Gohar and Gevork Vartanyan. Love of two illegal immigrants

The film “Tehran-43” in artistic form tells about the events of the Great Patriotic War - about the beautiful love of young intelligence officers and the dangers that threatened all participants negotiating the opening of the Second Front in Europe. However, the film has little in common with the true events that began long before the meeting of the allies. It’s in movies and books that a scout runs through the streets with a Browning. In life, his most reliable weapon is stealth...

Experts say: an illegal intelligence officer is not a profession, but a way of life. Any awkward movement, an accidentally dropped word, or rash behavior can cause the death of not only the intelligence officer himself, but also an entire intelligence network and many people. Constant tension, anticipation of danger, willingness to risk your life - not everyone is capable of this.

A good intelligence officer can sometimes do more than an army: beat an entire group of professional radio operators in a radio game or prevent terrorist attack, saving the lives of three heads of state, as happened during the famous meeting of the leaders of the three powers in Iran.

The film “Tehran-43” in artistic form tells about the events of the Great Patriotic War - about the beautiful love of young intelligence officers and the dangers that threatened all participants negotiating the opening of the Second Front in Europe. However, the film has little in common with the true events that began long before the meeting of the allies. It’s in movies and books that a scout runs through the streets with a Browning. In life, his most reliable weapon is stealth.

“Amir” - Gevork Vartanyan

Gevork Andreevich Vartanyan was born in 1924 in Rostov-on-Don. When the boy was six years old, the family moved to Iran. The head of the family, Andre (Andrey Vasilyevich) Vartanyan, according to legend, under the guise of a man offended by Soviet power, left the country, bought a small confectionery factory and became a major entrepreneur in Tehran. The factory and commercial successes were only a cover for his work at Soviet intelligence.

Sometimes Andre asked his son Gevork to carry out small tasks: give, take, carry... The precocious child soon realized what these father’s requests meant. “You can’t hide your thoughts from a person with an olfactory vector - he senses them,” explains system-vector psychology Yuri Burlan.

All the Vartanyan children were raised with a sense of responsibility for the Soviet people and great love for the USSR. Only Gevork adopted his father’s experience, becoming a recruiting agent. For him there was no question of choosing a profession. In 1940, when he turned sixteen, Gevork met Ivan Ivanovich Agayants. The main residency of Soviet intelligence in the Middle East operated in Tehran, I.I. Agayants headed it.

Gevork, who received the pseudonym “Amir,” was preparing to carry out his first task. The teenager was tasked with organizing a reconnaissance squad.

"Light Cavalry"

Gevork-Amir's peers, like himself, were born in the USSR and remained patriots, especially during the Great Patriotic War. It was not difficult to unite them into an anti-fascist group.

At lectures on system-vector psychology, Yuri Burlan talks about the mechanisms of consolidation using the example of a primitive flock. Urethral leader attracts the pack strong odor her pheromones, giving her a feeling of security and safety. The olfactory adviser to the leader, on the contrary, with its complete absence of smell, evokes in people a feeling of an unclear threat and a desire to be useful to the pack, fulfilling its species role according to the principle “from each according to his ability.”

The innate sense of smell and intuition of the very young Gevork prompted him to make the right decision in choosing group members, who were given tasks that corresponded to their natural properties. The teenagers “recruited” by Amir did not doubt the correctness of his actions and completely trusted him. Thanks to the natural “distribution of roles” there were practically no failures in the “Light Cavalry”.

Recruitment agent

The British opened an intelligence school in Tehran to prepare agents for deployment to the Soviet Union. Gevork received the task of infiltrating there. The school was hidden under the guise of a repair shop, and classes were taught by qualified British intelligence officers. The manufacturer's son did not arouse suspicion and was enrolled as a student at an English school, where he learned the unique methods of British residency.

The learned working methods of one of the best intelligence agencies in the world more than once helped Gevork Andreevich evade surveillance and suspicion.

It is later that he will say: “Any businessman should be involved in politics in order to know in what direction to direct his business. Under this pretext, I was able to obtain the most secret information from reliable sources.”

A person with developed properties of the cutaneous-olfactory ligament of vectors is equally successful in intelligence and in business. Recruitment agent Gevork Vartanyan used both of these areas in his activities as a resident.

Gevork Andreevich and his wife Gohar worked for many years in the Soviet intelligence station in Iran and only in the 50s returned to the USSR to graduate from the Yerevan Institute foreign languages, come to Moscow, receive a new intelligence assignment and go as illegal immigrants on a business trip that lasted almost 30 years. Over the years, they changed countries, cities, houses, professions, religions, and Gohar even had to marry Gevork three times, as circumstances required.

"Anita" and "Henri"

The pseudonym “Amir,” by which the young intelligence officer Gevork Vartanyan was known in the 40s, remained gathering dust in the archives of Soviet intelligence. Gevork met Gohar in the same “Light Cavalry”. She turned out to be the sister of one of the friends “recruited” by Amir and the only girl in the group.

Gohar illustrates the image of a skin-visual female scout, a daytime guard of the pack, which Yuri Burlan talks about during lectures on visual vector from system-vector psychology.

Skin-visual girls have been “their boys” in boys’ groups since childhood. Not a single war game or reconnaissance mission in the neighboring yard is complete without their “medical assistance.” Growing up, they transfer their childhood fun into real life, becoming sisters of mercy, signalmen or professional intelligence officers, like Gohar Vartanyan.

Skin-visual women do not have maternal instinct, and the ban on having children, which applies to intelligence officers, is accepted calmly. Gevork and Gohar Vartanyan have no heirs. Their life together was devoted to moving from country to country and the constant risk associated with illegal work. It is not customary to talk about it, because... Most of the operations carried out by Anita and Anri, under these names, the Vartanyan spouses are known to Soviet intelligence, will never be made public.

Tehran-43

In the late 30s, when Gevork and Gohar lived in Tehran as children, Iran was called the Switzerland of the Middle East, so calm and attractive was this country for wealthy Europeans. Many of them managed to transfer their capital here, with which they continued to lead their usual lifestyle.

U Soviet Union There have been long-standing ties with Iran, dating back to the time of the treaty on peace and good neighborly relations concluded by Alexander Griboyedov. During the war, allied humanitarian aid passed through Iranian territory to the USSR. It was extremely important for the Soviets to strengthen their positions here.

Luxurious cars on the streets of Tehran and expensive restaurants coexisted with poor neighborhoods, and the capital itself spoke all European languages. It was easy for anyone to get lost in such a motley crowd. An invisible intelligence war was going on in the city, and the Soviet secret services were working no less seriously. Abwehr spies did not miss the opportunity to be there either.

The German colony in Tehran numbered more than 20 thousand people with total number Iran's population is 750 thousand. Among them were many anti-fascists and those who hoped to sit out Hitler's difficult times away from the war. Iran played a significant role in Hitler's plans. Iran is a country of oil and strategic ties, from which there was a direct route to India.

Beginning in 1941, Stalin repeatedly appealed to US President Roosevelt and British Prime Minister Churchill with a demand to open a Second Front in Europe. The West ignored these demands, taking a wait-and-see attitude and counting on the defeat of the Red Army, but agreed to help the Soviet Union with arms supplies; there was no talk of sending its soldiers to Europe.

Operation Long Jump failed

In 1943 the situation changed. Behind were the battle for Moscow, Stalingrad and the catastrophic defeat of the Germans in Kursk Bulge. The outcome of the war was virtually predetermined. And the West already asked Stalin for a meeting in order to agree on the opening of the Second Front and the final defeat of Germany.

Now Stalin was the master of the situation and could dictate terms to the allies. The Morocco, Cyprus or Alaska they proposed as places for negotiations did not suit him. None of these countries were included in the circle of interests of the Soviet Union, and the USSR conducted active reconnaissance in Iran. There, a meeting of the leaders of the three powers was scheduled for November 1943.

The preparations were carried out in complete secrecy, but the leak still occurred, and another country began to prepare for the upcoming meeting - Germany. It was important for Hitler to disrupt the negotiations at all costs. Operation Long Jump to eliminate the Big Three was led by Otto Skorzeny.

The attack was planned for November 30, 1943, Churchill's birthday, when the Big Three would gather at the British Embassy. Amir's group was tasked with finding the landing force dropped out for the operation.

Neither British nor American intelligence was aware of how the tragedy was avoided. They know only one thing: the assassination attempt of the century was prevented by the Soviet station in Iran.

Experienced German intelligence officers could not help but notice the annoying teenagers riding bicycles through the streets of Tehran. Yet they underestimated those Light Horse cyclists who played a leading role in the disruption of Operation Long Jump. In addition to exposing fascist saboteurs, Amir’s group managed to identify more than 400 German residents.

Eternal love, we were faithful to it...

In 1986, Gohar Levonovna and Gevork Andreevich returned to their homeland, and in 2000, the “classification of secrecy” was removed from the Vartanyans. They were allowed to be “made public.” Books and articles have been written about them, films have been made. Anita and Henri, one of the rare happy married couples who devoted their lives to illegal work, continued to exist.

They were in no hurry to retire, and for many years passed on their experience to the younger generation of intelligence officers. In 2012, Hero of the Soviet Union Gevork Andreevich passed away, ending the great era of outstanding intelligence officers.

Gohar Levonovna, a veteran of the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service, who made a huge contribution to ensuring the national interests and security of the country, recently turned 90 years old. As befits a realized skin-visual woman, Gohar Vartanyan is elegant, beautiful and active.

Outstanding illegal intelligence officer Gohar Vartanyan celebrates her 90th birthday

The results of the work of the veteran of the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service, who made a great contribution to obtaining information necessary to ensure the national interests and security of the country, are so significant that they will never be declassified.

MOSCOW, January 25 – RIA Novosti. The outstanding Soviet illegal intelligence officer, veteran of the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service Gohar Vartanyan, who made a great contribution to obtaining information necessary to ensure the national interests and security of the country, celebrates her 90th birthday on Monday.

Under the pseudonym "Anita"

Gohar Levonovna Vartanyan was born on January 25, 1926 in the city of Leninakan (Gyumri) in Armenia. In the early 1930s, her family moved to Iran. At the age of 16, she joined the anti-fascist group of her future husband and ally, Gevork Vartanyan, with whom she conducted active intelligence work. In 1943, as part of this group, she took part in the operation to ensure the safety of the leaders of the Big Three during the Tehran Conference. Then an assassination attempt by Hitler’s secret services on the leaders of the “Big Three” - Stalin, Roosevelt and Churchill - was prevented.

In 1951, the Vartanyan couple were brought to the USSR, and in 1956 they graduated from the Yerevan Institute of Foreign Languages. Then Gohar and Gevork Vartanyan, under the operational pseudonyms "Anita" and "Henri", successfully worked illegally in many countries of the world. In 1986, the scouts returned to their homeland.

According to experts, the results of their work are so significant that they will never be declassified.

The merits of Gohar Vartanyan were awarded the Order of the Red Banner, the Order of the Patriotic War, II degree, and many medals.

