Jaye Rothman's Blog - Posts Tagged "espionage"
What MI6 didn't want the British public to know.
When you Google The Umbrella Murder or Georgi Markov you can find articles and conspiracy theories galore.
Markov was a Bulgarian dissident writer who vocally criticized the Bulgarian communist regime. He was murdered in London in 1978 while waiting for a bus by a pellet containing ricin (a lethal poison) concealed in an umbrella.
When I was writing my book Murder By Umbrella, goo.gl/Tb8tfP I came across this article dated 2006.
This post by SooBrett claims that a previous attempt had been made on Markov’s life in Sardinia, were he was holidaying. The plan was to mix poison in sun screen. Apparently Markov was warned of the plot.
According to SooBret's post two Bulgarian journalists researched Markov’s death and published a book about it in Bulgaria in 1994. Apparently it was suppressed by the Bulgarian government before any copies could be sold.
Jane Tienne and Sue Brettell decided to publish the book in England, So Tienne set up her own publishing company and SooBrett agreed to help finance the venture. The launch was held at the Clink Museum in London, and the book “The Umbrella Murder” was well received and had good reviews in the media.
Out of the blue Tienne was served with an injunction. All copies of the book were recalled. Tienne sought legal advice, but did not pursue any actions.
Both Tienne and Brettell stopped communicating, and both of them were ruined financially. Journalists attempted to contact Tienne but she refused to return phone calls. Perhaps she was too frightened to speak out?
I've tried to buy a copy of the book 'The Umbrella Murder' via the internet, but I've had no luck .
As Soobrett says in her blog, there are so many answered questions.
Yes there is.
I'd like to know what happened to the 20,000 copies of 'The Umbrella Murder' that were printed? Did MI6 have them destroyed?
What did the book reveal?
Apparently there was the merest suggestion in the book that MI6 could have been involved in Markov’s murder. Could this be true?
Did this alarm the British security services?
Or did the Bulgarians kill Markov to warn other dissidents not to defect to the West?
Markov was a Bulgarian dissident writer who vocally criticized the Bulgarian communist regime. He was murdered in London in 1978 while waiting for a bus by a pellet containing ricin (a lethal poison) concealed in an umbrella.
When I was writing my book Murder By Umbrella, goo.gl/Tb8tfP I came across this article dated 2006.
This post by SooBrett claims that a previous attempt had been made on Markov’s life in Sardinia, were he was holidaying. The plan was to mix poison in sun screen. Apparently Markov was warned of the plot.
According to SooBret's post two Bulgarian journalists researched Markov’s death and published a book about it in Bulgaria in 1994. Apparently it was suppressed by the Bulgarian government before any copies could be sold.
Jane Tienne and Sue Brettell decided to publish the book in England, So Tienne set up her own publishing company and SooBrett agreed to help finance the venture. The launch was held at the Clink Museum in London, and the book “The Umbrella Murder” was well received and had good reviews in the media.
Out of the blue Tienne was served with an injunction. All copies of the book were recalled. Tienne sought legal advice, but did not pursue any actions.
Both Tienne and Brettell stopped communicating, and both of them were ruined financially. Journalists attempted to contact Tienne but she refused to return phone calls. Perhaps she was too frightened to speak out?
I've tried to buy a copy of the book 'The Umbrella Murder' via the internet, but I've had no luck .
As Soobrett says in her blog, there are so many answered questions.
Yes there is.
I'd like to know what happened to the 20,000 copies of 'The Umbrella Murder' that were printed? Did MI6 have them destroyed?
What did the book reveal?
Apparently there was the merest suggestion in the book that MI6 could have been involved in Markov’s murder. Could this be true?
Did this alarm the British security services?
Or did the Bulgarians kill Markov to warn other dissidents not to defect to the West?
WAS MI6 BEHIND MARKOV’S MURDER?
In September 1978 Georgi Markov a Bulgarian dissident who lived in London and worked for the BBC was murdered on the streets of London. The killer stabbed him with the tip of an umbrella, which caused a pellet to be injected into his skin, it released a toxic poison called ricin. Markov died a few days later in hospital.
The question is who killed him?
His killers have never been brought to justice. Theories abound on the internet of who actually murdered him.
Gordon Logan’s articles on the internet, state that a British woman agent named Mercia MacDermott was involved in the plot. According to Logan she used to live in Bulgaria and was popular because she wrote biographies of national heroes.
She was a loyal member of the Communist party and maintained a close relationship with members of the Communist Politburo, particularly Alexander Lilov who was responsible for Ideology in the government. Lilov’s desperately wanted to become the next leader of Bulgaria, so he was keen to impress the KGB and Politburo.
So the plot was hatched.
Why?
It would improve Mrs MacDermott’s standing with the Communist Government, so she would be completely trusted and gain more useful Intel for the British.
For the Bulgarians they would be rid of a dissident that continually criticised them, and Lilov’s star would be on the rise.
Markov was not the sort of defector liked by MI6. He was indiscrete, and did not get on with his BBC colleagues. He continually criticised his adopted country, and didn’t believe the BBC was neutral. He was a thorn in the British establishment’s side. Homesick for his beloved Bulgaria, he apparently sent a letter to the Deputy Minister of the Interior asking what his sentence would be if he returned. This probably decided his fate.
What happened to Mrs MacDermott?
More next time….
Lilov was a member of the Politburo of the Central Committee.
The question is who killed him?
His killers have never been brought to justice. Theories abound on the internet of who actually murdered him.
Gordon Logan’s articles on the internet, state that a British woman agent named Mercia MacDermott was involved in the plot. According to Logan she used to live in Bulgaria and was popular because she wrote biographies of national heroes.
She was a loyal member of the Communist party and maintained a close relationship with members of the Communist Politburo, particularly Alexander Lilov who was responsible for Ideology in the government. Lilov’s desperately wanted to become the next leader of Bulgaria, so he was keen to impress the KGB and Politburo.
So the plot was hatched.
Why?
It would improve Mrs MacDermott’s standing with the Communist Government, so she would be completely trusted and gain more useful Intel for the British.
For the Bulgarians they would be rid of a dissident that continually criticised them, and Lilov’s star would be on the rise.
Markov was not the sort of defector liked by MI6. He was indiscrete, and did not get on with his BBC colleagues. He continually criticised his adopted country, and didn’t believe the BBC was neutral. He was a thorn in the British establishment’s side. Homesick for his beloved Bulgaria, he apparently sent a letter to the Deputy Minister of the Interior asking what his sentence would be if he returned. This probably decided his fate.
What happened to Mrs MacDermott?
More next time….
Lilov was a member of the Politburo of the Central Committee.
