Thursday, July 20, 2017

SPIES IN THE FAMILY : AN AMERICAN SPYMASTER, HIS RUSSIAN CROWN JEWEL, AND THE FRIENDSHIP THAT HELPED END THE COLD WAR
by Eva Dillon

Seventeen years after the early death of Paul Dillon (1997), his daughter, Eva, along with her brothers, went over to the house they had lived in sporadically in Virginia. They were there to clean it out and what they found in the attic was very surprising. Cardboard boxes were filled with letters, magazines and newspaper articles, pictures, and mementos that covered the entire span of the family's life. One of the magazines called George had an article about Eva's father. It said that Dillon was "an unsung hero of the Cold War." While working for the CIA, he was the case officer (handler) for a Soviet intelligence officer. This Soviet spy named Dmitri Fedorovich Polyakov became the most valuable asset the CIA had ever had. Of course, the spy's name was not revealed in the article; only that he spied on the Russians for the United States during a period of eighteen years. The fact that Eva's father was so deeply involved with this top Soviet spy was earth-shattering. He obviously had secrets and never explained what was going on to his children as they moved around from country to country. They thought he was a U.S. State Department employee and never asked questions. After finding this tremendous treasure trove of information, Eva was determined to learn more about her father's life.
I never tire at reading books about spies, especially the ones who are traitors to the United States. Spies in the Family does have these despicable scumbags written about here, but Polyakov was not that kind of man. Normally the reason that people spy and give out classified information to another country is because they are in need of an excessive amount of money. Not so with Polyakov. He offered his services to the United States because he was disgusted with what was going on in the Soviet Union, the lies that were being told to the citizens, the dislike he had for its leaders, and had a very favorable impression of America. So he was never paid with any cash. Instead, the CIA agents gave him small gifts for his children and to the Russian employees Polyakov worked with. The very close relationship he had with Dillon was a "match made in heaven." It was productive, they trusted one another, were co-conspirators, and became friends. The intelligence flowed to monumental proportions. And then it stopped because of a betrayal.
Spies in the Family is a riveting story and if you're an aficionado of espionage, you'll definitely want to read this book. Eva Dillon is a terrific writer and was lucky to have had interviews with many of her father's former colleagues at the CIA. She even got to interview Polyakov's son, Alexander.
Not to be missed.
Very highly recommended.