KGB - Hardcover

Andrew, Christopher

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0060166053 ISBN 13: 9780060166052

Publisher: HarperCol, 1990

Synopsis

This history of the world's largest and most powerful intelligence service, the KGB, from its origin after the Russian revolution to the present day, analyzes its operations against subjects as diverse as the EEC, Margaret Thatcher, Solidarity and Libya. This study also provides an insight into Gorbachev's relations with the KGB and examines the disintegration of the Soviet bloc. Christopher Andrew has also written "Secret Service". Gordievsky was a KGB colonel who worked for British intelligence as a penetration agent in the KGB from 1974. He escaped to the West in 1985.

About this title

About the Author:

Christopher Andrew is Professor of Modern and Contemporary History at Cambridge University, a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society, former Visiting Professor of National Security at Harvard University, and guest lecturer at numerous American universities and the CIA. His writings, translated into many languages, have established him as one of the world's leading authorities in intelligence history. Professor Andrew is also a frequent host of BBC TV and radio programs on history and world affairs.

Review:

This is the most comprehensive book on the structure and history of KGB. The text is very logical and easy to read. The book is written partly by Oleg Gordievsky - a man who spent around thirty years within KGB. It starts from Tsar Okhrana (1500) and leads you up to 1990s. It covers all Russian and USSR secret services. The book gives details of almost all famous assassinations carried out by KGB and it's predecessors. Good coverage of life of the most known spies including Sydney Reilly. It deeply analyses lives of the Oxford "Magnificent Five". It gives good analysis on the "active measures", "wet affairs", agent penetration and other actions carried out by KGB. I recommend it to everyone interested in KGB. --By Lysak "Victor Lysak" (London, UK)

KGB The Inside Story is very exciting reading by Christopher Andrew, highly regarded Cambridge professor ,who writes a series of books brilliantly on intelligence subjects involving many different countries and agencies. It is co-authored by a former top Russian agent to add to the fascination. --By M. McNulty "bookish type" (England)

Written in co-operation with Oleg Gordievsky this books tell the grim story of the birth and development of the KGB. No punches are pulled by the writers the story line very much parallels Soviet political history. With tales of countless executions, show trials, assasinations and infiltration into the Western sercret services the KGB is painted as all powerful. I would have liked to have read more about their success outside violence, I'm sure they happened (of course the Cambridge spies fall into this catagorie - were they the only ones ?). The book is well written and easy to read, crammed full of facts and figues, dates and names, highly recommended. --By Christopher Lalor "Soulcharger" (Belgium)

About this edition

• Publisher: HarperCol
• Publication date: 1990
• ISBN 10: 0060166053
• ISBN 13: 9780060166052
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 776