Secrets of the Dead (2000–…): Season 5, Episode 5 - Umbrella Assassin - full transcript

"SECRETS OF THE DEAD"
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Narrator:
ON SEPTEMBER 7, 1978,

GEORGI MARKOV,
A BULGARIAN EXPATRIATE
LIVING IN LONDON,

WAS TRAVELING TO WORK.

FOLLOWING HIS USUAL ROUTINE,
HE PARKED HIS CAR

AND CROSSED WATERLOO BRIDGE
TO WAIT FOR A BUS.

HE HAD NO IDEA
THAT ON THIS DAY
HE WAS BEING WATCHED.

AS MARKOV WAITED
AT THE BUS STOP,

HE FELT SOMETHING STING
HIS LEG.



HE TURNED TO SEE A MAN
PICKING UP AN UMBRELLA
AND RUNNING AWAY.

WHAT SEEMED LIKE A CURIOUS
ACCIDENT SOON TURNED INTO
AN EXTRAORDINARY MYSTERY,

BECAUSE 3 DAYS LATER,

MARKOV WAS DEAD.

Man: IT SEEMED TO ME
A REASONABLE WAY

OF ACTUALLY COMMITTING
THE PERFECT MURDER.

Narrator: THE INCIDENT BECAME
LEGENDARY BECAUSE OF THE WAY
MARKOV WAS KILLED.

IT WAS ONE OF
THE STRANGEST TALES
OF THE COLD WAR,

COMPLETE WITH POISON,
POLITICAL INTRIGUE,

AND INGENIOUS GADGETS.

Second man:
THIS WAS ESPIONAGE,
ASSASSINATION.

YOU KNOW, SORT OF A...
ALMOST SOMETHING RATHER
JAMES BONDISH ABOUT THIS.

Narrator:
BUT AT ITS HEART,

MARKOV'S MURDER WAS
ABOUT THE DEATH OF
AN INNOCENT MAN



AND AN ACT OF PETTY SPITE
CARRIED OUT BY A RUTHLESS
DICTATORSHIP.

DESPITE MANY INVESTIGATION

THE PERPETRATORS HAVE NEVER
BEEN BROUGHT TO JUSTICE.

THE CLUES WERE PRESENT,
BUT THE PROOF WAS MISSING.

Narrator: YET HIDDEN
IN THE BULGARIAN STATE ARCHIVES
ARE CRUCIAL DOCUMENTS

THAT REVEAL THE FULL STORY
OF MARKOV'S ASSASSINATION.

EVEN THE KILLER HIMSELF
CAN FINALLY BE NAMED.

Man with Russian accent:
HE STILL LIVE HERE,
AND COME AND GO.

HE'S A NOMAD, A NOMAD.

Narrator: 30 YEARS
AFTER THE MURDER,

THE SCIENTIFIC
AND POLITICAL MYSTERY IS
FINALLY BEING UNRAVELED,

AT LAST REVEALING
THE TRUTH ABOUT WHO KILLED
GEORGI MARKOV.

WHEN MARKOV CHECKED HIMSELF
INTO THE HOSPITAL

AT 9 P.M.
ON SEPTEMBER 8, 1978,

HE WAS CONVINCED
HE HAD A SERIOUS PROBLEM.

BUT IN THE E.R.,
THE DOCTORS WERE SKEPTICAL
OF HIS BIZARRE STORY.

IT WAS A NIGHT
BERNARD RILEY, THE YOUNG DOCTOR
ON DUTY, WILL NEVER FORGET.

Dr. Riley: IT HAD BEEN SAID
IN A RATHER HUMOROUS MANNER,

"IN CUBICLE ONE,
WE HAVE SOMEBODY WHO'S
HAD A HEART ATTACK;

"IN CUBICLE TWO, WE HAVE
A ROAD TRAFFIC ACCIDENT CASE,

AND IN CUBICLE 3,
THERE'S A MAN WHO'S
BEEN SHOT BY THE KGB."

NO ONE WAS TAKING HIM
SERIOUSLY.

IN FACT, I REMEMBER...
THE LOOK IN HIS EYES.

HE WAS DESPERATE
FOR SOMEONE TO LISTEN
TO HIM AND BELIEVE HIM.

Narrator: RILEY TOOK
DETAILED NOTES ABOUT
HIS PATIENT'S UNLIKELY TALE.

Dr. Riley:
FROM THE VERY FIRST,

HE SAID, "I AM
A BULGARIAN DEFECTOR.

"I BROADCAST WITH THE BBC.

"I HAVE ENEMIES IN BULGARIA,
AND MY FRIENDS HAVE TOLD ME

THAT THE KGB ARE OUT
TO GET ME,"

WERE THE EXACT WORDS
HE USED

AND THAT HE FELT THAT HE HAD
BEEN POISONED BY THE KGB

AND THAT HE WAS
GOING TO DIE.

Narrator: TO RILEY,
MARKOV SEEMED PARANOID,
POSSIBLY EVEN INSANE.

A PHYSICAL EXAMINATION
DID LITTLE CORROBORATE
HIS STORY.

Dr. Riley: WHEN I FIRST SAW HIM,
HE WAS FULLY CONSCIOUS.

HE WAS FEVERISH,
HAD A HIGH TEMPERATURE,

AND HE HAD SIGNS
OF WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN

A SIMPLE INFECTION
LIKE INFLUENZA.

HE WAS COMPLAINING
OF NAUSEA AND VOMITING,

BUT HE WAS ALSO POINTING
TO AN AREA ON HIS RIGHT THIGH,

WHICH HE SAID WAS
SWOLLEN AND PAINFUL,

AND INDICATING
THAT THIS WAS THE AREA

IN WHICH HE'D BEEN...
SHOT, STABBED,

OR SOMETHING HAD
HAPPENED TO HIM.

BUT IT COULD HAVE BEEN
ANYTHING FROM AN INSECT BITE

TO BEING STABBED WITH
A SHARP METAL OBJECT.

Narrator:
MARKOV'S CONSPIRACY THEORY
SOUNDED FAR-FETCHED,

AND EVEN HIS CLOSE FRIENDS
DIDN'T BUY IT.

HE HAD A BIT OF A REPUTATION
FOR TELLING TALL TALES.

Man: HE WAS LARGER
THAN LIFE,

AND HE USED TO BOAST
QUITE A LOT.

FOR EXAMPLE, HE BOASTED
THAT HE COULD CATCH A FLY
IN MID-FLIGHT.

HE ALSO BOASTED
THAT HE'D PLAYED FOOTBALL

FOR THE BULGARIAN
NATIONAL TEAM,

AND WE ALWAYS THOUGHT
THIS WAS GEORGI SHOOTING A LINE,

BUT IT TURNED OUT
IT WAS TRUE.

I ACTUALLY SAW HIM
CATCH FLIES IN MID-FLIGHT,
DOING LIKE THIS.

I MEAN, DON'T ASK ME HOW
HE DID IT.

Narrator: MARKOV WAS
AN ENIGMATIC CHARACTER

WHO HAD LIVED MOST
OF HIS LIFE ISOLATED
FROM THE WEST IN BULGARIA,

UNDER ONE OF THE MOST
PARANOID DICTATORSHIPS
IN EASTERN EUROPE.

BULGARIA WAS THE USSR's
CLOSEST POLITICAL ALLY,

AND ITS LEADER,
PRESIDENT TODOR ZHIVKOV,

WAS A DIEHARD COMMUNIST.

CRITICISM OF THE REGIME
WAS NEVER TOLERATED.

ZHIVKOV CONTROLLED A FEARSOME
STATE SECURITY SYSTEM

WITH FIRM TIES
TO THE RUSSIAN KGB.

Narrator:
DESPITE THE RESTRICTIONS
OF THE COMMUNIST SYSTEM,

GEORGI MARKOV BECAME ONE
OF BULGARIA'S MOST ACCLAIMED
WRITERS IN THE 1960s.

HE WAS SO INFLUENTIAL,

THE PRESIDENT INVITED HIM
ON HUNTING WEEKENDS

WITH OTHER LEADING
INTELLECTUALS.

MARKOV ENJOYED
A PRIVILEGED LIFE

UNTIL HE BEGAN USING HIS TALENTS
TO SPEAK OUT AGAINST
THE REPRESSIVE REGIME.

IN 1969,
WHEN THE AUTHORITIES
TRIED TO STIFLE HIM

BY BANNING ONE OF HIS NOVELS
AND CLOSING HIS PLAYS,

HE DEFECTED TO THE WEST.

Markov: I DON'T WANT TO SAY
THAT I AM, LET'S SAY, BRAVER

OR MORE HONEST
THAN OTHER PEOPLE.

