Dmitri Polyakov
| Dmitri Polyakov (Russian: Дмитрий Фёдорович Поляков) |
|
|---|---|
| Allegiance |
 United States
|
| Service | GRU |
| Active | 1951–1980 |
| Rank | General |
| Codename(s) | Bourbon |
| Roam | |
| Tophat (Top Hat) | |
|
|
|
| Born |
6 July 1921 Ukrainian SSR |
| Died | 15 March 1988 (aged 66) |
| Cause of death |
Executed |
| Nationality | Soviet |
| Alma mater | Graduated from Artillery School in June 1941 |
Dmitri Fyodorovich Polyakov (Russian: Дмитрий Фёдорович Поляков) (6 July 1921 – 15 March 1988) was a Soviet Major General, a high-ranking GRU officer, and a prominent Cold War spy who revealed Soviet secrets to the Central Intelligence Agency. In the CIA, he was known by code names BOURBON and ROAM, while the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) knew him as TOPHAT (Top Hat).
Born in 1921, in Ukraine, he graduated from Sumy Artillery School in June 1941 and served as an artillery officer in World War II and was decorated for bravery. After the war and his studies at Frunze Military Academy and GRU Training Courses, he joined Soviet Military Intelligence, the GRU. His first mission was with the Soviet delegation to the Military Staff Committee of the United Nations in New York from 1951–1956.
On his second assignment to New York, in 1959–1961, he approached FBI counterintelligence agents to offer his services as an informant. His follow-up overseas assignments included Rangoon, Burma (1965–1969) and New Delhi, India (1973–1976 and 1979–1980) where he was posted as Soviet Military Attaché. Some in the CIA feel that Polyakov became a mole because he was disgusted with the corruption of the Soviet Party elite.Victor Cherkashin suggested that he was embittered because Soviet leadership denied him permission to take his seriously ill son, the eldest of three, to a hospital in New York where he could get adequate medical attention. This son died as a result of the illness and soon after, Polyakov began his informant activities.
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