Spy Handler

by Cherkashin, Victor

• ISBN13: 9780465009688
• ISBN10: 0465009689
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2004-12-28
• Publisher: Basic Books

Summary

Victor Cherkashin's incredible career in the KGB spanned thirty-eight years, from Stalin's death in 1953 to the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991. In this riveting memoir, Cherkashin provides a remarkable insider's view of the KGB's prolonged conflict with the United States, from his recruitment through his rising career in counterintelligence to his prime spot as the KGB's number- two man at the Soviet Embassy in Washington. Victor Cherkashin's story will shed stark new light on the KGB's inner workings over four decades and reveal new details about its major cases. Cherkashin's story is rich in episode and drama. He took part in some of the highest-profile Cold War cases, including tracking down U.S. and British spies around the world. He was posted to stations in the U.S., Australia, India, and Lebanon and traveled the globe for operations in England, Europe, and the Middle East. But it was in 1985, known as "the Year of the Spy," that Cherkashin scored two of the biggest coups of the Cold War. In April of that year, he recruited disgruntled CIA officer Aldrich Ames, becoming his principal handler. Refuting and clarifying other published versions, Cherkashin will offer the most complete account on how and why Ames turned against his country. Cherkashin will also reveal new details about Robert Hanssen's recruitment and later exposure, as only he can. And he will address whether there is an undiscovered KGB spy-another Hanssen or Ames-still at large.Spy Handlerwill be a major addition to Cold War history, told by one of its key participants.

Author Biography

Victor Cherkashin, a retired KGB colonel, was awarded the prestigious Order of Lenin. During his four decades working for the KGB, he was stationed at various times in West Germany, India, Australia, Lebanon, and Washington, D.C. Following his retirement, he began a private security company in Russia, which he still runs. He lives in Moscow. Gregory Feifer holds a B.A. and an M.A. in Russian Studies from Harvard. A former Radio Free Europe Moscow correspondent, Feifer lived in Russia from 1998 to 2003. He covered Russian politics for a number of publications, including the Moscow Times, World Policy Journal, and Agence France-Presse. He lives in New York City. Victor Cherkashin, a retired KGB colonel, was awarded the prestigious Order of Lenin. During his four decades working for the KGB, he was stationed at various times in West Germany, India, Australia, Lebanon, and Washington, D.C. Following his retirement, he began a private security company in Russia, which he still runs. He lives in Moscow. Gregory Feifer holds a B.A. and an M.A. in Russian Studies from Harvard. A former Radio Free Europe Moscow correspondent, Feifer lived in Russia from 1998 to 2003. He covered Russian politics for a number of publications, including the Moscow Times, World Policy Journal, and Agence France-Presse. He lives in New York City.

Table of Contents

Preface	ix
Acknowledgments	xiii
Prologue Betrayal	1	(256)
1 Inside the Lion's Den: Washington Station	11	(24)
2 The Training of a KGB Handler	35	(40)
3 Cold War Front Line: Beirut	75	(26)
4 Treason	101	(16)
5 Intrigue at Moscow Center	117	(20)
6 Washington Station: The Redefector	137	(42)
7 Washington Station: The Most Dangerous Spy	179	(32)
8 Washington Station: How to Catch a Spy	211	(16)
9 Washington Station: The Biggest Catch: Hanssen	227	(30)
10 The Final Years of the KGB	257	(28)
11 Wild Capitalism in New Russia	285	(22)
Epilogue Lessons of Cold War Espionage	307	(8)
Notes	315	(4)
Index	319