PERHAPS IF I WERE MORE HONEST,
I SHOULD HAVE BEEN THERE,

BECAUSE IF YOU'RE HONEST,
YOU SHOULD STAY THERE
AND FIGHT THE BATTLE THERE,

NOT BEING HERE.

BUT WHEN I CAME HERE,

I JUST FELT AN EXTREMELY
HUMAN ATMOSPHERE,

SOMETHING RESEMBLING
MY CHILDHOOD,

AND THIS IS EXACTLY BRITAIN
IN MUSIC FOR ME.

Narrator:
LIKE MANY OTHER DEFECTORS
FROM THE EASTERN BLOC,

MARKOV MADE HIS WAY
TO LONDON SEEKING SANCTUARY.

HE FOUND WORK
AS A TRANSLATOR AT THE BBC

AND MARRIED ANNABEL DILKE
IN 1975.

THE FOLLOWING YEAR,
THEY HAD A DAUGHTER.

BUT MARKOV'S DISSIDENT PAST

AND HIS CONTINUED CRITICISM
OF THE BULGARIAN REGIME

HAUNTED HIS NEW LIFE.

HE BEGAN RECEIVING
OMINOUS PHONE CALLS,

WARNING HIM THAT HIS SEDITION
WOULD NOT GO UNPUNISHED.

Phillips: THEY'D THREATENED
TO POISON HIM

AND TOLD GEORGI THAT
THERE WAS A VIAL OF POISON

IN THE BULGARIAN CONSULATE

OR BULGARIAN LEGATION
IN MUNICH

WHICH WAS ACTUALLY NAMED
FOR GEORGI.

BUT AGAIN, WE TOOK THAT
REALLY AS A RATHER
EXAGGERATED STORY,

I'M AFRAID TO SAY.

Narrator: TWO DAYS
AFTER THE INCIDENT
ON WATERLOO BRIDGE,

IT WAS NO LONGER LOOKING
LIKE AN EXAGGERATION.

MARKOV'S COLD WAR FANTASY
WAS TURNING INTO
A REAL-LIFE NIGHTMARE.

HIS FRIEND DAVID PHILLIPS
VISITED HIM IN INTENSIVE CARE.

Phillips: I SHOOK HANDS
WITH HIM WHEN I LEFT HIM,

AND HIS HAND WAS
STONE COLD AND REALLY LIKE
A DEAD PERSON'S HAND.

AND THEY IMMEDIATELY TOOK
HIS BLOOD PRESSURE, WHICH WAS
DOWN ALMOST TO ZERO.

AND THE DOCTOR WALKED
OVER TO A TELEPHONE
AND DIALED A NUMBER,

AND HE SAID,
"I'M ON WARD SUCH-AND-SUCH,

AND THERE'S A PATIENT HERE
WHO'S GOING UP IN
A VERY BIG WAY."

Narrator: MARKOV'S DOCTORS WERE
FIGHTING TO SAVE HIS LIFE.

Dr. Riley: HE DEVELOPED
AN IRREGULAR HEARTBEAT

AT QUARTER TO 8:00
IN THE MORNING

AND ESSENTIALLY HAD
A CARDIAC ARREST.

IT WAS OBVIOUS
THAT WE WERE NEVER GOING
TO GET A STABLE HEART RHYTHM,

AND HIS METABOLISM WAS
SO DERANGED

THAT DEATH WAS INEVITABLE,

AND WE STOPPED RESUSCITATION
AFTER 45 MINUTES.

Narrator: AT 10:40 A.M.
ON SEPTEMBER 11,

GEORGI MARKOV WAS
PRONOUNCED DEAD.

WHEN THE POLICE DISCOVERED
MARKOV WAS A DEFECTOR,

THEY IMMEDIATELY LAUNCHED
AN INVESTIGATION.

SCOTLAND YARD'S ANTI-TERRORIST
BRANCH TOOK MARKOV'S STORY
ABOUT BEING SHOT

MORE SERIOUSLY
THAN THE DOCTORS HAD,

BUT THEIR INVESTIGATION DID NOT
GET OFF TO A GOOD START.

Man: WE'VE SPOKEN
TO SEVERAL PEOPLE

WHO WERE ACTUALLY
ON THE BRIDGE
AT THE MATERIAL TIMES.

NONE OF THESE SAW MARKOV

OR ANYTHING
WHICH WOULD ASSIST US.

A TAXI DRIVER, ACCORDING
TO THE DECEASED,

WAS SEEN TO TAKE AWAY
A PERSON.

Man: DO YOU HAVE
ANY SORT OF DESCRIPTION
OF THIS PERSON NOW?

NONE AT ALL, NO.

WE'VE COME UP WITH
AN ABSOLUTE BLANK.

Narrator: THE POLICE COULDN'T
FIND ANY EYEWITNESSES

OF THE ATTACK
ON WATERLOO BRIDGE.

ALL THEY HAD TO GO ON WAS
MARKOV'S OWN ACCOUNT,

WHICH HIS WIDOW ANNABEL MADE
PUBLIC IN AN INTERVIEW
SHORTLY AFTER HIS DEATH.

Annabel Markov: HE TOLD ME
THAT HE'D BEEN JABBED
WITH AN UMBRELLA TIP.

IT WAS ALMOST
AS IF HE DIDN'T WANT
TO BELIEVE IT HIMSELF,

AND I DON'T THINK HE WANTED
TO FRIGHTEN ME WITH IT,

BUT HE SHOWED ME THE MARK
THAT THE UMBRELLA HAD MADE.

Man: WHAT WAS IT LIKE?

IT WAS LIKE THE POINT
OF A HYPODERMIC.

Narrator: THE PRESS SEIZED
UPON THE DETAIL OF THE UMBRELLA.

THE CASE GOT MORE
AND MORE INTRIGUING

AS DETAILS BEGAN
TO GET OUT.

Man: COMMANDER NEVILL,
HEAD OF SCOTLAND YARD'S
ANTI-TERRORIST BRANCH, SAID

IT WAS CLEAR THAT DEATH WAS
NOT DUE TO NATURAL CAUSES.

HE SAID THE YARD
AND OTHER BRANCHES
WERE TREATING THE CASE

AS ONE OF DEATH
UNDER SUSPICIOUS CIRCUMSTANCES.

Narrator:
THE WESTERN WORLD WATCHED,
BUT BACK IN BULGARIA,

THE NEWS OF MARKOV'S DEATH WAS
CENSORED BY THE GOVERNMENT.

HIS COUSIN LYUBEN,
WHO STILL LIVES

NEXT TO THE LITTLE HOUSE
WHERE MARKOV GREW UP,

REMEMBERS HOW THE FAMILY
EVENTUALLY FOUND OUT.

Translator:
NOTHING WAS MENTIONED
OFFICIALLY OR IN THE MEDIA.

I HEARD ABOUT IT
FROM FRIENDS.

I ALWAYS KNEW THAT THE STATE
WOULDN'T LET GEORGI GET AWAY
WITH HIS LIFE.

Narrator: MARKOV'S FAMILY HAD
GOOD REASON TO SUSPECT

THAT THE BULGARIAN GOVERNMENT
HAD PLAYED A PART IN HIS DEATH.

SINCE HIS DEFECTION,

MARKOV HAD BEEN CONSIDERED
AN ENEMY OF THE STATE.

Translator: AFTER 1969,
HIS NAME CEASED TO EXIST.

HE WASN'T EVEN MENTIONED.

THEY REMOVED HIS BOOKS
FROM THE LIBRARIES;

THEY EVEN SCRATCHED HIS NAME OUT
OF THE CREDITS OF HIS FILMS.

Narrator: FROM EXILE,
MARKOV RETALIATED.

HE BEGAN WRITING SCRIPTS
CRITICIZING PRESIDENT ZHIVKOV
FOR RADIO FREE EUROPE,

AN AMERICAN STATION
THAT BROADCAST INTO
THE EASTERN BLOC.

HE MOCKED ZHIVKOV, CALLING HIM
"A MINOR DICTATOR"

WITH A "SECOND-RATE SENSE
OF HUMOR."

DESPITE COMMUNIST ATTEMPTS
TO JAM THE SIGNAL,

HALF THE POPULATION OF BULGARIA
WAS ABLE TO TUNE IN
TO MARKOV'S PROGRAMS.

Translator: HE CAPTURED
THE PRIMITIVISM
AND SNOBBISM OF ZHIVKOV.

HE SHOWED THE AMBITIONS
OF A MEDIOCRE MAN...

AN ILL-EDUCATED,
UNINTELLIGENT MAN...

AND HIS NAPOLEONIC AMBITIONS.

