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Book Review of Operation Solo: The FBI's Man in the Kremlin

Operation Solo: The FBI's Man in the Kremlin
hardtack avatar reviewed on + 2568 more book reviews


An absolutely amazing tale of espionage conducted by two men, and eventually one of their wives, against the Communist threat of the mid to late 20th century. How one of the men began to understand that Communism was a fraud and offered his services to the FBI is a tale unto itself. However, that man and his brother, and later his wife, then spent decades at the highest levels of International Communism while serving as FBI informants and American heroes.

Knowing that they may never return every time they ventured behind the Iron Curtain was bad enough. However, both men were in poor health and, although they lived into their 70s, the stresses of their numerous missions cut short their lives.

I received a degree in Political Science, with emphasis on International Relation, in 1969. Since then I have often wondered how our government was able to contain Communism over the decades until its fall in Soviet Russia. This book explains it all. Our presidents and secretaries of state knew what the communist leaders were thinking and how they could be manipulated or how far they could be pushed. As stated in the book, when Americans sat down with Communist leaders, the Americans could read all the cards in their opponents' hands.

This books is a most definite 'required' read for anyone interested in the international politics of that era.