Beauty and elegance

“And at ninety, Gohar Levonovna Vartanyan is a very beautiful and elegant woman,” the deputy editor-in-chief noted in an interview with RIA Novosti. Russian newspaper", intelligence historian, twice winner of the SVR Prize in the field of literature and art Nikolai Dolgopolov.

“When I first came to their house with Gevork Andreevich, Gohar Levonovna came out to meet me in a formal dress and tastefully matched high-heeled shoes. And since then she has always greeted me in them, explaining with a smile that since I’m talking about these I wrote high-heeled shoes, now I have to hold on,” he added.

According to him, another feature of Gohar Vartanyan confirms the observation that in married couples of illegal intelligence officers, it is the wives who are more silent than the husbands.

“It’s a myth that all women are talkative. Illegal immigrants’ wives are much less inclined to talk. So, during our conversations, Gohar Levonovna occasionally turned to Gevork Andreevich with the question: “Zhora, can we talk about this?” the journalist said.

At one time, Gohar Vartanyan was an excellent radio operator. “At one time she learned the skill of transmitting radiograms very quickly, which was unexpected for her teachers,” noted Nikolai Dolgopolov.

“Gohar Levonovna was and remains a very decisive woman, quickly making decisions. Finally, she is a very friendly person, and this is a rare quality. And, despite the years, she always remains cheerful,” he emphasized.

Three weddings of the Vartanyan spouses

In an interview with RIA Novosti over the years, Gohar Vartanyan recalled memorable episodes from her work with her husband.

One day the Vartanyan couple had to worry a lot. This happened in one of the foreign countries,

where they arrived on a long business trip and were just beginning to settle in a new place.

“One day I decided to go to the hairdresser and get my hair done. At the hairdresser they put curlers on me and sat me under a hairdryer to dry my hair. Then the hairdryer looked like such a big iron cap that covered half of my head,” the intelligence officer recalled.

At this time, Gevork Vartanyan was waiting for his wife on the street. “At some point, I saw him through a large glass display case. I don’t know what came over me, but I suddenly, involuntarily, waving my hand, shouted to him in Russian: “Zhora, I’m finishing soon!” Can you imagine my shock after that? "For a minute I sat simply petrified, with one thought about what I had done. Then I carefully began to look around for the reaction of the people in the hairdressing salon," said Gohar Vartanyan.

“Thank God, no one noticed my mistake in this fuss and everything worked out. A scout must always keep himself under complete control,” she added.

Another unexpected episode occurred in another country, where intelligence officers were invited to a private villa.

“We actually tried to avoid visiting with strangers, because you never know who else is invited, and it’s incorrect to ask,” noted Gohar Vartanyan.

“My husband was a little delayed at the entrance, and I walked forward and looked a little into the living room. There, half-turning towards me, stood a woman, the wife of a high-ranking American military man, whom we met in another country and, accordingly, we had completely different names. Upon returning into the hallway, I pretended that I felt very bad. Gevork went out with me, put me in the car, and, apologizing to the owners, we left. That’s when we were really close to failure,” she recalled.

It’s interesting that the Vartanyan couple got married three times - in different countries and under different names, it happened out of duty. But Gohar Vartanyan wore a wedding dress only for the first time, in 1946 in Tehran.

“In other cases, we just wore elegant dresses or suits and jewelry. We went to a restaurant and celebrated. And it was very cool and fun!” the intelligence officer recalled.

Rostov intelligence officer Gevork Vartanyan: life classified as “Secret”

An honorary citizen of the Don capital, Hero of the Soviet Union, who saved Churchill, Roosevelt and Stalin in 1943, died

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On January 10, an honorary citizen of Rostov, Hero of the Soviet Union, Gevork Vartanyan, died at the Botkin Hospital in the capital at the age of 88 after a long battle with cancer. Behind the shoulders of the legendary intelligence officer, who was known as Amir, was an Iranian prison, studies at an English intelligence school, decades of work around the world, three weddings with his beloved woman and a place on the list of the hundred best intelligence officers on the planet. In the Don capital, where Vartanyan was born, he is immensely respected. And he did not forget his hometown, visiting it several times after finishing his intelligence service.

Became a scout at age 16

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Gevork Vartanyan was born in Rostov in February 1924 into the family of Andrei Vasilyevich and Maria Savelyevna Vartanyan. His father was an Iranian citizen, the director of an oil mill located in the village of Stepnaya.

The family lived in Rostov, on Bratsky Lane, 81. This two-story brick house has still been preserved. Few Rostovites know that it contained the voice of a child who in the future would become a legend of world intelligence.

In 1930, when Gevork was six years old, the family left for Iran. His father was associated with Soviet foreign intelligence and left the USSR on its instructions. In Tehran, Andrei Vasilyevich was a successful entrepreneur: as a cover, he organized a reputable enterprise - a factory of oriental sweets. It was under the influence of his father that Gevork became an intelligence officer at the age of 16, helping in the fight against agents from Germany.

Vartanyan's team consisted of seven intelligence officers. In 1940-1941, Amir’s group identified more than four hundred Nazi agents who were “covered” by the Soviet intelligence services. The guys called themselves “light cavalry” because most often they rode bicycles around the city. Only in 1942 did they have the German captured Zündapp motorcycle. And although it is customary to say that they performed only observational functions, in fact they were often used as a rapid reaction unit capable of performing special tasks.

Operation Long Jump and meeting with Churchill's granddaughter

When Gevork was 19 years old, his team managed to foil one of Hitler's most secret operations - the assassination attempt on Churchill, Roosevelt and Stalin during the Tehran Conference of 1943.

The leaders of the three superpowers gathered in Tehran in November 1943. The German military intelligence service learned about the fateful conference, and the operation to assassinate the heads of three countries, codenamed “Long Jump,” was transferred to the hands of one of the most trusted German agents, Otto Skorzeny.

In their attempts to prevent the assassination attempt, Vartanian's group located six Nazi radio operators shortly before the opening of the conference. The German killers were dropped by parachute near the city of Qom, 40 miles from Tehran.

“We followed them to Tehran, where a Nazi field post had prepared a villa for them. They rode camels and were armed. While we were observing the group, we established that they contacted Berlin by radio and recorded their messages. When we deciphered these radiograms, we learned that the Germans were preparing to land a second group of saboteurs to kill or kidnap the Big Three. The second group was to be led by Skorzeny himself,” Vartanyan later recalled.

All members of the first group were arrested and forced to contact their operators under Soviet control. The operation was disrupted.

In 1981, the Soviet film “Tehran-43” with Igor Kostolevsky, Natalya Belokhvostikova and Alain Delon in the lead roles. In 2003, based on declassified documents, the book “Tehran-43: The Collapse of Operation Long Jump” was published, which details Vartanyan’s role at the Tehran Conference. Much of Amir's work remains a secret to this day.

In 2007, when the legendary Amir was already declassified (this happened only in 2000), - approx. auto.), Winston Churchill's granddaughter Celia Sandis managed to meet him. She thanked the man who saved her grandfather, and Vartanyan raised a glass to the Big Three - Stalin, Churchill and Roosevelt, adding: "It is thanks to them that we live in peace today."

Three weddings with one beloved

Most of Vartanyan's life is connected with intelligence. He also “recruited” his wife - the Rostovite met the beautiful Gohar at a friend’s house and realized that he could not imagine his life without this girl. Subsequently, his beloved also became a scout.

Gohar married Vartanyan three times. The first wedding was in the national style: with a hundred guests and all Armenian traditions.

“Armenians place plates, it is necessary to step when the newlyweds enter the house: whoever breaks the plate first is the head of the family. Zhora hurried and broke the first one. But our houses are the same: there is no first and second,” recalled Gohar Vartanyan on one of her trips to Rostov.

Two more weddings became part of the scouts' working legend.

Until 1986, Amir worked illegally abroad, mainly in NATO countries. And Gohar Levonovna was always next to him.

The hero's portrait was painted on red

After finishing their service, they settled in Moscow, worked with young people, and sometimes visited friends in other cities. The married couple loved to travel. They traveled mainly to the republics of the former Soviet Union. We came to Yerevan, Minsk, Vladikavkaz. We have been to Rostov several times.

Gevork Vartanyan was an amazing person. Sociable, kind, open. If I had not known that he was a scout, I would never have believed it. I always looked at him as a beloved front-line grandfather. But he didn’t say anything about the war - it was forbidden. During his visits to Rostov, he was followed by an impressive retinue. He and I often talked about Rostov. He loved the Don capital, considered it his hometown, - told us Chief Editor newspaper “Nakhichevan-on-Don” Vardan Abrahamyan.

In Rostov, they also did not forget about the legendary intelligence officer. In 2009, Gevork Vartanyan was awarded the title of honorary citizen of Rostov-on-Don “for particularly outstanding personal services to the city.”

And at the celebration that the Armenian community of Nakhichevan-on-Don arranged for the Rostov resident, the Don Armenians presented Vartanyan with his portrait. The red color of the background of the picture was not chosen by chance, because the legendary intelligence officer fought for his Motherland, for the Soviet Union.

Vartanyan, as always, was seen off warmly and noisily, and asked to come again. But he was no longer able to please his fellow countrymen with a visit...

Gevork Vartanyan was buried at the Troekurovskoye cemetery in Moscow on January 13. Hundreds of people came to say goodbye to him. Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin laid flowers at Vartanyan’s coffin and spoke with relatives. In addition, the head of the SVR, Mikhail Fradkov, and the ex-heads of the department, Evgeny Primakov and Sergey Lebedev, came to say goodbye to one of the most famous intelligence officers. The Ambassador of Armenia, Vartanyan’s colleagues, representatives of the Armenian diaspora and ordinary people, for whom the Rostovite was and will remain a hero

Gohar Vartanyan. The woman is a legend.

The outstanding Soviet illegal intelligence officer, veteran of the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service, Gohar Vartanyan, turned 91 years old!
Gohar Vartanyan is the same “Anita” - the wife of Gevorg Vartanyan, the legendary Soviet intelligence officer, who forever inscribed his name in the history of Soviet foreign intelligence.

Gevorg Andreevich followed in the footsteps of his father, a man who had a respectable position in society, the owner of a confectionery factory known throughout Iran for its sweets. Under the cover of a successful businessman, on instructions from Soviet intelligence, he conducted active intelligence and intelligence work in Tehran. In 1942, “Amir” (the operational pseudonym of Gevorg Andreevich) had to carry out a special reconnaissance mission. Despite the fact that Great Britain was an ally of the USSR in the anti-Hitler coalition, this did not stop the British from carrying out subversive work against it. The British created an intelligence school in Tehran, which recruited young people for their subsequent transfer to the territory of the Soviet Union. “Amir” infiltrated the intelligence school and completed a full course of training there. The Tehran station received detailed information about the school itself and its cadets. The “graduates” of the school abandoned to the territory of the USSR were neutralized or re-recruited.
"Amir" took an active part in ensuring the security of the leaders of the "Big Three" during the Tehran Conference in November-December 1943. It was Gevorg Vartanyan, then still 19 years old, who commanded a group of young intelligence officers like himself who prevented the assassination attempt on Stalin, Churchill and Roosevelt in Tehran in 1943 during the first conference of Allied leaders during the Second World War.