Translator: THE FACT
THAT HE ALONE WROTE
ABOUT ZHIVKOV

IN THIS UNRESTRAINED WAY
PROVOKED AN ENORMOUS
AMOUNT OF HATRED.

Narrator: MARKOV'S COLLEAGUE
DIMITAR BOTSCHEV ALSO
SUSPECTED FOUL PLAY.

Translator: THIS HAPPENED
EXACTLY ON THE BIRTHDAY
OF TODOR ZHIVKOV.

I DON'T BELIEVE
THIS WAS A COINCIDENCE.

ZHIVKOV HAD GIVEN HIMSELF
A BIRTHDAY PRESENT.

Narrator: BACK IN LONDON,
THE POLICE QUESTIONED
MARKOV'S DOCTORS,

HOPING TO FIND OUT EXACTLY
WHAT HE HAD DIED FROM.

HIS SYMPTOMS WERE TOO COMPLEX
TO HAVE BEEN CAUSED BY
A SIMPLE INFECTION.

Dr. Riley: HIS BLOOD PRESSURE
STARTED TO FALL,

HIS TEMPERATURE DROPPED,
AND HIS WHITE COUNT ROSE.

AND ALL OF THOSE THINGS INDICATE
SEVERE SEPTIC SHOCK.

HE HAD BEEN GIVEN
THE APPROPRIATE THERAPY

TO COVER A WIDE SPECTRUM
OF BACTERIA

THAT COULD CAUSE THIS
AND HAD NOT RESPONDED.

AND I WAS BEGINNING TO THINK
ABOUT WHAT ELSE IT COULD BE.

I REALLY STARTED TO THINK
THAT HE MIGHT HAVE...

IT WAS SOME... COULD HAVE
BEEN A SNAKE VENOM,

SORT OF A PIT VIPER VENOM
OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT.

Narrator: TO FIND OUT FOR SURE,
THE POLICE ORDERED AN AUTOPSY.

THEY WOULD NEED
ACTUAL EVIDENCE OF POISONING

BEFORE THEY COULD START
AN OFFICIAL MURDER INQUIRY.

WHATEVER KILLED MARKOV
HAD LEFT NO TRACE
IN HIS BLOODSTREAM...

BUT PATHOLOGIST RUFUS CROMPTON
DISCOVERED THAT IT HAD AFFECTED
ALL HIS MAJOR ORGANS.

Crompton: THERE WERE DEFINITELY
RELEVANT CHANGES

IN A LARGE NUMBER
OF ORGANS, MAINLY HEMORRHAGES.

AND THE LYMPH GLANDS
IN THE GROIN ON
THE RIGHT-HAND SIDE,

WHICH IS THE SIDE
THE PUNCTURE MARK WAS ON,
WERE SWOLLEN.

THIS SUGGESTED TO ME
THAT SOMETHING HAD GONE
INTO THE BACK OF HIS LEG

WHICH HAD TRAVELED
IN THE LYMPH UP TO
THE LYMPH GLANDS,

AND HAD THERE CAUSED
A REACTION.

Narrator: THE SWOLLEN
LYMPH GLANDS INDICATED
THAT MARKOV'S BODY

HAD BEEN FIGHTING
AN EXTREMELY POWERFUL POISON.

CROMPTON NEXT HAD TO FIGURE OUT
HOW TO EXAMINE THE TINY WOUND
ON MARKOV'S THIGH.

Crompton:
I WAS WONDERING WHETHER
TO CUT INTO THE PUNCTURE MARK

AND DOWN THROUGH IT,
AND THEN I THOUGHT, WELL, NO,

THERE MAY BE SOMETHING
IN THERE APART FROM POISONS.

IT MAY BE, FOR INSTANCE, THE TIP
OF A NEEDLE OR SOMETHING,

AND I MAY WELL DO MORE HARM
THAN GOOD BY POKING AROUND IT.

Narrator:
SCOTLAND YARD DECIDED THAT
THE TISSUE AROUND THE WOUND

SHOULD BE HANDLED
BY SPECIALISTS.

THEY CHOSE PORTON DOWN
LABORATORY, THE U.K.'s
TOP RESEARCH CENTER

FOR BIOCHEMICAL WEAPONS
DURING THE COLD WAR.

Crompton: I THINK THE FACT
THAT THIS WAS ESPIONAGE
OR ASSASSINATION

AND THERE WAS
AN INTERNATIONAL FLAVOR TO IT...

YOU KNOW, SORT OF A...
ALMOST SOMETHING RATHER
JAMES BONDISH ABOUT THIS...

AND PORTON DOWN WOULD
BE THE RIGHT PEOPLE
TO DEAL WITH THAT.

Narrator: HIDDEN IN
THE ENGLISH COUNTRYSIDE,

PORTON DOWN WAS ONE OF
THE MOST TOP-SECRET SCIENTIFIC
ESTABLISHMENTS IN BRITAIN.

THE LAB TOOK OVER
THE POISON INVESTIGATION

AND THE ANALYSIS
OF MARKOV'S THIGH WOUND.

THEY BROUGHT IN EXPERTS
FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD,

INCLUDING CIA CHEMICAL WEAPONS
SPECIALIST CHRISTOPHER GREEN.

Dr. Green: MY SPECIALTY
AS AN INTELLIGENCE OFFICER WAS
TO STUDY FOREIGN ADVANCES

IN CHEMICAL
AND BIOLOGICAL TERRORISM
AND CHEMICAL WARFARE.

PORTON DOWN WAS WELL-KNOWN TO ME
AS BEING THE BEST OF THE BEST,

IN TERMS OF BEING ABLE TO DO
ANALYSIS OF FOREIGN
CHEMICAL WEAPONS TECHNOLOGY.

SO I KNEW THAT THE PEOPLE
THAT WERE ASKING
THE QUESTIONS WERE GOOD,

THEY WERE SERIOUS, AND THEY WERE
THE BEST INDIVIDUALS

THAT I COULD IMAGINE
WANTING TO WORK WITH.

Narrator: GREEN WAS
AT PORTON DOWN WHEN THE TEAM
EXAMINING MARKOV'S WOUND

MADE AN ASTONISHING
BREAKTHROUGH.

Dr. Green: SECTIONS OF
THE TISSUE WERE BEING SLICED,

AND THE PRO-SECTOR'S
KNIFE BLADE STRUCK SOMETHING

THAT HE FELT WAS METAL,

INITIALLY THINKING
THAT IT WAS A NEEDLE.

BUT A SMALL "PLINK" SOUND
OCCURRED,

AND IT WAS VERY EASY TO SEE
THAT IT WAS A VERY TINY,

ROUND BALL BEARING
THAT LOOKED LIKE IT CAME

FROM THE TIP
OF A BALLPOINT PEN.

Narrator:
BUT ON CLOSER EXAMINATION,

THE SCIENTISTS REALIZED
IT WAS TOO SMALL TO HAVE COME
FROM A BALLPOINT PEN.

INTRIGUED, SCOTLAND YARD BROUGHT
THE PELLET BACK TO LONDON.

THEY WANTED THE BALLISTICS LAB
TO TAKE A LOOK.

Man: I'D NEVER SEEN
ANYTHING LIKE IT BEFORE.
I DON'T THINK ANYBODY ELSE HAD.

AND I WAS ASKED TO EXAMINE IT,
TO FIND OUT WHAT IT WAS MADE OF,

TO INVESTIGATE ITS NATURE,

TO PRODUCE SOME
GOOD-QUALITY PHOTOGRAPHS
IN THE ELECTRON MICROSCOPE.

Narrator:
WHEN THE PORTON DOWN TEAM HAD
EXAMINED AND CLEANED THE PELLET,

THEY HAD FOUND
NO TRACES OF POISON.

NOW, AS KEELEY PLACED IT
ON THE MICROSCOPE STAND,

HE FOUND THE TINY BALL
EXTREMELY HARD TO HANDLE.

Keeley: ONE HAD TO BE
VERY CAREFUL THAT IT DIDN'T
WHIZ OUT OR DISAPPEAR.

I MEAN, IT DID SEVERAL TIMES
FOR ME, AND I... YOU KNOW,

HAD TO GET DOWN
ON MY HANDS AND KNEES
WITH A BIG BEAKER OF WATER

AND SWEEP UP ALL THE DUST
OFF THE FLOOR AND PUT IT
IN THE WATER.

AND FINALLY,
AND MUCH TO MY RELIEF,
THE PELLET DROPPED OUT

WITH A SATISFYING PING
AND HIT THE BOTTOM OF
THE BEAKER.

