The Spy and the Traitor: The Greatest Espionage Story of the Cold War
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- Create Date：2021-05-11 11:54:09
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Ben Macintyre
- ISBN：0241972132
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Summary
A thrilling Cold War story about a KGB double agent， by one of Britain's greatest historians - now with a new afterword
On a warm July evening in 1985， a middle-aged man stood on the pavement of a busy avenue in the heart of Moscow， holding a plastic carrier bag。 In his grey suit and tie， he looked like any other Soviet citizen。 The bag alone was mildly conspicuous， printed with the red logo of Safeway， the British supermarket。
The man was a spy。 A senior KGB officer， for more than a decade he had supplied his British spymasters with a stream of priceless secrets from deep within the Soviet intelligence machine。 No spy had done more to damage the KGB。 The Safeway bag was a signal: to activate his escape plan to be smuggled out of Soviet Russia。 So began one of the boldest and most extraordinary episodes in the history of spying。 Ben Macintyre reveals a tale of espionage， betrayal and raw courage that changed the course of the Cold War forever。。。
On a warm July evening in 1985， a middle-aged man stood on the pavement of a busy avenue in the heart of Moscow， holding a plastic carrier bag。 In his grey suit and tie， he looked like any other Soviet citizen。 The bag alone was mildly conspicuous， printed with the red logo of Safeway， the British supermarket。
The man was a spy。 A senior KGB officer， for more than a decade he had supplied his British spymasters with a stream of priceless secrets from deep within the Soviet intelligence machine。 No spy had done more to damage the KGB。 The Safeway bag was a signal: to activate his escape plan to be smuggled out of Soviet Russia。 So began one of the boldest and most extraordinary episodes in the history of spying。 Ben Macintyre reveals a tale of espionage， betrayal and raw courage that changed the course of the Cold War forever。。。
Reviews
Andrew Alkema
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This book was incredibly fun to read， I read the last 150 pages in one sitting， very gripping！
Dave Schumaker
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Interesting spy vs。 spy type of stuff。 I knew of Aldrich Ames and the damage he did as a mole inside the CIA。 However， I had not heard of Oleg Gordievsky， a KGB operative who secretly worked for the British intelligence services。I never really considered that the convoluted spy signal stuff was real -- "to send a message， wear a red hat， carry a Safeway bag in your left hand and stand in front of a bread shop at 7:30pm。 You'll know we received the signal if you see a man in a green hat and gray Interesting spy vs。 spy type of stuff。 I knew of Aldrich Ames and the damage he did as a mole inside the CIA。 However， I had not heard of Oleg Gordievsky， a KGB operative who secretly worked for the British intelligence services。I never really considered that the convoluted spy signal stuff was real -- "to send a message， wear a red hat， carry a Safeway bag in your left hand and stand in front of a bread shop at 7:30pm。 You'll know we received the signal if you see a man in a green hat and gray pants walk by while eating a Mars bar。"It was an interesting account of his history as a British spy， and how he kept this secret from his family -- eventually having to make the life or death choice of leaving them behind as he sought to escape capture inside Russia。 。。。more
John Davis
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The Spy and the Traitor， by Ben Macintyre; Crown: New York; $28。00 Pure fascination。 Spy and Traitor will satisfy on all levels。 It is a thoroughly researched non fiction story of the defection in place of KGB officer Oleg Gordievsky， perhaps the most significant spy for the West in the Cold War。 What renders this book genius is how， through telling the facts， Ben Macintyre reveals the personal drama of what it means to spy for both sides。 Further， the tensions， the decisions without precedent The Spy and the Traitor， by Ben Macintyre; Crown: New York; $28。00 Pure fascination。 Spy and Traitor will satisfy on all levels。 It is a thoroughly researched non fiction story of the defection in place of KGB officer Oleg Gordievsky， perhaps the most significant spy for the West in the Cold War。 What renders this book genius is how， through telling the facts， Ben Macintyre reveals the personal drama of what it means to spy for both sides。 Further， the tensions， the decisions without precedent which had to made on the spot， make this tale into a thriller of the first magnitude。 Ben Macintyre is a writer at large for the London Times。 A master of espionage research， he’s written on World War II escapades such as Operations Mincemeat， Agent Zigzag， and Doublecross。 His work on Kim Philby is the new benchmark for studies of that world shaking spy。 With Gordievsky’s story， we see not only the tradecraft of a double agent operation clearly explained， but the human consequences of what motivates not only the spy but the handlers as well。 Duplicity is astounding in this story。 Not only do we find it in the expected places， but tragically in the least likely of venues。 We also find genuine unsung heroes in the most unlikely of guises， and marvel at how they are seamlessly weaved into the narrative。 Macintyre names names。 We discover who betrayed Gordievsky。 We then discover the mysterious set of circumstances， and incredible detailed planning which led to his hoped for escape route from Russia。 This escape plan reads like the most well-wrought thriller。 Ironically， no one would try to sell this possible escape plan to a publisher， but employ it the British did。 How it all works out will be worth the price of admission。 Macintyre is at his best explaining espionage on the human level。 What can you tell your spouse？ What are the consequences to your family of any act you might agree to？ Does dedication to a cause prevail over obligations to family？ Does a government have an obligation to protect its ‘asset’ forever， or is there always the possibility that they will be counted the cost of battle？ This book has it all。 Worthwhile， well written， outstanding prose and tempo， indeed， this book could be ranked with the best of fiction thrillers。 A marvelous way to start the New Year。 。。。more
