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Sleeper Agent: The Atomic Spy in America Who Got Away
This must-listen book tells the chilling story of an American-born Soviet spy in the atom bomb project in World War II, perfect for fans of The Americans. George Koval was born in Iowa. In 1932, his parents, Russian Jews who had emigrated because of anti-Semitism, decided to return home to live out their socialist ideals. George, who was as committed to socialism as they were, went with them. There, he was recruited by the Soviet Army as a spy and returned to the US in 1940. A gifted science student, he enrolled at Columbia University, where he knew scientists soon to join the Manhattan Project, America's atom bomb program. After being drafted into the US Army, George used his scientific background and connections to secure an assignment at a site where plutonium and uranium were produced to fuel the atom bomb. There, and later in a second top-secret location, he had full access to all facilities, and he passed highly sensitive information to Moscow. The ultimate sleeper agent, Koval was an all-American boy who had played baseball, loved Walt Whitman's poetry, and mingled freely with fellow Americans. After the war he got away without a scratch. It is indisputable that his information landed in the right hands in Moscow. In 1949, Soviet scientists produced a bomb identical to America's years earlier than US experts expected.
259 pages, Hardcover
Published July 20, 2021
206 people are currently reading
1547 people want to read
About the author
Ann Hagedorn
6 books39 followersAnn Hagedorn is the author of five books, including the recently released The Invisible Soldiers: How America Outsourced Our Security. She was born in Dayton, Ohio and grew up in Dayton, Kansas City and Cleveland. Since college, she has lived in Chicago, Ann Arbor, MI, Lawrence, KS, San Francisco, and New York City. Hagedorn earned a B.A. in history from Denison University, an M.S. in information science from the University of Michigan, and an M.S. in journalism from Columbia University.
Her first professional job was on the library faculty at the University of Kansas where she worked as a research librarian and later directed a grant-funded project to compile a reference book on the history of economics. In pursuit of a writing career, she moved to New York City, where she found both a job and a place to live via New York University: a position on the library faculty writing speeches, brochures, and grant proposals, and an NYU apartment on Washington Square Park. Two years later, she began her master's work at Columbia. She also holds a German language proficiency degree from the Goethe-Institut in Prien-am-Chiemsee, Germany, and studied at Yale University under the tutelage of Arna Bontemps, esteemed participant in the Harlem Renaissance, for the purpose of writing her college senior thesis on the Harlem Renaissance writers.
Hagedorn took her first newspaper job at the San Jose Mercury News where she wrote about crime and covered trials in San Francisco's East Bay region. Her next job was writing for the Wall Street Journal in New York City where she reported on a broad range of subjects, writing front page stories on violent crime in shopping malls, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, the longest criminal trial in U.S. history (the McMartin child molestation case), issues of geriatric convicts in federal prisons, securities fraud and penny stock fraud on Wall Street, the travails of takeover artist Paul Bilzerian, the rise and fall of Sasson jeans king Paul Guez, and litigation against dogs, especially in canine court in Los Angeles, among others. She also wrote about legal issues, bankruptcy cases and numerous federal trials.
In 1991, Hagedorn focused her knowledge of fraud and bankruptcy on probing the collapse of America's premier horseracing dynasty, Calumet Farm. The result was the highly acclaimed book Wild Ride: The Rise and Tragic Fall of Calumet Farm, Inc., a story of greed and intrigue in the 1980s that is now under option with Paramount Pictures.
The author left the WSJ in late 1993 to join the New York Daily News as Special Projects Editor. There, in addition to overseeing projects, she wrote multi-part series on geriatric inmates in New York prisons, New York lawyers who were laundering money for Colombian drug cartels, capital punishment, and a four-part series on George Steinbrenner and the bankruptcy of his shipbuilding empire ( which won an Associated Press award.) Next, she wrote a mini-sequel for the Wild Ride paperback edition and began researching and writing Ransom. After the release of Ransom, Hagedorn wrote a piece for The Washington Post and taught a narrative non-fiction writing course at Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism, where she had been giving lectures in various classes for several years. During that time, she discovered a stunning story in the Ohio River Valley that resulted in her third book Beyond the River, now under option with Clear Pictures Inc. After writing Beyond the River, she taught a writing course at Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism in Evanston, Illinois and while in Chicago began the research for Savage Peace.
She has given lectures on writing at Vassar College, Berea College, Denison University, Wilmington College, Ohio State University, the Antioch Writer's Workshop, and the Mercantile Library in Cincinnati, among other venues.
Her latest book, The Invisible Soldier
Her first professional job was on the library faculty at the University of Kansas where she worked as a research librarian and later directed a grant-funded project to compile a reference book on the history of economics. In pursuit of a writing career, she moved to New York City, where she found both a job and a place to live via New York University: a position on the library faculty writing speeches, brochures, and grant proposals, and an NYU apartment on Washington Square Park. Two years later, she began her master's work at Columbia. She also holds a German language proficiency degree from the Goethe-Institut in Prien-am-Chiemsee, Germany, and studied at Yale University under the tutelage of Arna Bontemps, esteemed participant in the Harlem Renaissance, for the purpose of writing her college senior thesis on the Harlem Renaissance writers.
