Jack Barsky, a former KGB agent, shares his undercover experience in the United States. Born and raised in East Germany, he was recruited by the KGB at the age of 21 while studying chemistry. He worked undercover in the US for ten years, during which time he traveled extensively, including to New York, Washington DC, and San Francisco. His mission involved establishing himself as an American citizen and opening a business in a Western European country to receive funding from the KGB. However, he was unable to obtain a US passport due to discrepancies in his application, leading him to return to Moscow for debriefing. Despite the failure, Barsky considers his experience a valuable learning opportunity.
1. The speaker's name is Jack Barsky.
2. He was born and raised in East Germany.
3. He was recruited by the KGB.
4. He is the only known undercover KGB agent who worked in the United States.
5. He worked for the KGB in the United States for ten years.
6. He is now a US citizen.
7. He is ready to share details about his past as a KGB agent.
8. He was a third-year student in East Germany, studying chemistry.
9. He was an A student and worked hard for his grades.
10. He was approached by a government official who asked if he could imagine working for the government.
11. He was then handed over to someone with a Russian accent, indicating he was working with the KGB.
12. He was thrilled to be working with what was at the time the most powerful organization in the world, the KGB.
13. He was told that whatever they were discussing was secret and that he was a secret agent.
14. He was not offered money or power, but was asked to serve the cause.
15. He was motivated by the idea of helping the Soviet Union and the Eastern camp to defeat the capitalists and establish a worker's paradise on the entire planet.
16. He was also motivated by the idea of living a good life in the West.
17. He was trained in various aspects of espionage, including secret writing, encryption, decryption, shortwave radio, Morse code, houndour, surveillance, secret investigations, and how a Western government operates.
18. He was also trained in English and other languages.
19. He was sent to Moscow for two years of intensive language training.
20. After his language training, he was sent to the United States with a cover story involving false passports, West Germans, and a Canadian passport.
21. He was instructed to establish himself as an American, get all the identification that will make him a bonafide citizen, and mingle with interesting people.
22. There were three places in the United States where he could interact with someone from the KGB: New York, the United Nations in Washington DC, and San Francisco.
23. He was discouraged from applying for a US passport due to doubts about his ID.
24. He was debriefed in Moscow after the failure of his attempt to get a US passport.
25. Despite the failure, he was still considered a valuable asset by the KGB.