Narrator: THE ELECTRON
MICROSCOPE REVEALED
THAT THE PELLET WAS MADE

OF PLATINUM IRIDIUM,
AN INERT ALLOY PROBABLY CHOSEN

BECAUSE THE BODY
WOULDN'T REJECT IT.

THERE WERE ALSO
TWO TINY HOLES.

Keeley: THE PELLET
ITSELF WAS HARMLESS.

IT CLEARLY WASN'T THE PELLET
THAT KILLED HIM, IT WAS
WHAT WAS IN THOSE HOLES.

Narrator: THE TWO HOLES FORMED
A TINY RESERVOIR

THAT COULD BE FILLED
WITH A CONCENTRATED TOXIN.

INVESTIGATORS THEORIZED
THAT THE PELLET WAS
PROBABLY SEALED

WITH A GELATINOUS COATING
TO KEEP THE POISON IN PLACE.

WHEN FIRED,
THE PELLET WOULD PASS
THROUGH CLOTHING AND FLESH.

THEN THE VICTIM'S BODY HEAT
WOULD MELT THE COATING

AND RELEASE THE POISON
INTO THE BLOODSTREAM.

Keeley: THERE MAY HAVE BEEN
SOME SUGARY MATERIAL,

A WAXY MATERIAL OR WHATEVER,

WHICH WOULD DISSOLVE
OR BREAK UP,

ALLOWING THE MATERIAL
TO RELEASE.

Narrator: BUT THE POISON
ITSELF REMAINED A MYSTERY.

THE RESERVOIR
IN MARKOV'S PELLET WAS EMPTY,

SO THERE WAS NO WAY
TO IDENTIFY THE TOXIN.

JUST AS THE INVESTIGATION
SEEMED TO BE STALLING,

THERE WAS
AN UNEXPECTED BREAKTHROUGH.

NEWS OF A SIMILAR ATTACK
IN PARIS FILTERED THROUGH
TO SCOTLAND YARD.

TWO WEEKS BEFORE
THE MARKOV INCIDENT,

ANOTHER BULGARIAN DISSIDENT
NAMED VLADIMIR KOSTOV

HAD FELT SOMETHING STING HIM
IN HIS BACK AS HE EXITED
THE METRO.

BUT UNLIKE MARKOV,
HE HAD SURVIVED.

Translator: RIGHT.
IT'S ABOUT HERE.

AT THAT MOMENT, AFTER WE'D
COME OUT INTO THE LIGHT,

JUST BEFORE WE GOT OFF
THE ESCALATOR,

I FELT SOMETHING HIT ME
IN MY BACK.

I TURNED AROUND, THINKING
IT MUST HAVE BEEN THROWN
FROM THE BALCONY BEHIND ME.

Narrator: AFTER THE ATTACK,
KOSTOV WITNESSED SOMEONE
RUNNING AWAY,

BUT SAW NO SIGN
OF AN UMBRELLA.

SHORTLY AFTERWARDS,
HE FELL ILL WITH EXACTLY
THE SAME SYMPTOMS AS MARKOV.

Translator: WHEN I REALIZED
THAT THE PAIN WASN'T GOING AWAY,

THAT'S WHEN I DECIDED
TO GO AND SEE A DOCTOR,

AND I BEGAN TO THINK
ABOUT WHAT HAD HAPPENED.

Narrator: KOSTOV HAD
A RAGING TEMPERATURE,

BUT AFTER 48 HOURS,
HE BEGAN TO RECOVER.

LIKE MARKOV, HE WAS
A BULGARIAN DEFECTOR,

AND HE TOO HAD RECEIVED
MYSTERIOUS DEATH THREATS

PRIOR TO THE ATTEMPT
ON HIS LIFE.

TWO WEEKS AFTER THE ATTACK,
WHEN KOSTOV HEARD ABOUT MARKOV,

HE QUICKLY PUT TWO AND TWO
TOGETHER AND CONTACTED
SCOTLAND YARD.

THIS WAS JUST THE BREAK
THE MARKOV TEAM HAD BEEN
HOPING FOR.

IF THE ATTACKER HAD USED
A SIMILAR PELLET,

PERHAPS IT WOULD STILL
CONTAIN SOME OF THE POISON
FOR THEM TO ANALYZE.

FOLLOWING A SMALL OPERATION
ON SEPTEMBER 25,

A SECTION OF FLESH
FROM KOSTOV'S BACK WAS RUSHED
TO LONDON FOR EXAMINATION.

Keeley:
THE ANTI-TERRORIST SQUAD
PHONED AND SAID, "LOOK,

"CAN YOU STAND BY
IN THE LAB THIS EVENING?

"WE'VE GOT SOME FRENCH
POLICE OFFICERS COMING
OVER FROM PARIS,

AND WE THINK THEY'VE GOT
AN IDENTICAL PELLET."

AND THEY CAME IN
WITH A PIECE OF BODY TISSUE
TAKEN FROM KOSTOV'S BACK.

IT WAS ABOUT
AS BIG AS YOUR THUMB.

AND WE X-RAYED IT,

AND THERE IN THE TISSUE
WAS THIS LITTLE SPHERE.

AND WE CUT IT,
AND THERE WAS A SILVERY PELLET.

Narrator: UNFORTUNATELY,
THERE WERE NO TRACES OF POISON
INSIDE THIS PELLET, EITHER.

SINCE THE PELLETS WERE
SO SIMILAR, IT WAS LIKELY
THE SAME POISON HAD BEEN USED,

BUT IF SO,
HOW HAD KOSTOV SURVIVED
WHEN MARKOV DID NOT?

THE POLICE THEORIZED
THAT KOSTOV'S CLOTHING
MAY HAVE SAVED HIM.

HE HAD BEEN WEARING
A HEAVY SWEATER ON
THE DAY OF THE ATTACK,

SO THEY BELIEVED THE PELLET HAD
NOT PENETRATED AS DEEPLY,

MEANING LESS POISON WOULD HAVE
REACHED HIS BLOODSTREAM.

BUT SINCE THERE WERE STILL
NO SAMPLES OF THE POISON,

THEIR THEORY COULD NOT
BE TESTED.

THEY NEEDED ANOTHER WAY
TO ISOLATE THE TOXIN.

Keeley: TO IDENTIFY
WHAT WAS IN THE HOLES,

FIRST OF ALL, YOU SAY,
"WELL, HOW MUCH WAS THERE?"

SO YOU... IN ORDER TO DO THAT,
YOU'VE GOT TO CAREFULLY MEASURE

THE DIMENSIONS OF THE HOLES
AND CALCULATE THE VOLUME.

Narrator: THE HOLES
COULD HOLD JUST TWO-TENTHS
OF A MILLIGRAM OF POISON.

TWO-TENTHS IS
A MINISCULE AMOUNT...

TEN TIMES SMALLER THAN
A LETHAL DOSE OF CYANIDE.

THEY WERE DEALING
WITH SOMETHING
TERRIFYINGLY POWERFUL,

AND ONLY A HANDFUL
OF TOXINS FIT THE PROFILE.

Dr. Green: HIGH ON THE LIST WERE
POISONS LIKE PLUTONIUM, ABRIN,

RICIN, SOME SNAKE VENOMS,

AND SOME OTHER THINGS EVEN
LIKE VERY PURIFIED BOTULINUM.

BUT THAT DIDN'T APPEAR TO BE
THE SET OF POISONS THAT WERE
HIGHEST ON THE LIST

AS ABRIN AND RICIN,
WHICH WERE KNOWN TO BE
PARTICULARLY DANGEROUS

IF INJECTED INTO
THE BLOODSTREAM.

Narrator: BOTH RICIN AND ABRIN
CAN KILL IN MICROSCOPIC AMOUNTS.

SPREADING FROM THE SITE
OF INJECTION, THEY ATTACK CELLS

AND CAUSE VITAL ORGANS
TO SHUT DOWN.

SINCE ABRIN WAS
EXTREMELY RARE,

RICIN SEEMED LIKE
THE MORE LIKELY CULPRIT.

THE FACT THAT THOSE LYMPH GLANDS
WERE SWOLLEN IN THE GROIN,

AND WHEN I CUT INTO THEM,
THEY WERE FULL OF HEMORRHAGE.

WHEN I SAW SMALL HEMORRHAGES
THROUGHOUT THE OTHER ORGANS
IN THE BODY...

ESPECIALLY IN THE HEART
AND THAT ALSO FITTED IN...

AND SO THEY SORT OF LOOKED
AT EACH OTHER AND SAID,
"RIGHT. RICIN."

Narrator: BUT COULD SUCH
A DEVASTATING REACTION
HAVE BEEN CAUSED

BY SUCH A SMALL AMOUNT
OF THE POISON?

