Codename: Piccadilly

Codename: Piccadilly

The story reads like something out of bad James Bond fanfiction: September 7, 1978.  A man walks through a dark London alley on his way to work.  Suddenly, he feels a sharp “bite” on his leg.  He looks around to see the only other man in this alley.  The man seems startled, apologizes for nothing, and both travel on their way.  Four days later the bitten man dies.  Over a decade later the world finds out why.   

Journalist Georgi Markov

But this is not the product of a lonely, over-imaginative teenager’s laptop.  The dude that died? Journalist Georgi Markov.  The reason? Communist dictators have fragile egos.  

Shall we? …….

Georgi Markov was born in 1929 in Sofia, Bulgaria.  As an adult he first studied chemistry before turning his attention to writing.  By 1961 he had joined the Union of Bulgarian Writers and had become close to the leader of Communist Bulgaria, Todor Zhivkov¹.  Markov probably didn’t realize that he was, at that point, inescapably intertwined with arguably the most impactful period of modern history: The Cold War.

The Cold War refers to that point of ideological and political hostility and competition between the democratic west (led by the US, and including Britain, etc) and the Communist east (essentially the Soviet Union and its satellite states).  Beginning almost immediately after the close of World War II (because Nazis > Communists….), the Cold War shaped the world that we know today.  It is difficult for those of my generation to fully understand the consequences and implications of the Cold War, the ending of which is typically said to begin somewhere either slightly before or just a few years after we were born (mid to late 1980s, depending on who you ask), but it is essential history.  This era was marked by a military arms race, proxy wars (see: Korea, Vietnam, Afghanistan), and international espionage².  Which all actually sounds pretty intriguing. 

It wasn’t.

What this era eventually led to was the fracturing of the international order along ideological lines that we still live with today.  Why is the Middle East such a tangled mess?  Perhaps second only to the effects of colonialism, the region was a Soviet buffer area for years causing the west to continually vie for influence in the region.  Like 12 year old boys playing Risk, the region was continually being invaded, and re-invaded, and then sold weapons, and then invaded for having weapons, and so on.  Why do we care?  Because the west still doesn’t trust Russia (or former KGB operative Vladmir Putin) and therefore we tend to alienate those that chum up to Russia (see: Iran, China, Korea).  Some areas were actually fractured through this ideological fuckery—the wars in Korea, Vietnam, and Afghanistan (the first time ‘round) are largely considered to have been proxy wars—wars fought to either stop or spread Communism or democracy through the entanglement of world powers in civil conflict³.  Why did we send almost 60,000 Americans to die in Vietnam?  We couldn’t risk “Indochina” falling into Communist hands⁴.  How did poor shepherds and poppy farmers get anti-tank ballistic missiles?  We couldn’t risk more of the Middle East falling into Communist hands.  (Note: I’m oversimplifying large and important concepts of international politics for the purposes of time and space.  Please see links⁵ at bottom for more info.)

I know what you’re thinking:  “Okay.  Cold War=Important.  Got it.  Can we get back to all the James Bond-esque story telling now?”

Yes.  In just a minute.

For the geographically challenged...

In 1960s Bulgaria the Cold War informed the realities of daily life.  Bulgaria had only recently overthrown their monarchy (1944⁶.  Seriously.), and swiftly established a one-party Socialist state with deep ties to the Soviet Union.  Under then leader, Georgi Dimitrov, Bulgaria did what most new Soviet satellites did—they industrialized faster than Usain Bolt can get to the end of the block and back, and repressed any and all form of dissent.  This trend continued and by the 1960s the People’s Republic of Bulgaria was almost entirely submissive to the Soviet state⁷.  Similar to other states in the Soviet sphere of influence, nationalism and pride in Bulgarian heritage and culture were basically required from its citizenry and the leader, Todor Zhivkov—who would go on to become the longest serving leader in Bulgarian history—allowed for exactly zero criticism⁸. 

Enter Georgi Markov.

Markov, initially, was a good Bulgarian.  He went to university, worked at a state run industry and, when he became a writer, wrote well enough to be considered a Bulgarian artist that Bulgarians could be proud of.  However, by the 1960s he was becoming critical of the regime under which he and his fellow countrymen lived.  No less than five of his plays were censored by the Communist party, and his novel The Roof was banned.  He was beginning to be seen as a dissident—which was a fantastic way to end up dead or in prison in the Soviet controlled east⁹. 

