The Spy in Moscow Station

A Counterspy's Hunt for a Deadly Cold War Threat

By: Eric Haseltine

Narrated by: Eric Haseltine

This program is read by the author.

The thrilling true story of the race to find a leak in the US embassy in Moscow - before more American assets are rounded up and killed.

Foreword by Gen. Michael V. Hayden (Retd.), former director of NSA and CIA.

In the late 1970s, the National Security Agency still did not officially exist - those in the know referred to it dryly as the No Such Agency. So why, when NSA engineer Charles Gandy filed for a visa to visit Moscow, did the Russian Foreign Ministry assert with confidence that he was a spy?

Outsmarting honey traps and encroaching deep enough into enemy territory to perform complicated technical investigations, Gandy accomplished his mission in Russia but discovered more than State and CIA wanted him to know.

Eric Haseltine's The Spy in Moscow Station tells of a time when - much like today - Russian spycraft had proven itself far beyond the best technology the United States had to offer. The perils of American arrogance mixed with bureaucratic infighting left the country unspeakably vulnerable to ultra-sophisticated Russian electronic surveillance and espionage.

This is the true story of unorthodox underdog intelligence officers who fought an uphill battle against their own government to prove that the KGB had pulled off the most devastating penetration of US national security in history. If you think The Americans isn't riveting enough, you'll love this toe-curling nonfiction thriller.

©2019; 2019 Text copyright by Eric Haseltine; Foreword copyright by Michael V. Hayden (P)2019 Macmillan Audio

Equal parts interesting and frightening.

I recommend this book. The details sometimes warranted a second listen, but it is worth it. Very interesting.

Eye opening

Well narrated spine crawling account of Russia's overlooked capabilities. Embarrassing reveal of how little we have learned to work together as a cohesive IC! We CAN to better, and we owe it to our nation.

good spy thriller

loved it. superb story. could do without the foul language though. I would recommend it.

Such a great book

Never underestimate the resourcefulness of an enemy. This book was great! I’ve recommended to a few already.

A Worthwhile Listen

It's virtually impossible for me to regard anything as ''shocking' by 2022. 'Surprising' is still possible, and I was surprised by the story illustrated here. Of equal take-away was an inherent reminder to 'stop, & then think clearly regardless of predispositions' that runs through it almost continually without being openly harped on. When directly covered in the conclusion it still wasn't a forced matter for conflict but a matter for open, mindful & constructive attention.
The narration by the author was a twofold benefit. Besides knowing the topic well, I thought he was simply very good at narrating.

Intriguing

Very intriguing story. Sometimes a bit technical (appropriately), but fascinating in its detail. The story has a few can’t-stop-reading moments and involves some very interesting individuals. One of the amazing (but perhaps not surprising) parts of the story is the petty interagency squabbling that went on throughout the entire incident. Heads should have rolled over that kind of thing. A great read for anyone interested in espionage.

Extremely interesting and important

Fist of all, there is a lot of totally new material which I've never seen before anywhere else.
Second, the overall situation of relations between Department of State, CIA and NSA is demonstrated on this example very vividly. Overall -- could not put it down. Most likely this book would be more interested to people who understand physics in general, electricity and electromagnetic waves, electronics, etc. in particular. I happened to spend my teenage years with a soldering iron, and so I ate it up.

Haseltine is a good writer

Fascinating topic. Learn about history but with information that is relevant today. A coup in presenting a factual narrative. I recommend this book to those who serve in our secret services as well as those like me who study from afar.

Not like the other great spy novels...this really happened!

The central character is a real unsung hero and American patriot who is convinced that the Soviets are smarter than we are in the high tech world of spying. He has to convince the State Department and other “3-letter” agencies that the Russians have been eating our lunch for years, but can’t come up with a smoking gun for a decade that will convince the jealous bureaucrats. You just can’t write credible fiction this good!

Love this book and the dog

This is a great spy book… Riveting. I also love the narrator’s dog… Listen closely with about two hours and 38 minutes remaining in the book :-) so funny