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Title details for Comrade J by Pete Earley - Available

Comrade J

The Untold Secrets of Russia's Master Spy in America After the End of the Cold War

by Pete Earley
Michael Prichard
Audiobook
3 of 3 copies available
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3 of 3 copies available
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 1995 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 United States 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.

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    February 7, 2008

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9781400125524
      • File size: 308975 KB
      • Duration: 10:43:41

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • AudioFile Magazine
      Sergei Tretyakov defected to the U.S. in 2000 from his service in Russia's KGB. His story offers a unique opportunity to learn in great detail how our Cold War adversaries were spying on us. Tretyakov discusses agent training and the KGB hierarchy, and describes many of his covert missions. Michael Prichard's voice provides the ideal narration. He pronounces the numerous Russian words and names with ease and bestows a Russian accent where appropriate. Such a skillful touch enriches the revealing stories of a devoted agent, all guaranteed to fascinate listeners. Prichard's voice never tires and never changes. Both his oldest and newest fans will enjoy this dark journey into Soviet espionage. J.A.H. (c) AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine
    • Publisher's Weekly

      October 1, 2007
      Former journalist and bestselling author Earley (Family of Spies
      ) tells the story of Russian spymaster and defector Sergei Tretyakov—code-named Comrade J—in an exposé with few surprises. A career intelligence officer, Tretyakov was Russia's deputy resident in New York City from 1995 to 2000, responsible for all covert operations there. But as the political and economic situation in Russia deteriorated under presidents Boris Yeltsin and Vladimir Putin, Tretyakov began to consider defecting. Disgusted by the spy agency's shoddy standards and the “corrupt political system” in Moscow and seeking “a better future” for his teenage daughter Ksenia, Tretyakov became a double agent for the FBI before finally defecting in 2000. He claims that he is now breaking his silence because he hopes to warn America that Russia is not a friend and “is trying to destroy the U.S. even today.” Among his more controversial assertions, in 126 hours of interviews with the author, is that former deputy secretary of state Strobe Talbott was considered a “Special Unofficial Contact” by Russian intelligence—a claim that Talbott adamantly denies. While many of Tretyakov's claims are impossible to verify, Earley mounts a spirited defense of his veracity in this workmanlike account.

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

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