RICIN IS A NATURAL PRODUCT OF
A NUMBER OF PLANT MATERIALS,

BUT MOST NOTABLY
IN HIGH CONCENTRATION

IN SOMETHING CALLED
THE CASTOR BEAN.

AND, IN FACT, CASTOR OIL,
WHICH IS AN OIL
FROM THE CASTOR BEAN,

IS COMPLETELY SAFE TO TAKE.

BUT WHEN THE MOLECULE
IS PURIFIED,

IT HAPPENS TO BE PROBABLY
ONE OF THE TOP ONE OR TWO

OR THREE TOXIC MATERIALS
KNOWN TO MAN BY WEIGHT.

Narrator:
EVEN IN TINY DOSES,

RICIN CAN WREAK HAVOC
ON THE BODY'S NERVOUS SYSTEM.

Dr. Green: RICIN IS
PARTICULARLY KNOWN TO HAVE
A NEUROTOXIC EFFECT.

BECAUSE OF ITS PECULIAR
ABILITY TO SEEK OUT

AND PREFERENTIALLY DESTROY
VERY ACTIVE NERVE CELLS,

THERE'S NOTHING MORE ACTIVE
IN THE NERVOUS SYSTEM

THAN CELLS THAT ARE,
FOR EXAMPLE, PACEMAKERS
OF THE HEART.

Narrator: SCIENTISTS HAD PLENTY
OF DATA ABOUT THE EFFECTS
OF CASTOR BEAN POISONING,

BUT THESE WERE
THE FIRST KNOWN CASES

OF SOMEONE INJECTED
WITH CONCENTRATED RICIN.

TO ENSURE THAT THEIR
ASSUMPTIONS WERE CORRECT
ABOUT MARKOV'S MURDER,

THE PORTON DOWN TEAM DECIDED
TO TEST A SMALL DOSE OF RICIN
ON AN ANIMAL SUBJECT.

Crompton: THE ONLY WAY
TO REALLY COME
TO A DEFINITE CONCLUSION

WAS TO DO
A BIOLOGICAL EXPERIMENT.

SO THEY GOT A PIG,
WHICH WAS THE SAME SIZE AND
THE SAME WEIGHT AS MARKOV.

THE PIG WAS INJECTED
WITH RICIN...

ROUGHLY THE SAME AMOUNT
THAT COULD HAVE GONE
INTO THE PELLET...

AND IT BECAME SERIOUSLY ILL

AND EVENTUALLY DIED.

AND THEY THEN EXAMINED
THE ORGANS IN THE PIG

AND FOUND
ALMOST IDENTICAL CHANGES
TO THOSE IN MARKOV.

SO I CONCLUDED
THAT THIS WAS A TOXEMIA;

IN OTHER WORDS,
A POISONING OF THE BLOOD,

DUE TO METALLIC
FOREIGN BODY IMPLANTATION.

Narrator: BUT IF THE POISON
WAS, IN FACT, RICIN,

WHERE HAD IT COME FROM?

THE BULGARIAN SECRET SERVICE
WAS NOT TECHNICALLY CAPABLE

OF MANUFACTURING
THIS LETHAL TOXIN,

SO IF THEY WERE REALLY
TO BLAME FOR THE MURDER,

THEY MUST HAVE HAD HELP
FROM A PARTNER
WITH FAR MORE EXPERIENCE

PRODUCING SECRET
ASSASSINATION WEAPONS.

THE OBVIOUS COLLABORATOR
WAS THE KGB.

Dr. Green: WE KNEW
THAT FOR MANY YEARS,

THE SOVIET LABORATORIES
HAD SPECIFICALLY BEEN
DOING RESEARCH

ON ABRIN AND RICIN.

WE'RE TALKING ABOUT
BOTH OPEN LITERATURE

AND CLASSIFIED LITERATURE
THAT SHOWED

THAT THE LABORATORIES
THAT THE KGB ACQUIRED
INFORMATION FROM

IN THE FORMER SOVIET UNION
WERE THE LABORATORIES

THAT WERE ASSOCIATED
WITH STATE-SPONSORED CHEMICAL
AND BIOLOGICAL WARFARE RESEARCH.

SO THERE WAS AMPLE REASON
FOR THEM TO BE LEADERS
IN THIS RESEARCH.

WE KNEW THAT.

Narrator: AT A SECRET
LOCATION IN FLORIDA,

INTELLIGENCE HISTORIAN
KEITH MELTON HAS AMASSED
A COMPREHENSIVE COLLECTION

OF SPY GADGETS FROM
THE COLD WAR.

HE HAS SPENT MANY YEARS
RESEARCHING THE SOVIET
ASSASSINATION CAPABILITIES.

MANY OF THE PRIZED KGB OBJECTS
IN MELTON'S COLLECTION

CAME FROM A CLANDESTINE
WEAPONS LAB KNOWN
AS "NUMBER 12."

Melton: LABORATORY NUMBER 12
WAS A SECRET LABORATORY
IN A SMALL BUILDING,

NOT EMPLOYING MORE
THAN 6 PEOPLE.

THE TECHNICIANS IN LABORATORY 12
WOULD SPECIFICALLY BE
THE BIOCHEMISTS;

THEY WOULD BE DOCTORATE-LEVEL
GRADUATES OF MOSCOW UNIVERSITY
WITH ADVANCED DEGREES.

THEY WOULD BE INDIVIDUALS
WHO WERE PASSIONATELY WORKING
ON BIOLOGICAL WARFARE.

Narrator: AT THE TIME
OF MARKOV'S MURDER,

THE SOVIETS HAD BUILT UP
A MASSIVE BIO-CHEMICAL
WEAPONS PROGRAM.

THEY HAD
INTERCONTINENTAL MISSILES

FILLED WITH WEAPONS-GRADE
SMALLPOX,

SO IT WAS NOT HARD
TO BELIEVE THEY WERE CAPABLE

OF PRODUCING
THE CONCENTRATED RICIN
NEEDED FOR AN ASSASSINATION.

THE DELIVERY SYSTEM
AND MURDER PLAN ALSO BORE THE
HALLMARKS OF A KGB OPERATION.

THE RUSSIAN INTELLIGENCE
SERVICE HAS LEARNED FROM
THE VERY BEGINNING

THAT ASSASSINATIONS ARE
BEST DONE IF THEY CAN BE QUIET

AND UNNOTICED
AND APPEAR NATURAL.

THEY WANTED SOMETHING
THAT GAVE THE TARGET

A PLAUSIBLE REASON
TO BELIEVE INDEED
THIS WAS AN ACCIDENT.

THE QUESTION IS,
AT WHAT POINT WOULD YOU
MAKE THE ATTACK?

WOULD YOU DO IT WHEN
HE'S GETTING OUT OF A CAR,

WOULD YOU DO IT
WHEN HE IS WALKING UP STEPS...

WHICH WOULD BE
EXTREMELY DIFFICULT...

OR WOULD YOU DO IT WHEN HE'S
STANDING AT A BUS STOP?

WHILE HE'S IN THE QUEUE,
HE'S STATIONARY.

NOW THE ONE COMMON THING
THAT IS ALWAYS UNNOTICED IN
LONDON WOULD BE UMBRELLAS.

HE COULD LOGICALLY
BE JABBED OR PRODDED
IN AN ACCIDENTAL WAY

BY ANOTHER TRAVELER
OR PASSERBY.

WITHIN 24 TO 48 HOURS,
THE PERSON WOULD DIE;

THE APPEARANCE WOULD BE
A HEART ATTACK.

AND WHEN THEY PUT
ALL THESE FACTORS TOGETHER,

AN UMBRELLA BECAME
THE LIKELY SOLUTION,
AND IT'S THE ONE THEY SELECTED.

Narrator: THEY HAD
MANY OPTIONS TO CHOOSE FROM.

THE KGB DEVELOPED A NUMBER
OF SECRET ASSASSINATION DEVICES
DURING THE COLD WAR:

PENS, LIGHTERS, EVEN CANES.

MELTON HAS ACQUIRED
MANY SAMPLES,

BUT HIS MOST PRIZED PIECE IS
AN AUTHENTIC KGB UMBRELLA GUN.

Melton: THIS IS
A CUT-AWAY MODEL OF THE TYPE
THAT I BELIEVE WAS USED

IN THE ASSASSINATION
OF GEORGI MARKOV,

AND IT STARTED
AS A CONVENTIONAL
COMMERCIAL UMBRELLA,

BUT IT HAS
SEVERAL MODIFICATIONS.

THE BUTTON WHICH YOU WOULD
NORMALLY RELEASE THE UMBRELLA

IS ACTUALLY
THE FIRING TRIGGER.

