of Pierre Trudeau.[3][10] The CIA and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) advised him to adopt a new name and identity for reasons of safety.[6] In order to save face with the embarrassment of defection of an alleged KGB officer, the Delhi residency officially reported he had been abducted, and his son, his closest surviving relative, was given financial compensation.[11]

After studying political science at the University of Toronto for two years, and working on an Ontario farm for three years, in 1973, Bezmenov was hired by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation in Montreal , broadcasting to the Soviet Union as part of the CBC's International Service.[6] This is when he met his wife, Tess. In 1976, Bezmenov was fired from the CBC at the request of then Prime Minister, Pierre Elliot Trudeau. The Soviet ambassador to Canada phoned then-prime minister Pierre Elliot Trudeau to complain about Bezmenov’s Russian-language broadcasts. This led to a phone call from the prime minister to CBC’s president, continuing down the chain until Bezmenov was fired on March 9, 1976.[12] After the CBC, he began free-lance journalism. He became a consultant for Almanac Panorama of the World Information Network.[5] Bezmenov claimed that the KGB successfully used the Soviet Ambassador to Canada to persuade Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau to apply pressure to have him removed from that position.[3] Bezmenov said in an interview that he had received veiled death threats from the KGB at this time.[3]

## Pro-American literature and lectures (Los Angeles, 1981–1986)

As I mentioned before, exposure to true information does not matter anymore. A person who is demoralized is unable to assess true information. The facts tell him nothing, even if I shower him with information, with authentic proof, with documents and pictures. …he will refuse to believe it… That's the tragedy of the situation of demoralization.

Yuri Bezmenov [1983]

He moved to Los Angeles in the 1980s.[6] In 1983, at a lecture in Los Angeles, Bezmenov expressed the opinion that he "wouldn't be surprised" if the Soviet Union had shot down Korean Air Lines Flight 007 in order to kill Larry McDonald, an anti-communist Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives. Around the same time, Bezmenov had a child in the West, a daughter named Tanya. He later had a son named Johnathan.[13]

In 1984, he gave an interview to G. Edward Griffin, titled 'Soviet Subversion of the Free World Press'. In the interview, Bezmenov claimed the KGB wanted the political system of the United States to gradually be subverted and explained methods that they were supposedly using.[3]

Under the pen-name Tomas D. Schuman, Bezmenov authored the book Love Letter to America.[2] The author's biography of the book claims Bezmenov lived a life similar to Winston Smith, from George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four. Other books by Bezmenov are: No Novosti Is Good News,[4] World Thought Police,[5] Black Is Beautiful, Communism Is Not.[14]

In 1984, the Washington Post reported Bezmenov publicly denounced admission of a Soviet cruise ship to Los Angeles during the 1984 Summer Olympics, stating that they were placed there under the guise of entertainment, but maintained electronic surveillance equipment aboard to monitor radio and telephone communications.[10] In another interview, Bezmenov would describe a series of methods he posited that the KGB had used during the Games, including claimed espionage by Soviet foreign journalists, as well as the use of other personnel to, according to Bezmenov, "provide better control against possible athletic defections."[15]

## Later years and death (1986–1993)

In 1989, he and his wife divorced. That same year he moved to Windsor, Ontario, while she stayed in Montreal. Two years later, he began teaching international relations at the University of Windsor. In late December 1992, Bezmenov visited Tess and their children in Montreal for Christmas. Two weeks later, Bezmenov's death was reported on January 6, 1993. According to the Windsor Star, he died of a "massive heart attack", on Tuesday, January 5, 1993.[6]

## Legacy

Since his death, Bezmenov's "Soviet subversion model"[lower-alpha 1] has been studied and interpreted by faculty and staff at the Joint Special Operations University (JSOU) to analyze historical events, including the decade-long Russian campaign that preceded the 2008 Russo-Georgian War.[16] His work has also been cited by senior director of UPenn's Penn Biden Center for Diplomacy and Global Engagement, and former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense, Michael R. Carpenter.[17][18] His lectures have also been used by Yale senior lecturer Asha Rangappa, to illustrate the concept of active measures in the Soviet Union's supposed disinformation campaigns in the United States.[19]

On August 19, 2020, Bezmenov's 1984 interview discussing active measures with a journalist G. Edward Griffin was used in the teaser for the video game Call of Duty, in addition to its use in the main introduction on August 26. This in part has contributed to a renewed interest in both Bezmenov's work and lectures.[20][21][22]

### Dispute over authenticity of Bezmenov's KGB officer claims and political affiliation

There is little evidence to indicate Bezmenov was a KGB officer, other than what he has claimed in his interviews. Bezmenov was not a part of the KGB First Chief Directorate’s,[23] and thus would have had no way of knowing what he claimed to know, though he was a Novosti Reporter.

