Near and Distant Neighbors

"A detailed appraisal of how the Soviet Union handled undercover operations from the communist revolution in 1917 until the end of the cold war. The most gripping chapters focus on the chaos that was unleashed by Josef Stalin."—The Economist (Books of the Year 2015)

"Haslam takes seriously the task of tracing the history of Soviet espionage, to the extent that old and new sources allow. He acknowledges the significant obstacles that stand in the way, but his book fills in some large gaps. It covers the Soviets’ often bumbling early intelligence efforts in the years immediately following the 1917 Russian Revolution, as well as the increasingly professionalized operations of the 1920s and 1930s, when the Soviets 'turned' Western leftists to the cause until Western intelligence agencies caught on and began dismantling the Soviet network after World War II. He reveals a striking divide between the 1930s and the post-Stalin years: in the earlier era, Westerners who allowed themselves to be recruited to the Soviet side were often idealistic; in the later years, such recruits were more frequently merely venal."—Robert Legvold, Foreign Affairs

"The author writes authoritatively, deftly managing his labyrinth of ruthless personalities . . . A well-executed narrative of the mechanics behind the Cold War that may be a bit too dense and/or dry for casual readers."—Kirkus Reviews