So he left.

Initially, Markov moved to Italy, but when his passport was yanked by the Bulgarian authorities he eventually found his way to England.  After learning English he began working for the BBC, Radio Free Europe, and the German Deutsche Welle as a journalist and commentator on Bulgaria and Soviet politics¹⁰. 

Bulgaria was less than impressed.

They tried him, in absentia, for defection and sentenced him to prison¹¹.  Markov could never return to Bulgaria.  So he made the best of it—some of the plays that were banned in Bulgaria came to life on stages across London, he worked to become a popular journalist in his new homeland, and, in 1978 (the same year that he died, if you’re keeping up), he began working on a series of analysis and criticisms of life in Communist Bulgaria.  These criticisms, called In Absentia (see what he did there?), were also highly critical of Zhivkov as a leader and a person¹². 

Todor Zhivkov.  Handsome devil, huh?

Zhivkov’s ego was not prepared for this.

And so we arrive in an alley in London, near the Waterloo Bridge on September 7, 1978.  Markov, on his way to work, paid little attention to the sharp “bite” he felt and the unknown man that apologized as he picked up his umbrella.  He continued about his day, only barely noticing when what appeared to be a bug bite developed on his calf.  Something wasn’t right though; by the end of the day Markov was in the hospital with a high fever, and by the end of the week he was dead.  The doctors were baffled by the fever’s sudden onset and the kidney failure that followed and, ultimately, proved fatal¹³.

An autopsy was ordered.

I’m not sure how quickly the enterprising doctor that examined the “bug bite” on Markov’s calf shit himself after finding what looked like a bullet from a BB gun in said “bug bite”, but I’m assuming it was pretty quick.  Upon further examination this bullet began being described as bizarre.  It was small—no larger than the head of a pin—and contained an X-shaped cavity culminating in two open holes.  Inside this cavity the examiners found traces of ricin¹⁴. 

The "BB"

Ricin is a deadly poison made famous more recently because of its use by Walter White in Breaking Bad.  Previous to US culture being conducive to the concept of a teacher needing to sell meth in order to pay medical bills, however, ricin was the poison of choice for spies everywhere.  That might be an over-statement.  But it was used a lot, Markov’s case being arguably the most famous.  Extracted from the seeds of the castor oil plant, there is no known antidote.  Upon ingestion (either through inhalation, actual ingestion, or injection) ricin immediately enters the cells of the body and stops those cells from making the proteins they need to live.  This leads to massive cell death.  Outwardly, the poisoned victim will experience respiratory distress, vomiting and diarrhea, fever, fluid in the lungs, dehydration, organ failure, and death¹⁵. 

None of this is nearly as fun as it sounds.

Markov’s cause of death was determined and, essentially, so was the motive.  See, it’s not easy to get ricin.  Most countries only allow scientists to work with such a deadly poison and those scientists are typically required to get a permit or special permission of some variety to obtain ricin¹⁶.  Of course, it is possible to make your own ricin (you didn’t hear that from me), but the process is lengthy and complicated and people are lazy.  Also, Markov’s criticism of the Bulgarian and, by extension, Soviet regimes was well-known.  It didn’t take Scotland Yard to determine that he had been killed by a foreign operative.  Though it was, in fact, Scotland Yard that determined that he had been killed by a foreign operative¹⁷. 

But how?

The breakup of the USSR

It would take more than a decade for this question to be answered, and the reason for that is also tied to the history of the Cold War.  The Cold War had started defrosting in the early 80s as the Soviet Union began to warm up to the west under the leadership of Mikhail Gorbachev.  They weren’t warming up to the west because they suddenly found themselves in need of more people at their slumber party, they were, instead, succumbing to radical nationalist movements that had broken out across the USSR and its satellites, many in response to crashing economies.  On Christmas Day 1991 the Soviet Union officially disintegrated and fifteen separate states emerged.  What followed was confusion the world had never seen before.  These states had to rapidly reorganize themselves without a global hegemon guiding them, some had fallen to coups, others had completely re-engineered their governments.  In the aftermath, previously unknown information regarding the practices and policies of the Soviet-led governments were revealed.  Entire basements of documents relating to the Soviet KGB and other intelligence organizations were made public through one channel or another¹⁸.

And among these documents, deep in a basement somewhere in Russia, a number of oddly constructed umbrellas were found.