Carrie Doyle
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A nail-biter， thrilling page turner that you cannot believe is nonfiction。 When is there going to be a movie made？ Or a mini-series would be even better。
Elena Laškoska
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Such adrenalin story ！
Rob Halpin
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A most harrowing and important readAbsolutely gripping， and the final third of the book is one hell of an immersive， nail-biting ride。 A must-read for anyone obsessed with spy craft， Cold War intrigue and The Americans。 What a hero。 What a story。 Gah！
Laura
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Riveting true story of a Cold War spook who changed the course of history。 If you like thrillers， highly recommend！！
Anne
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It takes a certain type of person with nerves of steel and unwavering commitment to be a spy。 There's a lot of fallout and personal sacrifice with this line of work。 This book tells of the career of Oleg Gordievsky; a non-fiction story that reads like a spy-thriller。 Because of this book， I've gone onto a spy themed binge， from Sacha Baron Cohen's The Spy on Netflix to the podcast British Scandal on The Litvinenko Affair。 Fast-paced and intriguing。 Highly recommended。 It takes a certain type of person with nerves of steel and unwavering commitment to be a spy。 There's a lot of fallout and personal sacrifice with this line of work。 This book tells of the career of Oleg Gordievsky; a non-fiction story that reads like a spy-thriller。 Because of this book， I've gone onto a spy themed binge， from Sacha Baron Cohen's The Spy on Netflix to the podcast British Scandal on The Litvinenko Affair。 Fast-paced and intriguing。 Highly recommended。 。。。more
Charlotte
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I can’t believe someone had to live through this - I was tense enough just reading it！
Judy
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A thoroughly researched account of an event of which I knew nothing。At the end I still felt more answers were needed as this was only one side of the story。However it was well told， and the escape was thrilling。The celebrated author of A Spy Among Friends and Rogue Heroes returns with his greatest spy story yet， a thrilling Cold War-era tale of Oleg Gordievsky， the Russian whose secret work helped hasten the collapse of the Soviet Union。If anyone could be considered a Russian counterpart to the A thoroughly researched account of an event of which I knew nothing。At the end I still felt more answers were needed as this was only one side of the story。However it was well told， and the escape was thrilling。The celebrated author of A Spy Among Friends and Rogue Heroes returns with his greatest spy story yet， a thrilling Cold War-era tale of Oleg Gordievsky， the Russian whose secret work helped hasten the collapse of the Soviet Union。If anyone could be considered a Russian counterpart to the infamous British double-agent Kim Philby， it was Oleg Gordievsky。 The son of two KGB agents and the product of the best Soviet institutions， the savvy， sophisticated Gordievsky grew to see his nation's communism as both criminal and philistine。 He took his first posting for Russian intelligence in 1968 and eventually became the Soviet Union's top man in London， but from 1973 on he was secretly working for MI6。For nearly a decade， as the Cold War reached its twilight， Gordievsky helped the West turn the tables on the KGB， exposing Russian spies and helping to foil countless intelligence plots， as the Soviet leadership grew increasingly paranoid at the United States's nuclear first-strike capabilities and brought the world closer to the brink of war。 Desperate to keep the circle of trust close， MI6 never revealed Gordievsky's name to its counterparts in the CIA， which in turn grew obsessed with figuring out the identity of Britain's obviously top-level source。 Their obsession ultimately doomed Gordievsky: the CIA officer assigned to identify him was none other than Aldrich Ames， the man who would become infamous for secretly spying for the Soviets。Unfolding the delicious three-way gamesmanship between America， Britain， and the Soviet Union， and culminating in the gripping cinematic beat-by-beat of Gordievsky's nail-biting escape from Moscow in 1985， Ben Macintyre's latest may be his best yet。 Like the greatest novels of John le Carré， it brings readers deep into a world of treachery and betrayal， where the lines bleed between the personal and the professional， and one man's hatred of communism had the power to change the future of nations。 。。。more
Lisa
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Simply amazing！ If someone had made this story up and written it as a novel， I would have said that it was too fantastical to be taken seriously。 This is an unbelievable story that kept me on the edge of my seat。 It was all the better because it was true。
Abhi Rele
