United States v. Enger

472 F. Supp. 490
CourtDistrict Court, D. New Jersey
DecidedAugust 25, 1978
DocketCrim. 78-149
StatusPublished
Cited by16 cases

This text of 472 F. Supp. 490 (United States v. Enger) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. New Jersey primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
United States v. Enger, 472 F. Supp. 490 (D.N.J. 1978).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OPINION

LACEY, District Judge.

The defendants, citizens of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, are charged in a three-count indictment with conspiracy to violate 18 U.S.C. §§ 793(g) and 793(a) and aiding and abetting in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 793(b) and 2. 1 They are now before the *495 court on a variety of motions, which I shall consider in the order in which they are raised by the defendants’ memorandum of law.

I.

The defendants have moved for dismissal of the indictment, contending they are entitled to the protection of diplomatic immunity-

The factual predicate for the defendants’ claim of immunity rests primarily on letters submitted to the court on behalf of the defendants by the U.S.S.R. Ambassador to the United States, Hon. Anatoly F. Dobrynin, and Hon. Erik Suy, Legal Counsel to the United Nations. Defendants themselves have filed no affidavits in their own name. Hence there are here lacking facts explaining why their United Nations vocations required their presence in New Jersey, or a contention by the defendants that they were not in New Jersey at the times alleged by the United States.

Ambassador Dobrynin’s letters, attached as Exhibit A to the defendants’ notice of motion, are formal claims of immunity by the U.S.S.R. An identical claim of immunity is made for each of the defendants. The following is the complete text of each letter:

CLAIM OF DIPLOMATIC IMMUNITY

I, Anatoly F. Dobrynin, Ambassador of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics to the United States of America, hereby have the honor to draw your attention to the fact that the Soviet Citizen Rudolf Petrovich Chernyayev has a diplomatic rank of Second Secretary conferred on him in accordance with the provisions based on the decree of the Presidium of the U.S.S.R. Supreme Soviet of May 28, 1943.

The Government of the Soviet Union made available the services of Mr. Chernyayev as an Administrative Officer in the United Nations Secretariat, and Nr. Chernyayev accepted this post with the knowledge and consent of the Government of the Soviet Union.

Mr. Chernyayev arrived in the United States in May, 1974, having a Soviet diplomatic passport no. 015793 and since that time has been attached to the Secretariat. of the United Nations.

The Secretariat of the United Nations at all these times had knowledge of the fact that Mr. Chernyayev retained and retains at the present time his diplomatic rank.

*496 I hereby, in the name of the Government of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and in conformity with the applicable principles of international law claim immunity from arrest and prosecution on behalf of Rudolf Petrovich Chernyayev and respectfully request that the Indictment against him be dismissed.

Anatoly F. Dobrynin (signature) Anatoly F. Dobrynin,

Ambassador

I, Anatoly F. Dobrynin, Ambassador of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics to the United States of America, hereby have the honor to draw your attention to the fact that the Soviet Citizen Valdik Aleksandrovich Enger has a diplomatic rank of Second Secretary conferred on him in accordance with the provisions based on the decree of the Presidium of the U.S.S.R. Supreme Soviet of May 28, 1943.

The Government of the Soviet Union made available the services of Mr. Enger in the office of Political and Security Affairs at the United Nations Secretariat, and Mr. Enger accepted this post with the knowledge and consent of the Government of the Soviet Union.

Mr. Enger arrived in the United States in December 1973 having a Soviet diplomatic passport no. 012841 and since that time has been attached to the Secretariat of the United Nations.

The Secretariat of the United Nations at all these times had knowledge of the fact that Mr. Enger retained and retains at the present time his diplomatic rank.

I hereby, in the name of the Government of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and in conformity with the applicable principles of international law claim immunity from arrest and prosecution on behalf of Valdik Aleksandrovich Enger and respectfully request that the Indictment against him be dismissed.

The Dobrynin letters do not contend that either defendant is, or at any material time was, duly designated by the U.S.S.R. to serve as its representative to the United Nations, that either is or was on the staff of the U.S.S.R. delegation to the United Nations, or that either ever performed or was ever assigned to perform any diplomatic duties on behalf of the U.S.S.R. in its relations with the United States (or any other government) while residing in this country. Instead, the letters do not go beyond stating that the defendants, from the time of their separate arrivals in the United States from the U.S.S.R., have been “attached to the Secretariat of the United Nations,” while retaining their diplomatic ranks as conferred on them by their government.

The nature of their employment with the United Nations is set forth in the letter of The Legal Counsel to the United Nations, dated June 23, 1978, attached as Exhibit B to the defendants’ notice of motion. The following is the full text of Mr. Suy’s letter:

I wish to refer to your request for certain information regarding two officials of the United Nations Secretariat, Mr. Valdik Enger and Mr. Rudolf Chernjaev (sic).
I understand your request to relate to the officials’ titles and functions, as well as to their official status, within the United Nations Secretariat.
In respect of Mr. Enger, I wish to inform you that his title is “Political Affairs Officer”, and that his grade is P-4. For your information I recall that the ranks of the Secretariat’s professional staff is as follows in descending order:
Secretary-General
Under-Secretary-General
Assistant Secretary-General
Director 2
Director 1
Professional 5
Professional 4
Professional 3
Professional 2
Professional 1

*497 In addition there are other categories of staff, generally of lower rank, such as general service staff, manual workers and guards.

As far as Mr.

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Bluebook (online)
472 F. Supp. 490, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-enger-njd-1978.