Preparations for the conference were carried out in complete secrecy, but a leak still occurred, and another country began to prepare for the upcoming meeting - Germany. It was important for Hitler to disrupt the negotiations at all costs. Operation Long Jump to eliminate the Big Three was led by Otto Skorzeny.
German radio operators were dropped into Lake Kum, 70 km from Tehran. They were supposed to help the military arrive at the scene, who, according to the plan, were to carry out the assassination attempt.
The attack was planned for November 30, 1943, Churchill's birthday, when the Big Three would gather at the British Embassy. Amir's group was tasked with finding the landing force dropped out for the operation. Experienced German intelligence officers could not help but notice the annoying teenagers riding bicycles through the streets of Tehran. Yet they underestimated those Light Horse cyclists who played a leading role in the disruption of Operation Long Jump.
Neither British nor American intelligence was aware of how the tragedy was avoided. They know only one thing: the assassination attempt of the century was prevented by the Soviet station in Iran. Thanks to Gevorg Vartanyan’s group, the plans of the German command were not destined to come true. If the plans of the Third Reich were implemented, the development of the war could take on a different character... In addition to exposing the fascist saboteurs, Amir’s group managed to identify more than 400 German residents. The granddaughter of Winston Churchill expressed her appreciation and gratitude to Gevorg for saving her grandfather’s life.
More than three decades later, this story formed the basis of the film “Tehran-43,” and Gevorg Vartanyan acted as a consultant and prototype for the main character, the young intelligence officer Andrei Borodin. The performer of this role, Igor Kostolevsky, admitted that he considered his acquaintance with Vartanyan one of the main successes in his creative life.
While carrying out this dangerous task, Gevorg met Gohar Levonovna, also a Soviet intelligence officer. According to Gevorg Andreevich, this was the most successful “recruitment” in his life.

Gevorg Andreevich and his wife Gohar worked for many years in the Soviet intelligence station in Iran and only in the 50s returned to the USSR to graduate from the Yerevan Institute of Foreign Languages, come to Moscow, and receive a new intelligence assignment of special importance through the First Main Directorate of the KGB of the USSR in as illegal intelligence officers, and go on a new business trip abroad.
Over the course of 35 years of work, they successfully worked illegally, changed countries, cities, houses, professions, religions, and Gohar even had to marry Gevorg three times, as circumstances required.

Gevorg and Gohar Vartanyan have no heirs. Their life together was devoted to moving from country to country and the constant risk associated with illegal work. It is not customary to talk about it, because... Most of the operations performed by Anita and Henri will never be made public. The Vartanyan couple considered themselves incredibly lucky: they had worked as a couple all their lives. In addition to professional advantages (a woman is often trusted much more during recruitment), they supported each other throughout hundreds of secret operations. Experts say: an illegal intelligence officer is not a profession, but a way of life. Any awkward movement, an accidentally dropped word, or rash behavior can cause the death of not only the intelligence officer himself, but also an entire intelligence network and many people. Constant tension, anticipation of danger, willingness to risk your life - not everyone is capable of this. Films about intelligence officers have little in common with real events. In movies and books, scouts run with weapons through the streets, scattering heaps of pursuers and boldly getting involved in clashes with their pursuers. In life, their most reliable weapon is stealth...
Over decades of continuous work abroad, they did not suffer a single failure, did not lose contact with a single informant, did not lose a single recruited agent. For this reason, no details of this lifelong business trip abroad have been declassified - down to the host countries, the cover legend, and even the exact list of foreign languages ​​that G.A. spoke. Vartanyan. It is only known that he knew 8 foreign languages, 5 of them perfectly. It can be assumed that the main work of the Vartanyan spouses was aimed at identifying plans and information about the activities of NATO countries in Europe.
Only in 1986 did the intelligence officers return to their homeland, and on December 20, 2000, on the day of the 80th anniversary of the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service, the “secrecy” classification was removed from the Vartanyans. Their names and activities were allowed to be made public. Books and articles have been written about them, films have been made. Anita and Henri, one of the rare happy married couples who devoted their lives to illegal work, continued to exist.

By the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR ("closed") of May 28, 1984, for the results achieved in collecting intelligence data and the courage and heroism shown, Colonel Georgy Andreevich Vartanyan was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union with the Order of Lenin and the Gold Star medal ( No. 11511). By the same Decree, the Hero’s wife, Gohar Levonovna Vartanyan, was awarded the Order of the Red Banner.

Until the end of his days, Gevorg continued to work in the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service, using his experience to train future illegal agents for work abroad.
On January 10, 2012, the Soviet illegal intelligence officer, Hero of the Soviet Union Gevorg Andreevich passed away, ending the great era of outstanding intelligence officers.

Vartanyan's work was so impeccable that although his name was declassified, most of the details of the operational operations carried out by him remained under the veil of secrecy. This was the first intelligence officer who was awarded the highest rank of the USSR in peacetime, and the third intelligence officer awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union after the Soviet intelligence officers Richard Sorge and Nikolai Kuznetsov (to be absolutely precise, he is the second after Kuznetsov, since Vartanyan and Kuznetsov worked in a line preceding the Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR), and Sorge worked from military intelligence (GRU).According to authoritative experts, Hero of the Soviet Union G. A. Vartanyan is one of the hundred great intelligence officers of the world.
Gohar Levonovna, a veteran of the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service, who made a huge contribution to ensuring the national interests and security of the country, recently turned 91 years old. It is not customary to talk about women's age. But even in these years she remains beautiful, elegant, stands firmly on her heels and instantly reacts to every remark, every breath in a complex conversation that changes the topic, retains a tenacious memory - but this is no longer from God, but purely professional, when she had to remember numbers, codes, places of appearances and meetings. Small, harmless, fragile, chirping in five or six languages, she loves to watch competitions in figure skating, cross-country skiing and biathlon and is very worried about the performance of our hockey team. In a word, an active modern woman!)

The merits of Gohar Vartanyan were awarded the Order of the Red Banner, the Order of the Patriotic War, II degree, and many medals.
Usually, the names of intelligence officers are made public after the failure of their operations. The Vartanyan couple had no failures. That is why their names remained unknown to anyone for a long time, and according to experts, the results of the work of Gohar and Gevorg Vartanyan will also never be completely declassified. Perhaps this is the highest assessment of the intelligence officer’s activities...

On the first working day of January, the life of the legendary intelligence officer Gevork Andreevich Vartanyan was cut short. An experienced intelligence officer, awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, died in one of the wards of the Botkin Hospital in the Russian capital. Vartanyan’s difficult life began in Rostov-on-Don back in 1924, in mid-February. His father Andrei Vartanyan worked for the USSR intelligence services, which ultimately influenced the young Gevork’s decision to become an intelligence officer. The professional activity of this great patriot began in Tehran at the age of 16 without any prior preparation. Vartanyan learned the entire science of intelligence activities on the territory of a foreign state on his own, directly in practice. His leadership skills helped him form his own team of local teenagers. Thanks to his authority, Gevork Andreevich established the strictest discipline and subordination. Working under the secret pseudonym “Amir,” Gevork Andreevich had no idea that after so many years the secret would be made public and fame would find its hero. During the period of operation, the group of minor patriots exposed more than four hundred foreign saboteurs, spies, as well as political enemies of the USSR. I. Agayants had a huge influence on Vartanyan’s character and views.

In many ways, Vartanyan’s success was ensured by his father, who provided excellent cover. Andrei Vasilyevich had Iranian citizenship and occupied an important place in economic circles, since he supplied Iranian tables with traditional sweets. The successful business of the elder Vartanyan made it possible to divert suspicion from his son, as well as to finance all intelligence activities. Money from the Center was attracted in exceptional cases, since the famous confectioner and “capitalist” lived by the principle “everything for the Fatherland.” The entire amount of income went exclusively for the benefit of the Motherland, and only a small part to provide for the family.

It was in the very early period of his professional career that the elusive Amir met his future wife. Gohar first saw Vartanyan at the age of 13 and, according to her, immediately felt affection for this smart, serious and reliable person. Like real loving woman and her devoted friend Gohar shared with her husband all the burdens of conspiracy, for which she was awarded the Order of the Red Banner. In her 2009 interview with the correspondent of the Krasnaya Zvezda newspaper, Gohar Levonovna admits that despite all the harshness of the life of a secret agent, which she led from her early youth, she does not regret anything and is happy with her Amir. Her comments about her husband are very respectful and carry a hint of warmth and love. Gohar Vartanyan focuses the journalist’s attention on the fact that the marriage was concluded solely out of mutual favor, and not out of a sense of necessity and duty to the Fatherland. A unique married couple registered their relationship several times throughout their lives. The first marriage of the Vartanyans took place in Tehran before returning to the USSR, then there were registrations in the Soviet registry office, as well as in foreign countries in accordance with legends. The secret agent spouses have lived together for more than 60 years.

The Vartanyans’ services to the Motherland will never become public knowledge, since most of the tasks they completed are classified as “top secret” and classified as state secrets. Amir's most famous professional achievement was preventing the Nazis' sabotage action to disrupt the Tehran meeting of Stalin, Roosevelt and Churchill. The landing group of experienced German agents was discovered and arrested thanks to the prompt and competent actions of the group led by nineteen-year-old Amir. In her memoirs about the famous operation, Gohar Levonovna says that, despite the availability of information about the arrival of a group of fascist saboteurs in Tehran, it took a very long time to find them. Only the resilience, resourcefulness and perseverance of the members of Vartanyan’s team, who explored the streets for 15-16 hours for several days in a row, made it possible to prevent the collapse of the conference and save the lives of the three heads of great powers. The feat of 1943 was vividly reflected in the feature film “Tehran-43,” which was ambiguously assessed by the hero himself. Vartanyan commented with restraint on the picture and noted its low reliability, due to the fact that the life of a scout is far from direct shootouts and chases. The heroism of a true patriot lies in the ability to ensure that the enemy is unaware of his presence and intentions, and not in heated battles and victories. According to Gevork Andreevich, a scout ceases to be such from the moment of the first shot, so the documentary reliability and historical value of the film is not too great.

Among the declassified operations, Vartanyan’s work with an English special school in Iran is also interesting. Despite allied relations, during the war Great Britain did not stop intelligence activities on the territory of the USSR, for which a secret unit was created to recruit and train young people in Tehran. The institution attracted Armenians, Tajiks, and Russians to work in the USSR as secret agents in favor of Great Britain, and provided them with high-quality professional training. Vartanyan also acted as a recruit. During the period of work under the pseudonym Amir, the Russian intelligence officer not only received all the information about the graduates, which in itself thwarted the British plans to organize a professional intelligence network in the vastness of the Soviet state, but also gained knowledge about the techniques and methods of undercover work. Vartanyan turned out to be a very diligent student, using the English experience of the intelligence services, he was never discovered or declassified, and he completed all the operations entrusted to him by the country's leadership. The information provided by Gevork Andreevich was enough to completely block the work of the English special school in Iran, as a result of which the British finally abandoned their treacherous plans.

