The Prime Minister Who Came in From the Cold Analysis Yevgeny Primakov, who made news recently with his attempts at a negotiated peace in Yugoslavia, was exposed as a receiver of bribes earlier this week by the New Yorker magazine. The story appears in the April 4 issue. Investigative reporters claim that Primakov received an $800,000 bribe in 1997 from Saddam Hussein to help thwart UN inspections. The report casts a long shadow on the news media, as well as on Primakov's reputation. Questions arise: Why does this news appear now -- in the heat of the Kosovo conflict? Is it a CIA leak? Is the story "news" because of the dubious situation in Central Europe? or is it news because it will sell magazines? Finally, is the story news because it deserves to be made public, regardless of timing? The Primakov intrigue might well have sprung from the pages of one of John Le Carre's spy novels -- Primakov admits to being a Le Carre fan. The Russsian prime minister is an old hawk, a cold war warrior, a throwback from the days of Gorbachev. He spent 30 years in the Communist party, eventually rising to become chief of the security service. He is alleged to have met Saddam Hussein in the 1960's when he was a reporter for Pravda. Seymour Hersh, a Pulitzer Prize winning reporter, made his early reputation investigating the My Lai massacre in Vietnam. Since then, he has acquired something of a journalistic legend, one with spikes and tarnishes. His book, The Dark Side of Camelot, contains excerpts of forged papers relating to an affair between President Kennedy and Marilyn Monroe. The New Yorker report also claims that the Americans attempted to kill Saddam during their 1997 bombing of Baghdad. The U.S. State Department denies the allegation. Will Primakov the survivor survive this latest scandal? Already the story has migrated to the BBC on the Web, which alleges the information was first received by British intelligence operatives who gave it to the Americans. The BBC claims that Primakov seems an unlikely target for bribery, given his modest lifestyle. On the other hand, perhaps someone as contrary to Western influences as Primakov might enjoy the double-dealing involved in old-time Soviet-style underhandedness. Le Carre himself might ask: Will Smiley solve this latest snafu? March 21, 1999