Leo Meller
Leo Meller is a friend of the West and the East
Source: Finnish newspaper Iltalehti, January 19th and February 6th 1984.
Available from the archives
Background
Leo Meller is a finnish preacher, who has been a controversial figure for many decades. He is known for his sexual escapades with women followers, and he was convicted for tax evasion and fraud in the 80s.
He has a public missionary agency named Patmos, and they have delivered Bibles to the Soviet Union.
Leo Meller is a Great Friend of the United States
Such deliveries have also included smuggling american political propaganda into the Soviet Union, and he received various documents in return. This included films and tapes. The drives were also given cyanide pills to commit suicide, in case they were captured during the delivery.
Leo Meller has also received funding from the United States. It is unclear for what purposes or services.
He also was the only finn attending the inauguration of Ronald Reagan. Not the finnish president, not the finnish prime minister, but an obscure nitwit preacher got to attend the inauguration of the President of the United States.
Leo Meller is a Great Friend of Russia
On one delivery, the smugging van was stopped on the Soviet border. The drivers were apprehended and interrogated, they were subsequently released and the van was returned.
So:
- The KGB was informed of the smuggling of american political propaganda
- The KGB was informed that Leo Meller sent these couriers to the Soviet Union
- The KGB decided to return the van back to Leo Meller, because, apparently, they like him so much that they want him to try again