It is also known that in the early period of its professional activity, Vartanyan’s group blocked the work of fascist spies in Iran and did not allow a military coup to be carried out, which provided the USSR with a significant strategic advantage during the Great Patriotic War. Today, only a few secrets of the secret life of this amazing person have been revealed, but even from the published facts it becomes clear what kind of personality the country lost on January 10 of this year. The current Russian President D. Medvedev personally expressed his condolences to Vartanyan’s widow. Gevork Andreevich devoted his entire life to his homeland, even at an advanced age, he passed on his experience to the younger generation and collaborated with the foreign intelligence department, and also gave lectures to students of domestic universities. This worthy man had to endure many difficulties and he overcame all of them with dignity. The terrible disease that struck Vartanyan did not break his will or cloud his mind. He left this life with dignity, leaving behind a good memory and earning the gratitude of his contemporaries and descendants.

Gevork Andreevich Vartanyan was born on February 17, 1924 in Rostov-on-Don in the family of Andrei Vasilyevich Vartanyan, an Iranian citizen, director of an oil mill.

In 1930, when Gevork was six years old, the family left for Iran. His father was associated with Soviet foreign intelligence and left the USSR on its instructions. Under the guise of commercial activities, Andrei Vasilyevich conducted active intelligence work. It was under the influence of his father that Gevork became a scout.

Gevork Vartanyan linked his fate with Soviet intelligence at the age of 16, when in February 1940 he established direct contact with the NKVD station in Tehran. On behalf of the resident, Gevork headed a special group to identify fascist agents and German intelligence officers in Tehran and other Iranian cities. In just two years, his group identified about 400 people who were in one way or another connected with German intelligence.

In 1942, “Amir” (the operational pseudonym of Gevork Vartanyan) had to carry out a special reconnaissance mission. Despite the fact that Great Britain was an ally of the USSR in the anti-Hitler coalition, this did not stop the British from carrying out subversive work against the USSR. The British created an intelligence school in Tehran, which recruited young people with knowledge of the Russian language for their subsequent deployment on reconnaissance missions to the territory Soviet republics Central Asia and Transcaucasia. On instructions from the Center, "Amir" infiltrated the intelligence school and completed a full course of training there. The Tehran station received detailed information about the school itself and its cadets. The “graduates” of the school, abandoned on the territory of the USSR, were neutralized or re-recruited and worked “under the hood” of Soviet counterintelligence.

"Amir" took an active part in ensuring the security of the leaders of the "Big Three" during the Tehran Conference in November-December 1943. In 1951 he was brought to the USSR and graduated from the Faculty of Foreign Languages ​​at Yerevan University.

This was followed by many years of work as an illegal intelligence officer in extreme conditions and difficult situations in different countries of the world. Always next to Gevork Andreevich was his wife Goar, who went with him a long way in intelligence, an illegal intelligence officer, a holder of the Order of the Red Banner and many other awards.

The Vartanyan spouses' business trip abroad lasted more than 30 years.

The scouts returned from their last trip in the fall of 1986. A few months later, Gohar Levonovna retired, and Gevork Andreevich continued to serve until 1992. The merits in the intelligence activities of Gevork Andreevich Vartanyan were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, many orders and medals, as well as the highest departmental awards.

Despite the fact that Colonel Vartanyan was retired, he continued to work actively in the SVR: he met with young employees of various foreign intelligence units, to whom he transferred his rich operational experience.

On the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the legendary Soviet intelligence officer, in the Moscow Art Gallery of A. Shilov, People's Artist of the USSR Alexander Shilov presented a portrait of Hero of the Soviet Union Gevork Vartanyan.

Soviet intelligence officer Gohar Vartanyan turned 85 on January 25, 2011. There are several materials from Nikolai Dolgopolov from Rossiyskaya Gazeta about the married couple of intelligence officers Vartanyan, who are still serving in the Foreign Intelligence Service.

You can watch a film about the work of Gevork and Gohar Vartanyan in Tehran.

Nikolai Dolgopolov. Illegals. "Rossiyskaya Gazeta - Week", May 28, 2004

The Young Guard publishing house has just published a book by journalist Nikolai Dolgopolov, “Geniuses of Foreign Intelligence.” The author made a daring and largely successful attempt to find and talk to people who participated in the most successful operations of the most secret of intelligence services. "Rossiyskaya Gazeta" today publishes an excerpt from the chapter "Illegals" about G.A. Vartanyans - it was thanks to Gevork and his group that they managed to prevent the assassination attempt on Stalin, Churchill and Roosevelt during the Tehran Conference of 1943.

Holy of holies in any intelligence service

An illegal is an intelligence officer working in a foreign country not under his own name and using someone else’s documents. Illegal immigrants usually, as they say in intelligence, “settle” in a foreign country for years. Often in such cases, illegal immigrants work in pairs under the guise of a married couple. Unlike intelligence officers who legally work abroad under cover and, if arrested, are subject to deportation or short-term imprisonment, illegal immigrants risk their lives every day and every hour. The legislation of almost all major powers provides for them long terms severe prison isolation and even the death penalty. The preparation of an illegal immigrant is extremely expensive for the country, but the results it brings, if successful, pay for the costs incurred many times over. Classic examples of illegal immigrants are Rudolf Abel, aka William Fisher, Konon Molodoy, the Fedorovs... The first Hero of the Soviet Union in the history of foreign intelligence, Nikolai Kuznetsov, was also an illegal immigrant sent for a short period of time on a special mission to the rear of the Nazis.

In the history of our foreign intelligence service, Gevork Andreevich Vartanyan is the second, after the legendary intelligence officer, partisan Nikolai Kuznetsov, Hero of the Soviet Union. His wife Gohar Levonovna is a holder of the Order of the Red Banner. A detailed story about their actions, including very recent ones, may be published by the middle of this, still new century. In the meantime, I’m opening only a few pages of the fantastic, decades-long career of illegal immigrants.

Let's start with the fact that it was largely thanks to Gevork and his group, called the “Light Cavalry,” that they managed to prevent an assassination attempt on the “Big Three” - Stalin, Churchill and Roosevelt during the Tehran Conference of 1943.

Tehran Conference

This was the name of one of the most important conferences of the heads of the three allied states who fought against Hitler during the Second World War. It took place from November 28 to December 1, 1943 in Tehran. The USSR was represented by Stalin, Great Britain by its Prime Minister Churchill, and the USA by President Roosevelt. At the Tehran Conference, the Declaration on joint actions in the war against Germany and on post-war cooperation between the three powers was adopted.

How old is Vartanyan? What about his wife? May the married couple forgive me, but I approached the house in the Mira Avenue area with a feeling of trepidation. And immediately - a pleasant surprise. Beautiful, young-looking woman in a fashionable dress, high heels:

Hello, I am Gohar Levonovna.

Tall, with silent, soft movements, the owner is elegant in a European way:

Gevork Andreevich Vartanyan, - and a young, strong handshake.

Did German intelligence really try to destroy the Big Three in 1943? After all, at the end of August 1941, our troops entered Iran from the north, and British troops from the south. The head of Iran, Reza Shah, did not observe the promised neutrality and helped Hitler with all his might. So we had to take control of the situation.

At that time, there were about 20 thousand Germans in Iran,” Vartanyan explains with barely noticeable, but still permeating oriental intonations. - Military instructors, intelligence officers under the guise of all sorts of traders, businessmen, engineers.

Gevork Andreevich, how old were you in 1943?

Look much younger than your age.

This is probably the profession that makes you hold on. After all, I consciously and deliberately began working for Soviet intelligence at the age of 16. I was given the name Amir. He worked under him in Iran until 1951. Yes, everything started to go from February 1940.

Why didn't The Long Jump work?

This has never happened in the history of the world's intelligence services. And thanks to relative warming, it is unlikely to happen anymore. Hitler intended to put an end to the three leaders of the Big Three in one fell swoop. And the Germans called the entire operation to physically eliminate the heads of three states “The Long Jump.” Dozens of books have been written about both this and the Tehran Conference. But the details of the impending assassination attempt and, most importantly, how they managed to prevent it - all this remained in some kind of fog. Is it true that the first news about the impending terrorist attack was actually sent from the Belarusian forests by intelligence officer Nikolai Kuznetsov, the future Hero of the Soviet Union No. 1 from foreign intelligence?

I give the floor to Hero No. 2 Amir - Gevork Vartanyan:

It's all true. The first report came from Nikolai Kuznetsov. In Rovno he managed to get SS Sturmbannführer Ulrich von Ortel to talk. Paul Siebert - Kuznetsov was generous and friendly with Ortel. He lent it to the German and gave him cognac. And soon the SS man began to perceive the blond chief lieutenant as his old friend. What are the secrets and omissions between fellow fighters? At first, von Ortel promised to repay the monetary debt to Chief Lieutenant Siebert with Persian carpets. And then he not only blurted out to Paul about the operation in Tehran, but also offered to participate in it. And Nikolai Ivanovich immediately conveyed to the Center: an assassination attempt on the heads of three states is possible in Tehran. Ortel himself was transferred to Iran along with a group of SS men. Moscow was very worried. The station began to take all measures and worked with unimaginable tension. I also included our group. We got involved very actively.

In Iran, in the area of ​​Lake Kum, at the end of the summer of 1943, the Germans dropped Otto Skorzeny with a team of proven paratroopers and saboteurs. They entrusted the operation to Hitler’s favorite personally. He had a wealth of experience. It was Skorzeny - the “man with the scar” - who in September 1943, together with a hundred of his bandits, recaptured Il Duce Mussolini from the Italian partisans. But we learned about this later. Skorzeny was never allowed to get involved. But we found six radio operators-paratroopers, whom the Germans dropped near Tehran, near the city of Qom.

But Qom is a small town, full of mosques. You can light up instantly. I’ve been to those parts: every European is looked at with obvious suspicion.

The Nazis had powerful agents there. There was a powerful cover that had not yet been destroyed by Soviet intelligence. We didn't have access there. As for the Europeans, in Qom the Germans changed into local clothes. Repainted. They used henna in Iran with all their might. Someone with a dyed beard even worked as a mullah.

Thus began their "Long Jump". The Germans began to move towards Tehran on ten camels. They took with them a walkie-talkie, weapons, and equipment. They were careful, and the hundred-kilometer-long journey was covered in ten days. Near Tehran we boarded a truck and finally reached the city. We settled there in a secret villa, right on one of the central streets - Naderi, not far from the embassies of the USSR and Great Britain. The agents prepared everything well for them.

- These six were supposed to kill Roosevelt, Stalin and Churchill?

No. The task of that advanced group of radio operators is to establish contact with Berlin. And then, with the help of Iranian agents, which we did not finish off, to prepare the conditions for a terrorist landing. They established radio contact with Berlin. We just got into direction finding. And our group was given a specific goal - to find this radio station in the huge Tehran. We completed the task. Found.

- Exactly your “Light Cavalry”?

Yes. We found where this group is located.

- But how?

They ran through the streets day and night for 14-16 hours. “I went home only when it was completely dark,” Gohar Levonovna decisively enters. - Cold, hot, scary - they still searched.

