The pulitzer prizewinning russian affairs expert zooms in on the true saga of a soviet engineerthe spy of the titlewho passed the cia billions of dollars worth of top secret intel right under the nose of the kgb, passing off notes into waiting cars and employing. The billion dollar spy navy general library program. A thrilling true account of double agent, adolf tolkachev this is a revelatory account of cold war. The billion dollar spy reveals the gripping story of adolf tolkachev, an engineer in a soviet military design bureau who used his highlevel access to leak sensitive information about soviet weapons systems. Jun 17, 2015 the riveting story of a spy who cracked open the soviet military research establishment and a penetrating portrait of the cias moscow station, an outpost of daring espionage in the last years. Tolkachev asked for besides money and banned books. Waterstones nonfiction book of the month august 2018 and a sunday times bestseller an astonishingly detailed picture. Mar 16, 2018 the billion dollar spy is in development.
A true story of cold war espionage and betrayal by hoffman, david e isbn. Such is the conclusion of david hoffmans account of perhaps the most productive spy. How a billion dollar spy stole soviet secrets and helped the u. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. May 10, 2016 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. A scrupulously researched work of history that is also a gripping thriller, the billion dollar spy is an unforgettable journey into cold war espionage. Buy the billion dollar book book online at best prices in india on. Waterstones nonfiction book of the month august 2018 and a sunday times bestseller an. From the author of the pulitzer prizewinning history the d. A thrilling true account of doubleagent, adolf tolkachev this is a revelatory account of cold war. Nov 05, 2016 hoffmans look into the story of tolkachev, the billiondollar spy, is exciting and thrilling, while also being a tragic emotional roller coaster. The true story of a man who became the pentagons most valuable spy during the last years of the.
It is a gripping story of courage, professionalism, and betrayal in the secret world. The kremlin, the cia, and the battle over a forbidden book the billion dollar spy reads like the very best spy fiction yet is meticulously drawn from real life. It hits the sweet spot between pageturning thriller and solidly researched history even the footnotes are informative and then becomes. We also learn growing up in the 70s and 80s, the cold war and its concomitant threat of nuclear extinction was constantly in our faces in the form of television specials and pop lyrics. Hoffman is a contributing editor at the washington post. The billion dollar spy summary by summary station nook book. A true story of cold war espionage and betrayal david e. Billiondollar brain is a 1966 cold war spy novel by len deighton. Read the billion dollar spy a true story of cold war espionage and betrayal by david e. Like many soviet couples, he and his wife, natasha, had one child in whom they.
Jul 07, 2015 the billion dollar spy reads like the very best spy fiction yet is meticulously drawn from real life. From the author of the pulitzer prizewinning history the dead hand comes the riveting story of a spy who cracked open the soviet military research establishment and a penetrating portrait of the cias moscow station, an outpost of daring espionage in the last years of the cold. From the author of the pulitzer prizewinning history the dead hand comes the riveting story of a spy who cracked open t. For generations the vacchis, an old italian family of lawyers and asset managers, had supervised the fortune as it grew over five hundred years, until one particular date that the benefactor had stipulated in his will. The riveting story of a spy who cracked open the soviet military research establishment and a penetrating portrait of the cias moscow station, an outpost of daring espionage in the last years. From the author of the pulitzer prizewinning history the dead hand comes the riveting story of a spy who cracked open the soviet military research establishment and a penetrating portrait of the cias moscow station, an outpost of daring espionage in the last years of the cold war while driving out of the american embassy in moscow on the evening of february 16, 1978, the chief of the cia. Billion dollar brain is a 1966 cold war spy novel by len deighton. Hoffmans scrupulously reported the billion dollar spy, a truelife tale so gripping at times it reads like spy fiction. Everything you need to know about the billion dollar spy. The billion dollar spy reads like the most taut and suspenseful parts of tinker tailor soldier spy or smileys people. Air force adolf tolkachev is shown here on vacation near the baltic sea in the early 1970s.
Hoffman is a distinguished journalist and winner of the pulitzer prize. Tolkachevs daring exploits are described in riveting detail in david e. The billion dollar spy is one of the best spy stories to come out of the cold war and all the more riveting, and finally dismaying, for being true. Apart from that he has published a couple of other popular books. From the author of the pulitzer prizewinning history the dead hand comes the riveting story of a spy who cracked open the soviet military research establishment and a penetrating portrait of the cias moscow station, an outpost of daring espionage in the last years of the cold war while driving o. The billion dollar spy summary by summary station nook. Jul 06, 2015 those rules may actually be a reason that david hoffmans the billion dollar spy, about adolf tolkachev, a soviet radar expert who spied for the c. It hits the sweet spot between pageturning thriller and solidly researched history even the footnotes are informative and then becomes something more, a. Courtesy of valery smychkovfrom the book the billion dollar spy once on the street, the van took a slow, irregular course. In departing the embassy in disguise, rolphs goal was to. Hoffman may 14, 2017 may 14, 2017 cdgoble this book is the true story of adolf tolkachev who delivered russian secrets to the the cia for seven years during the cold war. The billion dollar spy is the fascinating true story of adolf tolkachev, a soviet engineer who for personal reasons wanted to pass critical engineering secrets to the united states. The good the billion dollar spy was my first cold war espionage book and it has directed me to an entirely new genre of books to explore.
