Sacred Secrets: How Soviet Intelligence Operations Changed American History by historians Jerrold and Leona Schecter is an informed and informative examination of the hidden agendas and secrets of the Cold War, and an impressive study of the pervasive influence that Soviet intelligence operations exacted upon American politics, economics, and more, ranging from Pearl Harbor through Star Wars. An intriguing, compelling, articulate analysis, Sacred Secrets is highly recommended reading for students of Soviet and U.S. Cold War political history, international studies, cryptography, and intelligence operations.

Historians are still writing about megalomaniacs who attempted to conquer the world by force and subversion in order to impose their ideology on society. HITLER and STALIN come quickly to mind. And while both employed intelligence operations to further their objectives, only the Soviet Union systematically integrated espionage, deception, and terror to advance its worldwide foreign policy and maintain domestic security. Many books have been written describing the operations, the personnel, and the organizations-KGB and GRU-involved. Jerrold and Leona SCHECTER have written one, Special Tasks, the story of KGB officer Pavel SUDOPLATOV. And Jerrold SCHECTER co-authored another with former KGB officer Peter DERIABIN, The Spy Who Saved The World, the story of GRU Colonel Oleg PENKOVSKY. But not until Sacred Secrets has the emphasis shifted to the impact of intelligence operations on the history of two societies-the United States and the Soviet Union.
We learn that a KGB agent of influence in the American government shaped American the policy that led to Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor. And, despite pledges to the contrary, the Soviet Union spied on its American ally throughout WWII using agents recruited from the American Communist Party. Robert OPENHEIMER was one such source as the letter to NKGB Chairman BERIA reproduced in the book, makes clear. Furthermore, as was their way, after the war the Soviets were largely successful in blaming America for not giving them the war time secrets desired outright, so spies wouldn't be necessary-it was America's fault. At first, many Americans either supported this view or denied that any serious espionage had even occurred. The FBI knew them to be wrong-disillusioned defectors had made that clear. But their evidence could not at first be made public. The most valuable revelations-contained in broken KGB codes-would not surface for 50 years. Liberal doubts and right-wing certainty-both wrong-became part of the daily news diet in the 1940s and 50s. But once aroused, using straight forward counter-espionage techniques and the results of government cryptanalysis, the FBI shut down the Soviet networks and ended the era of the ideological spy.
Scared Secrets makes clear that despite these losses, Moscow did not end its espionage program after WWII. In fact, it quickly attempted to reestablish its illegal networks and in later years it took advantage of the greed-incentive made attractive by American walk-ins from WALKER to HANSSEN, with many in between. America had its own Cold War successes and the SCHECTERS describe several including a new twist on the acquisition of the KRUSHCHEV secret speech-interesting despite their use of the oxymoron defector-in-place. In the end, America's technological prowess overcame the Soviet espionage and military threat, bankrupting the Soviet Union in the process-America won the Cold War. Sacred Secrets documents well these often ironic contradictions.
The SCHECTERS make a persuasive case that, contrary to the moral relativism advocates of the political-left, the United States did not start the Cold War or force the Soviet Union to do so. Would America's post WWII policies have been different had Soviet espionage and subversion in America not been so politically oriented and active? Read Sacred Secrets for the answer.

Schecter has given us a considered and reliable glimpse into what drives Russian diplomats and decision-makers in negotiations. Useful references to Soviet practices give the reader a long-term framework within which to evaluate the more chaotic post-Soviet decision-making processes. Effective countervailing strategies emerge from his analysis. As a practicing Western diplomat dealing with Russia, I will be recommending this book to colleagues.

I work with people of former Soviet states in business negotiation, and I found this book to provide indispensible insight and recommendations that have made an important difference in my dealings. This book provided me with background on culture that clarified past failed negotiations and has improved present ones. I would also recommend this book to anyone embarking on extended (non-tourist) travel to the former Soviet states, just to set the tone. I am purchasing additional copies to send to friends in similar circumstances.

This book is ESSENTIAL to understand Power in the former Soviet Union. It's almost the history of the first decades of the soviet intelligence services written in a reasonably detailled manner. It's revealing on the nature of Power under Stalin rule. I also recommend the Portuguese translation (if you happen to speak Portuguese) since it was very carefully done. If you study this subject in particular get every translation you are able to read! Great book!

This book was an interesting look at the KGB during the first part of the cold war. I think we all have a view of the KGB, which was formed during the years of the cold war, a large, well run organization that many times was one step ahead of the U.S. This author does not go against that view. The author is relating his experiences in the arm of the KGB that was responsible for information gathering, primarily against the U.S. and NATO. There are some interesting bits and you get a good look that this authors insight to "the game". This book details what actually happened in the KGB during this time with an inside account of the methods of the KGB and a run down of some of the missions they took part in.

The author does a good job in providing the reader with many of the interesting tradecraft bit about the KGB. Overall this is an interesting book that gives the espionage junky an another look into the KGB. The book is well written and does not drag or stumble. It keeps the readers interest through out. If you are an armchair expert on the topic then this is another of the titles you will undoubtedly already have or will need to pick up. If you are the general reader then this is a good broad description of the KGB that is interesting, but not the definitive one volume work.

I read the first edition and bought the second edition just to read the reactions which are printed in the book. Predictably, many still cling to their version of sugar-coated history. Fortunately, historians like Robert Conquest know the real truth. And Conquest said "This is the most sensational, the most devastating, and in many ways the most informative autobiography ever to emerge from the Stalinist milieu". In the updated foreword he again defends the overall veracity of this document. He has good reason to do this.

You won't believe the documentation in the back of the book. Atomic espionage documents, Katyn Forest Massacre, and more.

This book, co-written by all 7 members of the Schecter family, describes the adventures that this family had while journalist Jerrold Schecter was stationed in Moscow in the early 1970s. It gives a particularly illuminating glimpse into living conditions for foreign families in the Soviet Union of those times. The children's descriptions of their school experiences are extremely interesting, since such information is not readily available elsewhere. Jerrold's contributions to the book tend to stick mostly to the political events behind the stories he was covering (ho hum), but Leona writes about life as an expat mother trying to deal with extraordinary circumstances. This book would be of interest to anyone contemplating ex-pat life with children or to students of Soviet social history.

Kruschev dictated this memoire in the last years of his life. reading it one's mind conjures images of Kruschev sitting low in a leather chair beside his fireplace, sipping vodka and telling his extraordinary life in a low, crackled voice. we in the west are, or rather have been, severly deprived of views in the east, told by those doing the viewing. we never really knew the motive behind soviet tanks rolling into prague in 1968; we only knew what journalists and government "experts" thought. but now kruschev sheds light on motives and the rest in the soviet union while he was involved. he explains his reasons for not confronting stalin, even though he knew it was wrong, and he tells of this great love they had for the countries the soviets occupied. they are different than the explanations from those "experts" we've come to trust. but the question must be asked: is kruschev, seeing his life coming to an end, putting it into a noble context with this memoire? is he claiming innocence in the face of his personal judgement day? is he employing a phrase that is used far too often to get bad leaders off the hook: "well, we meant well." in any case, this work is a welcome change from the western analysis of soviet thought, motive, and perspective.

When Comrade Nikita was ousted from being the head of the USSR, he did not just quietly "fade away." He lived many more yeas, and dictated his thoughts and memoirs for future generations to understand what he had experienced. In this, the last of the three books of his memoirs, he opens up on several subjects which were too politically sensitive before Gorbachev's time to publish.
The events of the Cuban Missile Crisis, and other events that were tinged with controversy make their way to publication here, and therefore offers a great chance to get some idea of Khrushchev's opinion and motivations in some major issues.