Gohar is a great guy,” Gevork Andreevich chuckles. - She was such a girl with pigtails, but she was brave. And we found German radio operators. So then they worked “under the hood” of our intelligence and the British: they transmitted information to Berlin under someone else’s dictation. But don’t think that the Germans are such simpletons. One of their radio operators managed to broadcast a conventional sign: we are working under control. In Germany they realized that the operation had begun with a crushing failure. The Germans did not dare to send the main group led by Skorzeny to certain failure. So there was no Long Jump.

- So Otto Skorzeny was in Tehran after all?

And near Qom, and in Tehran, but before that. He himself admitted this somewhere in the mid-seventies in one of his interviews: he had to, following Hitler’s orders, destroy the Big Three. I studied the situation, hung around the embassies of Great Britain and the USSR. They are nearby, in the center. And especially near the American one, which is much further away, in a deserted place at that time.

Did I understand correctly: it was US President Roosevelt who was at greatest risk because of this remoteness?

He had to, as required by protocol, stay at his embassy. But then he agreed with Stalin’s proposal: it was safer to live in a Soviet one.

A few more questions. You probably watched the film "Tehran-43" with Alain Delon in the title role? What about the truth of life?

There is a truthful moment in the film: the saboteurs were planning to infiltrate the British embassy through the water canal and carry out a terrorist attack just on Churchill’s birthday - November 30th. The rest is great: Alain Delon, Paris, bandits and beauties...

- Sometimes they say that a bomb was defused in the utility room of one of the embassies.

We've never heard anything like this. But the fact that between the embassies of the USSR and Great Britain, which were very close, ours and the British broke through the wall is true. They stretched a six-meter tarpaulin and set up something like a corridor. Their and our machine gunners and machine gunners were lying there: the safety of the passage there and back was ensured for all participants in the Tehran Conference.

- In modern terms, was there a decisive purge carried out before the Tehran Conference?

We had to clear it all out. We worked together with the agents, looking for approaches. If the slightest suspicion arose, the person was temporarily arrested. Doubts were not confirmed, and after the Tehran Conference he was released. And before the conference and during it, we worked day and night.

Nikolai Dolgopolov. How "The Lion and the Bear" was saved. "Rossiyskaya Gazeta - Week", October 19, 2007

Sir Winston Churchill's granddaughter Celia Sandis met our intelligence officer Gevork Andreevich Vartanyan, who saved the life of her grandfather, British Prime Minister Stalin, and US President Roosevelt in 1943.

The English television company Big Apple and TV Center are filming a multi-part documentary series about the history of Russian-British relations over four centuries. One of the main figures in the film “The Lion and the Bear” will be Celia Sandis. Who better to be in the center of the film, which tells about the long-term confrontation between Stalin and her grandfather Winston Churchill. Sandis says about his relative: “The wisdom of my grandfather is as relevant today as ever. The principles of Winston Churchill continue to serve people.”

And Friday’s filming of “The Lion and the Bear,” organized at the request of the film’s British and Russian producers at the press bureau of the Foreign Intelligence Service, might never have happened. Operation "Long Jump" to destroy the "Big Three" in Tehran was then prepared by the order of Hitler by the head of sabotage units Nazi Germany, SS Standartenführer Otto Skorzeny. The first news of the impending assassination attempt came from the dense Belarusian forests. Future Hero of the Soviet Union No. 1 from foreign intelligence Nikolai Kuznetsov, also Lieutenant Paul Siebert, managed to get the SS man Ulrich von Ortel to talk: over good cognac, he not only blurted out information about the operation to his friend Paul, but also offered to participate in it.

"Light Cavalry" knew no mercy

But by the will of fate, Gevork Andreevich Vartanyan, the future Hero of the Soviet Union No. 2, became one of its important characters. However, then, in November 1943, the 19-year-old boy was called only by his first name. An intelligence officer and the son of a Soviet intelligence officer who worked in Iran under the cover of a large merchant, Gevork received his first assignment from resident Ivan Agayants back in February 1940: to gather a group of like-minded people. All seven turned out to be about the same age - Armenians, Lezgins, Assyrians - and communicated with each other in Russian and Farsi. The parents of these children were expelled from the USSR after 1936, or they themselves were forced to leave so as not to fall into the meat grinder of repression. It seemed like outcasts, but there was such a craving, a love for the Motherland. No remuneration, they worked on a purely ideological basis. Where does operational training come from - Agayants and his men trained this company of barefoot soldiers, nicknamed “light cavalry,” literally on the move. They conducted external surveillance of the Germans and identified Iranian agents.

And since 1941, the pretty schoolgirl Gohar also joined the “cavalry”. Looking ahead, I will say that Gevork later married this girl with pigtails three times. First on June 30, 1946 in Tehran, and then twice more in other countries and each time under different names: after all, a couple of our illegal intelligence officers moved around the world, worked in different states, the names of which are still prohibited to give, in total more 40 years.

But let's go back to 1943. Kuznetsov’s message from near Rovno greatly alarmed Moscow: the great homebody Stalin was going to Iran. The residency worked with incredible stress. Naturally, the “light cavalry” was also involved.

We got involved very actively,” Gevork Andreevich remembers everything in detail. - Six German radio operators, dropped near the holy city of Qom, managed to reach Tehran. Thus began Operation Long Jump to destroy Stalin, Roosevelt, and Churchill. The Germans established contact with Berlin, but got caught in direction finding, and our group was given a specific goal: to find this radio station in the huge Tehran. We completed the task - we found it.

Alain Delon and the truth of life

If Sir Winston Churchill was taken under the firm protection of his intelligence services, then Franklin Roosevelt had a more difficult time. It turned out that the Americans were unable to provide security for the US President. It was necessary to break, perhaps for the only time in history, a firmly established protocol. After much persuasion, Roosevelt reluctantly agreed to live in the Soviet embassy. Ours, unlike our own, guaranteed his safety.

You probably watched the film “Tehran-43” with Alain Delon in the title role,” I address a couple of my interlocutors. - What about the truth of life?

Gevork Andreevich and Gohar Levonovna shake their heads almost simultaneously:

There is one truthful moment in the film: the saboteurs were planning to infiltrate the British embassy through the water canal and carry out a terrorist attack just on Churchill’s birthday - November 30th. The rest is great.

“I heard that a bomb was defused in the utility room of one of the embassies.

But we haven't heard anything like that. But it’s true that between the embassies of the USSR and Great Britain, they are very close, ours and the British broke through the wall. They pulled up a six-meter tarpaulin and created something similar to a corridor. Our and British submachine gunners and machine gunners lay there. All participants in the Tehran Conference were guaranteed safe passage there and back.

Gevork Andreevich, is it possible to say in modern language that before the Tehran Conference we carried out a decisive purge?

We had to clear it all out. What did you want? So that the Germans with one blow - and three leaders at once? But the “long jump” didn’t work out. If the slightest suspicion arose, the person was temporarily arrested. If doubts were confirmed, they were released after the conference. And during the conference they worked day and night. Once I had to hire an agent right at a wedding - there was information that it was he who might be involved in the assassination attempt on the Troika; it turned out that he had already participated in terrorist attacks. There’s a wedding, about 200 people are walking in the yard, and then a platoon of our machine gunners bursts in. A terrible chaos ensues. For what? I would slowly take this bandit away.

To be continued

This is just one episode from the biography of Gevork Andreevich Vartanyan, which we and Sir Winston’s granddaughter, whom the Hero of the Soviet Union, who is in good health, met on Friday at the press bureau of the Foreign Intelligence Service, were allowed to know. It is not yet possible to find out about others. Well, let's wait.

But I'm interested in something else. How did the British Prime Minister celebrate his birthday on November 30, 1943? No information about this was found in any materials about the Tehran Conference. Apparently, there was no time for the holidays.

Nikolai Dolgopolov. 118 years in intelligence. "Rossiyskaya Gazeta - Week", February 12, 2009

Gevork Andreevich and Gohar Levonovna Vartanyan are a married couple of illegal immigrants, considered the most effective in the history of modern intelligence. Largely thanks to them, the assassination attempt on Stalin, Roosevelt and Churchill was prevented in Tehran in 1943.

And then several decades of illegal work around the world, awarding the title of Hero in 1984 and only a few years later returning to his homeland. I am proud that in 2000 I was the first to slightly “declassify” the heroes, talking about the harsh years in Tehran.

Their apartment in a quiet side street always amazed us with its unprecedented cleanliness and even sophistication, but without any excesses. Gohar Levonovna is a couple of years younger than her husband celebrating his anniversary. Greets guests at elegant dresses and skillfully matched high-heeled shoes. Laughs: “Then you wrote about these heels, so you have to hold on.” The dishes on the table are not ours, not Moscow’s, but delicious. But the main storyteller is undoubtedly Gevork Vartanyan.

Russian newspaper: Gevork Andreevich, anniversaries are anniversaries, but still in the service?

Gevork Andreevich Vartanyan: I leave for work every morning at nine, and within 40 minutes I’m already there. Sometimes it takes an hour or an hour and a half to get back - stuck in traffic. And at work - everyone is their own, the atmosphere is both businesslike and friendly. As long as I bring benefit, I myself am pleased.

RG: If I may, in general terms, what are you doing now?

Vartanyan: In general: I meet with young people, we prepare them for the same job as mine. Plus I travel around Russia a lot, both alone and with Goar, we try not to refuse when they invite us.

RG: You work with young guys. So, are there any successors to your business? Does the part of the intelligence service to which you belong remain?

Vartanyan: Certainly. And it gives results. The people we trained years ago are returning from combat duty. Good guys - we have a great shift.

RG: I guess you are not studying languages ​​with them today...

Vartanyan: No. Just parting words and wishes. Sometimes they have questions - I answer. And so - we have, one might say, coaches who give them everything they need.

RG: Since approximately how long have you been in intelligence?

Vartanyan: Why approximately? I have my own holiday: on February 4 at work they celebrated my 69 calendar years in intelligence - from February 4, 1940 to the present day. 45 years, counting the Iranian period, in illegal intelligence abroad. With the benefits that are due, it turns out to be 118 years.

RG: Have you always worked under Armenian surnames?

Vartanyan: Under different. Depending on the situation.

RG: Have you even counted the countries you have visited?

Vartanyan: It probably reaches a hundred. But this does not mean that we worked in each of them. We were passing through or for a week, a couple, a month. But about a hundred in 45 years - for sure. The main work was in several dozen countries.

Gohar Levonovna: In those where I remarried my husband. When, together with a group of women, we met with Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin on March 8, he asked me a question: what countries have you been to? I answered honestly: in many. And he, instantly understanding everything, looked and laughed.

RG: I heard how fluently you and Churchill’s granddaughter spoke English.

Vartanyan: Well, not really. Still, two decades here. But Gohar and I have strong tongues.

Gohar Levonovna: Sometimes I suggest: let's talk in other languages ​​so as not to forget. Doesn't agree.

Vartanyan: I'm tired of them. I want it on my own.

