Book Description
Blowing Up Russia contains the allegations of ex-spy Alexander Litvinenko against his former spymasters in Moscow which led to his being murdered in London in November 2006. In the book he and historian Yuri Felshtinsky detail how since 1999 the Russian secret service has been hatching a plot to return to the terror that was the hallmark of the KGB. Vividly written and based on Litvinenko's 20 years of insider knowledge of Russian spy campaigns, Blowing Up Russia describes how the successor of the KGB fabricated terrorist attacks and launched a war. Writing about Litvinenko, the surviving co-author recounts how the banning of the book in Russia led to three earlier deaths.
Customer Reviews:
Hear the Axes Grind Between the Lines.......2007-09-16
Interesting that a man who denounces the Russian FSB as a nest of intriguers and liars asks us - as a career KGB/FSB officer - to accept his words in this book at face value. After all, if FSB officers are such masters of deceit, why should anyone believe him now?
I don't doubt that much of the book may well be true, especially the blowing up of Russian apartment blocks in 1999 to kick off the second Chechen War. It's not just Russian intelligence agencies capable of such black operations, as the "P2 conspiracy" in Italy back in the 70s attests. The problem lies with the clandestine nature of Litvinenko's sources, which come across like mere shop gossip. Reader/listener beware.
There are inconsistencies galore. Yeltsin is painted a great democrat, even though he sent tanks to blow holes in the Russian Parliament building. The adoration of General Pinochet is attributed to Putin, though anyone who knew Russia in the 90s well remembers the love for Pinochet's Chile evinced by Yeltsin's staff. It was also Yeltsin who created the authoritarian Russian presidency after his destruction of Parliament in October, 1993 - not Putin.
The fact is, that Yeltsin created the FSB, as he did the oligarchs. Putin did not get where he is by being part of the anti-Yeltsin opposition. After Yeltsin it seems there was a power struggle for Russia between the FSB and the oligarchs, and the former won. But they could not have done so without Yeltsin's patronage. Yeltsin needed immunity from prosecution by the Russian Duma when he stepped down; a strong FSB guaranteeed this protection. Perhaps also he was afraid of the oligarchs whom he created in 1996, and wanted a counterforce to keep them in check.
At any rate, this book comes off like some internet conspiracy theory. While the core of its argument of FSB black operations may well be true, keep in mind that it was commissioned by Boris Berezovsky - no angel himself, and possibly responsible for assassinations in his own right.
Hard to Read.......2007-04-15
It's easy to see why Litvinenko was poisoned with Polonium when you read this book. It's laden with so many evil plots it leaves the reader with doubts about the authenticity of some of the material. Although most of it is believable, there is the problem of a lack of sufficient references. This, unfortunately, is due to the need to keep many of them secret in order to protect their lives.
The book is not well organized, and constantly jumps from one time period to another. There is an acronym page that I had to constantly refer to while I was reading. Felshtinsky admits the book is a hard read, and he is right. There are hundreds of Russian names which are hard to keep up with.
It could have been better. The subject matter is fascinating when you can figure it out..
Tragic Tale.......2007-03-15
This book is not about the murder of Alexander Litvinenko. But it is the book that got him murdered. If you imagine Russia as a nation on the mend from its communist sickness, think again. The former KGB and FSB operative (Litvienko) and his academic friend (Felshtinsky) published their book in Russia and it enraged Don Vito Putin. Putin, you'll recall, was the man about whom George W. Bush said: "I looked the man in the eye. I found him to be very straightforward and trustworthy . . . I was able to get a sense of his soul." As Litvenko lay dying he wrote the following to Putin:
"You may succeed in silencing me but that silence comes at a price. You have shown yourself to be as barbaric and ruthless as your most hostile critics have claimed.
"You have shown yourself to have no respect for life, liberty or any civilized value."
So much for President Bush's soul sense.
A fabulous book that is all too often read out of context.......2006-12-11
This is a book that should absolutely be read, but only with proper contextual background. Though there are true findings in this book, an overwhelming majority of the facts are completely unsupported (a fact which Litvinenko acknowledged--the book contains not a single footnote of reference). One should also be aware of the context in which it was written: Russian billionaire buisnessman Boris Berezovsky paid Alexander Litvinenko to write this book in order to discredit the Kremlin after the FSB ordered Litvinenko to kill Berezovsky (a mission which Litvinenko ultimately decided not to carry out). It's worth reading without a doubt, but factual assertions and accusations should be taken with a grain (or cup) of salt.
Author Murdered.......2006-11-25
To bad Litvinenko died for the truths he told. But so goes the dark underworld of espionage.
Book Description
A landmark collaboration between a thirty-year veteran of the CIA and a Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist,
The Main Enemy is the dramatic inside story of the CIA-KGB spy wars, told through the actions of the men who fought them.
Based on hundreds of interviews with operatives from both sides, The Main Enemy puts us inside the heads of CIA officers as they dodge surveillance and walk into violent ambushes in Moscow. This is the story of the generation of spies who came of age in the shadow of the Cuban missile crisis and rose through the ranks to run the CIA and KGB in the last days of the Cold War. The clandestine operations they masterminded took them from the sewers of Moscow to the back streets of Baghdad, from Cairo and Havana to Prague and Berlin, but the action centers on Washington, starting in the infamous "Year of the Spy"--when, one by one, the CIA’s agents in Moscow began to be killed, up through to the very last man.
Behind the scenes with the CIA's covert operations in Afghanistan, Milt Bearden led America to victory in the secret war against the Soviets, and for the first time he reveals here what he did and whom America backed, and why. Bearden was called back to Washington after the Soviets withdrew from Afghanistan and was made chief of the Soviet/East Euro-pean Division—just in time to witness the fall of the Berlin Wall, the revolutions that swept across Eastern Europe, and the implosion of the Soviet Union.
Laced with startling revelations--about fail-safe top-secret back channels between the CIA and KGB, double and triple agents, covert operations in Berlin and Prague, and the fateful autumn of 1989--
The Main Enemy is history at its action-packed best.
From the Hardcover edition.
Download Description
A landmark collaboration between a thirty-year veteran of the CIA and a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, The Main Enemy is the dramatic inside story of the CIA-KGB spy wars, told through the actions of the men who fought them.
Based on hundreds of interviews with operatives from both sides, The Main Enemy puts us inside the heads of CIA officers as they dodge surveillance and walk into violent ambushes in Moscow.
