Documents / FOIA release
This Central Intelligence Agency personality file on Soviet official Nikolay Sergeyevich Leonov (201-132139), with material dated 1953 to 1963, compiles cables, FBI documents, surveillance reports, press photos and passport copies. It records his Soviet Embassy service in Mexico City, the finding of his calling card in Fidel Castro's address book in 1956, and his role as Castro's interpreter in the USSR in 1963. A source identified him as a KGB officer, and a DIA item alleged he was planning Latin American insurgency.
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## Personal Data 1894-1524 (9 Apr 56) LECHOV page 49 Name: Nikolai Sergeyevich LECHNOV Born: 22 August 1923, Hyssan Arrived in Mexico: 11 July 1958 with wife Documents: Soviet Service Passport 10724 issued 29 January 1952 Title: employee Position: Believed to be administrative. Secretary to the Ambassador and interpreter overlapping with the culture Position: Believed to be administrative. Secretary to the Ambassador. Possible Translator and interpreter overlapping with the cultural section work Residence in Mexico: July 58 - Nov 58: Industria 71-4 Nov 58 - 77 Juancatlan 81 at least Feb 54 to 77: Cuantla 161-9 Jan 55 to present: Unknown, possibly in Embassy, possibly at Juancatlan 71 Wife: Valeriya Ivanovna, nickname "Lora" Children: none known Languages: Spanish (good to excellent) Other Personal Data: Nickname "Kolya," "Kolyechka" Drives car ## Official Activities LEONOV remains an obscure figure and although we assume he is employed in the administrative section of the Chancellery, we cannot pinpoint his duties. He has identified himself from time to time as the secretary to the Ambassador, has been noted taking his turn as embassy duty officer and has taken hospital bedside guard duty. During 1953, before the arrival of the regular administrative officer, Vladimir Ivanovich ZHUKOV, in November 1953, LEONOV was hamiling calls concerning goods and services but was probably merely filling in, because of his facility with the Spanish language, until ZHUKOV's arrival. In December 1956 APARINOV asked one of the guards whether he had the keys to LEONOV's room in the embassy. Since, during that time, we believe LEONOV was residing at Industria 71, it would appear that LEONOV had a private office in the embassy, one which was apparently kept locked when he was away. One or two other very vague references indicate he might have something to do with communications work. Beginning about November 1955 LEONOV began to emerge as an interpreter and translator. He spent a good deal of time with the Social Security delegation, with Soviet pianist GILELS and with Soviet movie director ALEKSANDROV, each time appearing as the interpreter or translator. His recent association in January 1956 with the daughter of Communist General Heriberto JARA also involved translation work. Other more recent references make us begin to wonder now if LEONOV might not be connected with the Cultural Section. During the last two months of 1955 he appeared to be associated in work with FASIUKEVICH, director of the Soviet Embassy Information Bulletin. In March 1956, when PAPOROV could not keep an appointment at University City at the invitation of Mexican President RUIZ CORTINES, he asked that either LEONOV, GUNDAREV or POPOV keep the appointment. It is known that PAPOROV, GUNDAREV and POPOV are all definitely assigned to the Cultural Section indicating further that LEONOV may be associated with that group. We, therefore, classify LEONOV as ## TOP SECRET
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FOIA release, from the cia-readingroom collection. The PDF is mirrored here; the original link is above. The text was read from the page images by GLM-OCR; expect the odd misread word. 165 pages are in the text index: search them above, or from the library's search.