RG: And how many languages ​​do you know?

Vartanyan: This simple question is difficult for us.

RG: Sorry.

Vartanyan: Russian, Armenian, English, Italian... Others too. Seven or eight languages ​​are being typed. Farsi is still good.

Gohar Levonovna: We recently met with Igor Kostolevsky - he played the main role in Tehran-43. He was a wonderful actor, a nice person, and didn’t know what kind of meeting was being prepared for him at the theater. When he saw us, he immediately stood up and hugged us. We had such a good conversation. But I asked why your Tehran hotel is so shabby? At that time it was a beautiful city. And Kostolevsky replied that they filmed in Baku. I told him: but in Baku they could have found something more decent.

Vartanyan: And I noticed not to Kostolevsky, but for the sake of truth, that it was in vain that he was shooting there all the time. A scout ceases to be a scout if he starts using weapons.

RG: Gevork Andreevich and Gohar Levonovna, you are optimists, but there were also difficult moments that were difficult to survive.

Gohar Levonovna: When we left for a long time after Tehran for the first time, I was haunted by the fact that we had separated from my parents. I loved my mother very much, I missed her. To offend her, to say something wrong - this has never happened in my life even close. But for three years my mother cried because of us. And Zhora’s father also suffered. I was worried and went to see my mother every day.

Vartanyan: But father knew our work. (Gevork Andreevich’s father also worked in Tehran for Soviet intelligence. - Author.) Although every two or three years they took time off.

Gohar Levonovna: And we wrote letters to them from afar. But what? The same thing: we feel good, don’t worry, everything is fine with us, we wish everything to be fine with you too. That's all. Then they started laughing at themselves. And we decided that we wouldn’t send these letters anymore: what are we writing?

RG: What did you get in response?

Vartanyan: The answer we received on the radio was this: everything is fine at home.

Gohar Levonovna: We have a niece living in Yerevan - my brother’s daughter. Her daughter is like a granddaughter to us. We love our younger ones - they are our children, that’s how we perceive them.

RG: Did they know and know everything about you?

Gohar Levonovna: Well, they know some things, but they don’t know much. Of course, living away from loved ones is very difficult.

RG: And yet, why did you decide to return: were you tired and needed rest?

Vartanyan: In 1984, I was the first from the Foreign Intelligence Service after legendary Nicholas Kuznetsov was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union in peacetime. They issued it, even here in Moscow, with other documents so that it wouldn’t leak anywhere. But in 1985-1986 there were already betrayals. And Gohar and I thought that we had worked for so many years. We have crossed 60 years. We weren’t just tired, but we decided that we’d stop wandering when we were at that age. What if you live in peace? And to receive the title of Hero is the highest happiness. This news somehow still could leak out. Unknown Illegal Hero - who is he, where is he from, what kind of big deal is this? Counterintelligence of any country could start searching and making inquiries. And during our next vacation, when we came here in 1984, we asked to slowly return. At that time, Chebrikov, Kryuchkov, and Drozdov were at the head of intelligence. They gave us permission and gave us a couple of years to finish things off calmly. And we are back. I could have worked for another ten years. Because we were lucky: there were no traitors around. And we arrived without destroying any bridges. Another decade and a half passed. No one was interested in us, no one looked for us. And only at the end of 2000 your article about our Tehran period appeared, and television programs began. According to the long-time head of illegal intelligence, Drozdov, “all these TsaE agents and counterintelligence officers who have been friends with you for decades will not go and say what fools we are. Soviet intelligence officers worked under our noses."

RG: Let me ask you an everyday question. Everything that was acquired there, in foreign countries, is it all left on the other side?

Vartanyan: We returned with two travel suitcases.

Gohar Levonovna: All the things acquired by honest labor are there - cars, televisions, and furnishings. We didn’t have a villa: we spent two or three years in one country, and then we had to go to another. And we brought something from Tehran in 1951, because we were returning officially. Look, these memories of youth are with us. These are the glass holders from which you and I drink tea - a wedding gift. Six pieces with a tray. It will soon be 63 years since our wedding.

Nikolai Dolgopolov. There are secrets that will not be revealed. "Rossiyskaya Gazeta", February 17, 2009

Russian newspaper: Gevork Andreevich, after so many years of obscurity - 45 years away from home, you are now a famous person. People will probably recognize you on the street? Doesn't such popularity weigh on you?

Gevork Vartanyan: They find out in Yerevan, we try to get there a couple of times a year, and at home, in Moscow.

RG: You are with an asterisk.

Gohar Levonovna: No, Zhora with an asterisk is rare.

Vartanyan: They come up: “Excuse me, that intelligence officer, Vartanyan? During the war, you prevented an assassination attempt on the Big Three in Tehran! Let me shake your hand, thank you for what you did, we are proud of you...” Of course, he doesn’t press at all. Pleasant popularity. You feel that Gohar and I left some kind of trace.

RG: I know that you have been in intelligence for 69 calendar years: from February 4, 1940 to the present day. I knew many intelligence officers and rejoiced at their longevity. Hero of Russia Alexey Nikolaevich Botyan, at the age of 92, starred in the film, plays volleyball on Saturdays, and at the premiere of his film, how tactfully, he shaved off a foreign journalist who asked incorrect questions. George Blake wrote a book on the eve of his 85th birthday. Intelligence luminaries Gudz, Mukasey, Starinov left when they were over 100! Guju, when he was already a hundred, I helped him choose ski poles. 100-year-old Mukasey had an amazing memory. He’ll tell me an episode or two, and the next morning he’ll call: let’s exclude this detail, it’s not time yet, but we’ll add this one. The Heroes of Russia and the brightest heads of Feklisov and Barkovsky lived a long life, and until the end of their days they remained an amazing interlocutor. In their most respectable years, the American Cohen, the German Wolf, our Sudoplatov, Sokolov, Zarubina amazed with their deepest culture... These are only those whom I knew. Is there a secret to such fruitful longevity?

Vartanyan: The answer is simple. Our profession. She's fascinating. You want to live to work, to work. You see: there are fruits, which means you can’t stop. I doubt that a long rest will do any good. The service gave Gohar and me a great gift: they built a dacha. We've never had it here. But in three years we went out for a long time - for a week - only once. And that's enough. Ten days of this winter break seems like a lot. We need to stay on our toes. And you can’t let yourself relax. In no case!

RG: Sometimes in books even yours former bosses there were some hints about your work - the one you conducted after Tehran. But this stage has no statute of limitations?

Vartanyan: There are things, dear Nikolai, that will not be opened at all - never. Something, maybe a little bit. Even in the operations on Tehran, which we discussed in detail at one time, there is so much that is not said and that is not touched at all... Although films have been made and books have been written.

RG: And you live with it. But wouldn’t you like to tell someone, tell someone?

Vartanyan: We're used to it. We don't say too much.

RG: And the memories - not for the public - for future students, for history, excuse the pathos, for eternity? Take a tape recorder and talk. I imagine what you can tell.

Vartanyan: What if it somehow falls into the wrong hands? This cannot be ruled out. How many people will we substitute? Well, of course, we’re writing something for the good of the cause. Having returned a very, very long time ago from, let’s say, one country, Gohar, at the request of the Service, wrote a certain manual. How to behave in this unusual state, about traditions, manners, and ways of communication. So many years have passed, but this short guide is still used. And our affairs, and in more detail, are in the archives. It's more reliable. But something comes out, comes out. Here's to you about the last episode. After the filming of an English television film about the assassination attempt on the Big Three, which was hosted in Moscow by Churchill’s granddaughter, whom we met, many articles appeared in the press.

RG: Our newspaper reported this in detail both on its pages and in supplements to the Daily Telegraph and the Washington Post.

Vartanyan: And the family, whom we met in one of the distant Far Eastern countries and had not seen each other since 1960, found us after reading these articles. We left Iran under our last name - Vartanyan, and they knew us by it. Now they live in London, and saw a photo in the newspaper of us at that time and today. We contacted our Armenian friends, looked for our phone number, and Gohar and I decided: let them call. A week later, the whole family came to Moscow with tears in our eyes, and we spent a whole week with them. Warm people, we grieved, we thought we were dead.

RG: Did you know what you were really doing?

Vartanyan: We didn't even realize it. And now they didn’t ask.

Gohar Levonovna: But it still broke through: “Who would have thought.”

Vartanyan: They are our friends. Why can’t an illegal intelligence officer have close friends in a foreign country who have nothing to do with his work? We have many acquaintances and comrades all over the world.

RG: And did they help you in your work?

Vartanyan: Not in the operational room. You see, we always felt safe in the company of normal people. But even in their society one cannot lose a sense of caution. Because even among seemingly our own people there may be provocateurs. We need to recognize it, because the profession itself forces us to be psychologists. And when we had to leave, our friends probably wondered later: where did this couple go, disappeared? I don’t think that even today they know where we are now, who we were. If you have only seen the films, read the articles. There is no cynicism here, but this is the life of an intelligence officer, and it was important for us to have such an environment. Because if the police suddenly show interest, they always start with your loved ones. And your friends always speak well of you.

RG: I guess that many were from Armenian communities.

Vartanyan: You are right. But partially. You can’t stay in the Armenian community alone for long. Rather, at first our compatriots in some country gave us access to other people, to other areas. We made acquaintances and slowly, gradually left this diaspora.

RG: But why?

Vartanyan: It’s dangerous: we Armenians are very curious, we have connections all over the globe. And if you get used to it too much, fit into any Armenian diaspora with roots, they may become interested and check it out. It will work better than counterintelligence.

Gohar Levonovna: You say that I’m sitting with you and listening, but I need to bring tea.

RG: Gevork Andreevich, that’s interesting for Gohar Levonovna. Maybe something else that hasn't been told?

Vartanyan: We talked about chance encounters, which are fatal for illegal immigrants. But here's one more thing. In 1970, we went on vacation from our illegal foreign countries and rested in Yerevan. Suddenly our acquaintances come straight towards us. Hugs, sincere kisses, good people. Clearly, they had no idea who we were. They helped us get legalized in that state. Their home is like our own. Through them we created our environment and entered society. When we left that country, we left without saying goodbye to them. Such is the life of an illegal immigrant. And so in Yerevan questions began: where are you, how are you? Why did you leave such and such a country? We looked for you in the banks, but in such a way as not to arouse suspicion.

RG: For banks, is it because they have detailed data?

Vartanyan: And we, like them, are put into a hotel. We are with suitcases and all the necessary attributes. Our comrades in the Service quickly provided and protected us as best they could.

Gohar Levonovna: And we are with them for a week. It was difficult in Yerevan then. Acquaintances everywhere, because we studied there after Tehran, we could approach them and ask questions.

RG: But were there other kinds of friends?

Vartanyan: Those who helped or were recruited. Or they weren’t recruited, but still, as we say, they were “pumped for information.” Some shared news that was valuable to us simply on a confidential basis. This is a purely human factor. When you have something to tell and you find a good, attentive interlocutor, you want to pour out your soul. And if you also ask a leading question at the right time, then there is no need for any recruitment. Sometimes meeting a competent person is enough. And in general, recruitment is a delicate matter. If I recruit someone, it means I am exposing myself. How do I have complete confidence that tomorrow he won’t give me away? When we worked in Iran, dozens came to us on an ideological basis. But you started talking about cases, about episodes, and I remembered that once in one country...

