The Nation - News from Dec. 18, 1987

The FBI detained a Soviet U.N. diplomat on suspicion of espionage, said U.N. Secretary-General Javier Perez de Cuellar. He said the man, a second secretary at the Soviet mission, was released because he has diplomatic immunity. The U.N. directory lists 17 second secretaries. Perez de Cuellar was not able to identify the man detained. “He has apparently been discovered in a kind of illegal activity,” the U.N. chief said, adding it was allegedly spying. A Justice Department source in Washington confirmed an employee of the Soviet U.N. mission had been picked up by the FBI on suspicion of spying. “They’re going to boot him out,” the source said, referring to the practice of expelling foreigners suspected of spying who cannot be charged because they have diplomatic immunity.