Intelligence / Agencies / USSR

Barron, John. KGB: The Secret Work of Soviet Secret Agents. New York: Bantam Books, 1974. 624 pages.

Barron, John. KGB Today: The Hidden Hand. New York: Berkley Books, 1983. 425 pages.

In 1974 John Barron, a former intelligence officer and a senior editor of Reader's Digest, received money and researchers from his bosses to write "KGB: The Secret Work of Secret Agents." Most of the book relates the ugly exploits of KGB assassins and disinformationists in typical Digest idiom, based on the debriefings of various defectors. This material was not indexed in NameBase. Of more interest was the appendix of 1,600 names of alleged KGB and GRU officers posted abroad under diplomatic cover. This appendix was a retaliation for "Who's Who in CIA," published in East Germany in 1968 by Julius Mader. Barron told the New York Times (12/25/77, p. 12) that he received "quite a bit of help" from the CIA.

After 11 printings of the 1974 book, Barron followed up with "KGB Today" in 1983. The Digest knows a mass market when it sees one. This new volume had an appendix of 200 names of Soviets expelled from foreign countries for espionage activities.

As with most transliterated names, several variations of spelling are probably in current use. This requires the use of the phonetic or leading letters search in NameBase to find every citation.


Richelson, Jeffrey T. Sword and Shield: The Soviet Intelligence and Security Apparatus. Cambridge MA: Ballinger Publishing, 1986. 279 pages.

Political science professor Jeffrey Richelson is one of the few writers who treats the topic of Soviet intelligence with the detached thoroughness that it ultimately deserves. Too many writers are defectors trying to earn their meal ticket with inside anecdotes, or mass-market authors who collect questionable information from Western intelligence contacts or anti-Communist ideologues.

The chapter headings include History; Structure and Functions of the KGB and GRU; The Soviet National Security Apparatus; HUMINT (officers and agents, embassy ops, cover); Technical Collection (signals intelligence, ocean and space surveillance, nuclear detection monitoring); Open Sources (political, military, and economic intelligence collection); Active Measures (forgeries, propaganda, terrorism, assassinations); Acquisition of Advanced Technology (spying as an alternative to your own R & D); Counterintelligence (penetrations, disinformation, and deception); The Warsaw Pact and Cuban Services; Internal Security; and Political Police Operations. Each of these 12 chapters has an average of 70 endnotes, frequently citing authors who are academic specialists on some aspect of the Soviet system.

Here are the names most frequently mentioned in the above books:

    ABEL RUDOLF I     ABRAHANTES JOSE     AFRO-ASIAN PEOPLES ORGANIZATION     ALEXANDER ARTHUR J     ALEXANDER YONAH     ALEXIEV ALEX     ALIYEV GAIDAR A     AMIN HAFIZULLAH     ANDERS WLADYSLAW     ANDREVICH E A     ANDROPOV YURI V     ANNING NICK     ARTEMIEV VYACHESLAV P     AUBREY CRISPIN     BAGLEY TENNENT H (PETE)     BAKER JOHN C (AUTHOR)     BALL DESMOND     BANDERA STEFAN     BARNETT DAVID HENRY     BAUMGART JOHANN     BELL WILLIAM HOLDEN     BENNETT LESLIE JAMES     BERIA LAVRENTI P     BERMAN ROBERT P     BLAKE GEORGE (SPY)     BLOCK SIDNEY     BLUNT ANTHONY FREDERICK     BOOTH KEN     BOYCE CHRISTOPHER JOHN     BRADLEY J.F.N.     BRANDT WILLY     BUSSERT JAMES C     CAIRNCROSS JOHN C     CARNES CALLAND F (CDR)     CARR EDWARD HALLETT     CASTRO RAUL (BROTHER OF FIDEL)     CHEBRIKOV VIKTOR M     CHECINSKI MICHAEL     CHRISTIAN PEACE CONFERENCE     CLARK PHILIP S     CLARKE DUNCAN     CLEMENS HANS     CLOVERDALE GARRISON B     COBB TYRUS W     COLTON TIMOTHY J     CONQUEST ROBERT     CURRIE KENNETH     DASH BARBARA L     DE JEAN MAURICE     DEANE MICHAEL     DELPHIC ASSOCIATES (FALLS CHURCH VA)     DENCAUSSE HELEN     DERIABIN PETER S     DEUTCH JOHN MARK     DISMUKES BRADFORD     DOUGLASS JOSEPH D JR     DUNLAP JACK EDWARD     DZERZHINSKY FELIKS E     EILTS HERMANN FREDERICK     ELLIS CHARLES HOWARD (DICKIE)     FAINSOD MERLE     FALIN VALENTIN M     FEDORCHUK VITALY V     FELFE HEINZ PAUL JOHANN     FILATOV ANATOLI N     FOSTER RICHARD B     FRENZEL ALFRED     FRIEDZON SERGEI     FRY MICHAEL G     GALLAGHER MATTHEW P     GARTHOFF DOUGLAS     GERHARDT DIETER FELIX     GIBNEY FRANK B     GLEDITSCH NILS PETTER     GODSON ROY C     GOLAN GALIA     GOLITSIN ANATOLI M     GRISHIN V.V.     GROMYKO ANATOLY A     GUILLAUME GUENTHER     HAMBLETON HUGH GEORGE     HAMILTON VICTOR NORRIS     HANLEY MICHAEL (MI5)     HARPER JAMES DURWARD     HASELKORN AVIGDOR     HEBDITCH DAVID     HINGLEY RONALD     HOLLIS ROGER HENRY     HOLLOWAY DAVID (STANFORD UNIV)     HOOD WILLIAM JOSEPH     HOUGH JERRY F     HOUGHTON HARRY FREDERICK     HOZUMI OZAKI     HUDSON JACQUELINE W     HUDSON RICHARD D JR     IGNOTUS PAUL     INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION DEMOCRATIC LAWYERS     INTERNATIONAL FEDERATION RESISTANCE FIGHTERS     INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE PEACE     INTERNATIONAL LIAISON FORUM PEACE FORCES     INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATION JOURNALISTS     INTERNATIONAL RADIO TV ORGANIZATION     INTERNATIONAL UNION STUDENTS     IVASHUTIN PETR IVANOVICH     JACKSON WILLIAM D     JACOB BERTHOLD     JACOBSEN CARL G     JEANMAIRE JEAN-LOUIS     JENKINS BRIAN MICHAEL     JOHN OTTO     JOHNSON NICHOLAS L     JONES ELLEN     KAMPILES WILLIAM PETER     KELMER JACOB     KHARKHARDIN OLEY     KLASS PHILIP J     KNIGHT AMY W     KOECHER KARL F     KOVSHUK V M     KRAMER SAUNDERS B     KRIVITSKY WALTER G     KUNAYEV DINMUKAHMED A     LATSIS MARTIN     LEE ANDREW DAULTON     LEGGETT GEORGE     LENIN VLADIMIR     LEVCHENKO STANISLAV A     LEVYTSKY BORIS     LIGACHEV YEGOR K     LONSDALE GORDON ARNOLD (KONON MOLODI)     LOWENHARDT JOHN     LUEDKE HERMANN     LUNTS DANIEL     MACKENZIE COMPTON     MADER JULIUS     MANN THOMAS CLIFTON     MCGWIRE MICHAEL     MEDVEDEV ZHORES A     MELVERN LINDA     MENDEZ COMINCHES JOSE (DGI)     MERTSKOV KIRIL     MEYER CORD JR     MILLER RICHARD W (FBI)     MISTRETTA JAMES     MOGHRARRABI AHMAD     MONTANE OROPESA JESUS     MOSS ROBERT     MYAGOV ALEKSEI     NATIONAL COUNCIL AMERICAN-SOVIET FRIENDSHIP     NIKOLAY WALTER     NOSENKO YURI I     NOVOSTI PRESS AGENCY     OSBORNE RICHARD W     PAQUES GEORGES     PATHE PIERRE-CHARLES     PEEBLES CURTIS     PERRY GEOFFREY E     PETERSON MARTHA D     PHILBY KIM     PICKERING THOMAS REEVE     PINEIRO LOSADA MANUEL     PITOVRANOV YEVGENY PETROVICH     PLOSS SIDNEY     POLMAR NORMAN     PONOMAREV BORIS N     POPOV PYOTR S     POWER ALLAN M     PRADOS JOHN     PRIME GEOFFREY ARTHUR     REBET LEV     REDDAWAY PETER     REES DAVID     REILLY SIDNEY GEORGE     REITZ JAMES T     RICE CONDOLEEZZA     ROYAL CANADIAN MOUNTED POLICE     RYZHKOV NIKOLAI I     SADYKIEWICZ MICHAEL     SCHAPIRO LEONARD BERTRAM     SCHERBITSKIY V V     SCHWARTZ MORTON     SCOTT HARRIET FAST     SCOTT WILLIAM F (COL)     SEJNA JAN     SEROV IVAN A     SHARFMAN PETER     SHARPE THOMAS (NSIC)     SHEVARDNADZE EDUARD A     SHEVCHENKO ARKADY N     SHISHKEVISH CHARLES     SHULTZ RICHARD H JR     SIEMINSKI GREGORY C     SLUSSER ROBERT M     SMITH THOMAS W.M.     SOKOLOVSKIY V D     SOLL RICHARD A     SOLOMENTSEV MIKHAIL S     SORGE RICHARD     STARES PAUL B     STASHYNSKY BOGDAN     SULLIVAN WILLIAM C     SUTHERLAND DOUGLAS     SUVOROV VIKTOR     TASS NEWS AGENCY     TEAGUE ELIZABETH     TIKHONOV NIKOLAI A     TREHOLT ARNE     TROTSKY LEON     USLAMER EDGAR     VAKHRUSHEV VASSILI V     VALENTA JIRI     VASSALL WILLIAM JOHN     VIRAG PETER     VOLKOV KONSTANTIN     VOROTNIKOV VITALY I     WENNERSTROM STIG ERIC     WHALEN WILLIAM HENRY     WHALEY BARTON     WILKES OWEN     WIMBUSH S ENDERS     WOHLSTETTER ALBERT J     WOLIN SIMON     WOMENS INTERNATIONAL DEMOCRATIC FEDERATION     WORLD FEDERATION DEMOCRATIC YOUTH     WORLD PEACE COUNCIL     ZAMYATIN LEONID M     ZUEHLKE ARTHUR A JR

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