This is the story of the generation of spies who came of age in the shadow of the Cuban missile crisis and rose through the ranks to run the CIA and KGB in the last days of the Cold War. The clandestine operations they masterminded took them from the sewers of Moscow to the back streets of Baghdad, from Cairo and Havana to Prague and Berlin, but the action centers on Washington, starting in the infamous "Year of the Spy" -- when, one by one, the CIA's agents in Moscow began to be killed, up through to the very last man.
Behind the scenes with the CIA's covert operations in Afghanistan, Milt Bearden led America to victory in the secret war against the Soviets, and for the first time he reveals here what he did and whom America backed, and why.
Bearden was called back to Washington after the Soviets withdrew from Afghanistan and was made chief of the Soviet/East European Division -- just in time to witness the fall of the Berlin Wall, the revolutions that swept across Eastern Europe, and the implosion of the Soviet Union.
Laced with startling revelations -- about fail-safe top-secret back channels between the CIA and KGB, double and triple agents, covert operations in Berlin and Prague, and the fateful autumn of 1989 -- The Main Enemy is history at its action-packed best.
Customer Reviews:
Milt Bearden gives us the data dump.......2007-03-27
My introduction to Milt Bearden came from reading "Charlie Wilson's War" by George Crile. A great book by the way, I would highly recommend it.
I would recommend this book to people who are interested in Cold War history.
My only dissapointment with this book is that in the epilogue Milt doesn't approach the question of whether or not the rules have changed from when he was chief of the SE Division, and if those changes are for the better. For example, let's take "extraordinary renditions" - in the days when Milt was chief of SE Division the unwritten rule was that USA and USSR didn't kill or unduly rough up each other's spies. Now that we engage in those kinds of activities, are our CIA operatives in the DO more cautious? Are there more restrictions on their movements when they are overseas? And has the change in methods and attitudes affected our relationships with other intelligence agencies, and if so, for the better or for the worse?
A curious discrepancy.......2006-12-18
Much as I have enjoyed this fascinating book, I wish to point out a startling anachronism. Bearden makes much of the delivery of the "120 mm Spanish mortar" to the Mujahideen in 1987, and elaborates on how teams were trained in applying GPS readings to precisely deliver their ordnance beyond visual range. "It came...with a ranging system worked out by Langley...that fused the low-tech mortar with the high-tech world of satellite guidance." And "Once their exact coordinates had been calibrated, the leader of the team would feed the GPS data into a small computer, add the coordinates of the target, and then query the computer for the precise compass direction and elevation..." This procedure, GPS and all, supposedly led to devastating night attacks on the Spetsnaz battalion at Chagasaray on 28 Nov 1987 and 15 Dec 1987.
Problem: Although initial use of GPS was reported in 1990, it did not become operational until 1993. In 1987 the satellites had not been launched yet (this was during the Challenger stand-down).
We can only conclude that while the attacks and the mortars were real, the procedures and the "ranging" method used must have been invented by the authors for literary convenience. No doubt this is the ghost writer's shortcut, not Bearden's, but this does raise questions about technical accuracy throughout the volume.
Valuable insight into the climax of the Cold War.......2005-11-18
In a brief period of time between 1989 and 1991, the world changed dramatically. Several significant events transpired, each literally changing the way the world worked overnight. In The Main Enemy, Milt Bearden and James Risen provide a detailed and fascinating view into the struggle between the American Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and the Soviet security service, Komitet Gosudarstvenoj Bezopasnosti (KGB).
Anyone aware of the state of world affairs for the last half of the twentieth century would be hard pressed to believe any of the events that took place as the final decade of the century was poised to begin. Starting with the Soviet Union's withdraw from Afghanistan in 1989, we observed as one event followed another, each coming as a greater surprise than the previous. We watched the collapse of the Berlin Wall and saw the reunification of Germany shortly thereafter. Not long behind Germany's rejection of socialism, we saw revolutions in Poland, Czechoslovakia, Rumania, and elsewhere. In the latter half of 1991, we watched a failed coup in the Soviet Union, and as that year drew to a close, the Soviet hammer and sickle was replaced with the Russian tricolor flag over Moscow.
These were not events that took place on their own. These were the highly visible climax of an ongoing struggle between the proponents of the Soviet Revolutskyj Mir ("World Revolution") and their counterparts in the West -- including Britain's MI6 and America's CIA. Such a conclusion wasn't always assured, and there were times when CIA was baffled by the tremendous success of KGB's operations against Western agents and interests. It is during these "1985 losses" that the book opens, providing a foundation that helps the reader to see just what was happening in the world of intelligence.
Milt Bearden is a career CIA officer, having spent a lifetime in the shadows and working for America's interests. James Risen is an accomplished journalist. The collaboration -- which also includes the input and assistance of many other players from many sides in this international game of strategy and intrigue -- is an admirable success. The story is gripping, compelling, and personal. The book is well-structured and the prose makes it easy to forget that The Main Enemy isn't a novel, but a book of real history.
For those of us whose understanding of intelligence is primarily from the technical side -- most likely through Bamford's glimpses into the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) -- The Main Enemy is instructive, helping us to see the value of human intelligence (HUMINT) and its role in world affairs.
While hardly the definitive work on the operations of CIA, The Main Enemy provides valuable insight into the climax of the Cold War. Hopefully its accessible style will help to open this important chapter of history to a wide audience -- not just spy buffs.
Great Read.......2004-07-04
For those of us who were a bit younger at the end of the Cold War and were more interested in girls and cars than politics, this is a great read about the spy games that went on between the CIA & KGB, both directly (eg. in Washington or Moscow) or indirectly (Afghanistan) and about the political changes that happened at the end of the 80's and early 90's. I have read a lot of Tom Clancy's novels, and this one has them beat for intrigue and insight. Anyone who enjoys books told from a truly inside perspective will love this one.
I LOVE SPY BOOKS.......2004-05-04
This is another terrific spy book that is worth reading. Was completeley drawn in by this one !!! Another Cold War era book I would recommend is the one by Benjamin Weiser titled " A Secret Life" about a Polish Colonel ( Ryszard Kuklinski ) on the Polish General Staff who passed on some 40,000 Warsaw Pact and Soviet documents to the CIA from 1972 to 1981.
Book Description
The second volume of stunning revelations from the archives of the KGB-covering the Soviets' vast operations around the world, from the Middle East to Latin America, Africa and India
In 1992 the British Secret Intelligence Service exfiltrated from Russia a defector whose presence in the West remained a secret until the publication of The Sword and the Shield in 1999. That man was Vasili Mitrokhin, the KGB's most senior archivist. Unknown to his superiors, Mitrokhin had spent over a decade making notes and transcripts of highly classified files which, at enormous personal risk, he smuggled out of the KGB archives. The FBI described the archive as "the greatest single cache of intelligence every received by the West."
