The Main Enemy by Milt Bearden| James Risen [rare books]

Book Summary

The Main Enemy is a riveting, deeply sourced account of the covert spy war between the CIA and the KGB during the final decade of the Cold War. Cowritten by veteran CIA officer Milt Bearden and Pulitzer Prizewinning reporter James Risen, the book chronicles the socalled Year of the Spy (198586), when Soviet counterintelligence decimated U.S. networks in Moscow. It then follows operations through Afghanistanwith Beardens role training and supplying the mujahideenand culminates in the political tremors of 19891991: the fall of the Berlin Wall, revolutions across Eastern Europe, and the Soviet Unions collapse .

Based on extensive interviews with intelligence operatives from both sides, the narrative offers behindthescenes insights: ambushes in Moscows sewers, KGB double agents, clandestine back channels between rival agencies, and D.C. policy decisions at the highest levels of the CIA and Kremlin alike. The result is a fastpaced, cinematic history of espionage that reads like a thrilleryet is grounded entirely in factand reveals the pivotal men and operations that shaped the Cold Wars closing chapter .

About the Authors

Milt Bearden, a career clandestine operations officer, served over three decades in the CIA. He led covert action in Pakistan and Afghanistan, training the mujahideen, and later directed the Soviet/East European Division during the final collapse of the USSR. He holds the CIAs Distinguished Intelligence Medal and the Donovan Award . After retiring, he became an author, commentator, and film consultantcontributing to documentaries like Secret Warriors and The Power of Nightmares

James Risen is a national security correspondent for The New York Times and cowinner of the Pulitzer Prize for coverage of terrorism in 2002. His investigative reporting on intelligence mattersincluding the Sept.11 attacks and Irans nuclear programhas made him a leading authority on espionage history .