Hagedorn took her first newspaper job at the San Jose Mercury News where she wrote about crime and covered trials in San Francisco's East Bay region. Her next job was writing for the Wall Street Journal in New York City where she reported on a broad range of subjects, writing front page stories on violent crime in shopping malls, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, the longest criminal trial in U.S. history (the McMartin child molestation case), issues of geriatric convicts in federal prisons, securities fraud and penny stock fraud on Wall Street, the travails of takeover artist Paul Bilzerian, the rise and fall of Sasson jeans king Paul Guez, and litigation against dogs, especially in canine court in Los Angeles, among others. She also wrote about legal issues, bankruptcy cases and numerous federal trials.
In 1991, Hagedorn focused her knowledge of fraud and bankruptcy on probing the collapse of America's premier horseracing dynasty, Calumet Farm. The result was the highly acclaimed book Wild Ride: The Rise and Tragic Fall of Calumet Farm, Inc., a story of greed and intrigue in the 1980s that is now under option with Paramount Pictures.
The author left the WSJ in late 1993 to join the New York Daily News as Special Projects Editor. There, in addition to overseeing projects, she wrote multi-part series on geriatric inmates in New York prisons, New York lawyers who were laundering money for Colombian drug cartels, capital punishment, and a four-part series on George Steinbrenner and the bankruptcy of his shipbuilding empire ( which won an Associated Press award.) Next, she wrote a mini-sequel for the Wild Ride paperback edition and began researching and writing Ransom. After the release of Ransom, Hagedorn wrote a piece for The Washington Post and taught a narrative non-fiction writing course at Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism, where she had been giving lectures in various classes for several years. During that time, she discovered a stunning story in the Ohio River Valley that resulted in her third book Beyond the River, now under option with Clear Pictures Inc. After writing Beyond the River, she taught a writing course at Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism in Evanston, Illinois and while in Chicago began the research for Savage Peace.
She has given lectures on writing at Vassar College, Berea College, Denison University, Wilmington College, Ohio State University, the Antioch Writer's Workshop, and the Mercantile Library in Cincinnati, among other venues.
Her latest book, The Invisible Soldier
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 129 reviews
June 16, 2021
I received a free publisher's advance review copy, via Netgalley.
I recently read Anne Sebba’s excellent biography of Ethel Rosenberg. Rosenberg, with her husband Julius, were famously convicted of being Soviet agents and killed in the electric chair at Sing Sing prison on June 19, 1953. The Rosenbergs were accused of being integral to a ring of spies who stole secrets of the US atomic bomb program and passed them on to the Soviets.
While the Rosenbergs are the most famous of those involved in World War II atomic-weapon spying for the USSR, Anne Hagedorn’s subject is possibly the most unknown.
It was clear after World War II that atomic secrets of the Manhattan Project had been passed on to the Soviets, allowing them to develop their own bombs years before scientists predicted. The hunt to unmask those involved was on, revealing a ring that gave the Soviets information about bomb development at Los Alamos. But there was more than Los Alamos to the Manhattan Project, and George Koval, the subject of this book, was posted by the Army to Oak Ridge and Dayton, working as a safety officer, which allowed him free access to nearly every part of both top-secret facilities. Koval passed on to the Soviets key information about polonium-based bomb initiators, which they used in their bombs.
Koval had the distinction among the atomic secret-passers of being an actual Russian—but also an American. Koval’s parents had left Russia before the Russian Revolution to escape virulent anti-Semitism. They settled in Sioux City, Iowa, and George had a typical midwestern upbringing. His parents were thrilled when the Tsar was ousted in the Russian Revolution and the new regime promised an end to anti-semitism. In the 1930s, anti-semitism was on the rise in the US, and the Kovals decided to return to the USSR with their young sons, enticed by promises of a living paradise in the newly-created Jewish Autonomous Region. (Given its location on the border with Manchuria, they shouldn’t have been so naïve, but that’s another story.)
George Koval was a brilliant student of chemistry when World War II broke out, and he agreed to the call of Soviet military intelligence to return to the US on a “business trip.” That trip lasted eight years and a successful infiltration of the Manhattan Project. George was perceptive enough to know that his cover was thin, and he fled back to the USSR in 1948, well before the feds suspected him.
In the USSR, Koval struggled, as anti-semitism had made a big comeback. Few knew of his key role in spying for the USSR, and he was never recognized in his lifetime. US authorities, doubtless embarrassed by their failure to suspect him until he was long gone, didn’t publicize him either. Now Hagedorn is telling his story and encouraging more research into Koval and his ring.
Hagedorn has done a great deal of research to put together a picture of Koval, his life and his spy career. But there just doesn’t seem to be enough information to make Koval truly come to life on the page. Then it’s almost anti-climactic when Koval leaves the US before any pursuit and lives a small, unrecognized life in the USSR and post-Soviet Russia.
While this book can’t be compared to Ben Macintyre’ s ability to make riveting stories of little-known characters in spydom, it’s still worth reading to learn about this previously-unknown piece of espionage history.
I recently read Anne Sebba’s excellent biography of Ethel Rosenberg. Rosenberg, with her husband Julius, were famously convicted of being Soviet agents and killed in the electric chair at Sing Sing prison on June 19, 1953. The Rosenbergs were accused of being integral to a ring of spies who stole secrets of the US atomic bomb program and passed them on to the Soviets.
While the Rosenbergs are the most famous of those involved in World War II atomic-weapon spying for the USSR, Anne Hagedorn’s subject is possibly the most unknown.