ONCE IT'S DEPRESSED,

IT RELEASES GAS STORED
IN THIS CYLINDER,

WHICH IS INJECTED
INTO THIS CHAMBER,

WHICH FORCES A TINY PELLET
OUT THROUGH THE TIP.

Narrator: THE UMBRELLA GUN FIT
NEATLY WITH THE ACCOUNT
MARKOV HAD GIVEN BEFORE HE DIED,

BUT VLADIMIR KOSTOV IS
NOT CONVINCED.

HE HAD NOT SEEN
SUCH A WEAPON WHEN HE WAS SHOT.

Translator: I DON'T THINK
IT WAS AN UMBRELLA

BECAUSE YOU JUST DON'T NEED
SOMETHING SO COMPLICATED.

YOU DON'T NEED TO MAKE
A WEAPON BY MODIFYING
AN UMBRELLA

WHEN YOU CAN JUST USE
SOMETHING SMALLER.

I THINK THAT IN BOTH CASES,

THEY USED A LITTLE WEAPON,
THAT KIND OF THING.

YOU KNOW,
YOU CAN EVEN MODIFY A PEN

OR SOMETHING SMALL
TO FIRE A SHOT.

Narrator:
PERHAPS THERE HAD BEEN MORE
THAN ONE WEAPON, BUT EVEN SO,

THE OPERATION POINTED
TO THE BULGARIANS,
WITH SUPPORT FROM THE KGB.

Dr. Green:
THE EVIDENCE THAT THIS WAS
THE BULGARIAN SERVICE...

ACTING WITH TECHNOLOGY
THAT CAME FROM RUSSIAN
LABORATORIES...

WAS CIRCUMSTANTIAL EVIDENCE,

BUT THE CIRCUMSTANTIAL
EVIDENCE ADDED TOGETHER
WAS VERY POWERFUL.

THE CLUES WERE PRESENT,
BUT THE PROOF WAS MISSING.

Narrator: THE PROOF WAS LOCKED
DEEP BEHIND THE IRON CURTAIN,

HIDDEN BENEATH THE CLOAKS
OF THE COMMUNIST REGIMES.

BY THE END OF 1979,

THE SCOTLAND YARD INVESTIGATION
INTO MARKOV'S MURDER

HAD GROUND TO A HALT.

FOR TEN YEARS,
THE CASE LAY DORMANT.

THEN CAME THE COLLAPSE
OF THE EASTERN BLOC.

IN EARLY 1990,
JUST MONTHS AFTER THE FALL
OF THE BERLIN WALL,

IT WAS BULGARIA'S TURN
TO CELEBRATE.

WITH RIOTS SPREADING
ACROSS THE CAPITAL,

PRESIDENT TODOR ZHIVKOV
WAS DEPOSED

AND PLACED UNDER HOUSE ARREST
ON CHARGES OF CORRUPTION.

WITH THE REMOVAL
OF THE DICTATOR,

AND AFTER NEARLY HALF
A CENTURY OF COMMUNIST RULE,

BULGARIA TOOK ITS FIRST
SMALL STEPS AWAY
FROM ITS OPPRESSIVE PAST.

WHAT WAS ONCE ONE OF
THE MOST SECRETIVE COUNTRIES
IN EASTERN EUROPE

BEGAN OPENING ITSELF UP
TO OUTSIDE INFLUENCE
AND SCRUTINY.

JACK HAMILTON WAS ONE
OF THE FIRST WESTERN JOURNALISTS
TO MOVE TO THE NEW BULGARIA.

WHEN HE ARRIVED IN
THE CAPITAL CITY OF SOFIA,

THERE WAS GREAT HOPE
THAT THE MARKOV CASE
MIGHT FINALLY BE SOLVED.

Hamilton: IN 1990,
THE BRITISH THOUGHT THAT
THIS WAS AN OPPORTUNITY

TO OPEN UP THE CASE
AND TO START WORKING
WITH THE BULGARIANS.

WHAT THE BRITISH
INVESTIGATION NEEDED WAS
INFORMATION FROM THE ARCHIVES

OF THE BULGARIAN FOREIGN
INTELLIGENCE SERVICE,

THE FORMER STATE SECURITY.

EVERYONE KNEW OR ASSUMED
THAT THE BULGARIAN AUTHORITIES
WERE BEHIND THIS MURDER,

BUT WHO HAD
ACTUALLY COMMITTED IT
WAS COMPLETELY UNKNOWN.

Narrator: OR WAS IT?

AFTER THE FALL
OF THE SOVIET UNION,

FORMER KGB GENERAL OLEG KALUGIN
TOLD THE PRESS

THAT HE HAD BEEN PRESENT
AT THE MEETING IN MOSCOW

WHERE MARKOV'S ASSASSINATION
HAD BEEN PLANNED.

ACCORDING TO KALUGIN,
THE REQUEST FOR ASSISTANCE
IN KILLING GEORGI MARKOV

HAD COME DIRECTLY
FROM BULGARIA'S COMMUNIST
PRESIDENT, TODOR ZHIVKOV.

BUT ZHIVKOV NEVER
ADMITTED HIS CONNECTION
TO THE MARKOV MURDER.

THIS HAS NEVER SAT WELL
WITH JACK, WHO BELIEVES
MORE PRESSURE

SHOULD HAVE BEEN PUT ON
THE BULGARIAN GOVERNMENT
TO ADMIT RESPONSIBILITY.

Jack: YOU ALWAYS HAVE
TO COME BACK TO THE FACT
THAT THERE'S THIS MAN

WHO WAS THE NUMBER-ONE ENEMY
OF THE REGIME.

AND HE WAS ATTACKED
ON WATERLOO BRIDGE,

THERE'S A PELLET IN HIS THIGH;
THREE DAYS LATER, HE WAS DEAD.

SOMEONE KILLED HIM,

AND THE BULGARIAN STATE IS
IN THE FRAME.

Narrator: ONE OF JACK'S
FIRST ASSIGNMENTS
IN BULGARIA WAS

TO ATTEND A PRESS CONFERENCE
GIVEN BY THE FORMER PRESIDENT

SHORTLY AFTER HIS RELEASE
FROM HOUSE ARREST.

JACK WAS THE ONLY JOURNALIST
WHO DARED TO ASK HIM
ABOUT THE MARKOV CASE.

Jack: ZHIVKOV MADE
A JOKE ABOUT IT.

HE MADE A JOKE ABOUT
THE UMBRELLA, WHICH
MADE ME VERY ANGRY.

WELL, I REMEMBER WHEN I ASKED
THE QUESTION, THERE WAS
A SORT OF STIR.

THE FACT THAT I WAS ASKING

ABOUT AN INCREDIBLY
IMPORTANT...

PART OF THE HISTORY
OF BULGARIA

TO THE MAN WHO WAS RESPONSIBLE
FOR WHAT HAPPENED,

THE FORMER DICTATOR.

Narrator: JACK NEVER HAD
THE CHANCE TO INTERVIEW
ZHIVKOV AGAIN.

THE EX-PRESIDENT DIED
OF PNEUMONIA NOT LONG
AFTER HIS RELEASE.

HOWEVER, BULGARIA DID MAKE
SOME EFFORTS TO DEAL WITH
THE MARKOV CASE.

IN 1991,

THE NEW POST-COMMUNIST
GOVERNMENT OPENED ITS OWN
INVESTIGATION INTO THE MURDER.

AFTER YEARS OF DISAPPOINTMENT
FOR MARKOV'S FAMILY AND FRIENDS,

THERE WAS FINALLY
A GLIMMER OF HOPE.

THE BULGARIAN POLICEMAN
ASSIGNED TO THE CASE WAS
BOGDAN KARAYOTOV.

FOR A BRIEF PERIOD,
KARAYOTOV WAS GIVEN ACCESS

TO SECRET ARCHIVES
FROM THE COMMUNIST ERA.

HE FOUND CRUCIAL DOCUMENTS
CONTAINING PROOF

THAT MARKOV HAD BEEN A TARGET
OF BULGARIAN STATE SECURITY.

Translator: WE DISCOVERED
THAT MARKOV'S NAME FIRST APPEARS
IN THE OFFICIAL RECORDS IN 1974.

WE FOUND MARKOV'S CARD
INDEX RECORD, WHICH SAID
HIS CODE NAME WAS "SKITNIK."

THAT MEANS "TRAMP."

Narrator: THE DOSSIER DATED
FROM THE PERIOD

WHEN MARKOV WAS WRITING SCRIPTS
DENIGRATING PRESIDENT ZHIVKOV
FOR RADIO FREE EUROPE.

THE FILE CONTAINED
TANTALIZING CLUES

ABOUT HOW THE COMMUNISTS HAD
PLANNED TO DEAL WITH HIM.