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Incredible story of espionage。 Must read！
Howard Sundwall
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Fabulous true spy story。 The escape from Soviet Russia at the end of the book reads like a script from Mission Impossible。
Paul McMeekin
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The fascinating story of Oleg Gordievskey's defection from the USSR to The UK in the 1980's。 Reads like a top notch spy thriller and it's even better given that it really happened。 It is so well written and flows like a dream。 In the words of the man himself， "it is flawless"。 It truly is。 The fascinating story of Oleg Gordievskey's defection from the USSR to The UK in the 1980's。 Reads like a top notch spy thriller and it's even better given that it really happened。 It is so well written and flows like a dream。 In the words of the man himself， "it is flawless"。 It truly is。 。。。more
Robert Cristian
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One of the best books you will ever read。
Michelle Cooksey
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A riveting， real life spy story。 I could not put this book down （when I was actually able to read it）。 If you like John LeCarre or any spy/detective stories - read this！
Nikki J。
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Such a great read。 Why did I cry at the end of a spy book？
Lawrence Wray
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Unbelievable！ What a story。 Has to be made into a film。
Gail
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This true story about Oleg Gordievsky， the Russian KGB spy turned double agent， reads like a thriller。 It’s also a fascinating account of the workings of the KGB， Britain’s M16， and the CIA。
Algirdas Jankauskas
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A well put together real story about spies。 I never thought I would read a book of this sort this year， but I glad I trusted a recommendation。 I recommend this If you want to learn something about KGB and MI6 during the end of cold war throught a thrilling story of a famous double agent。
Diane
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I listened to this on audible and was so impressed。 I almost forgot to breathe at times because this was so engaging and thrilling。 I love reading about spies and Ben Macintyre's book is the best。 I sure wish this would be made into a movie or TV series。 I listened to this on audible and was so impressed。 I almost forgot to breathe at times because this was so engaging and thrilling。 I love reading about spies and Ben Macintyre's book is the best。 I sure wish this would be made into a movie or TV series。 。。。more
Flecher Feng
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A real page turner and sleep depriver。 Can’t stop once you open the first page。
Vaanie Krishnan
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I was hooked from the first page。 It's written so well that you sometimes can't believe it's non-fiction。 Would recommend。 I was hooked from the first page。 It's written so well that you sometimes can't believe it's non-fiction。 Would recommend。 。。。more
Karen Jenkins
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I liked this book！ I felt the way the writer told the story kept me interested in what could happen to the spy。 My take away is you never know who you are living next door too👀
TheIron Paw
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A well researched， well written account of the sorts of events we rarely glimpse。
Sam
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For those that might appreciate a good old fashion spy story （I think that’s a saying）， I’d recommend you check this out。 Note: Don’t get too attached to some of the people’s names in the book， they aren’t their real names。
Christina
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This was definitely a spy story worth telling; it's hard to believe it really happened！ Of course， the best part of the book was the hour-by-hour description of his escape against all odds。 Moments played in my mind as if they were out of a movie （except， as my friend astutely pointed out， viewers would be annoyed by such 'suspension of disbelief' if it were a movie！）。 I didn't give it beyond three stars merely for personal reasons。 I don't like feeling sad at the end of stories （at least， not t This was definitely a spy story worth telling; it's hard to believe it really happened！ Of course， the best part of the book was the hour-by-hour description of his escape against all odds。 Moments played in my mind as if they were out of a movie （except， as my friend astutely pointed out， viewers would be annoyed by such 'suspension of disbelief' if it were a movie！）。 I didn't give it beyond three stars merely for personal reasons。 I don't like feeling sad at the end of stories （at least， not the sort of sadness that leaves you without any hope or motivation to change as a person）。 As the author himself put it， "[Gordievsky] is one of the bravest people I ever met， and one of the loneliest。" A life entirely built on lies has devastating consequences。 Yes， he was a political hero to the Western world。 But was the cost worth it？ I leave the book grieving for our hero and with little reason to hope that it ever got better。 。。。more
Tammy
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What a wonderful read！ This one is as exciting and thrilling as a spy fiction。。。。love it。
Friðjón
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Ein af þessum bókum sem er "stranger than fiction" Ein af þessum bókum sem er "stranger than fiction" 。。。more
Jonathan Payne
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