The Secret World

by Peter Deriabin

Soviet Studies, U.S. Politics, International Affairs, Non-fiction.

Genres: Espionage, History

405 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published October 12, 1982

Reviews

[James Crabtree · Rating 4 out of 5]

Originally written in the 1950s, this book is nonetheless a great look at the KGB as it was organized back then and how communist secret police organizations work in general. Not only does it provide a step-by-step example of how cases against Soviet citizens were built but it also has hard-to-find information on how the Kremlin Guard, the personal security arm of the KGB, worked to both protect the leadership and keep the Center (Moscow) secure. Deriabin's personal story of how he wound up going from conscript to politruk to KGB officer is instructive and eye-opening. His escape from the Soviet Zone in Vienna and subsequent death warrant are almost an anticlimax.

This is the book you want if you are looking to write a spy novel set in the 1950s!