An Impeccable Spy

Richard Sorge, Stalin’s Master Agent

Nonfiction, History, Asian, Russia, Social & Cultural Studies, Political Science
Cover of the book An Impeccable Spy by Owen Matthews, Bloomsbury Publishing
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Owen Matthews ISBN: 9781408857809
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing Publication: March 21, 2019
Imprint: Bloomsbury Publishing Language: English
Author: Owen Matthews
ISBN: 9781408857809
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Publication: March 21, 2019
Imprint: Bloomsbury Publishing
Language: English

'The most formidable spy in history' Ian Fleming

'A superb biography ... More than a hundred books have been written about him and this is undoubtedly the best' Ben Macintyre

Richard Sorge was a man with two homelands. Born of a German father and a Russian mother in Baku in 1895, he moved in a world of shifting alliances and infinite possibility. A member of the angry and deluded generation who found new, radical faiths after their experiences on the battlefields of the First World War, Sorge became a fanatical communist – and the Soviet Union's most formidable spy.

Like many great spies, Sorge was an effortless seducer, combining charm with ruthless manipulation. He did not have to go undercover to find out closely guarded state secrets – his victims willingly shared them. As a foreign correspondent, he infiltrated and influenced the highest echelons of German, Chinese and Japanese society in the years leading up to and including the Second World War. His intelligence regarding Operation Barbarossa and Japanese intentions not to invade Siberia in 1941 proved pivotal to the Soviet counteroffensive in the Battle of Moscow, which in turn determined the outcome of the war.

Never before has Sorge's story been told from the Russian side as well as the German and Japanese. Owen Matthews takes a sweeping historical perspective and draws on a wealth of declassified Soviet archives – along with testimonies from those who knew and worked with Sorge – to rescue the riveting story of the man described by Ian Fleming as 'the most formidable spy in history'.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

'The most formidable spy in history' Ian Fleming

'A superb biography ... More than a hundred books have been written about him and this is undoubtedly the best' Ben Macintyre

Richard Sorge was a man with two homelands. Born of a German father and a Russian mother in Baku in 1895, he moved in a world of shifting alliances and infinite possibility. A member of the angry and deluded generation who found new, radical faiths after their experiences on the battlefields of the First World War, Sorge became a fanatical communist – and the Soviet Union's most formidable spy.

Like many great spies, Sorge was an effortless seducer, combining charm with ruthless manipulation. He did not have to go undercover to find out closely guarded state secrets – his victims willingly shared them. As a foreign correspondent, he infiltrated and influenced the highest echelons of German, Chinese and Japanese society in the years leading up to and including the Second World War. His intelligence regarding Operation Barbarossa and Japanese intentions not to invade Siberia in 1941 proved pivotal to the Soviet counteroffensive in the Battle of Moscow, which in turn determined the outcome of the war.

Never before has Sorge's story been told from the Russian side as well as the German and Japanese. Owen Matthews takes a sweeping historical perspective and draws on a wealth of declassified Soviet archives – along with testimonies from those who knew and worked with Sorge – to rescue the riveting story of the man described by Ian Fleming as 'the most formidable spy in history'.

More books from Bloomsbury Publishing

Cover of the book Shenandoah 1864 by Owen Matthews
Cover of the book Captain Amazing by Owen Matthews
Cover of the book The Salvation Army by Owen Matthews
Cover of the book New Perspectives on Young Children's Moral Education by Owen Matthews
Cover of the book The Holy City by Owen Matthews
Cover of the book Eleanor Rigby by Owen Matthews
Cover of the book R. G. Collingwood: A Research Companion by Owen Matthews
Cover of the book The Essence of Truth by Owen Matthews
Cover of the book My Best Friend, Maybe by Owen Matthews
Cover of the book Early Islamic Iran by Owen Matthews
Cover of the book Dutch Armies of the 80 Years’ War 1568–1648 (2) by Owen Matthews
Cover of the book Education and NGOs by Owen Matthews
Cover of the book Mood Music by Owen Matthews
Cover of the book Cook with Kids by Owen Matthews
Cover of the book 100 Must-read Crime Novels by Owen Matthews
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy