Ilya Dzhirkvelov "Secret Servant: My Life With the KGB and the Soviet Elite."
Blending autobiography with critical commentary on the criminal Soviet system, an ex-KGB agent who defected to the West in 1980 summarizes his KGB career and provides inside testimony about the Soviet intelligence system and how it operates.
Dzhirkvelov writes that although he never opposed the Soviet regime, he was disturbed by the increasing corruption of the privileged elite, the fierce power struggles at the top, the heavy drinking and immoral ways of the ideological leaders "and their utter contempt for the ordinary people."
He was especially disturbed when his spy masters began treating him with contempt; he defected to the West in 1980. A 30-year veteran of the KGB, Dzhirkvelov's descriptions of organizational structures at various levels along with operational techniques including activities he took part in represent a rare insider's look at the criminal Soviet security system. On the other hand, this defector claims that the 1953 "doctor's plot" against Stalin was nothing more than "an amusing idea" of the Western media, that the KGB is not as powerful as is generally thought in the West.
Used book. Very minor shelf wear from rubbing. Bookstore's price on the first page. Otherwise, very good, nice and clean.