Cold War era espionage is a topic that has fascinated me for quite some time. No, it is not because I enjoy watching James Bond movies or because I used to pretend I was a spy when I was a kid. This interest was sparked when I came across Arkady Schevchenko’s autobiography “Breaking with Moscow”. While studying about the Cold War during my A levels, the role of intelligence agencies was significantly undermined. This is why I raised my eyebrows with shock upon discovering that espionage played an important role in the Cold War – and that all these James Bond, Mission Impossible movies are based on true stories to quite a large extent.
Schevchenko was a highly ranked Soviet diplomat who began to disagree with the communist ideology and soviet policies during the 1970’s. Having directly interacted with Soviet presidents, his book reveals some shocking facts about USSR and its inner workings. While he was made to shift to USA to work closely with the UN on behalf of Russia, Schevchenko had an increasing desire to abandon working for his country and support USA instead. Finally, he decided to approach the CIA for political asylum because he knew that abandoning Moscow would result in hostility (possible murder) from the KGB – the Russian intelligence agency. His autobiography describes how closely and strictly the KGB monitored his life, even in the USA. The twist in his story comes when the CIA asks him to act as a double agent in return for political asylum– on the outside, he was to act loyal to the USSR in order to obtain important information but on the inside, he was to give all crucial information to the CIA. The rest of his book follows his stressful and nerve wracking life as a double agent while trying to dodge KGB surveillance.
This is the stuff that one would expect to see in movies. But here it is, a true story. The kind of surveillance tactics that had been described in his book made me wonder the following: if the Russian and American intelligence agencies had such advanced technologies back in the 20th century (before the internet was even invented), then how much must they know about the common man, in any part of the world, in today’s world, given the advancement in technology to the invention of computers, internet and smart phone technology?
The Case of Exploding Mangoes was another book which strengthened my interest in espionage. Even though it is a fictional account of Zia ul Haq’s regime, I would not be surprised if those events had actually taken place. Other Cold War era espionage books also highlight how ordinary people can sometimes actually be secret agents. It all sounds like a fictional movie but even ideas for movies are taken from somewhere.
The very idea that anyone around us could be an agent or that all our conversations are being heard and recorded or that they can actually trace all our movements and actions is extremely fascinating. Whether it is justified for them to invade our privacy on the grounds that they are protecting the state is a whole other topic of debate.
Espionage is fascinating but grossly glamorised by pop culture, i think. You should watch a show called 'The Americans' if you enjoy espionage dramas ;)
ReplyDeleteLike I said, I was never into the James Bond type movies and neither do I follow any serials. But you are right, it is glamorised. However, if you get the chance, you should definitely read the autobiography by Schevchenko. It reveals some interesting things about intelligence agencies and how they function. And just generally, it gives you a sort of ''behind the scenes'' of the Cold War.
ReplyDeleteThat is why I recommended this show. it also deals with the less glamourous parts of espionage. The twisted mind games, the constant paranoia, unglorified violence, the burden of undercover personas. It's very well done on the show.
DeleteI'll definitely read this book too when I get the time.
Excellent post and real world espionage is alive and well. But how far are we willing to accept surveillance? We know that it is ubiquitous and that various spy agencies around the world want to know everything about everyone. But shouldn't we have the right to privacy? Without privacy, liberty is severely diminished. Without liberty, freedom of thought becomes a luxury. In our 1984 world, this is a shame. The death of privacy, liberty, and freedom will hurt mankind now and into the future.
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