From Warsaw with Love

More about the book

In 1990, shortly after Poland's first democratic election in decades, the new government sent a veteran spy to rescue six American officers trapped in Baghdad. The CIA sought Poland's assistance as the U.S. scrambled for allies against Saddam Hussein's invasion of Kuwait. The captured Americans possessed critical intelligence, and their compromise could have jeopardized Desert Storm. John Pomfret's compelling account of this unusual mission uncovers the complex relationship between Poland and the U.S. The CIA had long admired the tradecraft of Polish intelligence, which had previously stolen military secrets from America during the Carter administration. Following the fall of the Berlin Wall, the agency recruited Poland's ex-communist spies as allies, leading to global operations. This cooperation continued after Poland joined NATO in 1999, with Polish operatives conducting missions in Iran and North Korea. After 9/11, the Polish government even permitted the CIA to establish a black site in Poland for interrogating suspected terrorists. As tensions rise between the U.S., Russia, and China, Pomfret revisits these lesser-known events, highlighting the vital role of allies in a perilous world.