the billion dollar spy sparknotes
David E. Hoffman covered Ronald Reagan's 1980 presidential campaign for the Knight-Ridder newspapers. Information could be obtained by wiretaps, satellite surveillance, and photographs, but the most valuable information was most often obtained from human intel. After reporting on the State Department, he became Jerusalem bureau chief for The Pos. He pushed for initial contact with a spy while he was under orders to stand down. The CIA began to communicate with Tolkachev in 1978. The Billion Dollar Spy: A True Story of Cold War Espionage and Betrayal by David E. Hoffman chronicles the six year relationship between the Central Intelligence Ag... ency (CIA) and engineer, Adolf Tolkachev, who spied on the Soviet Union for the United States. But when the CIA used some of those same strategies to turn Howard against them, it was a catastrophe for everyone involved. Learn About America's Most Valuable Spy In A Fraction Of The Time It Takes To Read The Actual Book!! A very illuminating non-fiction book based on recently declassified material. The Russ spy Tolkachev, who helped the US beyond measure in the 80s, delivered info on "the MiG fighter, the MiG-25 high-altitude interceptor, the MiG-31 interceptor, and the MiG-29 and the Su-27 multi-role fighters..he compromised versions of the SAP-FIR radar and the ZASLON radar..." Sample writing. Read this book using Google Play Books app on your PC, android, iOS devices. When she was two years old, Natasha’s mother was executed and her father was sent away to the labor camp. “The Billion Dollar Spy is one of the best spy stories to come out of the Cold War and all the more riveting . July 7th 2015 The CIA stalled on this request before eventually giving it to him. Tolkachev likely recognized this as an inescapable reality, and he didn’t want money as much as he wanted to be shown respect for his work. In order to gain the trust of spies, the CIA needed to prove that it was worthy of their confidence and would not betray them. Because the KGB is heartless. This method was called deep cover. Aug 3, 2020: 12: 3: Share . It earns Tolkachev the … As time went on, the security at Tolkachev’s office became more strict and then relaxed. Intelligence can save time, money, energy, lives, and equipment. The Billion Dollar Spy is based on a real-life story. “A scrupulously researched work of history that is also a gripping thriller, The Billion Dollar Spy by David E. Hoffman is an unforgettable journey into Cold War espionage. He chose case officers who were new to the Soviet Union and banned them from the station so that they would not be watched as closely by KGB agents. Tolkachev was the most productive CIA spies during the Cold … His disdain for Russia showed through as well in the risks he took from beginning when first approached CIA to final rolls of film given case manager. Just a moment while we sign you in to your Goodreads account. „The billion dollar spy” is the true story of an electronics engineer at a secret military aviation institute in Moscow who for almost seven years provided the CIA with a huge volume of sensitive and valuable intelligence on Soviet research and development (R%D) activities concerning radars, avionics, AA missiles, and other technologies. However, he eventually took on increasingly dangerous forms of risk over time, which demonstrated his confidence and courage in the face of death. Who remembers "The Day After" or the lyrics to "99 Luftballoons"? The Billion Dollar Spy: A True Story of Cold War Espionage and Betrayal by David E. Hoffman chronicles the six year relationship between the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and engineer, Adolf Tolkachev, who spied on the Soviet Union for the United States. Adolf Tolkachev and David Rolph had a mutual disdain for the Soviet Union, which helped them bond. The Soviet Union used fear to keep its citizens in line, and that was certainly effective at keeping people from talking to the CIA about potential intelligence sources. Reid’s faith in Tolkachev is rewarded when he hands over a treasure trove of military secrets, obtained using classic Cold War spy craft. He clashed with some of his staffers because he believed that technical intelligence was more credible than human-gathered intelligence, and ordered a complete stand-down in Moscow after the KGB arrested two agents who had been spying on behalf of the US. That it ends in tragedy and betrayal only seems to accentuate the stakes that he faced in his struggle to tear down the totalitarian tyranny of the Soviet state. It is a gripping story of courage, professionalism, and betrayal in the secret world.” – RODRIC BRAITHWAITE BRITISH AMBASSADOR IN MOSCOW, 1988-1992. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read The Billion Dollar Spy: A True Story of Cold War Espionage and Betrayal. New York: Doubleday. “The Billion Dollar Spy reads like the very best spy fiction yet is meticulously drawn from real life. Adolf Tolchakev was a Russian radar engineer who had grown disenchanted with the Soviet Union, a country that … . This meant they could not trust Soviet spies during this time period. Shortform: The World's Best Book Summaries, Shortform Blog: Free Guides and Excerpts of Books, Video Summaries of The Billion Dollar Spy, Relationships: Adolf Tolkachev and John Guilsher, Themes: Difficulty Securing a Spy in the Soviet Union, The Billion Dollar Spy Book Summary, by David E. Hoffman, The Path Between the Seas Book Summary, by David McCullough. And as always, reality trumps fiction. He then contacted the KGB and offered them information about the CIA’s operations in Moscow. It tells a story that I never knew about and tells it very well indeed. The book puts you on the street in covert operations avoiding the KGB and analyses the impact worth billions of dollars, for the US. The Billion Dollar Spy: A True Story of Cold War Espionage and Betrayal. Betrayals had to extend beyond just one’s home country as spies had to lie about who they really were while working at various jobs with friends and family members. A little too much rehashing of material. Sign up for a 5-day free trial here. If you think you have a strong sense of how espionage was conducted during the Cold War, you’re probably wrong. This frightened Tolkachev so much that he burned all evidence related to the CIA at his house in the country, but kept a schedule of future meetings and hidden suicide pills inside a pen. E840.8.T65 H63 2015. PDF [DOWNLOAD] Summary of The Billion Dollar Spy: A True Story of Cold War Espionage and Betrayal by David E. Hoffman | Summary Analysis aBookaDay TRIAL EBOOK Shortform has the world’s best summaries of 1000+ nonfiction books and articles. The Billion Dollar Spy by David E. Hoffman tells the story of a Russian engineer who worked for the Soviet Union and gave secrets to the United States in order to destroy his country’s aviation program, which he was personally involved with. The case officers were constantly worried about pushing him too hard, so they tried not to ask for information that would put him in danger. Tolkachev and Guilsher’s final meeting took place in June of 1980. So it was with "The Billion Dollar Spy". Information could be obtained by wiretaps, satellite surveillance, and photographs, but the most valuable information was most often obtained from human intelligence sources. (Courtesy of David Rolph/From the book “The Billion Dollar Spy”) David Rolph, on his first CIA tour, took over as Tolkachev’s case officer in 1980. He went quiet for awhile and missed five meetings with the CIA agent. He explained in one of his letters that he wanted to inflict the greatest amount of damage on the Soviet Union as quickly as possible, despite having outlined a long-term plan for his involvement with the CIA. The Billion Dollar Spy. Unfortunately, the book didn't really deliver for me. These type of activities need to continue especially with a former head of the KGB (Putin) in charge of Russia. It hits the sweet spot between page-turning thriller and solidly researched history (even the footnotes are informative) and then becomes something more, a shrewd character study of spies and the spies who run them, the mixed motives, the risks. . Subscribe to get summaries of the best books I'm reading. He put together an elaborate plan to avoid KGB surveillance by getting more documents out of the library that was near Tolkachev’s apartment. Unfortunately, the book didn't really deliver for me. The Billion Dollar Spy: A True Story of Cold War Espionage and Betrayal PDF Book by David E. Hoffman (2015) Download or Read Online . Armie Hammer (“Rebecca”) and Mads Mikkelsen (“Another Round”) will headline the cast of Amma Asante’s Cold War thriller “The Billion Dollar Spy.”. Tolkachev was one of the CIA’s most productive agents of the Cold War, providing the United States with intelligence no other spy had ever obtained. David Hoffman talked about his book, [The Billion Dollar Spy: A true Story of Cold War Espionage and Betrayal], about Adolf Tolkachev, a Russian … “The one thing that proved to me you were CIA and not KGB is when you gave me those medicines to test on my daughter. However, this also put him at risk of getting caught by KGB agents. Tolkachev’s desire to help us harmed Russia in two ways: first, by giving us intelligence about what weapons they would have over the next 20 years; second, by making sure we knew how to counter any new weapons he told us about. The 34-year-old actor has been dropped from the Amma Asante-directorial in the wake of rape accusation by a woman. You won’t be able to look at spycraft in what is called hu. In 1982, he joined The Washington Post to help cover the Reagan White House. That, in itself, makes this story unique and worth being read by anyone with an interest in cold war espionage. Betrayal was a critical part of spy work and the culture of the CIA. In 1982, he joined The Washington Post to help cover the Reagan White House. Read a quick 1-Page Summary, a Full Summary, or watch video summaries curated by our expert team. Most of the well-known Russian spies belonged to the KGB or GRU, and were usually only active when posted abroad, not when in Moscow and under constant surveillance. He delivered information and made demands over time, which led the CIA to believe he was trustworthy. The Billion Dollar Spy is a wonderful non-fiction account of one of the greatest espionage assets ever developed by the US. 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