In The Sword and the Shield, Christopher Andrew revealed the secrets of the KGB's operations in the United States and Europe; now in The World Was Going Our Way, he has written the first comprehensive account of the KGB and its operations throughout the Third World. Our understanding of the contemporary world remains incomplete without taking into account the vast impact of the KGB in developing nations: Andrew reveals the names of political leaders on the KGB payroll as well as the KGB's successful penetration of numerous foreign governments. He also points to the many absurdities of KGB operations-such as agents attempting to assess the spread of influence of rival Chinese communism by visiting African capitals and counting the number of posters of Mao Tse Tung.
For decades the KGB believed that the world was going their way-and Americans at the highest reaches of government lived in fear that they were losing the Cold War in the Third World. This extraordinary book will transform our understanding of the history of the twentieth century.
Customer Reviews:
History of the KGB.......2007-05-14
Comprensive story of how the KGB operated, and how they corrupted so called democratic leaders in the world. Very good, interesting for espionage amateurs.
The World Was Going Our Way: The KGB and Third World.......2007-03-15
An excellent history and an good read. If anyone wants to know what the other side was thinking, this book should be on the reading list. Unless, of course, one wants to believe everything is the fault of the West, the U.S. and Israel, than don't buy this book. It'll just make one think.
No rest for the KGB.......2006-12-30
Outlined by geopolitical theatre, "The World was Going our Way" is as much a study of Cold War international relations as it is an expose of the KGB.
In some sections, a reader could be almost sympathetic to the frustration the USSR must have felt in seeing some of their plans fail in (for them) expensive and disastrous ways. In others, a reader might feel a sense of relief that particular KGB objectives were either foiled or abandoned. The KGB was also not without its achievements, significantly affecting the global political climate.
I'd recommend this book to those with interests in world and USSR history, political science (particularly international relations), and intelligence agencies.
Time to Re Write the History Books.......2006-01-24
With a paltry budget of $3bil a year, the CIA's counter intelligence operation had to fight a KGB/GRU monstrosity 20 times its size, one wonders how the West won the Cold war. For far to long, any time the KGB was implicated in a situation it was dismissed by the press as some kind of "right wing hyperventilation". Many of the cold war martyrs canonized by the left, i.e. Allende, turned out to be on the KGB's payroll. Simply put, this book has the potential to change the history of the Cold War as we know it.
Perkele.......2006-01-15
A good account of facts which were relatively unknown to common people. Corruption and exploitation are two main problems encountered by the Third World, perhaps initiated by different superpowers during those days. Superpowers do not exist any more but unfortunately those countries of the Third World are still struggling both politically and economically.
Book Description
Victor Cherkashin's incredible career in the KGB spanned thirty-eight years, from Stalin's death in 1953 to the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991. In this riveting memoir, Cherkashin provides a remarkable insider's view of the KGB's prolonged conflict with the United States, from his recruitment through his rising career in counterintelligence to his prime spot as the KGB's number- two man at the Soviet Embassy in Washington. Victor Cherkashin's story will shed stark new light on the KGB's inner workings over four decades and reveal new details about its major cases. Cherkashin's story is rich in episode and drama. He took part in some of the highest-profile Cold War cases, including tracking down U.S. and British spies around the world. He was posted to stations in the U.S., Australia, India, and Lebanon and traveled the globe for operations in England, Europe, and the Middle East. But it was in 1985, known as "the Year of the Spy," that Cherkashin scored two of the biggest coups of the Cold War. In April of that year, he recruited disgruntled CIA officer Aldrich Ames, becoming his principal handler. Refuting and clarifying other published versions, Cherkashin will offer the most complete account on how and why Ames turned against his country. Cherkashin will also reveal new details about Robert Hanssen's recruitment and later exposure, as only he can. And he will address whether there is an undiscovered KGB spy-another Hanssen or Ames-still at large. Spy Handler will be a major addition to Cold War history, told by one of its key participants.
Customer Reviews:
A Real Life Spy Tale.......2007-08-18
This book is excellent. It reads like an Ian Flemming story but only better. The better part for me is that it was real. This book almost seems like a movie. The author, Victor Cherkashin is sort of like the Forest Gump of the spy world. I say that only because he seems to be in on every major case of US people spying against US. This guy saw it all, the Ames Case, Richard Hansen of the FBI, and several other cases he writes about in the book. The big and the small cases are covered. He was even in on the Clayton Lonetree case. (Marine Embassy Guard in the 80s). It was spell bounding to hear about those cases from the other side. In the book he does detail some of the information that these US spys gave up. This is information that US sources has not reported on. He goes into detail about what Ames and Hansen did to the United States. After reading the book the reader might be a death penality supporter. Those guys gave up some very, very damaging information. You also get to hear about some of the good things the CIA did in the book. You learn about the vast numbers of spies that they collected in Russia. Also he talks about some of the innovative techniques the CIA employed which the KGB caught. These are things that either the press here in the US doesn't want to talk about or the CIA won't talk about in the interest of secrecy. You also get a good does of background knowledge on how spying is conducted today. It isn't James Bond stuff but it isn't normal duties either. If you read this plan on reading it all at once. You won't be able to put the book down.
Interesting but scattered.......2007-03-27
Getting an insiders view of spying throughout the past 40 years was interesting - Cherkashin's accounts of cold war spy vs spy tactics are personal and credible. I found especially interesting his stories of high tensions within the USSR during the Reagan 80's, and his perception of the Russian weaknesses that caused the fall of the wall throughout Europe. The quotes and stories from US intelligence agents were good.
I was disappointed the writings seemed very scattered. Cherkashin sounds like he had a big chip on his shoulder about his government. Not one of my favorite reads.
Viktor Cherkashin lets us know the Soviet side of the story ..........2007-03-27
Fascinating history of espionage activities by the KGB against the United States in the Cold War. Focuses on the Hanssen and Ames cases and with Soviet counterintelligence activities and methods.
When paired with Milt Bearden's book "The Main Enemy", it provides a pretty comprehensive behind the scenes look at US v Soviet intelligence activities though the latter half of the Cold War.
One of the things I found curious about both books is the polite, almost fraternal, way in which these intelligence professionals write about the other side. I doubt that any of the histories to come from post Soviet Russia, or Iran, or Syria or Saudi Arabia or Egypt, maybe even Israel will have the same collegial tone.
Handling Spy Handler.......2006-08-31
I find this book very interesting as it relates to the infamous American spies Aldrich Ames and Robert Hansson. However, I find the details can be cumbersome at times even though it is written with obvious knowledge. All in all, if one is interested in the dark world of spying, it is a good read.
