Tennent H. Bagley’s nonfiction SPY WARS: MOLES, MYSTERIES, AND DEADLY GAMES has something most spy fiction doesn’t: authenticity. The entire text is proof, discussing a slice of CIA history that remains a sore spot to this day: the case of a Russian KGB agent by the name of Yuri Nosenko.
Nosenko was a defector who might have been a plant by the KGB to pass off false information to the CIA. Bagley was the agent who handled the case, so we’re not given secondhand information you otherwise might expect to find in a book like this. No, this is Bagley’s detailed history of the whole affair, and I must applaud him for writing what easily could have been a top-notch thriller, if only it weren’t true.
The whole chain of events starts off in the early ’60s, with the CIA being contacted by Nosenko about defecting, which he did in 1962 and began working for them as a double agent. From here on out, Bagley weaves a story dripping in the real deal of spies’ lives: They aren’t tuxedo-wearing martini-drinkers who go up against men with headquarters hidden in volcanoes. It’s more about making sure they are not being played for fools.
Bagley goes over the long, arduous procedure that went into this case with bullet points showcasing where Nosenko’s story didn’t jive with other defectors or even his own story. The main selling point that Nosenko goes over and over is how he was involved with Lee Harvey Oswald while he lived in Russia for those three years.
However, Bagley is quick to point out that Russia had nothing to deal with President John F. Kennedy’s assassination, and that the KGB thought Oswald was a bit of a nut. But that’s only a small nugget for espionage fans to enjoy, as the author also addressed such subjects as deep moles in both the FBI and CIA, claiming that not all were caught.
And after reading this book, one easily can understand why. I was in sheer delight with all of SPY WARS. It might be heady stuff for some, but for those who crave the truth about the spy game, Bagley has outdone himself with this gripping, true-life tale. One can only hope he moves into the world of fiction, where he could really show off his talent as a spy master. –Bruce Grossman
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{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }
Very good review. The fact that it is a true story makes it even more exciting. Great reading, could not put it down.