It was clear after World War II that atomic secrets of the Manhattan Project had been passed on to the Soviets, allowing them to develop their own bombs years before scientists predicted. The hunt to unmask those involved was on, revealing a ring that gave the Soviets information about bomb development at Los Alamos. But there was more than Los Alamos to the Manhattan Project, and George Koval, the subject of this book, was posted by the Army to Oak Ridge and Dayton, working as a safety officer, which allowed him free access to nearly every part of both top-secret facilities. Koval passed on to the Soviets key information about polonium-based bomb initiators, which they used in their bombs.
Koval had the distinction among the atomic secret-passers of being an actual Russian—but also an American. Koval’s parents had left Russia before the Russian Revolution to escape virulent anti-Semitism. They settled in Sioux City, Iowa, and George had a typical midwestern upbringing. His parents were thrilled when the Tsar was ousted in the Russian Revolution and the new regime promised an end to anti-semitism. In the 1930s, anti-semitism was on the rise in the US, and the Kovals decided to return to the USSR with their young sons, enticed by promises of a living paradise in the newly-created Jewish Autonomous Region. (Given its location on the border with Manchuria, they shouldn’t have been so naïve, but that’s another story.)
George Koval was a brilliant student of chemistry when World War II broke out, and he agreed to the call of Soviet military intelligence to return to the US on a “business trip.” That trip lasted eight years and a successful infiltration of the Manhattan Project. George was perceptive enough to know that his cover was thin, and he fled back to the USSR in 1948, well before the feds suspected him.
In the USSR, Koval struggled, as anti-semitism had made a big comeback. Few knew of his key role in spying for the USSR, and he was never recognized in his lifetime. US authorities, doubtless embarrassed by their failure to suspect him until he was long gone, didn’t publicize him either. Now Hagedorn is telling his story and encouraging more research into Koval and his ring.
Hagedorn has done a great deal of research to put together a picture of Koval, his life and his spy career. But there just doesn’t seem to be enough information to make Koval truly come to life on the page. Then it’s almost anti-climactic when Koval leaves the US before any pursuit and lives a small, unrecognized life in the USSR and post-Soviet Russia.
While this book can’t be compared to Ben Macintyre’ s ability to make riveting stories of little-known characters in spydom, it’s still worth reading to learn about this previously-unknown piece of espionage history.
September 2, 2021
The Soviet spy from Iowa was never caught. He was in the U.S. Army and worked in both Oak Ridge, TN, and Dayton, OH both key locations for the development of the U.S. atomic bomb. To quote from the book "Koval's explanation of the industrial process for making polonium in his March 1949 report to Beria was later described by two historians as having "made a difference in the arms race"."
A fast read of a very interesting man and time.
A fast read of a very interesting man and time.
July 7, 2022
Compelling account of a deep cover Soviet spy who was never suspected until years after his return to Russia. The writing is fairly conversational but the author occasionally gets carried away with details (which TBH help cement the case for what the spy did, where, and when).
If the subject matter or era (WWII/Atomic age) interest you, this will be a winner.
If the subject matter or era (WWII/Atomic age) interest you, this will be a winner.
September 23, 2021
I really enjoy books on espionage, but I found this book to be fairly flat. Books like Billion Dollar Spy, The Spy and the Traitor and A Women of No Importance to be much more engaging and gripping. I never developed an emotional connection for Mr Kovanda like it did for others like Adolf Tolkachev, Oleg Gordievsky or Virginia Hall. I would more highly recommend those books.
February 23, 2021
A captivating account of rootlessness, loyalty, and betrayal, a Jewish life formed by antisemitism and exclusion, both ordinary and extraordinary. Ann Hagedorn's book is beautifully written - precise and lyrical at the same time, a historical gem of the cold war era.
Thanks to Edelweiss+ for the advance review copy.
Thanks to Edelweiss+ for the advance review copy.
June 23, 2024
Excellent account of the espionage that occurred during WWII and the Manhattan Project development.
September 16, 2023
A solid bio of one of the most successful Soviet atomic spies who got away with it.
June 14, 2021
This book promised to be “perfect for Ben Macintyre fans.” I loved Macintyre’s A Spy Among Friends and The Spy and the Traitor, so I had high expectations. They were not met.
This isn’t a terrible book, and if I hadn’t ever read a Ben Macintyre true spy story I may have given this a higher rating. However, this is definitely second-tier compared to him. The presentation is dry, the reconstruction of many events is not very tight/detailed, and the Amazon blurb gives away practically all the important information. I feel like the author just didn’t have enough available information about this spy to write a compelling book. On a positive note, it does provide interesting glimpses into the Manhattan project and the Red Scare.
I don’t usually mind a dry history book, but Macintyre has spoiled me when it comes to spy stories, and so this one just didn’t cut it for me.
This isn’t a terrible book, and if I hadn’t ever read a Ben Macintyre true spy story I may have given this a higher rating. However, this is definitely second-tier compared to him. The presentation is dry, the reconstruction of many events is not very tight/detailed, and the Amazon blurb gives away practically all the important information. I feel like the author just didn’t have enough available information about this spy to write a compelling book. On a positive note, it does provide interesting glimpses into the Manhattan project and the Red Scare.
