Marek Magierowski refutes the story of spies in embassies. "That would be illogical."

In the latest Supper on Themat Marek Magierowski, the erstwhile Polish Ambassador to the USA and Israel, refutes the stereotypical image of "ambassador-spy" from sensational novels. Based on his experience, he explains what the relation between the planet of diplomacy and intelligence services truly looks like.


In the latest podcast evening on Thematics Paweł Orlikowski spoke to the erstwhile Ambassador of Poland to the USA and Israel Marek Magierowski, among others, about the scenes of his work, conspiracy theories or contemporary journalism, which can be inactive. The subject of whether Magierowski met ambassadors during his career, who besides served as intelligence agents, was besides raised.

A spy in the ambassador's chair? "It's illogical"

In pop culture and spy literature, there is frequently a motive for an agent whose past is "created" to service as an ambassador while conducting secret operations. Marek Magierowski in an interview with Paweł Orlikowski dispels these visions, simply calling them "myth". According to the diplomat, specified a solution would not make any sense to professional services.

– Taking the function of ambassador by a man who is connected with the interview, whether he is simply on the phase of this or another intelligence agency, it doesn't actually happen – Magierowski explained. He pointed out that at this level of diplomacy no 1 is anonymous to abroad interviews. – another intelligence agencies know precisely who this individual is, so it would be illogical to place individual as a diplomat in the function of ambassador, due to the fact that there is immediately another contact, another relationship," he added.

An interview at the embassy. How do the liaison officers work?

Although the ambassador himself is seldom a spy, this does not mean that there are no service representatives in diplomatic institutions. On the contrary, they are a permanent part of the functioning of almost all embassy, especially 1 of key political importance. Magierowski described this circumstantial coexistence of 2 different worlds under 1 roof.

– In each, almost all Polish embassy, especially in these institutions, which are crucial from the point of view of our abroad policy, is the alleged liaison officer, explained the erstwhile ambassador.

He stressed that cooperation between the ambassador and specified an officer is usually very close, but must be based on the preservation of certain boundaries. – This is never formalised cooperation, of course, due to the fact that there are certain red lines, certain boundaries that should not be crossed. Everyone has their contacts, each has conversations with their partners – he pointed out, pointing to the separate tasks of a diplomat and an intelligence officer.

Russian "accident" and diplomatic instinct

In the planet of Western diplomacy, standards are clear, but Magierowski points to exceptions on the east side. Russia and China have a completely different approach to combining state functions with operational work. The erstwhile ambassador cited the example of Russian diplomacy, which has not been hidden from its ties to the services for years.

– This is sometimes the case with services specified as Russian or Chinese services. There is no specified resistance, and even the ambassador of the Russian Federation, who will be in Warsaw in a moment, is besides active in the interview," said Magierowski. According to him, the Russians "have had specified a condition for years" and treat it as an component of their policy without hiding it.

The guest of Evening on subject admitted, however, that many years of work at the facilities sharpens the instinct that allows you to immediately admit who is who. “I felt that way sometimes, possibly in four, 5 cases, erstwhile I was seeing someone, I knew who I was dealing with after 5 seconds. That they were never ambassadors, here let us make it very clear – he explained.

– I knew that – even though it is simply a man employed in 1 or another facility – he is employed on any different terms than I am. This was especially the case in Israel, but in the United States too," he recalled. Magierowski besides added that although he sometimes felt that the interviewer might have "endless goals", he himself was fortunately never the object of an effort to recruit.