The World Was Going Our Way

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In 1992, the British Secret Intelligence Service extracted a defector from Russia whose identity remained a secret until 1999. This defector, Vasili Mitrokhin, was the KGB's senior archivist who, unbeknownst to his superiors, spent over a decade creating notes and transcripts of classified files, risking his life to smuggle them out. The FBI called this archive "the greatest single cache of intelligence ever received by the West." Christopher Andrew, in his earlier work, unveiled the KGB's operations in the U.S. and Europe; now, he provides a comprehensive account of the KGB's influence in the Third World. Understanding contemporary global dynamics requires acknowledging the KGB's significant impact on developing nations. Andrew reveals names of political leaders on the KGB payroll and details the agency's successful infiltration of various foreign governments. He also highlights the absurdities of KGB operations, such as agents gauging rival Chinese influence by counting Mao Tse Tung posters in African capitals. For decades, the KGB operated under the belief that the world was aligning with their interests, while American leaders feared losing the Cold War in these regions. This remarkable work reshapes our understanding of twentieth-century history.