I don’t usually mind a dry history book, but Macintyre has spoiled me when it comes to spy stories, and so this one just didn’t cut it for me.
September 12, 2021
An infiltration of the Manhattan Project by a Russian spy should be fascinating. Sleeper Agent tries to be compelling, but doesn't quite get there.
George Koval, raised as an all-American boy in Iowa, returns to Russia with his parents after the Russian Revolution, convinced that with the Tsar gone, the country would be on the right track and the anti-Semitism would be tamped down. Alas, they were to be disappointed, but that is another story.
George, a brilliant student, is recruited by Soviet intelligence to return to the US, and he does. At first, not a whole lot happens, but eventually, he is tapped to join the teams at Los Alamos and work on the creation of the first nuclear weapon.
He's a diligent spy, happy to be a patriot for his parents' country, and provides his handlers with the information he has stolen. But it isn't a great life, being a spy in the middle of this particular setting, and he is under enormous stress. There are a ton of details about everything in this book, at times to its detriment. This is not one of those times.
George, knowing that it's about time to wrap up his stay, flees back to the USSR in 1948, well before the US even knew he was a problem. But as can be the case when spies come in from the cold, he is neither celebrated nor the recipient of great wealth.
It's a five star story, but a three star read. Too often the story gets bogged down in minutiae, times at which I was hoping for fleshing out different parts of the narrative. It falls a bit flat comparatively to other books of this nature.
Three out of five stars.
Thanks to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for the reading copy.
George Koval, raised as an all-American boy in Iowa, returns to Russia with his parents after the Russian Revolution, convinced that with the Tsar gone, the country would be on the right track and the anti-Semitism would be tamped down. Alas, they were to be disappointed, but that is another story.
George, a brilliant student, is recruited by Soviet intelligence to return to the US, and he does. At first, not a whole lot happens, but eventually, he is tapped to join the teams at Los Alamos and work on the creation of the first nuclear weapon.
He's a diligent spy, happy to be a patriot for his parents' country, and provides his handlers with the information he has stolen. But it isn't a great life, being a spy in the middle of this particular setting, and he is under enormous stress. There are a ton of details about everything in this book, at times to its detriment. This is not one of those times.
George, knowing that it's about time to wrap up his stay, flees back to the USSR in 1948, well before the US even knew he was a problem. But as can be the case when spies come in from the cold, he is neither celebrated nor the recipient of great wealth.
It's a five star story, but a three star read. Too often the story gets bogged down in minutiae, times at which I was hoping for fleshing out different parts of the narrative. It falls a bit flat comparatively to other books of this nature.
Three out of five stars.
Thanks to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for the reading copy.
July 30, 2022
It reminded me of those books that I was forced to read in high school. What I thought was going to be a really interesting story about a Russian spy actually just turned out to be a bunch of science talk about the research behind the atomic bomb and nuclear reactors. Two hundred pages felt like ages. I would get distracted while reading this and not know where I left off. When I would go back, I’d just pick a random paragraph and start from there- still none of what I was reading would stick. This may be the last time I let a Barnes and Noble employee try to pitch me their book of the month 👎
January 15, 2023
Ann Hagedornin teos Nukkuva agentti kertoo hämmästyttävän tarinan siitä, kuinka Neuvostoliitto sai selville USA:n atomipommin salaisuuden. Tarina keskittyy yhteen vakoojaan George Kovaliin, joka ei jäänyt kiinni. Koval oli juutalainen, jonka perhe muutti 1930-luvulla Neuvostoliittoon, josta hän sitten palasi muutaman vuoden jälkeen takaisin vakoilemaan. Koval ja muut neuvostoagentit pääsivät yllättävän helposti atomisalaisuuksien lähelle. Hagedorn kertoo tarinan sujuvasti. Tarinan alkuvaiheen jälkeen hän kuitenkin eksyy kertomaan liian yksityiskohtaisesti agenttien asuin-ja toimipaikkoja Manhattanilla, mikä suomalaiselle lukijalle on hieman tylsää luettavaa. Teksti kuitenkin terävöityy loppua kohden, mikä nostaa teoksen arvoa ja se täyttää sitä aukkoa, joka neuvostovakoilun tietämyksessä on ollut. Pisteet 8,5/10.
July 23, 2023
Disappointed in this, I was hoping for a lot more. The writing style just wasn’t very good in my opinion, it was choppy and took the reader down too many rabbit holes. By the time you got out of the hole you forgot where you started. A small tidbit that bugged me: the authors overuse of “To be sure,” to start sentences. May be a little hypercritical but I was just very disappointed
December 23, 2023
Fascinating spy story.
May 26, 2024
3.5⭐️
Originally when I decided to listen to this book I did so because it was one of our monthly picks at work. At the bookstore we are encouraged to read the monthly picks because it allows us not only to be well rounded, but be able to assist our customers better. Since non-fiction books are something that I do not often read and are sometimes difficult for me to help customers with I figured why not. I enjoy WWII historical fiction books and I loved listening to my great grandfather��s stories from WWII so this seemed like a good book to try.
Since non-fiction history books are not my thing and I wanted to complete the book I opted for the audiobook of this one. Narrated by Laural Merlington, this book was a bit of a struggle for me. At first, part of my difficulty was that the narrator was a female, but she was telling me able a man’s story. Although that should not have made a difference to me, especially since the author is a female, it somehow made it a little more difficult to get through. Additionally, the way that she narrated the book felt very flat. Unfortunately, I can’t tell if it is because the content itself was flat or if it was solely her narration of it. Regardless, keep in mind that because non-fiction history is not a usual for me, if you enjoy the genre, take my review with a grain of salt.
