In Stalin's Secret Service

by W.G. Krivitsky, Sam Tanenhaus (Preface)

Walter G. Krivitsky was the first top Soviet intelligence official to defect and reveal his secrets in 1939. In England in 1940, he came very close to unmasking the Soviet network inside Britain’s intelligence services known as the “Cambridge 5” led by Kim Philby. Krivitsky thought that he would be safe in America, but he was unable to shed the dangerous secrets that he took with him. Stalin had to act quickly to protect his vast espionage network and there would be no escape from the Soviet assassination squad. In Stalin’s Secret Service is like a spy thriller with an unwritten ending, because the author couldn’t imagine his own death.

Genres: History, Russia, Espionage, Nonfiction, Politics, Memoir

340 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1980

Reviews

[Drew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty captivating read. Well written. Through most of it you feel as if you are right in the middle of the Purge yourself. Complete insanity as witnessed firsthand. This was also published right on the eve of WWII, giving his insight added significance for those of us who know what came next...

[Charles Goodwell]

A military intelligence officer of Soviet Union defected in 1939 and revealed the inside Stalin grinding machine. A very important witness of the Moscow process and concentration camps.

[Monica Perez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating and sad.

[György · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nehány publikus dokumentum az FBI honlapjan W.G. Krivitsky-ről: http://vault.fbi.gov/Walter%20Krivitsky

[Brent L. · Rating 3 out of 5]

A defector's account of his time working for the Russian KGB.

[Pam · Rating 5 out of 5]

18 months after publishing this book, Krivitsky was murdered in the USA.