Down and Out in the American Embassy

Of the few things known about Yuri Vlasenko, two stand out: he wanted to leave the Soviet Union; he is dead.

Late on the afternoon of March 28, Vice Consul Robert Pringle walked outside the U.S. Embassy in Moscow to escort Vlasenko past the Soviet guards who patrol the three entrances to the Embassy. Once inside, Vlasenko asked that the Embassy issue him an exit visa to leave the Soviet Union. When Pringle told him that only Soviet authorities could grant his request, the would-be émigré, a 27-year-old merchant seaman, reportedly revealed a home-made bomb, which he threatened to detonate if refused the exit visa. The bomb elevated the episode into a matter for the U.S. Ambassador to Moscow, Malcolm Toon.

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Kevin Lynch

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Religious Persecution

Of the few things known about Yuri Vlasenko, two stand out: he wanted to leave the Soviet Union; he is dead.

Late on the afternoon of March 28, Vice Consul Robert Pringle walked outside the U.S. Embassy in Moscow to escort Vlasenko past the Soviet guards who patrol the three entrances to the Embassy. Once inside, Vlasenko asked that the Embassy issue him an exit visa to leave the Soviet Union. When Pringle told him that only Soviet authorities could grant his request, the would-be émigré, a 27-year-old merchant seaman, reportedly revealed a home-made bomb, which he threatened to detonate if refused the exit visa. The bomb elevated the episode into a matter for the U.S. Ambassador to Moscow, Malcolm Toon.