Starts Good, Goes Downhill.......2006-08-05
This book is worth reading. You'll get the strong impression that Cherkashin definitely knows his subject, and there are some good tales told.
Unfortunately, as the book wears on, you begin to sense a hint of bitterness and and self-service. While Cherkashin does criticize the KGB, he seems more inclined to protect it and to wax remorseful over the demise of the USSR. By the end of the book, I was beginning to doubt the honesty within significant portions of the book.
It is worth a read, but you'll not want to put it on your shelf to keep.
Average customer rating:
- Low on drama, high on logistics
- Below Average
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Inside the KGB
Vladimir Kuzichkin
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ASIN: 0679401466
Release Date: 1991-03-20 |
Customer Reviews:
Low on drama, high on logistics.......2006-08-16
This book affirms that spying is not the romantic, action-packed drama of a Le Carre novel or 007 film, but a game of chess: slow-paced with high underlying tension. The most interesting parts were the discussions on how they recruit and maintain sources of information: rather than valuing these contacts, most are viewed quite disdainfully, treated as the KGB's pawns, and seen as generally untrustworthy.
Below Average.......2002-04-14
This book details the life of a KGB agent, his career in the organization and an overview of what they do and how they do it. It comes off as a very high level, average and uninspiring work. There is just nothing new here. The book was a little run of the mill. The story sounded like it would be full of interesting stories from this former KGB agent. We get some interesting details on how operations are planned and carried out, some detail on the trade craft and recruitment, but overall the wooden written and the lack of large amounts of new information make this a book only suited to someone that is really interested in learning everything they possibly can about the KGB. There are better books on this topic.
Book Description
In today's business world, information is everything - and no one gathers information more effectively than spies. So why not bring real spying techniques into your workplace? The same tactics used by CIA and KGB agents can also be used at offices and corporations of any size - and these techniques will help you get ahead fast! The Spy's Guide: Office Espionage features illustrated step-by-step instructions on tapping phones, sending anonymous e-mails, disguising your identity at a trade show, and much more. The authors also share real-life stories about how these tactics have been employed by professional spies in the CIA, KGB, Fortune 500 companies, and other settings. Advance your career with espionage!
Customer Reviews:
Love this book.......2007-03-29
I grabbed this book on Amazon with my expectations very high. When this book arrived I read it in one night! A must-read this book talks about how to become a real office spy and experiences of other spies. I wish there was one about home espionage.
Very Useful, More Than Enough Info for Any Working Stiff.......2005-03-24
I picked up a copy of this title from a local Barnes & Noble bookstore. Oddly enough, the title was shelved in the humor section, which didn't make much sense to me as the book isn't particularly entertaining but takes a rather serious, right-to-the-point approach to the business of using questionable means to further your career.
The Spy's Guide: Office Espionage will tech you how to: take an impression of a key for duplication, secure a hotel room, check your conference room for bugs, bug a conference room, reassemble shredded documents, copy documents without leaving a trace as to what copier was used, conceal objects in a bottle of water, sneak into a tradeshow without being noticed, use your cell phone to your advantage, make untraceable phone calls and faxes, keep your private conversations private and much more.
As slim as this volume is, it is surprisingly through and complete. For your average working stiff, this will be more than adequate for taking your game to the next level.
Looking for an edge? This one's for you.......2004-08-17
Anybody who works in business or in an office should get this book. Even if you don't use everything in it, other people may be using the methods it contains. If you know what's goin on, you have the upper hand. There's at least 1 thing in here that everyone can use, and that 1 thing I'm sure would be worth your $10 investment.
The How to Guide to Successfully Spying on Your Co-Workers.......2004-07-19
I firmly believe that not all books are meant to be taken seriously. This is a horrible thing for a book critic to admit, no? I mean, how can I be unbiased in my reviews if I think some books should be regarded in more esteem than others?
There are some books that are created for little more than pleasure. I don't think these books serve a lesser purpose. I think that grocery store romance novels provide entertainment and possible delight to their readers. Someone I know once purchased a connect-the-dots book of pornography to give as a birthday gift. That book possibly offered hours of entertainment. Every time I graduate, someone gives me an inspirational book of quotes. Sure, some of them are good, but after a quick read through, what am I supposed to do with it? Tape the quotes to my bathroom mirror? Um, no.
The Spy's Guide to Office Espionage by H. Keith Melton and Craig Piligian with Duane Sweirczynski offers little more than brief entertainment. (I suppose for people who are truly set on bugging their co-workers, it also acts as a convenient How To guide.) In The Spy's Guide, readers learn how to booby-trap their briefcase (because so many of us use those anymore...), monitor co-worker's hours, read a competitor's laptop and communicate with invisible inks. Good stuff, right?
My main issue with The Spy's Guide is that I got better advice watching reruns of Get Smart on Nick at Nite. Most of the tips given by the authors, retired CIA and KGB spies, are good only if you are seriously neurotic about the behavior of your co-workers or professional competitors, or have the extra time to spend following them around, sending anonymous emails and protecting your trash.
What makes The Spy's Guide an entertaining read though are the real life stories by the retired spies where they account instances of using the tips they impart in this book. Fortunately, these "Spies at Work" segments occur with regular frequency. (By the end of the book, these were the only sections I read, because frankly, I ain't looking through anyone's trash. And for people who want to look through mine? Have fun.)
One funny tip I enjoyed was going to a meeting where some negotiating will take place. Before entering, call yourself on one cell phone and when you answer, leave both phones on. Mid-way through negotiations, go to the bathroom, accidentally leaving one phone on the table with your notebook. While in the bathroom, listen on the other phone to what is occurring in the meeting in your absence. This could help you throw out the right salary, offer, etc.
Another fun tip was to conceal things in water bottles. The hidden object would be surrounded by water and a the bottled water's label. What makes this funny is that housewives have been doing this for years - hiding mad money in jars of beans with a cavity in the middle. Heck, in seventh and eighth grade my friends and I used to pass notes to each other concealed in pens, instead of having in k in the pen. What teacher could fault you for borrowing a pen when you ink ran out?
Is The Spy's Guide to Office Espionage worth your time to read? Probably not. Is it a funny gift to give to someone else? Definitely. It's best use though is to have it lying around the office. I told my boss what I was reviewing and you should have seen the look on his face!
not bad...could have been better.......2004-06-21
I read this book and got only a few things out of it. I am not into Office Espionage but had it done to me. I have a lot to protect and when people started coming against me I needed an advantage, so I got this book. Not bad I must say. Some things I already knew while others made me take the time and try. This is a decent investment for only say 10 bucks. I was looking for more and got less. But I don't regret buying it. It is a little gem.
