BOOK REVIEW: The Moscow Rules: The Secret CIA Tactics That Helped America Win the Cold War
By Antonio and Jonna Mendez
Reviewed by Robert Dannenberg, 24-year CIA veteran who was responsible for running Moscow operations both from CIA headquarters and in the field
“There is no limit to a human being’s ability to rationalize the truth” —One of the Moscow Rules
The Moscow Rules, by Antonio and Jonna Mendez is a gripping, interesting and relevant read. It is gripping because it reads like a spy novel yet tells a true tale of the darkest days of the espionage war largely fought between the CIA and the KGB and its successor organ the FSB. It is interesting because it describes both on-the-street action and the largely unknown behind-the-scenes creativity, dedication and diligence of technical and operations experts in the Agency, from Hollywood, and from the world of magic and illusion. The book is relevant because it reminds us of the continuing need for human intelligence to understand the intentions and capabilities of a resurgent Russia led by a former officer in the KGB. The book is written by two experts and national heroes whose contribution to U.S. intelligence successes in this critical period is unquestioned. They tell the whole story: The good, the bad, and the ugly episodes of this epic espionage struggle.
First referred to by George Smiley, a fictional character in the espionage thrillers of John LeCarre , ‘The Moscow Rules’ refer to tenets of operational practice for denied area and specifically operations in the former Soviet Union that were developed over time and are still adhered to today. As noted in the book, “Moscow has always been an ominous destination for an intelligence officer. From the days of Catherine the Great through the rule of Vladimir Putin, no other espionage environment has rivaled it.”
The book tells in some detail, the story of three critical human sources and the role their experiences played in the evolution of Moscow tradecraft and the principles behind the successful application of that tradecraft referred to in the book’s title.
The first case study is that of Oleg Penkovsky, a colonel in Soviet military intelligence (GRU) dubbed “The Spy Who Saved the World” for the intelligence he provided that helped then-President John F. Kennedy navigate the Cuban Missile Crisis. The CIA’s lack of preparation for handling agents in Moscow at this time because of the pervasive nature of surveillance in that operational environment, contributed to Penkovsky’s compromise and forced the Agency to re-examine its approach to operations in Moscow.
The second case is that of Alexandr Ogorodnik, code name TRIGON, an incredibly valuable Soviet Foreign Ministry penetration who provided insights on Soviet policy, foreign relations and arms control negotiation strategies. But the TRIGON case is also a story of bravery, intrepidness and creativity by the case officers and techs who were responsible for handling the source in Moscow. Foremost among these was Marti Peterson, the case officer (C/O) ambushed and PNG’ed from Moscow after the case was compromised. The first true “deep cover” office in Moscow and the station’s first female C/O, Marti was a true trailblazer. Her passionate recollection of the TRIGON operation told to me when I was a young career trainee, was instrumental in my decision to spend the bulk of my career in Russian operations.
The final HUMINT case study is that of Adolf Tolkachev, the “Billion Dollar Spy”, that is again, a story of risk taking and the incredible teamwork of case and technical operations officers to succeed in denied area operations. Although each of these cases have been described in more detail elsewhere, what the authors add is the detail of collaboration between techs and C/O’s that are the secret sauce for making these operations work.
Of particular interest, is the outreach by the authors during their careers, to the magician and illusionist talent in Hollywood and elsewhere, some of this described in a previous book by the authors which subsequently became the hit movie, Argo.
Disguise, misdirection, sleight-of-hand concealment devices—keys to the trade of the illusionist—became keys to the success of Moscow Station operations and are discussed in fascinating detail in this book.
Shortly after the time period of the cases described in the book, I had the honor of attending a dinner in Washington with the CIA Director, Deputy Director and their Russian Foreign Intelligence counterparts in a private room at a discreet restaurant in Washington. The CIA Deputy Director at the time, John McLaughlin, is an accomplished magician. He performed a couple of illusions at the dinner, causing the Director of the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service to shake his head and lament that he now knew why the Soviet Union had lost the Cold War.
This book is particularly timely and relevant given the re-emergence of the Russian threat as manifested most visibly in the Russian intelligence effort to undermine confidence in our political system. There seems to be no shortage of former members of the U.S. Intelligence Community and pundits of the Fourth Estate who consider themselves competent to comment on Russian intelligence operations and strategy, almost all of whom have little or no experience in Russian operations. This would be - for them - a useful read. Russia, and particularly the generation of KGB officers represented in Russia’s leadership cadre today, starting with President Vladimir Putin, have our destruction as their objective. As the authors note, “They were always our preeminent adversaries, and while the Soviet Union has become Russia, that has not changed to this day. They knew us then and know us today as the Main Enemy.”
The Moscow Rules earns a prestigious four out of four trench coats.
The Reviewer, Rob Dannenberg, is a 24-year veteran of the CIA, where he served in several senior leadership positions, including chief of the Central Eurasia Division. He was responsible for running Moscow operations from both Headquarters and the field. He is now an independent consultant and speaker on geopolitical and security risk, after serving as the managing director and head of the Office of Global Security for Goldman Sachs.
Editor's Note: One of the authors, Antonio Mendez, passed away earlier this year at the age of 78. Read more about his adventurous life and contributions to the CIA in this New York Times piece.
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