RG: Oh this one country...

Vartanyan: So it was in it, far or close, that again one leader was kidnapped. And all efforts were thrown into searching for the criminals. They stopped me too: open the trunk. We looked and I moved on. Next post: Get out of the car! We got out, opened the trunk again: and there was a machine gun. They ask me: whose is this? I calmly say that it was you who threw it there, not mine. But the situation, as you understand, is tense. A government official has been kidnapped, they are looking for him... And then the first policeman catches up with us on a motorcycle, who during the inspection forgot his, you know, his machine gun in my trunk. Blatant police negligence: forgetting a weapon while making noise during a search. The case is anecdotal. But at first I thought they were playing a provocation. This is where you could fall asleep. True, then we would prove our innocence. But how much nerves, time, and what kind of attention would be paid to us then.

RG: Has it ever happened that, roughly speaking, you had to wash away?

Vartanyan: No, if you wash away, that’s it. But this is what happened in another country, where at that time there were serious military institutions. We worked in that city, and to no avail. I had important people in touch. And suddenly our people call me to a meeting. They say: outdoor surveillance is following you. We urgently need to go to Moscow. Your capture will take place at such and such an airport on such and such a date. And when he named the date, my heart skipped a beat. Because it was for this day that I had a ticket booked. I think if I tell him about this, he will be completely scared - the khan. Wow, what kind of coincidences there are in life. And calmly, believe me, extremely calmly, I explain to our friend that I am checked twice a day, there is no “external surveillance”, an error has occurred. Please convey to Moscow that this is some kind of confusion, a misunderstanding. You can’t give up an established business because of her and, as you say, Nikolai, run away. However, it is difficult to convince me of this. I check, everything is clean, I’m not being followed, I arrive at my modest hotel, and then the administrator gives me a summons: tomorrow at 10 o’clock in the morning I am summoned to the police. This is where my heart lightened.

RG: How did you feel better? Call the police!

Vartanyan: If they really decided to take it, they certainly wouldn’t call the police. I went to the police, and there was a minor formality, which I quickly settled.

RG: But why then such concern for your life? And why did they decide that you were under surveillance?

Vartanyan: In short, we managed to find out that an oriental man of my age, height and appearance is really being followed by “outdoors”. Who he is and what he has done will remain unknown. And they thought it was me, and they wanted to protect me, to urgently save me. If our nerves had given way that time, we wouldn’t have done a lot of things. And so on for a long, long time worked very well. But we endured all this calmly. Then we got used to it. Over the years, experience came and training appeared.

RG: Have you ever encountered or communicated with intelligence officers from other states?

Vartanyan: Anything has happened. There are also legal intelligence officers under the cover of embassy employees. And official representatives of the FBI and CIA. We were in company with them, and when they started arguing, sometimes colliding with each other in conversation, we didn’t have to ask any questions. All you had to do was listen - listen carefully. Sometimes approaches were made to me, a fully legalized businessman in this country, say. Well, to hell with them, I could give them something in economics, in business. Most often I was asked questions about investing money. You give advice, but they also give you forecasts, because these guys have influence in the country, and as a result you receive extremely valuable information.

RG: You and Gohar Levonovna told you that you came home on vacation. Isn't this risky? Crossing borders, showing documents. The moment is delicate.

Vartanyan: Technically this is not very dangerous. But then it was more difficult: there was no such flow of people. And there was enough attention for everyone. And we always looked at which window to go to. You see how the man works. You quickly realize: this one is nagging. Slowly you move to another line. An experienced employee will let you through quickly. And the young ones are scrupulous. So the visitor has freedom of choice. And grades too.

RG: Even little things like that?

Vartanyan: These are also what the life of an illegal immigrant consists of.

RG: Everything is so computerized now.

Vartanyan: Yes, some things have become more difficult. But there is an antidote to every innovation...

RG: However, today biometrics is being introduced. You won't deceive her, will you?

Gohar Levonovna: So what then?

Vartanyan: There is an exit. Science and technology are working and developing. But let's talk about something else: if you become a citizen of this country, it means that you have passed all the checks - and the special services too. You have nothing to fear. We have official citizenship and documents - completely official, no linden.

Gohar Levonovna: One day the mayor of the city gave.

Vartanyan: We received citizenship when necessary.

RG: But I repeat: what if you press a computer button?

Vartanyan: Let them press at least twenty buttons. You've got everything right. There have been cases where for some time I had to work using fake passports. But we know how to do everything very beautifully and with high quality. Everything is taken into account here.

Gohar Levonovna: It happened that it was necessary to quickly change passports.

Vartanyan: But this is already a technique.

Anecdote from Vartanyan

People of advanced age are asked: “What is better - insanity or sclerosis?” Answer: “Of course, sclerosis.” - "But why?" - “Yes, because you don’t remember that insanity has already set in.”

Nikolai Dolgopolov. Vartanyans against Skorzeny. "Rossiyskaya Gazeta - Week", May 6, 2010

A presentation of the film took place at RG, in the center of which was a pair of illegal intelligence officers. Gevorg and Gohar Vartanyan made it possible to hold the Conference in Tehran in November 1943.

Continuation of the series of documentary and feature films "Fights", prepared by the Artel studio for Channel One and telling about employees of the Foreign Intelligence Service - participants in key events of World War II. The director of the film, Vladimir Nakhabtsev, producer Maya Toidze and the direct participants in the events, the Vartanyans, told RG the details of the project.

If a shootout is the end of reconnaissance

Russian newspaper: Vladimir, before your first film in the Duels series, dedicated to Rudolf Abel, you shot detective series for television. Are you more interested in docudrama?

Vladimir Nakhabtsev: Much. The non-fictional nature of the plot returns the movie from the state of an attraction to a normal human plane. We talk about real - and at the same time fantastic! - to people, we show documents, eyewitnesses, and history takes on flesh, blood and smell before our eyes.

RG: And he gives stories that no screenwriter could come up with.

Nakhabtsev: When documents were submitted to the Central Committee to award Gevork Vartanyan the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, they said: “Of course, Gevork Andreevich is a worthy person, but in your submission, please write the truth. One person cannot do everything that is stated here!” Indeed, it is difficult to believe that the operation, the purpose of which was to kill the leaders of the USSR, Great Britain and the USA, was started by the best minds of Germany - Canaris, Schellenberg, Kaltenbrunner, Skorzeny, and was destroyed by boys. After all, those who were part of Vartanyan’s group were 16-19 years old at that time!

RG: What did cooperation with the Foreign Intelligence Service give you when working on the film?

Nakhabtsev: First of all, it allowed us to avoid funny mistakes. After all, what our viewer knows about intelligence and intelligence officers most often has nothing to do with the truth. What, say, did Skorzeny’s saboteurs look like? These were not “jocks” at all, but pot-bellied, bald subjects, but at the same time capable of shooting down a fly on the fly. And before the operation, they learned to be waiters, carried trays with pistols under them. They were supposed to enter the hall - the terrorist attack was scheduled for Churchill's birthday - throw away the trays and shoot. But the most amazing fact that the SVR consultants helped us with was not even this, but the small details of the life of the intelligence officers: what they ate, drank, smoked, how recruitment took place and how they evaded surveillance.

Maya Toidze: We didn’t need sensationalism; we sought to show the life of intelligence officers as it was: without shooting, fights and chases. After all, an intelligence officer is a person who, first of all, thinks. One of our heroes, the legendary resident Agayants, telling young Vartanyan what he should do, says: “Remember: where the firefight begins, reconnaissance ends.”

RG: In your film, real historical characters act at every step.

Nakhabtsev: And here there is an attempt to break stereotypes. What do we know about Stalin? He had a mustache, smoked a pipe and said: “What does Comrade Zhukov think?” The viewer has the same idea about Hitler, Churchill and others. Our Stalin is different - both strong and insanely tired, confused, tortured. Churchill was a great sybarite, in our film he receives the Minister of Foreign Affairs while lying in the bathroom, he also held cabinet meetings there. Docudrama shows these things like no other genre.

Always on duty

RG: Gevork Andreevich, Victory Day is probably a bright holiday for your family.

Vartanyan: The brightest and most long-awaited.

RG: I heard that you and Gohar Levonovna yourself selected a couple of actors to play you.

Vartanyan: We've seen a couple of contenders. We agree with the directors' choice. Happened. This is especially true for an actor who looks like me. But with Gohar it’s more complicated: in 1943 she was blonde and bright. But, as always, she honestly warned me: “Gevorg, I’ll probably turn darker, because my parents’ hair color is dark.” And she kept her word (smiles).

RG: A lot has already been written about you, and now the film will be shown on First. How do you feel about fame in general? After all, for an intelligence officer, especially an illegal immigrant, she is unusual.

Vartanyan: Almost 10 years have passed since you first wrote about us. And we gradually got used to being recognized. Now they come up to us on the street and congratulate us. Both in Moscow and Yerevan. I am glad that among these people there are many young people.

RG: If I'm not mistaken, you turned 86.

Vartanyan: Yes, Nikolai. I celebrated my birthday in February.

RG: And still go to work every day for the Foreign Intelligence Service?

Vartanyan: Every day. The car arrives, I drive, and work until the evening. We have an excellent team, energetic and active people. The atmosphere is such that all you can do is work.

RG: How are you feeling and your health?

Vartanyan: Everything is fine.

RG: How about Gohar Levonovna?

Vartanyan: Also in worries. And not only at home. We travel and meet young people. We're in educational institutions. We pass on experience. Sometimes people turn to Gohar for personal consultations. She doesn't refuse.

Nikolai Dolgopolov. They don't go into storage. "Rossiyskaya Gazeta - Week", January 27, 2011

From the history of the issue

Gohar Vartanyan has been in intelligence since the age of 16. Together with her fiancé, the future Hero of the Soviet Union Gevork Andreevich Vartanyan, she joined the so-called “light cavalry” group that operated during the war in Iran. It was these very young guys who thwarted the Nazi assassination attempt on Stalin, Roosevelt and Churchill, who came to Tehran in 1943 to decide the fate of the world.

In 1951, with the permission of the Center, the Vartanyans returned to the USSR. They graduated from the Yerevan Institute of Foreign Languages, underwent special training, and then for more than three decades (!), illegal intelligence officers worked “under special conditions” abroad, in a variety of countries under different names and various covers, which the time has not come to mention. And, apparently, it won’t come soon. Gohar Levonovna, naturally, is fluent in Russian, Armenian, Farsi, and also, believe me, many other languages. In the second half of the 1980s, a couple of illegal immigrants, having completed their task, returned to their homeland. By that time, Vartanyan G.A. had already been awarded the title of Hero, which was reported to him by the radio operator, holder of military orders G.L., who deciphered the message. Vartanyan. And at almost 87, Gevork Vartanyan works in the Foreign Intelligence Service. His wife also did not retire for many years, helping to educate those who had to work hard “in special conditions.”