Product Description
And you think youve got it rough? Young, wealthy, powerful and prominent one day and a robbed fugitive with a KGB contract out on his head the next, so has gone the life of Alex Konanykhin. Like they said it on 60 Minutes, Alex Konanykhin didnt only have KGB after him...He had the FBI, the Justice Department, even the CIA all on his case, as a favor to the Russians, part of a deal to allow the FBI to keep a bureau in Moscow. And while you may have heard a bit about the chaos and danger faced by Alex and his wife Elena on 60 Minutes, CNN and FOX News, you now have the chance to experience the thrill of their misadventures first hand in Alexs page turner, Defiance. While the plot is as twisted as any international paperback novel, this is the real McCoy every bit of it a true story.
Customer Reviews:
Riveting Roller Coaster Ride of a Story!.......2007-03-24
Alex Konanykhin's story of his phenomenal success against overwhelming odds in becoming one of Russia's first entrepreneurs and the steep price he paid as a result, is one that rivals and even tops any novel by James Patterson,Carol Higgins Clark, or Frederick Forsyth. The sad part is how the U.S. goverment was a willing party in Russia's attempt to suppress and kill Konanykhin.
The most amazing part is that this is ALL verifiably true!
Amazing Story.......2006-11-18
Defiance By Alex Konanykhin How to succeed in business despite being hounded by the FBI, INS, Homeland Scurity, Interpol, Department of Justice, and Mafia hit men. This is the amazing true story of Alex Konanykhin, a young man who made millions in Russia during and immediately after the ending of the Soviet Union's Communist dictatorship. He was an entrepreneur in business even before citizens were allowed to pursue capitalistic ventures and before he had completed college. His wealth was seized by the KGB and he had to flee Russia to keep from being killed or thrown into political prison. He continued to pursue business ventures within Russia even from his exile in Hungary and later the United States. In a difficult to fathom true account he describes how the United States government sold him out to the KGB and Russian mafia who wanted him returned to Russia so they could kill him. The biographical account reads like a Clancey novel. His determination and courage are amazing, and what was done to him by trusted government entities of several countries is horrifying. An interesting read.
Intriguing.......2006-07-31
Ever since the Soviet Union crumbled in the early 90s, many first-time entrepreneurs who had exceptional financial success amidst the chaos that followed the collapse of the old way of life found themselves targets by the ruthless Russian Mafia, the KGB and also, the United States government.
This real life story of the author, Alex Konanykhin, is a detailed account of his life that spanned his relatively simple days in college to being the "Bill Gates" of Russia; from being one of the most powerful men close to Russian president Boris Yeltsin, to a marked man by the KGB; From a political refugee in the United States to being a prisoner, and then finally to freedom.
Written during his frequent incarceration, Konanykhin narrates a story worthy of a best-selling spy novel that proves once again that reality is certainly far stranger than fiction. It tells us even in the free world as long as there is lust for money, no one can escape persecution.
The book adequately shows insights into the dark world of Russian politics with its influence even reaching U.S. shores and the breadth and depth of the KGB's clout in the U.S. government. The paperback offers a different and deeper perspective into the conspiracies revolving inside Russia's political affairs. Many will find this revealing and will understand better what truly happened to the author.
Readers will be shocked about the hidden agenda of governments including the US' own government. You will be convinced that what is commonly released in the media has more to it than meets the eye. As you read this book, you will also find it unbelievable that the US government is all too willing to help KGB-controlled Russia, the so-called "Superpower of Crime," catch its political enemies.
The book also exposes a part of the Soviet culture which blindly hates capitalism yet it tolerates or sometimes encourages lust for power and wealth among its citizens.
The author, whom the CIA calls "The Kid," reveals that titles are more important than actual production in a Soviet economy. To get by, one must be well-connected to men in power - it ensures a good job that pays well without having to actually work. It also shows how fear of authority restrains the whole nation from straying beyond the Soviet thinking. And only the brave few will prevail; challenging the status quo.
Appropriately titled, Defiance tells its readers that even in a world such as where the author lived in and against all odds, one can triumph. Alex Konanykhin's memoir is an absolute must-read for anyone - particularly those who are interested in Russian business or politics.
Today, Alex Konanykhin, 39, heads KMGI, a thriving high-tech B2B agency located in New York which services major corporations and ad agencies across the globe.
This is a book that's got it all..........2006-07-23
And you think you've got it rough?
Young, wealthy, powerful and prominent one day and a robbed fugitive with a KGB contract out on his head the next, so has gone the life of Alex Konanykhin. Like they said it on 60 Minutes,
"Alex Konanykhin didn't only have KGB after him...He had the FBI, the Justice Department, even the CIA all on his case, as a favor to the Russians, part of a deal to allow the FBI to keep a bureau in Moscow."
And while you may have heard a bit about the chaos and danger faced by Alex and his wife Elena on 60 Minutes, CNN and FOX News, you now have the chance to experience the thrill of their misadventures first hand in Alex's new fact action page turner, Defiance.
While the plot is as twisted as any international paperback novel, this is the real McCoy - every bit of it a true story. From cover to cover, you'll find yourself immersed in a world of cruelty, intrigue and espionage, and seeing it through the eyes of an indomitable hero diametrically opposed to the oppression and lack of moral fiber (and ingenuity) around him. What started out as merely an attempt to quell an internal business takeover took him on a whirlwind adventure that left them fleeing from country to country, until finally finding themselves seeking amnesty within the safety of the borders of the United States.
But the story doesn't end there. In fact, it only begins.
Soon after fleeing here for safety, Alex learned that it wasn't just Russia that was after his life. You may just be surprised to learn of some of the social (and potentially life-threatening) injustices that various departments of the United States government made this young man and his wife suffer through as the US Court system became the playing field for a battle of immense, far reaching and often quite unexpected proportions.
More than just a great fast paced read highlighting the highs and lows of an incredible decade of change, Defiance is also a great source of motivation and inspiration for rising entrepreneurs and business men and women all across the globe. In addition to the hope inspired by the story of the chase, you'll also find wonderful insight into the budding economy and changing political ideology in Russia that are sure to refresh the hearts and minds of even the staunchest and experienced Capitalists around!
In a world far too short of people with principles, integrity, and long-suffering Alex's story is sure to inspire individuals in just about any negative situation, from imprisoned immigrants to disgruntled employees, to reach above their current circumstances and hold fast to a dream of something more, something better.
With an intense plot that will speed you from the first page to the last, and a bird's eye view of a world straight out of a spy novel (hey, that's not just me saying that, judges said so too!) Defiance is a compelling page turner that solidly deserves two thumbs up!