Translator: WE FOUND A DOCUMENT
IN THE ARCHIVE OF THE FOREIGN
INTELLIGENCE DEPARTMENT,

WHICH SAID THERE WERE PLANS
FOR GEORGI MARKOV
TO BE "NEUTRALIZED."

THAT'S EXACTLY HOW IT WAS
WRITTEN... "NEUTRALIZED."

BUT WE COULDN'T FIND OUT
WHAT THE PLANS WERE

BECAUSE THE RELEVANT DOCUMENTS
HAD DISAPPEARED.

SOMEONE HAD DISPOSED OF
THE DOCUMENTS ILLEGALLY.

THEY'D BEEN DESTROYED.

Narrator: THE MISSING PAGES
WERE A CRITICAL SETBACK
FOR KARAYOTOV.

WHEN HE DUG DEEPER, HE FOUND
THAT GENERAL VLADIMIR TODOROV,

A FORMER HEAD OF STATE SECURITY
DURING THE COMMUNIST PERIOD,

HAD BEEN RESPONSIBLE
FOR DESTROYING
THE MISSING PAGES.

TODOROV FLED TO MOSCOW,

BUT EVENTUALLY RETURNED
TO BULGARIA TO FACE TRIAL.

HE WAS SENTENCED
TO 16 MONTHS IN PRISON,

THEN RELEASED 6 MONTHS LATER.

STILL HOPING FOR MORE DETAILS
ABOUT TODOROV'S INVOLVEMENT
IN THE MURDER,

JACK HAS TRACKED HIM DOWN
AT AN ASSOCIATION FOR FORMER
STATE SECURITY OFFICERS.

Narrator: NOT SURPRISINGLY,

TODOROV WANTS NOTHING TO DO
WITH JACK'S QUESTIONS.

BUT HIS INITIAL FLIGHT
TO MOSCOW WAS A CLEAR INDICATION

OF BULGARIA'S TIES
TO MOTHER RUSSIA.

AS A HIGH-RANKING
INTELLIGENCE OFFICER,

HE HAD WORKED CLOSELY
WITH THE KGB.

Jack: TODOROV DESTROYED
THOSE DOCUMENTS

BECAUSE THE ENTIRE
BULGARIAN STATE SECURITY

WAS INCREDIBLY CLOSELY LINKED
TO THE RUSSIAN KGB.

Narrator: HE WAS PROTECTING
BOTH HIS OWN GOVERNMENT
AND THE RUSSIANS,

WHO NEVER ADMITTED TO PLAYING
ANY PART IN THE MURDER.

BECAUSE OF
HIS MILITARY STATUS,

TODOROV WAS NEVER
PROPERLY INTERROGATED
BY OFFICER KARAYOTOV.

EVEN SO, KARAYOTOV CONTINUED
HIS INVESTIGATION,

INTENT ON FINDING EVIDENCE
THAT WOULD REVEAL THE ASSASSIN.

Jack: HE WAS VERY DOGGED
ABOUT FOLLOWING UP THE LEADS
THAT HE FOUND IN THE ARCHIVES,

AND THIS WAS REALLY WHERE
THE FIRST CLUES ABOUT HOW

THE BULGARIAN STATE ARRANGED
THIS MURDER CAME TO LIGHT.

Narrator: EVENTUALLY, KARAYOTOV
UNEARTHED A CRUCIAL FILE

THAT WOULD BLOW
THE CASE WIDE-OPEN.

THE DOCUMENTS NOT ONLY CONFIRMED
THAT MARKOV WAS A TARGET,

THEY EVEN NAMED THE INDIVIDUAL
WHO WAS SELECTED TO KILL HIM.

Translator: WE FOUND
THE NAME OF AN AGENT WORKING

FOR THE BULGARIAN INTELLIGENCE
SERVICE IN THE DOCUMENTS.

HE WAS BASED IN DENMARK

AND HAD BEEN ASSIGNED
TO DEAL WITH MARKOV.

THE DOCUMENTS SAID
THAT THE AGENT WAS
CODENAMED "PICCADILLY"...

AND HE'D BEEN GIVEN
INSTRUCTIONS ABOUT DEALING
WITH GEORGI MARKOV.

HE WAS LIVING IN DENMARK
UNDER THE NAME GULLINO,

FRANCESCO GULLINO.

Narrator: FRANCESCO GULLINO WAS
AN ITALIAN PETTY CRIMINAL

ARRESTED BY THE BULGARIANS
FOR SMUGGLING IN 1970.

AFTER BULGARIAN STATE SECURITY
PERSUADED HIM TO WORK FOR THEM,

GULLINO SETTLED IN COPENHAGEN.

HE POSED AS AN ART DEALER,
TRAVELING AROUND EUROPE
IN A VAN.

THE FILES CONFIRMED
THAT GULLINO HAD MADE
SEVERAL TRIPS TO LONDON,

RIGHT AROUND THE TIME
MARKOV WAS KILLED.

Translator: HE WAS SENT
FROM DENMARK TO ENGLAND

FOR 40 DAYS IN 1977...

AND STAYED CLOSE
TO THE HOUSE WHERE
MARKOV LIVED.

Narrator: KARAYOTOV PASSED
HIS INFORMATION ON
TO SCOTLAND YARD,

AND TOGETHER, THEY WERE ABLE
TO TRACK DOWN GULLINO
IN COPENHAGEN,

WHERE HE WAS BROUGHT IN
FOR QUESTIONING BY
THE DANISH POLICE.

IN FEBRUARY 1993,

INVESTIGATORS FROM BRITAIN,
BULGARIA, AND DENMARK

SECRETLY INTERROGATED GULLINO
ABOUT HIS WORK FOR BULGARIAN
STATE SECURITY...

AND ABOUT HIS INVOLVEMENT
IN THE MARKOV CASE.

THE POLICE TRIED TO KEEP
THE INTERROGATION SECRET,

BUT THE STORY WAS LEAKED
TO DANISH JOURNALIST
OLE DAMJKAER.

I HAD A TIP HERE
IN COPENHAGEN

THAT THERE WAS
AN ITALIAN GUY

INVOLVED IN
THE MARKOV CASE,

AND HE HAD BEEN CHARGED
WITH ESPIONAGE.

BUT THE INTERESTING
THING IS THAT APPARENTLY

THEY WERE LACKING
EVIDENCE.

SO THEY GAVE UP
THE CASE AND HE WAS
FREE TO LEAVE.

I MEAN, HE LEFT
FOR HUNGARY,

SO THEY DIDN'T TRY
TO KEEP HIM BACK.

IT COULD BE
THAT IT COULD BE
SOMEHOW EMBARRASSING

FOR THE DANISH
AUTHORITIES

IF THERE WAS
A COURT CASE

AND MR. GULLINO TOLD

WHAT HE ACTUALLY HAD
BEEN DOING IN DENMARK

SINCE '74,

HOW HE WAS ALLOWED
TO COME HERE.

BUT THAT'S SPECULATION,
BUT YOU CAN SPECULATE
ABOUT A LOT OF THINGS

BECAUSE IT WAS DURING
THE COLD WAR.

Narrator: DESPITE THE EVIDENCE
IN BULGARIA AGAINST HIM,

IT APPEARS THE DANES HAD
LITTLE INTEREST IN KEEPING
GULLINO IN PRISON.

EVEN THOUGH HE ADMITTED
TO ESPIONAGE,

HE SAID HE HAD NO CONNECTION
TO THE MARKOV CASE

AND WAS QUICKLY RELEASED.

HE SOLD HIS HOUSE
AND LEFT DENMARK
SOON AFTERWARDS.

ONCE HE DISAPPEARED,
THERE WERE NO MORE OFFICIAL
EFFORTS TO TRACK GULLINO DOWN,

BUT JACK HAMILTON HAS
LOCATED SEVERAL PEOPLE
IN COPENHAGEN

WHO CLAIM TO HAVE KNOWN HIM.

Jack: PEOPLE ARE NOT REALLY KEEN
TO SPEAK ABOUT HIM AT ALL.

I THINK THEY'RE PERHAPS
FRIGHTENED TO TALK
ABOUT THE FACT

THAT THEY KNEW HIM
AND WHAT HE WAS LIKE.

I HAVE FOUND ONE PERSON
WHO HAS AGREED TO SPEAK
TO ME ABOUT FRANCESCO GULLINO,

BUT HE'S ALSO VERY FRIGHTENED
AND CONCERNED NOT TO
BE IDENTIFIED.

Narrator: JACK'S SOURCE
HAS KNOWN GULLINO ON AND OFF
FOR OVER 15 YEARS.

