Spymaster

Taking the reader into the very heart of the Soviet spy apparatus at the peak of the defining event of our time - the Cold War - this book is by the highest-ranking KGB officer ever to tell his story. It is a personal account of a life in espionage at the highest levels. During 32 years with the KGB, Oleg Kalugin enjoyed one of the most illustrious careers in the history of the spy agency, so his dramatic break with the Communist Party and advocacy of democratic reform was a sensational end to his career. Kalugin describes: how he handled American spy John Walker during his time in America; how, as chief of KGB Foreign Counter-Intelligence, he helped rehabilitate the British agent Kim Philby; as well as liaising with other key British spies, such as George Blake and Donald Maclean; and how he worked intimately with the men who ran the KGB, providing the fullest picture yet of its inner workings. This book offers a perspective on the "great game" of espionage over the past 30 years, including his decision to walk away from, and actively oppose, the most feared organization in his country.