-Jennifer Gibbs
Talk About Survival Instinct!!.......2006-07-21
Defiance is a riveting, eye-opening, and compelling story of the Konanykhin family, who desperately tried to stay one step ahead of former KGB agents and ruthless CIA, FBI, and INS agencies. Once one of Russia's wealthiest men, Alex Konanykhin runs for his life (and the life of his devoted wife, Elena) after his bank is taken over by former KGB agents through extortion and fraud. The KGB displayed their unsavory tactics through kidnapping the Konanykhin couple. The two successfully perform a daring escape from Hungary and obtain quiet refuge in the United States, which had granted him a green card from the United States Immigration Department.
Their freedom in America was short-lived. The Konanykhins were arrested on bogus criminal charges which had been sought by the Attorney General of Russia. While an innocent man and his wife are trying to seek justice, powerful law firms, and even an INS agent, come to Alex's defense as a pro bono case.
Brilliantly written, Alex tells his own story in Defiance eloquently. The book is a must-read for every American who values basic Constitutional rights and how these rights can be trampled on for sheer political purposes. Follow the story through a myriad of legal maneuvers by the INS and United States Department of Justice designed to sell out the Konanykhin's in order to win favor with the Russian Government. Defiance dramatically sends message to readers that government agencies, whenever located, can succumb to corruption and use under-handed tactics with conscious disregard for basic, human, and constitutional rights.
But Defiance is not just about the issue of constitutional rights. It is also relays the disquieting apathy and lack of courage of our society as a whole to defend basic constitutional rights of others when these rights are placed in jeopardy.
Stripped of their estimated $300-$400 million in assets, the couple soon becomes disenchanted with their situation and begins to lose hope. But their courage to fight the system and their love for each other, which never wavered, is inspiring for us all. Having lost fortunes before and working his way back to wealth, Alex is a role model for aspiring entrepreneurs everywhere. This book restores the sense of ultimate justice while reminding us that even "justice", once denied can never really be restored when it has been delayed.
The emotional courtroom drama recounting the Konanykhin's story climaxes in the rendering of a decision by an American Immigration Department administrative law judge. The judge is faced with a politically-charged situation. Will the judge rule in favor of the Konanykhins and do them justice? Or will he collapse and lend aid to the intelligence agencies' carte blanche tactical methods?
Alex Konanykhin was a major supporter and friend of former Russian President Boris Yeltzin, whose political campaign was substantially funded financially by Alex. The Russian mafia and the KGB have likely taken over many of the new industries in Russia, and around the world, as well as the United States. The Konanykhin's story cannot help but capture your interest and keep you on the edge of your seat through every page.
Fasten your seat belts and prepare for the ride of your life.
Amazon.com
In early 1992, a Russian man walked into the British embassy in a newly independent Baltic republic and asked to "speak to someone in authority." As he sipped his first cup of proper English tea, he handed over a small file of notes. Eight months later, the man, his family, and his enormous archive had been safely exfiltrated to Britain. When news that a KGB officer had defected with the names of hundreds of undercover agents leaked out in 1996, a spokesperson for the SVR (Russia's foreign intelligence service, heir of the KGB) said, "Hundreds of people! That just doesn't happen! Any defector could get the name of one, two, perhaps three agents--but not hundreds!"
Vasili Nikitich Mitrokhin worked as chief archivist for the FCD, the foreign-intelligence arm of the KGB. Mitrokhin was responsible for checking and sealing approximately 300,000 files, allowing him unrestricted access to one of the world's most closely guarded archives. He had lost faith in the Soviet system over the years, and was especially disturbed by the KGB's systematic silencing of dissidents at home and abroad. Faced with tough choices--stay silent, resign, or undermine the system from within--Mitrokhin decided to compile a record of the foreign operations of the KGB. Every day for 12 years, he smuggled notes out of the archive. He started by hiding scraps of paper covered with miniscule handwriting in his shoes, but later wrote notes on ordinary office paper, which he took home in his pockets. He hid the notes under his mattress, and on weekends took them to his dacha, where he typed them and hid them in containers buried under the floor. When he escaped to Britain, his archive contained tens of thousands of pages of notes.
In 1995, Mitrokhin, by then a British citizen, contacted Christopher Andrew (For the President's Eyes Only), head of the faculty of history at Cambridge University and one of the world's foremost historians of international intelligence. Andrew was allowed to examine the archive Mitrokhin created "to ensure that the truth was not forgotten, that posterity might some day come to know of it." The Sword and the Shield is the earthshaking result. The book details the KGB's foreign-intelligence operations, most notably those aimed at Great Britain and the "Main Adversary"--the United States. In the 700-page book, Andrew reveals operations aimed at discrediting high-profile Americans, from Martin Luther King to Ronald Reagan; secret arms caches still hidden--and boobytrapped--throughout the West; disinformation efforts, including forging a letter from Lee Harvey Oswald in an attempt to implicate the CIA in the assassination of JFK; attempts to stir up racial tensions in the U.S. by sending hate mail and even bombs; and the existence of deep-cover agents in North America and Europe--some of whom were effectively "outed" when the book was published.
Mitrokhin's detailed notes are well served by Andrew, who writes forcefully and clearly. The Sword and the Shield represents a remarkable intelligence coup--one that will have serious repercussions for years to come. As Andrew notes, "No one who spied for the Soviet Union at any period between the October Revolution and the eve of the Gorbachev era can now be confident that his or her secrets are still secure." --Sunny Delaney
Book Description
Christopher Andrew's new book is based on one of the most extraordinary intelligence coups of recent times: the discovery of a treasure-trove of highly classified documents which the FBI has described, after close examination, as the "most complete and extensive intelligence ever received from any source." Though there is top-secret material on almost every country in the world, the United States is at the top of the list. The contents of the book remain embargoed until publication. As well as containing many fascinating revelations, this is a major contribution to the secret history of the twentieth century.
The Sword and the Shield is based on one of the most extraordinary intelligence coups of recent times: a secret archive of top-level KGB documents smuggled out of the Soviet Union which the FBI has described, after close examination, as the "most complete and extensive intelligence ever received from any source." Its presence in the West represents a catastrophic hemorrhage of the KGB's secrets and reveals for the first time the full extent of its worldwide network.
Vasili Mitrokhin, a secret dissident who worked in the KGB archive, smuggled out copies of its most highly classified files every day for twelve years. In 1992, a U.S. ally succeeded in exfiltrating the KGB officer and his entire archive out of Moscow. The archive covers the entire period from the Bolshevik Revolution to the 1980s and includes revelations concerning almost every country in the world. But the KGB's main target, of course, was the United States.
