By FOIA Research
on December 28, 2018 - Last updated: December 23, 2020

BELLADONNA/TRIDENT

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

  • 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).

  • 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).

  • 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).

  • 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).

  • Matviyeyko, Myron

    CAPANEUS (cryptonym). Associated with BELLADONNA/TRIDENT Projects

Bibliography

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