This was the first time that I heard about a spy who was never caught for his misdoings. Granted I am sure that it happens more times than not, and I imagine because this took place many decades ago it is okay to talk about his story.
Even though I probably shouldn’t be surprised that the US government never caught him, I’m really not in the grand scheme of things. I thought that his overall story was fascinating and I was impressed by the fact that he really knew how to do his job and do it well.
Based on the book, you could tell that the author was very passionate about the topic and that she thoroughly did her research. There were many times throughout the book that I felt like there was a lot of details, and then other times where it felt lack luster. That being said, I truly found this piece of history to be fascinating. Unfortunately, regardless of how interesting I thought the overall content was, it was still quite difficult to get through. I think that if this content was put into a documentary instead I would have enjoyed it more. Yes, I am aware that just because it is put in a different format doesn’t mean the content it self changes. I love history documentaries, but I think my days of AP high school history classes have ruined my love of reading history books.
More detailed review can be found here: https://awakeningbiblio.com/2024/05/2...
Originally when I decided to listen to this book I did so because it was one of our monthly picks at work. At the bookstore we are encouraged to read the monthly picks because it allows us not only to be well rounded, but be able to assist our customers better. Since non-fiction books are something that I do not often read and are sometimes difficult for me to help customers with I figured why not. I enjoy WWII historical fiction books and I loved listening to my great grandfather��s stories from WWII so this seemed like a good book to try.
Since non-fiction history books are not my thing and I wanted to complete the book I opted for the audiobook of this one. Narrated by Laural Merlington, this book was a bit of a struggle for me. At first, part of my difficulty was that the narrator was a female, but she was telling me able a man’s story. Although that should not have made a difference to me, especially since the author is a female, it somehow made it a little more difficult to get through. Additionally, the way that she narrated the book felt very flat. Unfortunately, I can’t tell if it is because the content itself was flat or if it was solely her narration of it. Regardless, keep in mind that because non-fiction history is not a usual for me, if you enjoy the genre, take my review with a grain of salt.
This was the first time that I heard about a spy who was never caught for his misdoings. Granted I am sure that it happens more times than not, and I imagine because this took place many decades ago it is okay to talk about his story.
Even though I probably shouldn’t be surprised that the US government never caught him, I’m really not in the grand scheme of things. I thought that his overall story was fascinating and I was impressed by the fact that he really knew how to do his job and do it well.
Based on the book, you could tell that the author was very passionate about the topic and that she thoroughly did her research. There were many times throughout the book that I felt like there was a lot of details, and then other times where it felt lack luster. That being said, I truly found this piece of history to be fascinating. Unfortunately, regardless of how interesting I thought the overall content was, it was still quite difficult to get through. I think that if this content was put into a documentary instead I would have enjoyed it more. Yes, I am aware that just because it is put in a different format doesn’t mean the content it self changes. I love history documentaries, but I think my days of AP high school history classes have ruined my love of reading history books.
More detailed review can be found here: https://awakeningbiblio.com/2024/05/2...
April 8, 2022
This book is packed full of meaningless dates and details that just contribute to the bulk of the text and add nothing to the storyline. It suffers from the fact that there just are not enough important details known about the spy to make a full length book readable. I made it about 4/5 of the way through the book before I started skimming through the rest.
January 27, 2022
Just not that interesting a story. Not a lot is known about Koval, which is part of the reason he got away, so the author has to add a lot of tangential information, some of which was interesting. But overall, the book lacks that tense, detailed cat-and- mouse element of , say, a Ben McIntyre book.
January 12, 2024
Un tema muy interesante pobremente narrado
July 13, 2022
"The clues that should have been warnings were there all along."
Format: Audiobook
Resource: Scribd
Narrator(s): Laural Merlington
Has anyone seen Salt, that movie with Angelina Jolie?
Scenes from that movie would occasionally pop-up in my head while listening to this.
I'm not a history buff, nor am I that interested in WWII or the Cold War, but hey, this one seemed interesting enough and I was right (kind of...).
The narrative has the main guy, George Koval, but then you get these side stories of other Soviet spies. It tripped me out how George is a Russian-American who is a Russian Spy. Like... ⚆_⚆
(+_+)?
It's amazing how he got away with so much, he literally blended in. And there is a mention that he actually decided not to use his spy name....
This was crazy.
＼（〇_ｏ）／
I learned a lot(?)
History isn't for everyone, so it's always hard to recommend it (at least for me).
I will say this:
→ Don't go into this thinking it's going to be action packed, because it's not and you'll be super disappointed.
→ Don't go into this expecting a lecture-type/informative explanation of Soviet/Red Army spy techniques and/or tactics, because it's not -- those mentioned are mere references within the narrative, not the drive behind it.
→ If you'll looking for some political stance, you won't find it here
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Rating Breakdown
Writing Style & Pace: 3
[1 = dry, 3 = entertaining, 5 = didn't feel like non-fiction]
Narration: 3
Did I learn something?: 3
[1 = no, 3 = maybe, 5 = yes]
Historical Content: 3
[1 = Fact-Checker please, 3 = informative, 5 = Is this a textbook?]
