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Roger J. Mattson

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Born

Central City, NE, The United States

Genre

Biography, History, Nonfiction

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Kurt Vonnegut

Member Since

May 2019

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Roger published “SPYWRITER: Richard Krebs' Astonishing Journey from German Communist Conspirator to American Combat Veteran” in early 2021. It is a biography of the German communist spy, Richard Krebs, alias Jan Valtin, who saw the light, abandoned his position in the Comintern, came to America as an illegal alien, wrote the best selling non-fiction book of 1941 “Out of the Night,” was awarded a Bronze Star in the battle for the Philippines, earned his American citizenship, and collaborated with elements of America’s Cold War intelligence apparatus.

Roger’s first literary work was “Stealing the Atom Bomb: How Denial and Deception Armed Israel,” published in 2016. Response to the book from nuclear cognoscenti and the general public has been ...more

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I understand you recently spoke at a Conference in France concerning German Communist spy Richard Krebs. I've been reading his book, "Out of the Night." Now, I've learned you are writing an upcoming book on Krebs. I am so excited to learn more about this spy who escaped to America and became a U.S. citizen. What will we learn new from your book?

Roger J. Mattson Hi Sharon,

Thanks for your question. You’re right, I recently attended a “Jan Valtin Retrospective” at the University of Poitiers in France. Jan Valti…moreHi Sharon,

Thanks for your question. You’re right, I recently attended a “Jan Valtin Retrospective” at the University of Poitiers in France. Jan Valtin was the pen name of Richard Krebs of whom you ask. Here is the URL for the conference program https://sha.univ-poitiers.fr/master-h....

Scholars from a half dozen countries gathered there to discuss Valtin’s role as a midlevel operative in the Comintern in the interwar years and his life after renouncing communism in 1937.

My new book will be the first biography of Krebs by an American since his best-selling 1941 autobiography “Out of the Night.” As to what’s new in my book, I would count interesting insights about the last dozen years of his private life as a best-selling anti-communist writer, revered by the House Un-American Activities Committee and snubbed by the Hollywood establishment. In addition, there is growing evidence of his dabbling in clandestine affairs before and after his service in the Pacific during World War II. I also will deal frankly with his chronic depression, which was probably associated with PTSD. And I am looking at the parallels between his life, as a spy turned writer, and the life of his contemporary, Ernest Hemingway, a writer turned spy.

The book has fresh insights from two of Krebs’s sons who have been most helpful with my research. And there is new information from three families associated with Krebs’s gutsy comrade Hildegard Volkersen. She and Krebs went underground in Germany in the early days of the Third Reich, resulting in their arrest and imprisonment.

European researchers with access to the declassified files of the secret services in Russia, Scandinavia, Great Britain, and Germany have confirmed much of what Valtin described in his autobiography, which I am pleased to learn you are reading. Let me know what you think of it.

Best Regards,
Roger
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Roger J. Mattson’s books

Average rating: 4.41 · 34 ratings · 8 reviews · 4 distinct works • Similar authors

	Stealing the Atom Bomb: How Denial and Deception Armed Israel 4.34 avg rating — 29 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	SPYWRITER: Richard Krebs’ Astonishing Journey from German Communist Conspirator to American Combat Veteran 4.75 avg rating — 4 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	A Swedish Family History: From Asa to Lone Tree it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 1 rating	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	SPYWRITER: Richard Krebs’ Astonishing Journey from German Communist Conspirator to American Combat Veteran 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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Regime Change: Inside the Imperial Presidency of Donald Trump

by Maggie Haberman

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Irreducible: Consciousness, Life, Computers, and Human Nature

by Federico Faggin (Goodreads Author)

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