The Spy and the Traitor: The Greatest Espionage Story of the Cold War

by Ben Macintyre

Lenin is often credited with coining the term “useful idiot,” poleznyi durak in Russian, meaning one who can be used to spread propaganda without being aware of it or subscribing to the goals intended by the manipulator.

In May 1981, Yuri Andropov, chairman of the KGB, gathered his senior officers in a secret conclave to issue a startling announcement: America was planning to launch a nuclear first strike, and obliterate the Soviet Union.

Hitchhiking, known as Avtostop, was common in Russia, and encouraged by the Soviet authorities.