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Smoltsov report

Gromyko Memorandum

    Inofficial translation:

    MEMORANDUM

    In connection with the request of the Government of Sweden the appropriate Soviet agencies were instructed to conduct an examination and verification of the documents relating to Raoul Wallenberg, which were received from the Swedish side during the Soviet-Swedish discussions in Moscow in March-April of 1956, and also in May of 1956.

    In the process of examination and verification of these documents the Soviet agencies have carried out a thorough review of the archives relating to prisoner records and investigatory matters, in order to find ,any possible information about Wallenberg. Inquiries were also made of many individuals conceivably connected with the circumstances set forth in the documents received from the Swedish side.

    As a result of these measures, however, it has not been possible to find any information relating to the presence of Wallenberg in the USSR. It has been ascertained that none of the individuals questioned knew of anyone with the name Wallenberg.

    The Smoltsov Report

      The Smoltsov report – analysis and comment

      Texte from the Report of the Swedish-Russian Working group, Stockholm 2000

      “As the Smoltsov report is the only document that has something definite to say about Raoul Wallenberg’s fate, further analysis and comment is necessary. In the first place, a representative of the working group from the Russian Ministry of Security talked to the prison doctor’s son, Viktor Aleksandrevitch Smoltsov (who refused to meet the interview group on the grounds that he had nothing further to add to the details given below). The son  was 23 years old in 1947 and already employed in the security service. He stated that his father was unexpectedly called to his work on an evening in July 1947. This was unusual considering that he suffered from heart disease, did not therefore work full-time and was preparing to be discharged. His father did not return until the following morning and then said that a Swede had died in the MGB inner prison (Lubianka). This story must be treated in the same way as every other oral communication; it comprises a version which is not sufficient proof in itself.

      In an effort to determine the authenticity of the Smoltsov report, it was decided at an early stage to have the handwriting analysed by experts and to subject it to a technical investigation. The Russian side undertook to do this at an institute of forensic expertise at the Soviet Ministry of Justice (App. 48). As far as the technical analysis was concerned, their conclusions were that the report could have been written on the date mentioned, i.e., 17 July 1947. It was not possible to determine by means of a chemical analysis (of ink and paper) the exact point in time on which the report was created because there is no method of determining the absolute age of a document based on changes in the material due to its age.