Spy Wars: Moles, Mysteries and Deadly Games

Contents:

Spy Wars: Moles, Mysteries, and Deadly Games - Tennent H. Bagley - Google Книги

Chosen by William Safire in the New York Times to be the publishing sleeper-seller of the year for Still a highly controversial chapter in the history of Cold War espionage, the Nosenko affai Chosen by William Safire in the New York Times to be the publishing sleeper-seller of the year for Still a highly controversial chapter in the history of Cold War espionage, the Nosenko affair has inspired debate for more than forty years: This insider knowledge, combined with information gleaned from dozens of interviews with former KGB adversaries, places Bagley in a uniquely authoritative position.

He guides the reader step by step through the complicated operations surrounding the Nosenko affair and shatters the comfortable version of events the CIA has presented to the public.

See a Problem?

Shining new light on the CIA-KGB spy wars, he invites deeper thinking about the history of espionage and its implications for the intelligence community today. Hardcover , pages. To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up. To ask other readers questions about Spy Wars , please sign up.

Spy Wars: Moles, Mysteries, and Deadly Games - Tennent H. Bagley - Google Книги

Lists with This Book. May 26, AC rated it really liked it Shelves: A fascinating look at KGB spy methods written by the man who was Nosenko's handler. Bagley was and remains convinced that Nosenko was a plant. The CIA eventually overturned this position, and according Bagley smeared his handlers in the process. So Bagley wrote this book to clear his name and 'prove' that he was right all along.

And he makes a very convincing case for himself. I'm in no position to judge, but the book was strongly argued, and offered a detailed glimpse into the 'games', 'moles', and other devices used by the KGB -- from onwards. This book, I must add, is timely given what has occurred in the US in the past couple of years. View all 3 comments.

Sep 08, Sarah rated it it was ok Recommends it for: There are so many things wrong with this book, I'm not sure where to begin. I guess the worst thing about the book is that it's very hard to follow. The author throws out a lot of names and dates in rapid succession and I just couldn't really follow all of it. A lot of the time I felt like I was just skimming the text, something I never do. But I pressed on hoping that it would all come together in the end. Unfortunately all that was revealed in the end was that the author is a bitter former CIA There are so many things wrong with this book, I'm not sure where to begin.

Join Kobo & start eReading today

Unfortunately all that was revealed in the end was that the author is a bitter former CIA agent who has been accused of being paranoid and delusional and he has written this book in a poor attempt to vindicate himself. I think maybe the only people that could follow what he's talking about would be his accusers, but I'm sure they already know more details than he provided in the book. Which leads me to my other point, that I'm never pleased when a book is trying to persuade me of a side of things and its obvious to me that they are skimping on telling me the other side of the issue.

This immediately turns me off and makes me doubt their version of the story. Instead of reading this book, I recommend reading Spycraft: That isn't entirely what I got. The thing about this book is that it's quite specific.

Spy Wars: Moles, Mysteries and Deadly Games | The Sunday Times.
Access Check.
Spy Wars: Moles, Mysteries, and Deadly Games!
JSTOR: Access Check.

It's about one agent the author , his history leading up to joining the CIA, and someone called Noshenko, who defected from the Soviet Union. Eventually, the author had some aspersions cast on his honor or something, and he either resigned or was fired. Honestly couldn't tell you, since I did 1. Honestly couldn't tell you, since I didn't make it to the end of the book.

The Noshenko defection does sound like it was a big deal at some point in time, but I had no previous knowledge of it, so I was mostly wondering why I should care. Disorganized would be a mild way to put things. The narrative flipped and twisted and veered through time and space, and it was difficult to understand or retain things because as soon as I got the hang of what was going on, there was another tangent.

Bagley comes across as a bitter, angry, disillusioned grouch with a superiority complex and "told you so" attitude. The audiobook version I had was read by the author, and I decided to give up around the time he started chuckling while maligning the reputation of another former agent. Another thing, and this may just be splitting hairs but It was completely unnecessary and honestly distracting.

Additional Information

May 09, Alexander rated it did not like it Shelves: Bagley directly handled Nosenko's case. This insider knowledge, combined with information gleaned from dozens of interviews with former KGB adversaries, places Bagley in a uniquely authoritative position. He guides the reader step by step through the complicated operations surrounding the Nosenko affair and shatters the comfortable version of events the CIA has presented to the public.

Bagley unveils not only the KGB's history of merciless and bloody betrayals but also the existence of undiscovered traitors in the American camp. Shining new light on the CIA-KGB spy wars, he invites deeper thinking about the history of espionage and its implications for the intelligence community today. Part V Too Hot to Handle. Part VI Late Light.

Random House, —an initial question is whether the subject warrants another retelling. Counterintelligence work has been variously described as a maze, a labyrinth, and a wilderness of mirrors. When Bagley returned to CIA headquarters in June after multiple meetings in Geneva with Nosenko, who claimed to need money to replenish funds spent on high living, he believed he had important information from a serving KGB officer.

The parallel yet conflicting reporting of the two defectors raised concerns that Nosenko might be a KGB plant dispensing disinformation.

When Nosenko resurfaced in January , Bagley returned to Geneva. Nosenko promptly announced his intention to defect and dropped another bombshell. Even more, Nosenko stated flatly that the KGB had had no interest in the future assassin while he was living in the Soviet Union.

After Nosenko was moved to the United States, the debriefing of the defector increasingly became a hostile interrogation.

Contradictions and anomalies in his statements created new levels of concern for Bagley and the Soviet division leadership.