BELLADONNA and TRIDENT were US secret service projects that were initiated before the creation of the CIA. They involved several Ukrainian nationalist figures, amongst them former Nazi collaborationists.
BELLADONNA involved collection of foreign intelligence on USSR and TRIDENT involved collection of counterintelligence on USSR through Ukrainian emigre activities and personalities (1946-48). Ivan Hrinioch, Michael Korzhan, Mykola Lebed, Yury Lopatinsky, Myron Matviyeyko associated with Projects.1
Secret service historian Kevin C. Ruffner writes in his contribution to a 50-years "jubilee" publication on the CIA, a chapter entitled "Cold War Allies: The Origins of CIA s Relationship with Ukrainian Nationalists:"
In mid-1946, [Zsolt] Aradi and Holtsman launched two separate espionage and counterespionage projects for SSU/X-2 using Ukrainians still in Germany. BELLADONNA drew upon Aradi's contact with [Ivan] Hrinioch to collect information on the Soviet military.2
Persons involved
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Hrinioch, Ivan
CAPARISON, CARTEL-1, AECASSOWARY-3, CASSOWARY-3, QRDYNAMIC-3 (cryptonyms). Associated with Projects BELLADONNA/TRIDENT, AERODYNAMIC (formerly CARTEL, ANDROGEN, AECARTHAGE), later QRDYNAMIC/QRPLUMB (formerly AEBEEHIVE).
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Korzhan, Michael
AECAPELIN-1, AEBATH-1, AEDOGMA-1, CAPELIN-1, PETROCLUS (cryptonyms). Associated with Projects BELLADONNA, AEDOGMA/AEBATH. V-13611 (formerly V9460.9) (Gehlen Organization V-Numbers).
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Mykola Lebed
ANTLER, AECASSOWARY-2, CARTEL-2 CASSOWARY-2, QRDYNAMIC-2 (cryptonyms). Associated with Projects BELLADONNA/TRIDENT, AERODYNAMIC (formerly CARTEL, ANDROGEN, AECARTHAGE), later QRDYNAMIC/QRPLUMB (formerly AEBEEHIVE).
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Lopatinsky, Yury
ACROBAT, CAPARISON-3, CARTEL-3, CASSOWARY-4, AECASSOWARY-4, QRDYNAMIC-4 (cryptonyms). Associated with Projects BELLADONNA/TRIDENT, AERODYNAMIC (formerly CARTEL, ANDROGEN, AECARTHAGE), later QRDYNAMIC/QRPLUMB (formerly AEBEEHIVE).
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Matviyeyko, Myron
CAPANEUS (cryptonym). Associated with BELLADONNA/TRIDENT Projects
Bibliography
- National Archives and Records Administration. Research Aid: Cryptonyms and Terms in Declassified CIA Files Nazi War Crimes and Japanese Imperial Government Records Disclosure Acts. June 2007. http://www.archives.gov/iwg/declassified-records/rg-263-cia-records/second-release-lexicon.pdf.
- FOIA Documents relating to "TRIDENT" (30 documents as of May 2014)
- 1Research Aid: Cryptonyms and Terms in Declassified CIA Files Nazi War Crimes and Japanese Imperial Government Records Disclosure Acts. http://www.archives.gov/iwg/declassified-records/rg-263-cia-records/second-release-lexicon.pdf.
- 2Kevin C. Ruffner, "Cold War Allies: The Origins of CIA s Relationship with Ukrainian Nationalists (s)," In: Fifty Years of the CIA, Central Intelligence Agency, 1998, p. 20 ff. https://www.academia.edu/33294203/Cold_War_Allies_The_Origins_of_CIAs_Relationship_with_Ukrainian_Nationalists_s
