In 1985, the shadowy world of international espionage came to light as
never before. Nearly every month, the news media revealed yet another
spy who had been arrested, imprisoned, or executed. This fascinating
book chronicles both the headline-makers that year--John Walker, Ronald
Pelton, and Larry Chin, for example--and those unknown to the public at
the time, including Oleg Gordievsky, Aldrich Ames, and Adolf Tolkachev.
The author--a former director of the White House Situation Room under
President Ronald Reagan and a retired career naval intelligence
officer--draws on nearly sixty cases that had a crucial development in
"the year of the spy." His narrative reflects the month-by-month flow of
the year and presents unique glimpses into lives fraught with danger and
often ending in tragedy in the midst of the Cold War.
In ironic juxtaposition to the story of the deadly spy war waged between
American and Soviet intelligence services, the author details President
Reagan's behind-the-scenes dialogue with successive Soviet premiers in
an attempt to eliminate nuclear weapons. These peacemaking efforts
eventually led to the end of the Cold War in 1991. The narrative
interweaves both the diplomatic and espionage stories, while introducing
the major spies the news media didn't know about in 1985.
The Year of the Spy is an absorbing, dramatic, and engaging history of
events from the recent past that had a decisive influence on the world
of today.