 

These umbrellas had been constructed with hollowed tubes, triggers, and the ability to “shoot” a projectile.  This was the delivery method of the ricin that killed Georgi Markov.  A super spy umbrella essentially fired a small BB-esque round filled with ricin kept in place by a sugary coating set to melt at 98 degrees (the standard temp of the human body) into the leg of the dissident journalist in exile¹⁹. 

The love-child of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Agatha Christie couldn’t make this shit up. 

The documents relating to Markov’s murder were never discovered, or released, and were probably destroyed.  However, former KGB agents have verified that there was a KGB connection to the killing²⁰.  The assassin, however, has never been identified, though suspicion falls on a former Bulgarian secret agent codenamed Piccadilly²¹. 

In London the investigation is currently active.

References:

1.  Kenety, Y. 2006. The Poison Umbrella. New Presence: The Prague Journal of Central European Affairs. Retrieved from: ebscohost

2. The Cold War Museum. Coldwar.org

3. Mastny, V. 1998.  The Cold War and Soviet Insecurity: The Stalin Years. Retrieved from: Google Scholar

4. The National Archives.  Archives.gov

5. Links for more information regarding the Cold War and the current international order:

Coldwar.org

Walker, M. 1993. The Cold War and the Making of the Modern World. Amazon.com

How Did the Cold War Affect Modern Europe? https://www.reference.com/history/did-cold-war-affect-europe-dba70cdf6747f030

Vegso, R. 2012. The Naked Communist: Cold War Modernism and the Politics of Popular Culture.

Melley, T. 2012. Covert Sphere: Secrecy, Fiction, and the National Security State.

6. Binder, D. 1998. Todor Zhivkov dies at 86; Ruled Bulgaria for 35 years. The New York Times.  http://www.nytimes.com/1998/08/07/world/todor-zhivkov-dies-at-86-ruled-bulgaria-for-35-years.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

7. CIA World Factbook. People’s Republic of Bulgaria.

8. Binder, D. 1998. Todor Zhivkov dies at 86; Ruled Bulgaria for 35 years. The New York Times.  http://www.nytimes.com/1998/08/07/world/todor-zhivkov-dies-at-86-ruled-bulgaria-for-35-years.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

9. Kenety, Y. 2006. The Poison Umbrella. New Presence: The Prague Journal of Central European Affairs. Retrieved from: ebscohost

10. Kenety, Y. 2006. The Poison Umbrella. New Presence: The Prague Journal of Central European Affairs. Retrieved from: ebscohost

11. Kenety, Y. 2006. The Poison Umbrella. New Presence: The Prague Journal of Central European Affairs. Retrieved from: ebscohost

12. Kenety, Y. 2006. The Poison Umbrella. New Presence: The Prague Journal of Central European Affairs. Retrieved from: ebscohost

13. Paploucas, C., Paploucas, G. Stergilous, A. 2008. Ricin and the Assassination of Georgi Markov. Retrieved from: europemc.org

14. Paploucas, C., Paploucas, G. Stergilous, A. 2008. Ricin and the Assassination of Georgi Markov. Retrieved from: europemc.org

15. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Facts About Ricin. http://emergency.cdc.gov/agent/ricin/facts.asp

16. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Facts About Ricin. http://emergency.cdc.gov/agent/ricin/facts.asp

17. Holdsworth, N. 2013. Prime Suspect in Georgi Markov “Umbrella Murder” Tracked Down to Austria. The Telegraph. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/crime/9949856/Prime-suspect-in-Georgi-Markov-umbrella-poison-murder-tracked-down-to-Austria.html

18. The Cold War Museum. Coldwar.org

19. Paploucas, C., Paploucas, G. Stergilous, A. 2008. Ricin and the Assassination of Georgi Markov. Retrieved from: europemc.org

20. Holdsworth, N. 2013. Prime Suspect in Georgi Markov “Umbrella Murder” Tracked Down to Austria. The Telegraph. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/crime/9949856/Prime-suspect-in-Georgi-Markov-umbrella-poison-murder-tracked-down-to-Austria.html

21. Holdsworth, N. 2013. Prime Suspect in Georgi Markov “Umbrella Murder” Tracked Down to Austria. The Telegraph. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/crime/9949856/Prime-suspect-in-Georgi-Markov-umbrella-poison-murder-tracked-down-to-Austria.html