This spellbinding story pulses with the dramatic tension of running an agent in sovietera moscowwhere the kgb. The billion dollar spy, unintentionally i think evokes a famous item from studies in intelligence many years ago, the million dollar photograph. The title of david hoffmans excellent new book, the billion dollar spy, unintentionally i think evokes a famous item from studies in. He covered the white house during the presidencies of ronald reagan and george h. Upcoming events at the international spy museum in washington dc. It is a very solid, well written and a well researched work. July 7, 2015 a thoroughly researched excavation of an astoundingly important and sadly sacrificed spy for the cia during the low point of the 1970s. It tells a story that i never knew about and tells it very well indeed. It hits the sweet spot between pageturning thriller and solidly researched history even the footnotes are informative and then becomes something more, a shrewd character study of. David hoffman, author of the billion dollar spy initially, the cia was suspicious of soviet aviation expert adolf tolkachev.
Every meeting, whether between tolkachev or another of the spies featured in the book is supplemented by the exact right amount of background information. Jul 07, 2015 from the author of the pulitzer prizewinning history the dead hand comes the riveting story of a spy who cracked open the soviet military research establishment and a penetrating portrait of the cias moscow station, an outpost of daring espionage in the last years of the cold war while driving out of the american embassy in moscow on the evening of february 16, 1978, the chief of the cia. We also learn growing up in the 70s and 80s, the cold war and its concomitant threat of. The billion dollar spy studies in intelligence vol 60, no. This spellbinding story pulses with the dramatic tension of running an agent in sovietera moscowwhere the kgb is ubiquitous and cia officers and russian assets are prey. The pulitzer prizewinning russian affairs expert zooms in on the true saga of a soviet engineerthe spy of the titlewho passed the cia billions of dollars worth of top secret intel right under the nose of the kgb, passing off notes into waiting cars and employing other bondworthy tactics to help the u. A poignant detail in the billion dollar spy is what mr. Dallas morning news the billion dollar spy not only chronicles the life and motives of soviet engineer adolph tolkachev but also provides a rare look at the. How a billion dollar spy stole soviet secrets and helped.
Adolf tolkachev, a senior engineer in a topsecret soviet aerospace laboratory, becomes one of the most valuable spies. 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. This book is the true story of adolf tolkachev who delivered russian secrets to the the cia for seven years during the cold war. The billion dollar spy pinnacle digital consortium. It was the fourth to feature an unnamed secret agent working for the british woocp intelligence agency.
Adolf tolkachev, a senior engineer in a topsecret soviet aerospace laboratory, becomes one of the most valuable spies ever for the u. Hoffman presents the events in such a way the raises the stakes of each operation to its peak. The world can be a very dangerous placeand hopefully one day well get back out there. Hoffmans look into the story of tolkachev, the billiondollar spy, is exciting and thrilling, while also being a tragic emotional roller coaster. But in the billion dollar spy, hoffmans writing rivals that of noted spy fiction writers the likes of john le carre, ian fleming and robert ludlum. One of best spy stories wash post the billion dollar spy. Hoffman david emanuel hoffman is an american journalist and writer who was awarded the pulitzer prize in 2010 for the dead hand, a book about the nuclear arms race. One evening, while the chief of the cias moscow station was filling his gas tank, a stranger approached and dropped a note into the car. The billion dollar spy a true story of cold war espionage and betrayal by david e. The billion dollar spy central intelligence agency. Hoffmans the billion dollar spy the billion dollar spy is one of the best spy stories to come out of the cold war and all the more riveting.
The billion dollar spy reads like the very best spy fiction yet is meticulously drawn from real life. Washington post the billion dollar spy is one of the best spy stories to come out of the cold war and all the more riveting, and finally dismaying, for being true. Stirring, unpredictable, and at times unbearably tense, the billion dollar spy is a brilliant feat of reporting that unfolds like an espionage thriller. Hoffman is an unforgettable journey into cold war espionage. Jul 06, 2015 how a billion dollar spy stole soviet secrets and helped the u. Book discussion on the billion dollar spy internet archive. A scrupulously researched work of history that is also a gripping thriller, the billion dollar spy by david e. Break out of quarantine mode with clint emerson wed, april 29, 2020 5. We also learn growing up in the 70s and 80s, the cold war and its concomitant threat of nuclear extinction was constantly in our faces in the form of. Those rules may actually be a reason that david hoffmans the billion dollar spy, about adolf tolkachev, a soviet radar expert who spied for the c. The true story of a man who became the pentagons most valuable spy during the last years of the cold war. A washington post notable book of the year it was the height of the cold war, and a dangerous time to be stationed in the soviet.
The sheer impact this one spy had on the united states military, specifically in aviation, is astounding. With an overdrive account, you can save your favorite libraries for ataglance information about availability. Smashwords the billion dollar spy summary a book by. Hoffman is a scrupulous, meticulous writer whose pages of footnotes and references attest to how carefully he sticks to his sources. Working at the soviet radar design bureau phazotron as.
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