THEY FIRST MET WHEN
GULLINO OWNED A PICTURE
FRAMING BUSINESS.

Jack: HOW DO YOU KNOW
FRANCESCO GULLINO?

I MET HIM THE FIRST TIME
IN EARLY '89.

HE WAS A LITTLE MAN
WITH A SMALL MUSTACHE.

HE TALKED VERY FAST,

AND HE HAS
A BRIGHT MIND.

DID HE TALK ABOUT
PERSONAL THINGS,
FOR INSTANCE?

NEVER
ON PERSONAL THINGS.

I HAVE THE FEELING
THAT HE WAS
A VERY LONELY MAN.

HE'S A NOMAD, NOMAD.

Jack: HOW DID YOU FEEL
WHEN THIS NEWS CAME OUT
THAT FRANCESCO GULLINO,

WHO YOU KNEW, WAS SAID
TO BE CONNECTED WITH
GEORGI MARKOV'S DEATH?

I WAS SHOCKED.
I WAS SHOCKED AND...

WHAT DID HE SAY
ABOUT IT?

OK, OF COURSE,
I ASKED HIM,

BUT HE COULDN'T
UNDERSTAND

THAT OUR SECRET SERVICE
WOULD DO A THING
LIKE THAT,

BECAUSE HE WAS
ONLY A SMALL MAN,
A LITTLE MAN.

AND WE DON'T SPOKE
MORE ABOUT IT.

WELL WHAT DOES HE DO
NOW, TODAY?

IS HE ALIVE?

YES.

COMMON FRIENDS
MEET HIM... SOMETIMES.

AND HE STILL LIVE HERE,
AND COME AND GO.

SO... AND I...
I DON'T HAVE...

I DON'T WANT
TO HAVE ANY TROUBLE.

Narrator: JACK HAS FOUND
OTHER SIGHTINGS OF GULLINO
ALL OVER EUROPE.

IN 2002, A WIRE SERVICE
EVEN REPORTED HIS ARREST

AT THE GERMAN BORDER
FOR SMUGGLING, THOUGH IT SEEMS

HE WAS RELEASED
WITHOUT EVER BEING CHARGED.

Jack: SINCE I'VE BEEN
IN COPENHAGEN,

I'VE SEEN PEOPLE WHO APPEAR
TO BE CLOSE TO HIM

WHO ARE REALLY
QUITE FRIGHTENED OF HIM.

AND SO THIS, YOU KNOW, GIVES
AN IMPRESSION OF GULLINO
AS BEING A MAN

WHO'S INVOLVED IN SOME...

PERHAPS SOME
QUESTIONABLE BUSINESSES.

I'VE EVEN SPOKEN
TO AN ART DEALER

WHO SAID HE SAW HIM HERE
IN COPENHAGEN AS RECENTLY
AS TWO YEARS AGO.

THIS IS AMAZING.

IT SEEMS THAT...

GULLINO IS WORKING

AND TRAVELING
THROUGHOUT EUROPE,

AND THE AUTHORITIES DON'T
APPEAR TO BE INTERESTED
IN HIM AT ALL.

Narrator: FRANCESCO GULLINO HAS
NEVER PUBLICLY COMMENTED
ON THE ALLEGATIONS

THAT HE IS RESPONSIBLE
FOR THE MURDER OF GEORGI MARKOV.

JACK TRIED TO APPROACH GULLINO
THROUGH HIS CONNECTIONS
IN COPENHAGEN,

BUT THEY WERE ALL AFRAID
TO HELP HIM MAKE CONTACT.

IN BRITAIN, MARKOV'S MURDER
IS STILL UNDER INQUIRY,

WHICH MEANS SCOTLAND YARD
WILL NOT COMMENT ON THE
CURRENT STATUS OF THE CASE.

THE BULGARIANS DID RECENTLY
AGREE TO LET JACK INTERVIEW
ANDREI CVETANOV,

THE CURRENT POLICE OFFICER
ASSIGNED TO THE INVESTIGATION,

BUT THERE IS LITTLE
NEW MOVEMENT TO DISCUSS.

THIS IS THE ENTIRE
MARKOV CASE?

Translator: 80% OF THE DOCUMENTS
POINT TO THE ACCOUNT

THAT MARKOV WAS KILLED BY
A BULGARIAN STATE SECURITY AGENT

OR SOMEONE
WHO WORKED FOR THEM.

IT'S ALL POINTING
TOWARDS THAT ACCOUNT,

MORE THAN 80%
IN THAT DIRECTION.

BUT WE NEED 100%.

UNDER OUR LAW,

EVERY DOUBT HAS TO BE
IN THE INTEREST OF THE ACCUSED.

PROOF HAS TO BE
BEYOND REASONABLE DOUBT.

Narrator: BUT PERHAPS
THERE IS ANOTHER REASON

FOR THE BULGARIANS' RELUCTANCE
TO MOVE FORWARD.

THERE IS A STATUTE
OF LIMITATIONS ON THE CASE

THAT RUNS OUT
IN SEPTEMBER 2008.

AFTER THAT, THE INVESTIGATION
WILL BE CLOSED FOREVER.

Translator: UNFORTUNATELY,
THAT'S HOW IT'S DECIDED
IN OUR LAW.

IN THE CASE OF THIS CRIME,
THE STATUTE OF LIMITATIONS
IS 30 YEARS.

EVEN IF THE SUSPECT IS FOUND,

HE CAN'T BE PROSECUTED
IN OUR COURTS
IF THE STATUTE HAS RUN OUT.

Narrator: ALLOWING
THE STATUTE TO RUN OUT SUITS
THE BULGARIANS JUST FINE.

THEY ARE CURRENTLY APPLYING
FOR MEMBERSHIP IN
THE EUROPEAN UNION

AND ARE DOING ALL THEY CAN
TO PLAY DOWN THE IMPACT
OF THEIR COMMUNIST PAST.

REOPENING THE MARKOV CASE
WOULD BE AN EMBARRASSMENT
AND A POLITICAL RISK.

Jack: I THINK THEY'RE JUST
TRYING TO FORGET THEIR PAST.

JOINING THE E.U.
HASN'T MEANT IN BULGARIA

FACING UP TO WHAT
THE COMMUNIST REGIME DID.

ON THE CONTRARY,
I THINK THAT THEY FEEL
THAT LOOKING INTO THESE THINGS

WOULD BE PAINFUL
AND DISTRACTING FOR THEM,

AND THERE'S NO POLITICAL WILL
TO DO THAT AT ALL.

Narrator: EVEN IF NO INDIVIDUAL
IS EVER BROUGHT TO TRIAL,

VLADIMIR KOSTOV...
THE OTHER POISON PELLET VICTIM...

STILL FEELS THAT
THE BULGARIAN GOVERNMENT

SHOULD PUBLICLY
ACKNOWLEDGE THEIR CRIMES
FROM THE COMMUNIST ERA.

Translator:
I DON'T SEEK ANYTHING.

I AM NOT LOOKING FOR THE PERSON
WHO FIRED THE SHOT INTO ME
OR INTO MARKOV.

PERHAPS IT'S THE SAME PERSON.

I AM NOT LOOKING FOR THE PERSON
WHO ORDERED IT, EITHER.

I UNDERSTAND VERY WELL
THAT IT WAS A POLITICAL MATTER,

SO IT SHOULD BE TREATED
AS A POLITICAL MATTER.

IT'S NOT ABOUT BLAMING
AN INDIVIDUAL WHO SIMPLY
EXECUTED ORDERS

AND OBEYED THE LAWS
OF A REGIME.

IT'S ABOUT GETTING RID
OF THIS POISONED LEGACY

OF THE COLD WAR.

Narrator: MARKOV'S FAMILY FEELS
THE SAME WAY.

THEY ARE NOT AS CONCERNED
WITH THE IDENTITY
OF THE TRIGGER MAN

AS THEY ARE WITH AN APOLOGY
FROM THE BULGARIAN GOVERNMENT.

THEY WANT
AN OFFICIAL ADMISSION

THAT GEORGI MARKOV WAS
THE VICTIM OF A POLITICAL
ASSASSINATION,

YET 30 YEARS AFTER THE KILLING,
THE AUTHORITIES REMAIN SILENT.

THEY ARE AS EAGER TO FORGET
AS THE MARKOVS ARE TO REMEMBER.

THE FAMILY CONTINUES TO LIVE
WITH THE QUIET FRUSTRATION

OF AN OFFICIALLY
UNRESOLVED MURDER.

Translator:
THE NAMES AREN'T IMPORTANT.

THE FINGER THAT DID IT
ISN'T IMPORTANT.

BUT THE MIND
THAT THOUGHT IT UP IS.

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