Overall Rating: 3
Format: Audiobook
Resource: Scribd
Narrator(s): Laural Merlington
Has anyone seen Salt, that movie with Angelina Jolie?
Scenes from that movie would occasionally pop-up in my head while listening to this.
I'm not a history buff, nor am I that interested in WWII or the Cold War, but hey, this one seemed interesting enough and I was right (kind of...).
The narrative has the main guy, George Koval, but then you get these side stories of other Soviet spies. It tripped me out how George is a Russian-American who is a Russian Spy. Like... ⚆_⚆
(+_+)?
It's amazing how he got away with so much, he literally blended in. And there is a mention that he actually decided not to use his spy name....
This was crazy.
＼（〇_ｏ）／
I learned a lot(?)
History isn't for everyone, so it's always hard to recommend it (at least for me).
I will say this:
→ Don't go into this thinking it's going to be action packed, because it's not and you'll be super disappointed.
→ Don't go into this expecting a lecture-type/informative explanation of Soviet/Red Army spy techniques and/or tactics, because it's not -- those mentioned are mere references within the narrative, not the drive behind it.
→ If you'll looking for some political stance, you won't find it here
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Rating Breakdown
Writing Style & Pace: 3
[1 = dry, 3 = entertaining, 5 = didn't feel like non-fiction]
Narration: 3
Did I learn something?: 3
[1 = no, 3 = maybe, 5 = yes]
Historical Content: 3
[1 = Fact-Checker please, 3 = informative, 5 = Is this a textbook?]
Overall Rating: 3
November 1, 2024
A biography of American-born Soviet spy George Koval. Koval was born in America to Soviet parents, moved to the USSR in his teens when they opened a special land to be settled by Russian Jews, was trained in chemistry and espionage, and then snuck back into the US in his 20s to further his education and be recruited by the US to work in the Manhattan Project. Because of his position, he was able to spy on numerous parts of the Manhattan Project and feed information back to the USSR with the US none the wiser until after the war and after he had escaped their reach.
It is kind of crazy to learn how Koval was able to go undetected for so long. It was also kind of crazy to learn that the US was so concerned about German and Italian spies, they weren't even really looking for Soviet spies until it was too late. This was a fascinating true spy story, though I think the author used her quota of the phrase "to be sure" for life. That was my only quibble with the writing, which really is quite engaging and the story is laid out well. The audio production was well done too.
Notes on content:
Language: A couple minor swears in quotes.
Sexual content: None
Violence: Pogroms in Russia are what drove Koval's parents out of the country. KKK racial violence in the US before WWII is mentioned. Deaths in the war are mentioned but not really described, except a little bit of the results of the atomic bombs.
Ethnic diversity: Russian Jews, other Russians, and white Americans primarily
LGBTQ+ content: None specified that I remember
Other: Koval had a girlfriend in the US as a cover, even though he was secretly married to a Russian woman.
It is kind of crazy to learn how Koval was able to go undetected for so long. It was also kind of crazy to learn that the US was so concerned about German and Italian spies, they weren't even really looking for Soviet spies until it was too late. This was a fascinating true spy story, though I think the author used her quota of the phrase "to be sure" for life. That was my only quibble with the writing, which really is quite engaging and the story is laid out well. The audio production was well done too.
Notes on content:
Language: A couple minor swears in quotes.
Sexual content: None
Violence: Pogroms in Russia are what drove Koval's parents out of the country. KKK racial violence in the US before WWII is mentioned. Deaths in the war are mentioned but not really described, except a little bit of the results of the atomic bombs.
Ethnic diversity: Russian Jews, other Russians, and white Americans primarily
LGBTQ+ content: None specified that I remember
Other: Koval had a girlfriend in the US as a cover, even though he was secretly married to a Russian woman.
September 29, 2023
When I picked up this book I was expecting a spy thriller about an interesting topic, infiltrating the nuclear bomb project in 1945. The topic of this story was something I was very interested in. However the delivering of this story, as a biography was not that well. The author goes at great lengths to describe every single detail about every single character or event or scientific study happening in the book. This caused the story to often go off on side tracks that could confuse the reader. My favorite quote in the book was "By September 1945, none of that mattered anymore and a spy like Koval had a choice: stand on the cliff expecting to be pushed and hope for a safe landing, or make a well timed plan to cautiously escape." This is my favorite quote as it describes the stakes that Koval had, always in danger and had the option to go for it or plan out his actions.
The story follows a character named George Koval. George Koval was born in America despite his parents being Jewish, he grows up enjoying America to eventually move to the USSR because of anti-antisemitism they experienced. Koval went to many colleges and developed a love for chemistry, than was recruited by the red army during WWII to spy on America. Koval gets into big collages and companies across the state and gets information about the American military's engineering development. Koval then has to return to the USSR to live out the rest of his life.
The story follows a character named George Koval. George Koval was born in America despite his parents being Jewish, he grows up enjoying America to eventually move to the USSR because of anti-antisemitism they experienced. Koval went to many colleges and developed a love for chemistry, than was recruited by the red army during WWII to spy on America. Koval gets into big collages and companies across the state and gets information about the American military's engineering development. Koval then has to return to the USSR to live out the rest of his life.
