Part travelogue; part history; Let Our Fame Be Great tells the stories of the forgotten peoples of the Caucasus region; an incredible cultural crossroads where Eastern Europe; Central Asia; Turkey and the Middle East meet. The area was once the home of the Golden Fleece and Prometheus' place of exile; and later inspired Pushkin and Lermontov; but its rich history has been overshadowed by decades of guerrilla warfare. Now; it is better known to us for the struggle in Chechnya and the 2008 war between Georgia and Russia. Traveling through history and throughout this tumultuous region; journalist and Russia expert Oliver Bullough details the major events—from nineteenth-century Tsarist expansionism to the modern day struggles in Chechnya and South Ossetia—that have shaped this fascinating land and its people: the Chechens; Nogais; Circassians; mountain Turks; and Ingush who have been consistently besieged—and woefully overlooked—for nearly two hundred years.
#210421 in Books Victor Cherkashin Gregory Feifer 2005-11-01 2005-11-01Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 8.00 x 1.00 x 5.50l; .87 #File Name: 0465009697368 pagesSpy Handler Memoir of KGB Officer the True Story of the Man Who Recruited Robert Hanssen and Aldrich Ames
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. A decent autobiography if you accept it as his version of events.By WellspringA solid book. You can't accept everything it says at face value; but it's well worth reading. Most importantly; you can see the infighting in the KGB in the last days of the cold war; and get a unique view of the Ames and Hanssen cases. Otherwise; it's an interesting and engaging autobiography.Cherkashin argues that sentences for spies should be reduced; that an intelligence officer's best weapon is the agent's fear of discovery. In the case of Ames; he says that by far the most damaging leak happened in a short dinner at a restaurant-- Cherkashin simply pointed out that any American agents in the KGB might potentially expose Ames. Ames thought it over; and wrote a list of names on a napkin. Like that; human lives were snuffed out and US national security was critically compromised. Up until then (he claims); Ames had only handed them dribs and drabs. It was the fear of discovery and draconian punishment; not KGB bribes; that delivered the holy grail of US intelligence.The author also discusses the infighting in the KGB. Mostly that he wasn't given enough credit and influence for his contributions to Soviet intelligence. KGB head Kryuchkov instead eliminated the American agents one by one; crediting the whole thing to good internal policework (and the implication that before his brilliant leadership things had gotten lax). Of course; the other reason to have done this was to conceal how the Soviets had discovered the moles. Cherkashin came under scrutiny for his contacts with CIA officers and moles inside the KGB. He obviously maintains his innocence and gives a thorough discussion of his version of events.Finally; he argues that American writing on espionage is quick to portray agents recruited in the Soviet Union and elsewhere as patriots and ideologically opposed to communism. Meanwhile; it usually describes Americans recruited to work for the Russians as mentally ill or sociopathically mercenary (the latter isn't totally fair; certainly the WW2-era Soviet agents are usually described as believing communists). Cherkashin argues that issues of pride; office politics; ego; and personal life situations are very important in understanding agents' motivations to betray their countries. And that agents of any power are a complex mix of that plus ideology; mental illness; and other issues.My main complaint about this book is that it's very clearly post-retirement axe-grinding. It also like most espionage books spends most of its time talking about "who / when / where / why" and very little time talking about the stuff that's most interesting to amateurs like me; the what and how of intelligence work: the daily routine and tactics. Since he's living in America; one might have hoped to have gotten a glimpse into sources and methods; but it's not surprising that he didn't touch that stuff.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. An alternative view: cold war spying from the other sideBy albionphotoI came to this book after seeing numerous references to it in "The billion dollar spy". I seem to be reading about cold war spying at the moment. This is the memoirs of Victor Cherkashin. Cherkashin was an officer in the KGB who worked in Washington and most notably ran Robert Ames and Robert Hanssen.Stylistically this book reminds me of "They have their exits" by Airey Neave. Cherkashin is writing a number of years after his his KGB career ended and after the fall of the USSR. For the most part his telling of events is precise but unemotional and even carries a slightly detached air. Almost as if the events happened to someone else.The book highlights differences in style between the CIA and the KGB in how they operated in each other's territories and how they regarded spies/agents. Both organisations are suspicious of spies (rightly so) but Cherkashin's KGB is less emotionally attached. The CIA had a lot of technology which made up for how hard it was to operate in the USSR. I also thought that Cherkashin's view of agents and their motivation was more realistic than those I've read in CIA/American accounts. Most spying isn't ideological but has more personal reasons at its heart such as career snubs; relationship issues or especially unrealised ambitions.Some of this memoir discusses the internal politics of the KGB. It is in these sections that Cherkashin becomes more passionate. The book seems to have been written as a way of clarifying and clearing his name after a series of accusations made against him in Russia. He is quite happy to say where blame lies but also does a good job of justifying the actions of those he accuses (he sees both sides of the story quite well). Cherkashin's KGB career was mostly a cold war career that spanned the end of the USSR. He clearly has strong feelings of nostalgia for and loyalty to the Soviet system which seems strange to an outsider but has survived his poor treatment at the hands of the KGB archive and living in modern Russia.This is an interesting read and gives a good insight into the mindset of professional intelligence officers and how ruthless they can be. Thi si not a James Bond/derring CIA book but a fascinating insight into the "other" side of the cold war.2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. An interesting perspectiveBy Too many toysI read Milt Bearden's book first. While the two followed pretty closely; this gave a different perspective as well as some interesting incites from an insider during the breakup of the Soviet Union. The author did a good job of being thorough without being tedious. While it was not a Tom Clancy novel; it was interesting and writing as a story; not a documentary.
