Comrade J | 
 enlarge | Author: Pete Earley
Publisher: Putnam Adult
Category: Book
List Price: $25.95
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Avg. Customer Rating:  17 reviews
Sales Rank: 24708
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 352
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.2
Dimensions (in): 9.1 x 6.2 x 1.5
ISBN: 0399154396
Dewey Decimal Number: 327.1247073092
EAN: 9780399154393
ASIN: 0399154396
Publication Date: January 24, 2008
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Condition: Brand New. 100% money back guarantee. All books shipped from Strand Bookstore, New York City, USA.
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Product Description
Spymaster, defector, double agent-the remarkable true story of the man who ran Russia's post-Cold War spy program in America.
In 1991, the Soviet Union collapsed, the Cold War ended, and a new world order began. We thought everything had changed. But one thing never changed: the spies.
From 1997 to 2000, a man known as "Comrade J" was the highest-ranking operative in the SVR-the successor agency to the KGB-in the United States. He directed all Russian spy action in New York City, and personally oversaw every covert operation against the United States and its allies in the United Nations. He recruited spies, planted agents, penetrated security, manipulated intelligence, and influenced American policy, all under the direct leadership of Boris Yeltsin and then Vladimir Putin. He was a legend in the SVR, the man who kept the secrets.
Then in 2000, he defected-and it turned out he had one more secret. For the previous two years, he had also been a double agent for the FBI: "By far the most important Russian spy that our side has had in decades." He has never granted a public interview. The FBI and CIA have refused to answer all media questions about him. He has remained in hiding. He has never revealed his secrets . . .
Until now.
Comrade J, written by the bestselling author of Family of Spies and The Hot House, is his story, a direct account of what he did in the U.S. after we all assumed the spying was over, and of what Putin and Russia continue to do today. The revelations are stunning. It is also the story of growing up in a family of agents dating back to the revolution; of how Russia molded him into one of its most high-flying operatives; of the day-to-day perils of living a double, then triple, life; and finally of how his growing disquiet with the corruption and ambitions of the "new Russia" led him to take the most perilous step of all.
Many spies have told their stories. None has the astonishing immediacy, relevance, and cautionary warnings of Comrade J.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 12 more reviews...
Interesting August 10, 2008
This gives a very interesting insight into the "post Cold-War" intelligence operations of the Soviet/Russian intelligence community.
There's nothing truly earth-shattering as far as named sources go, but an interesting read nonetheless.
Somewhat over simplistic July 25, 2008
A somewhat over simplistic overview of Russian Intelligence operations of the time. To me this book was interesting but seemed to gloss over a lot of issues in order to keep the page count down. What the book did say was interesting and somewhat infuriating that we let this go on. But it offers insight however simple the author offered.
 Too Many Agatha Christie Moments July 20, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
I enjoyed reading "Comrade J," by Pete Earley, and I imagine that most others who are specialists in Russian Affairs will find points of interest as well, but in the end the book stands as a flawed work with too many "Agatha Christie moments" (where uninteresting facts are replaced by more interesting fiction). Earley's book is most compelling when it quotes Sergey Tretyakov about his own personal activities, such as the recruitment of spies in Canada, the internal operations of the Russian Mission to the UN, or the disarray faced by the SVR in the aftermath of the collapse of the Soviet Union. It falls off the rails, however, when it ventures away from these relatively safe areas to a discussion of other spy operations in which Tretyakov played no direct part, and where his assertions are dubious at best.
Tretyakov talks disparagingly about the "Agatha Christie recruitments" that were consistently being touted by lesser spies, i.e., recruitments that were the stuff of fiction and never actually occurred. He provides some good examples from the work of several of his colleagues who claimed to have recruited good agents or trusted contacts, but turned out in the end to have been either fools who had convinced themselves of their own success, or knaves who were making up intelligence reports from newspaper articles. For someone who is so skeptical of his colleagues, I think that Tretyakov falls for the "Agatha Christie recruitment" gambit a few too many times himself.
A case in point is the alleged "Special Unofficial Contact" status of Strobe Talbott. Tretyakov claims that Talbott's close friend and opposite number, Georgiy Mamedov, was secretly working for the SVR. According to Tretyakov, "Yuriy" Mamedov was feeding Talbott questions provided by the SVR, and was getting valuable intelligence out of Talbott's answers. Despite strong denials by both Talbott and Mamedov, the implication remains that Talbott was either a dupe, or up to no good, and his reputation has been damaged as a result. Speaking as a person who knows both Talbott and Mamedov, and as one who sat in on many meetings with them, I would have to say that Tretyakov's assertions are entirely without merit. Both Strobe and "Yuriy" were supplied with information by their own governments, and both wanted to appear as cooperative with each other as possible, because real benefits were reaped by both sides from their meetings. Mamedov was a respected interlocutor, but there is no way that he was manipulating Strobe, or being manipulated. What Tretyakov was describing as an intelligence operation was just simple diplomacy, on both sides. In order to get, you have to give, and it is best if you can do it with a smile on your face.
Similarly, Tretyakov's allegations that the Soviets fooled the whole world into believing "nuclear winter" theories also sounds suspiciously like another Agatha Christie moment. The Soviets were no doubt cheerleading from the sidelines, but to claim that they were responsible for the nuclear freeze movement of the early 1980s, or the widespread belief in the possibility of a nuclear winter is mixing up cause and effect. It is like the rooster who thinks that if he doesn't crow at dawn the sun won't come up.
I also have some quibbles with the editing of the book itself. Many Russian words are not transliterated correctly, and in several cases the names of Russian officials are mangled. The most egregious of these mistakes is when the book talks about KGB Chairman Vadim Bakatin (pp. 126-131). After getting the spelling of his name right the first time, Earley proceeds to spell it as "Batakin" for the rest of the book. I also agree with many other reviewers that an index would have been very helpful, and a bibliography and a few footnotes wouldn't have hurt either. Because of these omissions, the book strikes me has having been rushed into print before it was actually ready.
In sum, the book is an interesting read, but could have been much, much better had some of the more sensationalist side stories been cut out, and the author had just stuck to what Tretyakov really knew. Maybe there will be a second edition.
Valuable behind-the-scenes look at Russia June 26, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
Earley's book is a well written biography of one of Russia's leading and well-placed spies in Canada and the U.S. who defected to the United States bringing a great deal of valuable intelligence with him. The CIA and FBI will not openly confirm the details of Tretyakov's story, and because of the defection, traveling to Russia would submit the author to a risk to his own safety. Earley is therefore forced to relate the story in more of a "Sergei says" manner to avoid appearing to stand behind the details related in the book. While this style makes the book less than gripping, it is nonetheless fascinating.
I found the look into Russia, particularly since the dismantling of the Soviet Union, to be absorbing and chilling. I don't believe that the American public has had an opportunity to see the true effect of the swift political changes in Russia. We have been lulled into a false sense that Russia is now an ally, which could not be farther from the truth if what Sergei says is accurate. Although the author could not verify much of the information, the story rings true and Earley has made efforts to confirm many details as an indication of the truthfulness of his subject.
The book is an easy read and presents a view of the new Russia which is seldom presented in the media. I recommend it for anyone interested in national security or international relations.
 Must Read May 29, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
This is a groundbreaking book, revealing the evolutionary changes in the modern spy game. One learns more about the political realities of modern Russia through this lens than anything any western journalist could find. One sees what today's leaders want hidden as well as what they want exposed. There are some golden oldy's here as well. I found the KGB "scientific" corruption of Carl Sagan and his nuclear winter to be hilarious.
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