The Spy and the Traitor: The Greatest Espionage Story of the Cold War

The Spy and The Traitor is touted in its subhead as "the greatest espionage story ever told." That isn't just publisher hype. The real events and the story of Oleg Gordievsky, KGB officer and diplomat reads like something from a John LeCarre or Robert Ludlum story...except it's true and marvelously documented. Raised by a father and older brother who both served devotedly and unquestioningly in the KGB (dad worked through Stalin's purges and survived in the KGB's precursor agency). Loyalty to the service then would seem to be a given--betraying the agency and its million members (you read that right) would be like sabotaging the family's business. Yet events and history continue to flummox human expectations. First the invasion of Hungary, then the erection of the Berlin Wall (which Gordievsky was present to see) and finally the brutal crushing of the Prague Spring in Czechoslovakia all drove this KGB officer further and further away from the party. Exposure to the West in Copenhagen and later in London provided a first hand taste of liberty and freedom. It served as the final push into the eager and eternally grateful arms of his M16 handlers. The double agent provided them with not merely a trove of concrete information but invaluable insight into the workings of the KGB and planning of the Soviet Leadership. It is no exaggeration to say Gordievsky was our Kim Philby. The details of these meetings, contacts, "drops", etc. and how spies operated from the end WWII until the dissolution of the Soviet empire is fascinating and novelistic in the telling. Gordievsky's escape or "exfiltration" from the USSR by M16 is nothing short of breathtaking--a Bourne Identity moment. Best of all though is the historical and moral context that gives readers a perspective of events' meanings. Ben McIntyre is a masterful storyteller and detailed chronicler. He thoroughly but concisely points out the import and value of Grodievsky's insights--particularly warning the Brits and thereby the Americans that the Soviet leader Yuri Andropov genuinely believed the West was intent upon a first nuclear strike. Appreciating that paranoia can be as perilous as animus, first Thatcher and then Reagan worked to assuage Soviet fears. It was Gordievsky who prepped both sides for successful summits in the 80s and it was he who counseled wisely to neither disband nor include the USSR in the SDI or Star Wars initiative. Rather, ratchet up the pressure and they would go bankrupt trying to keep up, which is precisely what happened. Gordievsky certainly didn't single handedly end the cold war--there were dozens of events and officials who played a significant role. But Oleg Gordievsky was surely in the first rank of those who made a valuable contribution earning the appreciation of Reagan, Thatcher, the CIA, M16 and yes, QEII (the monarch, not the ocean liner). Best of all, McIntryre doesn't put a patriotic gloss on his subject's behavior. What Gordievsky did was of enormous benefit to democracy and the West but it destroyed his marriage, implicated his wife and children as well as family and friends who all paid some price for his defection. In short, his actions both saved and ruined lives and the choices he made can be rightfully regarded as both morally defensible and appalling or enraging to those who knew him. Unsurprisingly, his marriage failed and most Russian friends regard him with disdain and disgust. In the western intelligence community he is a hero. This is terrific, important history and a wonderfully well-told tale. Enjoy!

This is a great story in the hands of a master story-teller. Oleg Gordievsky was a Cold War KGB officer who let his humanity, clear vision of what the Soviet system represented and a personal fearlessness lead him to turn coat and become a British agent reporting from inside the KGB apparatus. This fascinating story is true and is as tense and dramatic as any Ian Flemming work (ok, without the sex, car chases and gun play). The book - based on over 100 hours of interviews with Gordievesky and countless other hours with British spy handlers, former KGB colleagues and Russian friends and his ex-wife detail the real life world of a master spy and excellent practitioner of spy craft. Gordievesky would have in all likelihood remained on station beyond 1985 had another famous spy not turned him out. The CIA's Aldrich Ames figured out who MI6's most productive source was and told his KGB handlers (though their was possibly another source of exposure as well). Called back to Moscow, Gordievsky activated a years-old exfiltration plan that saw him lose his surveillance and rendezvous with a British team mobilized to meet him near the Finnish border and whisk him to freedom. The spy training and craft, operational methods, recruitment of assets and interactions with his British handlers are all here. Also, the book provides an excellent insight into a part of the KGB that reveals it to be a slothful (though still deadly) bureaucracy where petty turf wars and jealousy had dulled the teeth of a once effective and ruthless organization. The recall to Moscow, interrogations, suspicions and eventual escape are tense and nerve wracking as the author has done a brilliant job of pacing in detailing a get-away fraught with danger. Gordievesky is a hero to our side; still a target of the Russians headed by ex-KGBer Vladimir Putin. This man's information and insights helped with political planning and understanding of Russian thinking at the height of the Cold War. His work possibly enabled the British to blunt American and NATO enthusiasm for the Abel-Archer military exercise which a tottering Soviet leadership feared might be cover for a western first strike against the Soviets. He also provided advice on how to deal with Russian reaction to the Strategic Defense Initiative and according to the author was extremely prescient on how it would play out. A fascinating and gripping account of a heroic man. Highly recommended.

What is incredible about this true-life spy story is that you can read it like a classic novel, as it never slows its pace. This captivating espionage tale is a real page-turner. What struck me most in this book is how likeable the main character really is.

This is a great book that I have found myself thinking of even after I'm done reading it. In fact, I remember it as if I was watching a TV series It was a great story and history lesson. It is well written so you don't have to know any of the history, context or entities to enjoy it. Highly recommend There really isn't anything in this book that parents need to be concerned about. But here are a couple brief mentionings of more adult nature: -there is brief historical mention that Russia would torture and kill traitor spies -there is brief mention of main character buying pornography from a store (for plot purposes) Book was in great shape when it arrived with no damage

A fascinating and gripping read from cover to cover, all the more so because it is a true story that reads like fiction. A must read for anyone interested in the spy genre.

Un ottimo libro, scritto come fosse un romanzo di genere anche se è cronaca, e un po’ storia.

This is a brilliant book about a man who wanted to better humanity and decided to do it by betraying his own country through his position as a senior KGB officer. Oleg Gordievsky was a KGB officer who was born into a family where his father was also an officer. He joined the KGB and found that his beliefs in the USSR faltered, and he wanted to betray them in order for a better way of life for people rather than himself as he didn't seem interested in giving secrets in exchange for money unlike others detailed in the book. Eventually he was found out, and the story really becomes gripping at this stage. The author tells a story that I really enjoyed and built the suspense to a high level, one could really feel for Gordievsky with the pressure he was under and the things that he did in order to get the job done. The whole story could be made into a movie or TV series.