Though there is top-secret material on almost every country in the world, the United States is at the top of the list. As well as containing many fascinating revelations, this is a major contribution to the secret history of the twentieth century.
Among the topics and revelations explored are:
The KGB's covert operations in the United States and throughout the West, some of which remain dangerous today.
KGB files on Oswald and the JFK assassination that Boris Yeltsin almost certainly has no intention of showing President Clinton.
The KGB's attempts to discredit civil rights leader in the 1960s, including its infiltration of the inner circle of a key leader.
The KGB's use of radio intercept posts in New York and Washington, D.C., in the 1970s to intercept high-level U.S. government communications.
The KGB's attempts to steal technological secrets from major U.S. aerospace and technology corporations.
KGB covert operations against former President Ronald Reagan, which began five years before he became president.
KGB spies who successfully posed as U.S. citizens under a series of ingenious disguises, including several who attained access to the upper echelons of New York society.
Customer Reviews:
History all over again.......2007-01-03
For someone who grew up in the former Soviet Union it is a hell of a read. It is like re-learning Soviet history all over again. Just hope it is true.
The KGB Archives.......2006-11-18
Mitrokhin & Andrews' book is just as described: an archive of information. As such, it is packed with information that the authors have tried to organize into something of a dry narrative. That said, this volume and its successor, "The World Was Going Our Way," contain a plethora of details on KGB tactics and experiences from WWII onwards.
What it doesn't contain is a good deal of information about NKVD operations prior to WWII. There are brief descriptions of a handful of operations, and a general outline of the organizations history and structure, but, as the title advertises, this is a work on the KGB and the KGB alone.
Andrews should be commended for making what I'm sure were dry and, at times, likely unreliable reports into a working narrative.
NOTE: The rating above should read four stars rather than three.
Real.......2006-10-26
Well, this is the real facts, is not a story , is real life, this book is not about the agents some have in their mind from the movie industry's prections of the handsome athletic agent who is " good to the bone". This book shows the truth and explains what happened and why, it might not be too much impressionism but it gives what was going on behind the scene. The truth is always good to know, this is the book on the subject that gets as close as possible. The book can be opened at any page and is still captivating to read.
Longwinded but interesting.......2006-03-11
Quite recently a colleague told me that he resented a newspaper columnist who had referred to a relative of his as a communist spy. My colleague believed his relative had been an innocent victim of McCarthyist red baiting. I knew that his relative was no innocent but a high-level KGB operative. It said so in the Mitrokhin Archive vol. I, "The Sword and the Shield".
One of the tragedies of the Cold War is that many western communist spies, traitors to their own countries and dupes to one of the worst systems humanity has ever known, managed to rebrand themselves as victims of persecution. The paradigm for this view is Miller's "The Crucible", where for
"witches" one should read "spies". Except that there were no witches but there sure were spies. The Rosenbergs were spies and they did help Stalin put together his nuclear weapons. Alger Hiss was a spy. And so on and on. And as we have known or suspected for a long time, many NGOs such as the World Council of Churches and many political parties and publications were also preferred haunts for KGB agents and contacts in its neverending propaganda war.
Volume I of the Mitrokhin files is bulky and a longwinded. The writing is what used to be described as workmanlike in that goes to lenghts to avoid rethoric and even elegance. It just piles on fact upon fact. The facts are fascinating. As noted above, many of us knew that the governing and the chattering classes of the West were filled with spies and fellow travelers, but the sheer magnitude of that presence is impressive. We also knew that the Soviet leadership often did not manage to make the best possible use of the extraordinary intelligence it managed to acquire (remember Sorge's warning about the operation Barbarossa, and how Stalin dismissed him as a stooge to the British?). The book goes in mind-numbing detail on just how often political or personal prejudice stood in the way of taking advantage of the information.
As a Latin American I am a much bigger fan of volume II of the files. But volume I is a good place to start, and to never let us forget that the Cold War was a real war, that it could have been lost, and what it could have like if that had happened.
Amazing, dense and packed with info.......2006-02-21
I have not finished the book yet (in the interest of being honest)...but so far its got some really interesting unheard facts. I heard the author on the NPR and what he said (about the sequel) was some really interesting, amazing facts about the KGB....unfortunately the book is more dense and layered down with codename after codename and I think a lot gets lost as a result. However, the intent was to release EVERYTHING that Mitrokhin smuggled out so thats what they did....if you can sit threw a lot of stuff, there are real nuggets of gold here.
Customer Reviews:
Angleton's Amanuensis.......2004-01-06
Too bad its out of print! It is difficult to overstate the importance of this book in intelligence scholarship. It is perhaps the only book that gives, essentially from the horse's mouth, James Jesus Angleton's approach to analytical counterintelligence. This approach was driven from CIA when Angleton was fired in 1974 as part of the Church Committee witch hunt. Angleton's seemingly simple insight -- that our enemies, as thinking, breathing human beings, may actually go out of their way to feed us false intelligence, so that we will believe things that aren't true -- has been totally lost to CIA for almost 30 years. Instead, it has been replaced with a naive faith that CIA is simply to smart and professional to be fooled. You simply can't understand intelligence matters without grasping the role of deception.
Book Description
On January 6, 1992 Yvonne Weinstock and her then-husband Danny landed in Moscow on a business trip. They had just left the airport when they were ambushed, kidnapped and held for ransom for 11 horrifying days in a dilapidated country house by a gang of Russian "gypsies" who were in reality far more sinister -- cold-blooded conspirators in a sinister plot that joined the Russian Mob, ex-KGB agents and early al-Qaeda operatives looking to fund terrorism, no matter the cost of human life. As told by Yvonne Weinstock (now Bornstein), who survived, but will never be free of its painful echoes, this is the incredible story of those 11 days of hell, and of one of history's unlikeliest rescue operations -- which against all odds allied the FBI and Russian intelligence agencies for the first and only time in history. Reliving the agony, horror and torture she endured, she also unravels the twists and turns of the rescue mission from her own research into the confidential case, skillfully weaving a heart-thumping narrative of drama and intrigue worthy of a top-notch spy novel. Yvonne writes from the heart about the devastating impact of the kidnapping on her marriage and her life, and the change of attitude it had on her that resulted in a belated appreciation for the simple, meaningful things she had come to overlook in her drive to the top of the corporate business world.. In the end, though, she lives uneasily with the memory of her 11 days of hell, she took from it lessons in life that apply to all of us.
