Culture

Spies: The Rise and Fall of the KGB in America by John Earl Haynes, Harvey Klehr and Alexander Vassiliev

Spies: The Rise and Fall of the KGB in America BY Mr. John Earl Haynes, Mr. Harvey Klehr, Alexander Vassiliev. Yale University Press. Hardcover, 704 pages. $35.
Cover of Spies: The Rise and Fall of the KGB in America

Revisionist history is often a bitter pill to swallow, especially when the consensus has permeated the very language of the debate. In the early 1950s, one crucial issue divided American public opinion, and continued to do so for decades. The question centred on the nature of Soviet communism, and the internal threat posed by American agents working for the KGB in the United States. Was the ‘Konspiratsia’ real, or were the accusers simply political fantasists seeking ‘Reds under the beds’? The answer lies within the pages of John Earl Haynes and Harvey Klehr’s remarkable book.