November 12, 2022
Interesting topic, and engagingly written. At the same time, there was not a lot of "espionage" in the book. There was a lot of background information about anti-semitism in Russia pre-Revolution (causing George Koval's parents to emigrate to the USA, where he was born), socialism and communism in the USA during the Great Depression (during which time George became a believer in socialist ideals), the promise of the Soviet Union (causing the entire family to return to the USSR, where George trained as a spy), the Manhattan project (where George Koval spied for the USSR, specifically at Oak Ridge) and the post-war anti-communist witch hunt (which caused George Koval to return post-haste to the USSR).
What I was hoping to find, and didn't find, was the detective work of identifying and catching spies. The meticulous sifting through clues, deciphering of coded cables, bugs and observation, trailing and shadowing. There's not of that in the book because it wasn't until about 8 years after Koval had sailed back to the USSR that the FBI even became aware of his identity and role, and apart from a still-born attempt to get him extradited from the USSR as an American citizen, nothing much could be done about it.
In summary : interesting, but not quite as captivating as I had hoped.
What I was hoping to find, and didn't find, was the detective work of identifying and catching spies. The meticulous sifting through clues, deciphering of coded cables, bugs and observation, trailing and shadowing. There's not of that in the book because it wasn't until about 8 years after Koval had sailed back to the USSR that the FBI even became aware of his identity and role, and apart from a still-born attempt to get him extradited from the USSR as an American citizen, nothing much could be done about it.
In summary : interesting, but not quite as captivating as I had hoped.
March 31, 2022
Is it 3 or 4 stars?
The research appears excellent and results in a compelling piece of historical reportage. On the downside, the narrative is a bit lackluster. It may be that some key intelligence is still under wraps so the full story remains unclear. Certainly, the Russians have not fully declassified their files pertaining to Manhattan Project espionage, and that being the case, one would imagine Western agencies also hiding some cards.
What is beyond doubt is that the USSR's spy operation into the US atomic program was extensive, sophisticated, impactful and significantly influenced by George Koval. The book lays out Koval's upbringing in the US, his family's idealistic and naive persuasion to the Soviet dream, his scientific training, and his recruitment and deployment as a sleeper agent just before WWII. The scale and urgency of the bomb project resulted in unprecedented recruitment of scientists with consequential laxity in some security standards. Koval was not the lone Soviet infiltrator - there were many - but few were more effective.
This book's relevance increases in the wake of the war in Ukraine - with respect to persistent historic antipathies, the methods of conflict and the stakes.
The research appears excellent and results in a compelling piece of historical reportage. On the downside, the narrative is a bit lackluster. It may be that some key intelligence is still under wraps so the full story remains unclear. Certainly, the Russians have not fully declassified their files pertaining to Manhattan Project espionage, and that being the case, one would imagine Western agencies also hiding some cards.
What is beyond doubt is that the USSR's spy operation into the US atomic program was extensive, sophisticated, impactful and significantly influenced by George Koval. The book lays out Koval's upbringing in the US, his family's idealistic and naive persuasion to the Soviet dream, his scientific training, and his recruitment and deployment as a sleeper agent just before WWII. The scale and urgency of the bomb project resulted in unprecedented recruitment of scientists with consequential laxity in some security standards. Koval was not the lone Soviet infiltrator - there were many - but few were more effective.
This book's relevance increases in the wake of the war in Ukraine - with respect to persistent historic antipathies, the methods of conflict and the stakes.
September 7, 2021
Despite what much of espionage fiction would lead a reader to believe, 'sleeper' agents have been a rare thing on any side. Having the right background; keeping the profile low enough to avoid detection but high enough to attract and maintain a valuable position; and maintaining the patience of a human being to live such a life, is a difficult balance. George Koval, unknown to many Americans and Russians, is a study on how it is done, and what it can reap.
From 1940 to 1948, Koval had access to the highest levels of the Manhattan Project. He saved the Soviet Union time and treasure, giving them America's hard-earned atomic secrets. When he fled back to the USSR, he lived out most of his remaining years still under the covert blanket of a spy.
Author Ann Hagedorn is no less a master of following clues, seeing connections, and providing information to the interested. Secrets are as hard to keep now as they ever were before, and the human element of espionage has never left the stage.
From 1940 to 1948, Koval had access to the highest levels of the Manhattan Project. He saved the Soviet Union time and treasure, giving them America's hard-earned atomic secrets. When he fled back to the USSR, he lived out most of his remaining years still under the covert blanket of a spy.
Author Ann Hagedorn is no less a master of following clues, seeing connections, and providing information to the interested. Secrets are as hard to keep now as they ever were before, and the human element of espionage has never left the stage.
September 28, 2021
Ann Hagedorn has written another gem about cracks in America that proves we are not infallible or the greatest democracy in the world. This well-researched expose about a man who was easily able to collect information about the most destructive weapon in the world and share it with Russia proves that war is but a dangerous mindset that will always come back to haunt society.
Sleeper Agent is definitely not a sleeper. Hagedorn writes in a language that is lyrical and clear, even when it relates to chemistry and explosive triggers. As I was sailing along in the book I was gobsmacked to learn that polonium was manufactured about a mile away from where I grew up in Oakwood, Ohio. I even knew the owners of the Runnymede Playhouse, having learned to swim in their swimming pool. It brought back a flood of memories for me putting it into a very adult context I'm not sure I wanted to ever know about. The phrase, "not in my backyard," rings way too true for me now.