Customer Reviews:
Fascinating Story Deserves a Larger Audience.......2007-08-23
After reading this book I just think it deserves a broader audience. Perhaps releasing the book or republishing with a larger marketing effort. But personally I think it would make a great film, especially since it is a true story. I highly recommend the book to all.
Spellbinding and Riveting!!!!.......2007-05-11
I have great admiration for Yvonne Bornstein for having lived and breathed this horrific criminal act. The people who committed this crime should be shot, drawn and quartered! No-body should have to live through this kind of horrendous ordeal.
This book has been marvellously written and should be listed on the New York bestseller list.
I read via Google that Ms Bornstein is currently negotiating her life rights with a major Hollywood studio.
Out of something bad comes something good.
I truly hope that Yvonne succeeds in her venture, she really deserves it.
Riveting story of survival.......2006-05-21
Yvonne Borstein and her husband Danny were kidnapped by a band of Russian gangsters and ex-KGB villians in early 1991. They were tortured physically and emotionally for a 1.6 billion dollar random (which was orders of magnitude above the liquid assets of the heavily-mortgaged Australian business-couple).
Was Yvonne an innocent tourist kidnapped in Russia? No. A do-gooder helping revive post-Iron Curtain Russia? Well, no. How about a profiteer involved with shady business deals on Russia's black market? Yep, that's it. In hindsight, Yvonne admits that she and Danny were dazzled by wealth, heavily over-mortgaged on their house, gambling by paying out millions in anticipation of high (but dubiously legal) returns, and they were unwilling to wake up to the many signs of trouble in their Russo-Australian import/export business. As a reader, I appreciated her candor and lack of excuses or assignment of blame.
Even shady entrepreneurs in economically ravaged countries don't deserve to be tortured for an insanely high ransom. Yvonne's book is the story of her entire life, from her childhood to her early troubled relationships before meeting husband Danny. Yvonne lays out the events which unraveled and lead south to the kidnapping. In captivity, Yvonne and Danny leveraged one another's strengths, plotting to get messages out to the world and to present the right "face" to their kidnappers. The couple only survived because of their union. When Yvonne was sexually assaulted, she knew she had to hide it during the captivity, to prevent her husband from violently assaulting their tormentors.
Bornstein bills her memoir as evidence of al-Qaeda alive and well in early 1990's Russia. This is certainly a good advertisement in the post-9/11 world, but it is a shaky claim at best. Sure, there is evidence of al-Qaeda, but don't pick this up expecting some all-conclusive smoking gun expose on Afghan terrorism.
Yvonne is a survivor and as inspiration to women everywhere. She dug up a lot of information to provide context to her own personal (and painful) narrative. Thanks for sharing your story, Ms. Bornstein!
A GREAT BOOK.......2006-04-29
A Fantastic book. I highly recommend that you read it. It was interesting and I learnt a lot.
Monica.
Holds the reader captive.......2006-02-18
In a popular Hollywood movie, one of the characters, playing a tough businessman who fancied himself a master of negotiating, expressed the opinion that in a business deal, there is no difference between a gun and a fountain pen. To believe that this is true is to believe that the use of force or violence to obtain monetary reward is equivalent to using artful negotiation, rational persuasion, or skillful selling. Coercion then becomes just another technique for the acquisition of wealth, and individuals in the business community who refrain from using it are to be viewed as "unrealistic" or even weak-minded. Strength of character therefore has its origins in a willingness to intimidate physically other people in order to bring about a desired end. Real business involves "doing whatever it takes" to increase wealth, even if this means causing extreme pain or even death.
There are many who believe in this equivalence, but thankfully there are many who do not. As the events of her life and skill in entrepreneurship indicate, the author of this book is a member of the latter category, and in this book has written an engaging (and terrifying) story of how she and her business partner/husband were forced to deal with some individuals of the former category. Kidnapped for eleven days, where they were beaten and intimidated by a collection of moronic and confused thugs, who could not distinguish the acquisition of wealth from its plundering, and who sadistically enjoyed the pain they gave their captives, the couple nevertheless got away with their lives, with the assistance of a unexpected collaboration between East and West.
For those, such as this reviewer, who are extremely skeptical of the competence of governmental security personnel, and of their abilities to cooperate constructively with foreign governments, this story will alleviate some of this skepticism (although the author describes the FBI as being reluctant to get involved). There are not too many things that are more frightening than the prospect of being caught in a foreign country where the laws and sense of justice are different, and where envy towards Westerners is predominant. And if one does find oneself in such a situation and does survive it, the natural thing to do it seems would be to obliterate it from memory. Reminders of it would be draining, both emotionally and intellectually, and would serve no useful purpose in everyday living.
The author though has chosen to tell her story, and has written one that is fast moving but still gives insight into her moods as well as her captors. It focuses of course on the concrete details of her captivity, but also motivates the reader to consider why her captors behaved as they did, and whether the wealth that they expected to obtain was really worth the energy they expended to get it. It is always perplexing to see a group of individuals conniving, planning, and engaging in violent acts, and expending vast amounts of energy just to obtain by relative standards a paltry sum of money. Considerably less energy is needed to obtain the same sum by legal and creative means, but for some reason these types of individuals cannot see this. The answer must be that they love the intimidation and sense of power that violence gives them. The neurons in their brains are over trained by sadism, polluted with cynicism, and allow no expression of compassion or empathy. The money they obtain is spent in no time flat, on fruitless physical indulgences or one meaningless card game after another. They idolize and prop each other up, with their handshakes and backslaps, and any real sense of achievement is completely alien to them. Taking is always better then earning. They unite under the creed that "only suckers work."
Interestingly, when the author discusses her emotional state with respect to her captors, she mentions the "Stockholm syndrome." This is supposed to be a kind of brainwashing that causes the captive to express sympathy for or even admiration for the captor. On the surface this does not seem too surprising, since when in a situation of dependence one's emotional processes are completely out of equilibrium, with a consequent loss of self-esteem. It is difficult to find definitive research on the reality of the Stockholm syndrome, due no doubt to low occurrence of situations like that of the author, and lack of explicit documentation of the emotional states of the captives, before and after their confinement. Such a syndrome could explain the reason why so many abused wives tend to remain emotionally attached to their abusive husbands.
At the end of the book, the author describes her homecoming and the skepticism that she and her husband encountered by some members of the press, who did not believe her story. Their business in shambles, they did pick up and move on, although the author describes her life as being very stressful for sometime after the kidnapping. And what happened to their captors? "Whereabouts unknown" says the author. Unfortunately these creeps are still wandering around, and their behaviors have been emulated on a grander scale in the form of the Russian mob, part of which is active in the United States.
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