A Secret Life: Blog 3

Ryszard Kuklinski has now been feeding information to the CIA under the noses of the Soviet Union for almost 3 years now and the choices that he has been making are tremendous. Among other things, he has had to turn down higher positions so that he can stay in a contactable state for the CIA. Instead of focusing on leveling himself, in a chance to get access to more important documents, he is playing it safe and deciding not to take any chances to allow the CIA to remain uninformed while the Soviets create plans to commence a “Hot war”. Kuklinski has also been “caught” on a couple of occasions creating evidence for or taking packages from the CIA. When he was taking pictures of classified materials, a man walked in on him and after the man left the building and ran to wherever, “Kuklinski considered taking his life: He had his pistol and his pill,” (107). About 4 months later, Kuklinski received a car drop from the CIA and was immediately caught in the headlights of another vehicle. He managed to escape his pursuers, and in his next letter to the CIA, he asked if he should carry a gun on him during the car exchanges. The CIA responded to him, “Although the decision is one only you will be able to make if circumstances ever require it…we suggest that any other possibility for escape and flight should be preferred,” (116). In both of these cases Kuklinski kept to his morals and kept his sense about him, telling himself that it wasn’t worth killing himself on a presumption, and that using force against government officials will only prolong and intensify any attempt to get him and his family out of Poland.

Kuklinski’s ethics are what make him do what he is doing. In one of the first letters that he wrote to the CIA he said, “In the beginning I asked myself If I had the moral right to do this…It was a dilemma, my moral dilemma, but I became convinced that I not only had the right, I had the moral obligation,” (xv). He is convinced that what he is doing is the right thing to do, no matter what evidence may arise to the contrary. Although, he is willing to sacrifice his life to save the society, he is still greatly concerned about his family. The CIA wrote to him saying, “We have pledged to assist you and the members of your family in any adversity, to the very best of our ability, and we would like to be in a position to honor that promise,” (111). Kuklinski asked the CIA to allow safe passage to the west for his family, and possibly himself, if the need should arise. Kuklinski has not only put society before family, but he has made the ultimate sacrifice and placed society and family above his own life. His request for a suicide pill was made so that, if a problem should occur, he would be able to die a hero rather than live in shame. Also, his death would put his family out of harm’s way. Kuklinski’s morals and ethics have been strengthened to the point that he would take his own life for the good of the family and for society.