Bezmenov has historically been associated with the American far-right and anti-communist movements, to whom he often gave speeches and lectures on their platforms.[24] One of such is his interview with conspiracy theorist G. Edward Griffin. Bezmenov himself was involved with the anti-communist and far-right Unification Church and the John Birch Society.[25]

When questioned about his association with the John Birch Society and the doubts raised about his allegiance, he responded "I'm not a member. I don't agree with everything they say.".[26] Bezmenov further claimed that he resorted to right-wing platforms as a result of being denied to share his story on mainstream media outlets, such as the New York Times .[26][2]

Clips from his interviews and lectures have been used to promote conspiracy theories about COVID-19 and vaccination mandates.[27]

## Works

### Books

* Love Letter to America. Los Angeles, California : W.I.N. Almanac Panorama (1984). ISBN 978-0-93509013-0. OCLC 19468210.
* Black is Beautiful, Communism is Not. Los Angeles, CA: N.A.T.A. Almanac (1985). ISBN 978-0-93509018-5. OCLC 62325386.

The following excerpts are from a talk on disinformation in the liberal media, given March 26 at a CAUSA USA Regional Conference in Atlanta, Georgia.

* No "Novosti" is Good News. Los Angeles, CA: Almanac (1985). ISBN 978-0-93509017-8. OCLC 45013143.
* World Thought Police. Los Angeles, CA: N.A.T.A. Almanac (1986). OCLC 1124779975.

### Films

* Soviet Subversion of the Free Press: A Conversation with Yuri Bezmenov. Interview by G. Edward Griffin. Westlake Village, CA: American Media (1984). OCLC 45810551.

### Audio

* Soviet Ideological Subversion of America in Four Stages: Elizabeth Clare Prophet interviews Tomas Schuman, Novosti Press, Soviet Defector. Malibu, CA: Summit University (1984). Incl. 3 audiocassettes, handouts. OCLC 25714330. "The flame of freedom speaks at Summit University forum."

## See also

* List of KGB defectors
* List of Soviet and Eastern Bloc defectors

## Notes

1. ↑ Demoralization (15-20 years) Destabilization (2-5 years) Crisis (2-6 months) Normalization ("indefinite")[2]

