Prof. Eugene Poteat – retired CIA Scientific Intelligence Officer, President of the Association of Former Intelligence Officers, and professor of intelligence at IWP – has recently granted an interview to the Polish news platform www.wpolityce.pl. The subject was the tragic plane crash of April 2010, which occurred near the Russian city of Smolensk. The catastrophe claimed the lives of Poland’s President, the late Lech Kaczyński, his wife, and ninety-four other members of Poland’s political elite.
Based on decades of expertise in the fields of aviation, physics, and electronics, Prof. Poteat considers the Smolensk crash highly suspicious. His exposure to the ruthless modus operandi of the Soviet and post-Soviet Russian intelligence services further reinforces his concerns. The Kremlin clearly viewed Kaczyński as a troublesome political opponent and would not have hesitated to eliminate him. Russian behavior since the plane crash – including the contamination of the crash site, destruction of evidence, and refusal to return the aircraft’s black boxes – has certainly raised many suspicions and allegations of foul play.
After all, it would have been quite possible to bring about a crash as a result of moving one of the two NDBs (Non-Directional Beacons) and/or feeding the pilots misleading coordinates. Hence, Prof. Poteat fully supports an independent international investigation on the causes of the catastrophe.
Unfortunately, he says, neither the US nor the Polish governments have showed any interest in such an apparently obvious solution. The former finds itself preoccupied with domestic economic problems and foreign engagements. Russia is viewed as a partner in the struggle against terrorism and appeasement appears as the necessary price. Poland, in turn, is run by a “pro-Russian government” and is a fertile field for Russian intelligence infiltration.
Prof. Poteat concludes his observations with a sobering warning for the Russians themselves: “In the long run, Russia will be eliminated from the game due to such factors as demographics, i.e. their falling birthrate, drugs, alcohol… and many other factors. Poland may outlive Russia, but only if it can avoid the problems driving Russia toward self-destruction.”
For the full text of the Polish-language interview, please click here.