Personal life

A difficult question for many illegal immigrants. A well-known (in narrow circles) married couple who lived for many years in North America. The Russian was married and had children, as his official - at that time - life partner knew about. She came to his aid from another country, of which she was a citizen. Having completed the task and retained good feelings, the scouts dispersed, never to meet again. Another case known to me personally. Long years The spouses who lived “there” happily returned home, but their children, who discovered that they were not, say, Germans or Latin Americans at all, but real Russians, were discouraged. Native language they had to study it quickly, but they couldn’t avoid the ridicule of the kids from the neighboring yard. Now both of them, who did not follow in their parents’ footsteps, have found work, the brother and sister are happy, but they have had to go through many difficult moments. Both tact and patience were required from the parents, and the daughter, who rather adheres to socialist views, once reproached: “Why didn’t you tell us who you were? We would have helped you.”

Goar Levonovna and Gevork Andreevich, as it happens, have no children. They took a lot of risks on their distant frontier. Moving, changing environments and legends required full dedication. Suffice it to say that in different places the beautiful Gohar married three times and invariably to her Gevork. True, always under a new name. But putting the lives of those closest to them at obvious risk was, in their fair opinion, unwise.

But the couple has a niece. And, you know, Margarita, even though she doesn’t live in Moscow, is very lucky. You rarely meet such attentive relatives. The Vartanyans are proud of their Margosha and visit her often. However, in that state that is now friendly to us, they are also deservedly honored as Heroes.

What today

But let's return to Gohar Levonovna. We met when the scouts were well over 70. And my first impression has not changed. They are real Europeans. Always in excellent shape, dressed with taste and in their own style, developed over the years. And at 85, Gohar Levonovna invariably wears heels. Dresses in non-dark colors are subtly chosen. The hairstyle looks like, or maybe not like, straight from a hairdresser's.

By the way, one of the memories of illegal immigrant Gohar Vartanyan is also connected with this establishment. Once, in a distant country, while drying her hair, she saw her husband passing by. And she called him quite loudly, as she had been calling him for more than six decades of marriage: “Zhora, I’m here!” Fortunately, the neighbors in the hairdressing salon were sitting under their helmets in this by no means Russian-speaking city and did not hear anything.

It happened a couple of times that in some kingdom-state they could come across an Iranian leader who knew them from Tehran under a different name. And Gohar, sensing a threat, immediately acted out a headache and quickly let her husband know about the danger. They got into a luxury car, and Gohar Levonovna instantly hit the gas.

What if it were different? The answer to this non-rhetorical question is given by the story of dozens of our intelligence officers, betrayed by a traitor and exchanged in July. Strangers do not stand on ceremony with illegal immigrants. And the Vartanyans consider themselves lucky: in all their years they have never encountered traitors. And letters from the Motherland from loved ones, so as not to catch anyone’s attention, were read two or three times, memorized as usual, and then professionally burned, rolled up into a tube, so that there was less ash.

However, it is interesting that in this married couple of illegal immigrants No. 1, Gevork Andreevich tells more about the past, about wonderful cities and true friends, not necessarily agents. Here it is, female discipline absorbed over decades.

She is in everything. The apartment is absolutely clean. It is furnished elegantly, but without pretension, but with love: there are also things taken from there. It’s nice to admire the landscapes against which so many years and events have flown by. For a gourmet, although I don’t consider myself in this category, meeting the Vartanyans could be remarkable. Rarely does a chef compare with Gohar Levonovna. Where did she learn to cook so tasty and varied? Although, it’s clear where, because oriental dishes are especially successful. As for drinks, preference is cognac - Armenian, aged, multi-starred and, naturally, from Yerevan. The couple raises a glass or two, and for years - years not years - without any consequences.

Call to the hospital

These days, Gohar Levonovna turned 85. We agreed to come and see him, but, alas, it didn’t work out. The scout fell ill and was admitted to the hospital. I called Gevork Andreevich on his mobile and was reassured by him: “Gohar is already better, getting better,” and suddenly: “I’m with her now.” Nikolay, would you like to congratulate? I pass the phone.

Russian newspaper: Gohar Levonovna, how are you? They scared us so much.

Gohar Vartanyan: But now I feel better. That's the main thing. I've been coughing for more than two weeks, and that's enough. Getting better.

Gohar Vartanyan: Here. But they promised to go home at the end of this week. We'll see you a little later. Let's invite friends from work and relatives.

RG: I can imagine what the table will be like. Gohar Levonovna, dear, I want to congratulate you. And then another anniversary. Gevork Andreevich, it seems, said that June 30 marks 65 years of marriage.

Gohar Vartanyan: Yes. And therefore I believe that the year will be successful. We will overcome the cough and all illnesses, everything will be fine.

RG: Always remain optimistic.

Gohar Vartanyan: Also true. In our profession and without optimism? And I recommend it to everyone else. Optimism is the best medicine.

RG: Don't you miss it? You are an active person.

Gohar Vartanyan: No need for boredom, no need. The hospital is excellent - new and the doctors are attentive. Tomorrow (Monday) and the day after tomorrow I will watch a film about me and Gevork on television. I think not, I’m sure I’ll be glad. And then I'll go out and see you. Be sure to come visit us. And say hi to your wife.

---
This is such a true movie

This is the name of a two-part documentary-fiction film filmed for Channel One by the Artel company, headed by Honored Artist of Russia Alexander Ivankin. Director - Vladimir Nakhabtsev.

It’s not very convenient for me to talk about this film, as the screenwriter of No. 3. And yet I will express my purely personal opinion: the film is truthful and documentary. It’s touching, because Gohar and Gevork Vartanyan acted in it and spoke sincerely in it; they didn’t even need a script, and, in my opinion, no makeup. And the young Vartanyans of the 1943 period were played by a young pair of capable actors - Karina Gondagsazyan and Valery Sekhposov. And Gohar Levonovna chose them in many ways. I must admit, they showed me two other candidates - also similar, quite nice. But, as they say, it was the delicately expressed opinion of Goar Levonovna and Gevork Andreevich that became decisive.

What can I say? There is only one thing: the illegal intelligence officers were not mistaken again (or even here).

MOSCOW, January 25 – RIA Novosti. The outstanding Soviet illegal intelligence officer, veteran of the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service Gohar Vartanyan, who made a great contribution to obtaining information necessary to ensure the national interests and security of the country, celebrates her 90th birthday on Monday.

Under the pseudonym "Anita"

Gohar Levonovna Vartanyan was born on January 25, 1926 in the city of Leninakan (Gyumri) in Armenia. In the early 1930s, her family moved to Iran. At the age of 16, she joined the anti-fascist group of her future husband and ally, Gevork Vartanyan, with whom she conducted active intelligence work. In 1943, as part of this group, she took part in the operation to ensure the safety of the leaders of the Big Three during the Tehran Conference. Then an assassination attempt by Hitler’s secret services on the leaders of the “Big Three” - Stalin, Roosevelt and Churchill - was prevented.

In 1951, the Vartanyan couple were brought to the USSR, and in 1956 they graduated from the Yerevan Institute of Foreign Languages. Then Gohar and Gevork Vartanyan, under the operational pseudonyms "Anita" and "Henri", successfully worked illegally in many countries of the world. In 1986, the scouts returned to their homeland.

According to experts, the results of their work are so significant that they will never be declassified.

The merits of Gohar Vartanyan were awarded the Order of the Red Banner, the Order of the Patriotic War, II degree, and many medals.

Beauty and elegance

“And at ninety, Gohar Levonovna Vartanyan is a very beautiful and elegant woman,” Nikolai Dolgopolov, deputy editor-in-chief of Rossiyskaya Gazeta, intelligence historian, twice laureate of the SVR Prize in the field of literature and art, noted in an interview with RIA Novosti.

“When I first came to their house with Gevork Andreevich, Gohar Levonovna came out to meet me in a formal dress and tastefully matched high-heeled shoes. And since then she has always greeted me in them, explaining with a smile that since I’m talking about these I wrote high-heeled shoes, now I have to hold on,” he added.

According to him, another feature of Gohar Vartanyan confirms the observation that in married couples of illegal intelligence officers, it is the wives who are more silent than the husbands.

“It’s a myth that all women are talkative. Illegal immigrants’ wives are much less inclined to talk. So, during our conversations, Gohar Levonovna occasionally turned to Gevork Andreevich with the question: “Zhora, can we talk about this?” the journalist said.

At one time, Gohar Vartanyan was an excellent radio operator. “At one time she learned the skill of transmitting radiograms very quickly, which was unexpected for her teachers,” noted Nikolai Dolgopolov.

“Gohar Levonovna was and remains a very decisive woman, quickly making decisions. Finally, she is a very friendly person, and this is a rare quality. And, despite the years, she always remains cheerful,” he emphasized.

Gohar Vartanyan: a scout must always keep himself under controlGohar Vartanyan told in an interview with Advisor to the General Director of RIA Novosti, head of the Military Journalists Club Valery Yarmolenko, how she lives now and how she continues to pass on her experience to young intelligence officers.

Three weddings of the Vartanyan spouses

In an interview with RIA Novosti over the years, Gohar Vartanyan recalled memorable episodes from her work with her husband.

One day the Vartanyan couple had to worry a lot. This happened in one of the foreign countries, where they arrived on a long business trip and were just beginning to settle in a new place.

“One day I decided to go to the hairdresser and get my hair done. At the hairdresser they put curlers on me and sat me under a hairdryer to dry my hair. Then the hairdryer looked like such a big iron cap that covered half of my head,” the intelligence officer recalled.

At this time, Gevork Vartanyan was waiting for his wife on the street. “At some point, I saw him through a large glass display case. I don’t know what came over me, but I suddenly, involuntarily, waving my hand, shouted to him in Russian: “Zhora, I’m finishing soon!” Can you imagine my shock after that? "For a minute I sat simply petrified, with one thought about what I had done. Then I carefully began to look around for the reaction of the people in the hairdressing salon," said Gohar Vartanyan.

“Thank God, no one noticed my mistake in this fuss and everything worked out. A scout must always keep himself under complete control,” she added.

Another unexpected episode occurred in another country, where intelligence officers were invited to a private villa.

“We actually tried to avoid visiting with strangers, because you never know who else is invited, and it’s incorrect to ask,” noted Gohar Vartanyan.

“My husband was a little delayed at the entrance, and I walked forward and looked a little into the living room. There, half-turning towards me, stood a woman, the wife of a high-ranking American military man, whom we met in another country and, accordingly, we had completely different names. Upon returning into the hallway, I pretended that I felt very bad. Gevork went out with me, put me in the car, and, apologizing to the owners, we left. That’s when we were really close to failure,” she recalled.

It is interesting that the Vartanyan couple got married three times - in different countries and under different names, it happened out of duty. But Gohar Vartanyan wore a wedding dress only for the first time, in 1946 in Tehran.

“In other cases, we just wore elegant dresses or suits and jewelry. We went to a restaurant and celebrated. And it was very cool and fun!” the intelligence officer recalled.

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