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Windsor Public Library Obituaries". http://projects.windsorpubliclibrary.com/digi/obits/results.php?lname=Schuman&fname=Tomas.
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 Schuman, Tomas (1984). Love Letter to America. Los Angeles: NATA. ISBN 978-0-935090-13-0. OCLC 19468210. https://archive.org/details/BezmenovLoveLetterToAmerica. Retrieved November 30, 2010. [infringing link?]
3. ↑ 3.00 3.01 3.02 3.03 3.04 3.05 3.06 3.07 3.08 3.09 3.10 3.11 3.12 Bezmenov, Yuri (1984). "Soviet Subversion of the Free-World Press: A Conversation with Yuri Bezmenov" (Interview). Interviewed by G. Edward Griffin. Westlake Village, CA. Archived from the original on August 24, 2020. Retrieved July 8, 2020 - via YouTube.
* Yuri Bezmenov (November 24, 2008). "Interview with Yuri Bezmenov: Part One". Useless Dissident (Transcript). Interviewed by G. Edward Griffin.
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Bezmenov, Yuri (1985). No "Novosti" is Good News. Los Angeles: Almanac. ISBN 978-0-935090-17-8. OCLC 45013143.
5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Bezmenov, Yuri (1986). World Thought Police. Los Angeles: NATA. ISBN 978-0-935090-14-7. OCLC 23919332. https://www.scribd.com/doc/26265794/World-Thought-Police-Yuri-Bezmenov. Retrieved November 30, 2010.
6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 "Soviet defector held passion for homeland". The Windsor Star (Windsor, Ont.): p. 5. January 6, 1993. https://www.newspapers.com/clip/53029092/yuri/.
7. ↑ Slee, John (March 5, 1970). "Mysterious Case of the Affable Envoy Who Disappeared". The Age (Melbourne, Victoria, Australia): p. 4. https://www.newspapers.com/image/?clipping_id=53027047.
8. ↑ "Soviet Embassy official missing". New Delhi. February 10, 1970. https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=CIllAAAAIBAJ&pg=1460,609932.
9. ↑ Chicago Daily News Service (March 8, 1970). "What Happened to Bezmenov?". Express and News (San Antonio, Tx.): p. 15. https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/29629253/.
10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Mathews, Jay (April 14, 1984). "Group Sets Safety Net to Snatch Defectors at Olympic Games". Washington Post (Washington, D.C.): p. A1. https://www.cia.gov/library/readingroom/docs/CIA-RDP90-00806R000200860022-1.pdf.
11. ↑ Andrew, Christopher M. (2000). The Sword and the Shield: the Mitrokhin Archive and the Secret History of the KGB. New York: Basic Books. ISBN 9780465010035. OCLC 727648881. https://books.google.com/books?id=wVndU5P4V-8C&pg=PT491. Retrieved July 13, 2020. "Most other cases of alleged CIA special actions against KGB officers were in reality cases of actual or attempted defection...Such was the case, for example, in the disappearance of Bezmenov. Anxious to save face, the Delhi residency had reported that he had been abducted, and his son (the closest surviving relative) was given financial compensation"
12. ↑ "Chaos agent: A Soviet defector's toxic relationship with Canada's intelligence services". https://www.cbc.ca/newsinteractives/features/yuri-bezmenov-soviet-defector-canada.
13. ↑ Bezmenov, Yuri (1983). Tomas Schuman (Yuri Bezmenov) L.A. 1983 pt. IV 1/2. Los Angeles. Archived from the original on 2021-12-20. Retrieved July 8, 2020 - via YouTube.
14. ↑ Bezmenov, Yuri (1985). Black is Beautiful, Communism is Not. Almanac-Press. ISBN 978-0-935090-18-5. OCLC 62325386. https://archive.org/details/1985BlackIsBeautifulCommunismIsNot.
15. ↑ Archibald, George (January 18, 1984). "Ex-spy urges curbing Soviets at Olympics". Washington Times (Washington, DC). https://www.cia.gov/library/readingroom/docs/CIA-RDP90-00806R000200860037-5.pdf.
16. ↑ "G. Case Study: The Russo-Georgian War of 2008". Publications Combined: Russia's Regular And Special Forces In The Regional And Global War On Terror. Hurlburt Field, Fl.: JSOU Press. p. 165. https://books.google.com/books?id=qN1LDwAAQBAJ&dq=bezmenov&pg=RA1-PA225. Retrieved July 13, 2020. "When the 2008 conflict and its preceding events are analyzed through the lens of Bezmenov's Soviet subversion model and organized by the elements of national power, it becomes apparent that the conflict itself was simply the culmination point of a protracted PW [psychological warfare] campaign against Western expansion...The demoralization phase of Bezmenov's model extends back to 1992, when war broke out in Georgia during the aftermath of Soviet collapse."
17. ↑ Carpenter, Michael (May 21, 2019). ﻿Undermining Democracy: Kremlin Tools of Malign Political Influence﻿ (Report). Penn Biden Center for Diplomacy and Global Engagement, University of Pennsylvania. p. 3. https://www.congress.gov/116/meeting/house/109537/witnesses/HHRG-116-FA14-Wstate-CarpenterM-20190521.pdf. Retrieved July 13, 2020.
18. ↑ "Michael Carpenter". Penn Biden Center for Diplomacy and Global Engagement, University of Pennsylvania. https://global.upenn.edu/penn-biden-center/person/michael-carpenter.
19. ↑ Asha Rangappa (Summer 2019). "DEMOCRACY AND DISINFORMATION (GLBL SXXX) - Syllabus". Yale Jackson Institute for Global Affairs. https://summer.yale.edu/sites/default/files/files/Syllabi/2019/GLBL S343E - Disinformation & Democracy Syllabus.pdf.
20. ↑ "Stay Vigilant" (in en). https://pawntakespawn.com/playthegamefindthetruth.
21. ↑ Hollister, Sean (August 19, 2020). "Call of Duty Black Ops: Cold War is official, will be 'inspired by actual events'" (in en). https://www.theverge.com/2020/8/19/21376314/call-of-duty-black-ops-cold-war-treyarch-raven-activision.
22. ↑ "Call of Duty: Black Ops – Cold War officially revealed in Warzone event" (in en-GB). https://www.pcgamesn.com/call-of-duty-black-ops-cold-war/multiplayer-reveal-date.
23. ↑ "Department "D" – Service "A"". 2009. https://shieldandsword.mozohin.ru/kgb5491/structure/1GU/A.htm.
24. ↑ Miller, Bill (24 March 1986). "KGB Defector blames '60s activists for soviet success". CIA. https://www.cia.gov/readingroom/docs/CIA-RDP90-00552R000605880003-3.pdf.
25. ↑ Barrera, Jorge (5 February 2022). "Chaos agent". CBC. https://www.cbc.ca/newsinteractives/features/yuri-bezmenov-soviet-defector-canada.
26. ↑ 26.0 26.1 Shane, Scott (May 25, 1984). "Soviet defector charges high-level US betrayal, scorns press". https://www.cia.gov/readingroom/docs/CIA-RDP90-00552R000605880001-5.pdf.
27. ↑ Barrera, Jorge (5 February 2022). "Chaos agent". CBC. https://www.cbc.ca/newsinteractives/features/yuri-bezmenov-soviet-defector-canada.

## Further reading

* Schuman, Tomas (1984). "Soviet Ideological Subversion of America in Four Stages: Elizabeth Clare Prophet interviews Tomas Schuman, Novosti Press, Soviet defector". Summit University (Audio). Interviewed by Elizabeth Clare Prophet. Malibu, California. OCLC 25714330.

* Freedom of Information CIA file with article summarizing Bezmenov's ideas

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