A KGB Officer came, from those literate ones, and assigned me to meet Antonioni, and I said-yes: Suren Hasmikyan on his collaboration with KGB
Suren Hasmikyan, distinguished artist and film critic, in today’s meeting with reporters, besides touching upon present and future of theater and cinematography, also spoke of Armenia’s socio-political reality, political life and art relations, as well as memorized some details of well-known Italian film director Michelangelo Antonioni’s visit to Armenia, some details of his meeting and role.
Suren Hasmikyan told, that yet from the Soviet years he considered himself a dissident, as he always was against the adopted Soviet clichés, and even on that occasion once Karen Demirchyan, the then first Secretary of ACP Central Committee, told him, “Are you a dissident?” Here is the interview of 168.am with S.Hasmikyan
–Mr. Hasmikyan, it’s a well-known fact that in the period of the Soviet Union in many fields, especially, in art, some artists in some formats collaborated with National Security Service, implementing controlling or other role. Did you come across with such people?
–By the way, two episodes of Antonioni’s visit to Armenia have been published from my book (he means Michelangelo Antonioni), how I met him and etc. You mean did I socialize with KGB or no?
– Also you, yes.
-In this case let me give a full answer referring to the whole century. I’m one of those unique persons among you, who has lived three eras: Stalin’s era, post-Stalin era and the recent period, which we live in. Accordingly, I’ll give a philosophic answer to this question. There was a TV program recently about who Stalin was—“great politician or great betrayer?” Can you imagine, 85% of population voted for “great politician” and this is in case, when due to him and by his wish lives of 50 million people have been destroyed. I mean, in all periods there have been both bastards and sincere people.
– But you didn’t answer to my question…
-I answer to this question philosophically…after that I got acquainted with Antonioni, during his visit to Armenia. A KGB officer came from Moscow, from those literate ones, and assigned me to meet Antonioni, and I said-yes! They said-we ask you not to do everything he asks, you need to keep contact with us, and we’ll decide-what to do and what- not. Antonioni said he wanted to visit Byurakan observatory. It was a great occasion, Hambardzumyan (Viktor Hambardzumyan) was also there, they’d meet, He was ready to go there by all means, let it be by helicopter or a van, Antonioni would go, he insisted on it. We at once informed KGB officers on his wish, they said-no way, you shouldn’t take him there.
I tried to divert Antonioni’s attention by Matenadaran, so that he forgets Byurakan, as a “command” came not to take him there, but I failed for a long time, Then Antonioni left Armenia, thinking I collaborated with KGB. Then he came to Armenia from China and he knew about KGB.
– In the end, did you succeed in diverting his attention…?
–Yes, in the end, we took him to Levon Igityan’s museum, as he refused to go to Matenadaran. On the day of his arrival, KGB officers approached me and asked, besides our narrow company, he shouldn’t contact anyone. Of course, I was surprised how they knew about my contacts, but turned out, they knew everything about me and my surrounding, and this, to some extent, had a big psychological impact on me. In fact, it was their style of working—to influence on people’s psychology. Only in the last minute through the translator I asked to say Antonioni, that I’ve watched all his films, which in our country nobody has. He laughed, and said we’d talk about it during our next meeting, but there was no any other meeting.
Coming to our political reality from the Soviet years, Suren Hasmikyan expressed his opinion on contemporary political reality and its developments, “I’ll answer to this question coming from the Soviet period, blaming Stalin for destroying lives of 50 millions, I blame all the authorities of the world. It turned out, that the last romantic political hero in history was Napoleon, after him all are discredited. Not a single leader is worth forgiving, in not a single country, and, a leader, by hands of March 1 was recorded, has no forgiveness.”
By Nvard Manvelyan
