Engineering Communism: How Two Americans Spied for Stalin and Founded the Soviet Silicon Valley - Hardcover

Usdin, Steven T.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0300108745 ISBN 13: 9780300108743

Publisher: Yale University Press, 2005

Synopsis

Engineering Communism is the fascinating story of Joel Barr and Alfred Sarant, dedicated Communists and members of the Rosenberg spy ring, who stole information from the United States during World War II that proved crucial to building the first advanced weapons systems in the USSR. On the brink of arrest, they escaped with KGB’s help and eluded American intelligence for decades.

Drawing on extensive interviews with Barr and new archival evidence, Steve Usdin explains why Barr and Sarant became spies, how they obtained military secrets, and how FBI blunders led to their escape. He chronicles their pioneering role in the Soviet computer industry, including their success in convincing Nikita Khrushchev to build a secret Silicon Valley.

The book is rich with details of Barr’s and Sarant’s intriguing andexciting personal lives, their families, as well as their integration into Russian society. Engineering Communism follows the two spies through Sarant’s death and Barr’s unbelievable return to the United States.

About this title

About the Author

STEVE USDIN is senior editor at Biocentury Publications.

Edition details

• Publisher: Yale University Press
• Publication date: 2005
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0300108745
• ISBN 13: 9780300108743
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 352