Great read!
Sleeper Agent is definitely not a sleeper. Hagedorn writes in a language that is lyrical and clear, even when it relates to chemistry and explosive triggers. As I was sailing along in the book I was gobsmacked to learn that polonium was manufactured about a mile away from where I grew up in Oakwood, Ohio. I even knew the owners of the Runnymede Playhouse, having learned to swim in their swimming pool. It brought back a flood of memories for me putting it into a very adult context I'm not sure I wanted to ever know about. The phrase, "not in my backyard," rings way too true for me now.
Great read!
August 18, 2023
Engaging story but could have been condensed for a quicker read. I see the book in three sections: Koval's childhood, Koval's adulthood as a spy in America, and Koval's demise once he returns back to Russia. I feel as if the book tries to lean us towards the poetic narrative way by sharing that Koval liked baseball and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow but there is too much backstory (major historical points) that drown out any attempt of making this into an emotional story. It starts slow with lots of information and drags a bit until America succeeds in detonating the atomic bomb. That is really when it picks up. Although fascinating, the chase feels stake-less due to the fact that Koval has already gone back to Russia when the chase ensues. Understanding that Koval was a spy and no one really knew much about him was expected in the story but as a reader, I also felt like I didn't know him at all and I wanted to.
August 28, 2021
If the 1930's and 1940's America was steeped in formality and "suspicion" and a meticulous spy such as George Koval could snake his way, methodically, into the higher levels of our Atomic Bomb project then it is a credit to his training, personality, and discipline that he succeeded. The story follows a man, driven by political and cultural allegiances, to meld into and enjoy pleasures (i.e., academic and career pursuits, cultural accomplishments, drinking, women) in America. He found support in a Jewish community that didn't ask questions and shared his fondness for achievement, religious ties, and socialism. No one back then questioned why Koval seemed "different" and non-traditional. Our current country's casualness, openenss, and hesitancy of confrontation probably means there are many spies, sleeper or open, in our country.
November 7, 2023
Ann Hagedornin teos Nukkuva agentti kertoo hämmästyttävän tarinan siitä, kuinka Neuvostoliitto sai selville USA:n atomipommin salaisuuden. Tarina keskittyy yhteen vakoojaan George Kovaliin, joka ei jäänyt kiinni. Koval oli juutalainen, jonka perhe muutti 1930-luvulla Neuvostoliittoon, josta hän sitten palasi muutaman vuoden jälkeen takaisin vakoilemaan. Koval ja muut neuvostoagentit pääsivät yllättävän helposti atomisalaisuuksien lähelle. Hagedorn kertoo tarinan sujuvasti. Tarinan alkuvaiheen jälkeen hän kuitenkin eksyy kertomaan liian yksityiskohtaisesti agenttien asuin-ja toimipaikkoja Manhattanilla, mikä suomalaiselle lukijalle on hieman tylsää luettavaa. Teksti kuitenkin terävöityy loppua kohden, mikä nostaa teoksen arvoa ja se täyttää sitä aukkoa, joka neuvostovakoilun tietämyksessä on ollut. Pisteet 8,5/10.
July 28, 2022
Full disclosure: Ann Hagedorn consulted me during the course of her research for this book, when I was NPR's correspondent in Moscow. Her questions were mainly about the logistics of getting around and doing research in Russia. So I knew something about the book's subject before it was published, but I was flattened by the revelations in Sleeper Agent. George Koval was the perfect Soviet spy for his time, Russian-born, but an all-American boy from the Midwest who loved baseball. He was also a committed Communist, hardened by communal farm life in the Soviet Far East. And, he was a gifted mathematician and engineer. His unique talents got him into the very heart of the American atomic bomb program and the story of how he got there is as compelling as any spy novel.
August 17, 2022
The subject of this book, a sleeper Russian spy who gained access to the development of the atomic bomb, is intensely interesting. But the author never really brings the character to life the way that other authors have. I have read all of Ben McIntyre’s books about World War II spies and they are fascinating reading. But this man remains a distant figure. Of course, he never got caught, and the search for him did not even start until he had been out of the country for years. The secret of his success was his utter lack of an interesting personality. I also enjoyed the technology described in the book, especially since part of my family lived in Dayton, Ohio during this period. They had no idea what was going on.
June 5, 2023
Everyone knows about the Rosenbergs, but very few know about George Koval, a Russian spy who was heavily involved in the Manhattan Project. Koval undoubtedly provided the information that put Russia neck-and-neck with the U.S. in the arms race.
For anyone interested in espionage, Russia, and the age of the atomic bomb, this book is heavy with information from that time. I chose to read this book to learn more about Koval and his life. Unfortunately for me, he was such a good spy that this is probably the best I’ll ever get. The U.S. discovered his true identity six years too late, and out of embarrassment, chose to keep it quiet until more came to light in 2003, a mere three years before Koval would die in Russia.
For anyone interested in espionage, Russia, and the age of the atomic bomb, this book is heavy with information from that time. I chose to read this book to learn more about Koval and his life. Unfortunately for me, he was such a good spy that this is probably the best I’ll ever get. The U.S. discovered his true identity six years too late, and out of embarrassment, chose to keep it quiet until more came to light in 2003, a mere three years before Koval would die in Russia.
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