Special Tasks
Encyclopedia
Special Tasks: The Memoirs of an Unwanted Witness—A Soviet Spymaster is the autobiography
of Pavel Sudoplatov
, who was a member of the intelligence services of the Soviet Union
who rose to the rank of major general
; when it was published in 1994, it caused a considerable uproar, for a number of reasons. It also made him well-known outside Russia
, and provided a detailed look at Soviet intelligence and Soviet internal politics during his years at the top.
The book contains a number of incorrect statements. One example is the misidentification of the source codenamed "MLAD" as Bruno Pontecorvo
, instead of Theodore Hall
. Various reasons for this are possible; for one, as the book was written over 40 years later, Sudoplatov's memory may have been in error. (The transcript of the interview where he made the error http://www.fas.org/faspir/pir0694.html records him responding to a question as to whether MLAD was Pontecorvo by saying "I think so; Yes.") Also, Hall was at the time unknown in the West, and Sudoplatov may have wished to protect him. Other mis-statements have been attributed to a desire on the part of Sudoplatov (who never changed his allegiance) to cause trouble in the West.
Still, the book contains a great deal of material that is of value, and even critics who note problems with it feel that it has considerable value. For instance, Alexei Kojevnikov wrote that "Sudoplatov is quite reliable when he writes about his own unit, subordinates and, probably, agents directly connected to it and their assignments." http://www.fas.org/faspir/pir0694.html Overall, it is important as a rare, detailed, inside view of the Soviet intelligence agencies during their golden era, and of the power struggles at the top of the Soviet system during and just after the death of Stalin.
, Robert Oppenheimer
and others, while not agents for the Soviets, had provided (in some cases unwittingly) information that was useful to the Soviet atomic bomb program; this has been deeply disputed.
The dispute is about very subtle points: there is no question, for instance, that Bohr met with a Soviet intelligence agent, and discussed atomic questions with him (the transcript of the meeting has been made public by the Russian State Archives); the issue is whether anything he said was not merely a repetition of information that was already public, and how much help (if any) Bohr's statements were to the Soviet atomic program. The fact that so many people were involved in creating the text may have subtly changed the meaning of Sudoplatov's statements, which would be a problem when treating such a diffuse topic.
The book also confirmed that Julius and Ethel Rosenberg
had worked for Soviet intelligence, although it pointed out that their role was not very important.
For instance, the events surrounding the falls of Nikolai Yezhov
and Lavrentii Beria are given in considerable detail, as are the events in the Soviet Union leading up to World War II
, and Joseph Stalin
's reaction to the outbreak of the war.
A number of parties, including Russia's own Foreign Intelligence Service, contended that Sudoplatov exaggerated his own role when writing his autobiography. Members of the Soviet atomic bomb project
felt Sudoplatov's claims about the amount of information provided to them by Soviet intelligence denigrated the scientists' role in the creation of Soviet atomic bombs.
Autobiography
An autobiography is a book about the life of a person, written by that person.-Origin of the term:...
of Pavel Sudoplatov
Pavel Sudoplatov
Lieutenant General Pavel Anatolyevich Sudoplatov was a member of the intelligence services of the Soviet Union who rose to the rank of lieutenant general...
, who was a member of the intelligence services of the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
who rose to the rank of major general
Major General
Major general or major-general is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. A major general is a high-ranking officer, normally subordinate to the rank of lieutenant general and senior to the ranks of brigadier and brigadier general...
; when it was published in 1994, it caused a considerable uproar, for a number of reasons. It also made him well-known outside Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, and provided a detailed look at Soviet intelligence and Soviet internal politics during his years at the top.
Problems and value
It is a somewhat problematic work for several reasons. For one, it was based in large part on Sudoplatov's memory, 40 years or more after the events which form the bulk of the book. For another, it was written with the help of his son Anatoli and two American writers, Jerrold and Leona Schecter, with Sudoplatov's contributions being a series of interviews, which the others turned into a book. Finally, the Schecters have produced other works on this topic which are problematic. http://hnn.us/articles/816.html.The book contains a number of incorrect statements. One example is the misidentification of the source codenamed "MLAD" as Bruno Pontecorvo
Bruno Pontecorvo
Bruno Pontecorvo was an Italian-born nuclear physicist, an early assistant of Enrico Fermi and then the author of numerous studies in high energy physics, especially on neutrinos. According to Oleg Gordievsky and Pavel Sudoplatov , Pontecorvo was also a Soviet agent...
, instead of Theodore Hall
Theodore Hall
Theodore Alvin Hall was an American physicist and an atomic spy for the Soviet Union, who, during his work on US efforts to develop the first atomic bomb during World War II , gave a detailed description of the "Fat Man" plutonium bomb, and of processes for purifying plutonium, to Soviet...
. Various reasons for this are possible; for one, as the book was written over 40 years later, Sudoplatov's memory may have been in error. (The transcript of the interview where he made the error http://www.fas.org/faspir/pir0694.html records him responding to a question as to whether MLAD was Pontecorvo by saying "I think so; Yes.") Also, Hall was at the time unknown in the West, and Sudoplatov may have wished to protect him. Other mis-statements have been attributed to a desire on the part of Sudoplatov (who never changed his allegiance) to cause trouble in the West.
Still, the book contains a great deal of material that is of value, and even critics who note problems with it feel that it has considerable value. For instance, Alexei Kojevnikov wrote that "Sudoplatov is quite reliable when he writes about his own unit, subordinates and, probably, agents directly connected to it and their assignments." http://www.fas.org/faspir/pir0694.html Overall, it is important as a rare, detailed, inside view of the Soviet intelligence agencies during their golden era, and of the power struggles at the top of the Soviet system during and just after the death of Stalin.
Atomic espionage controversy
The principal source of controversy it engendered was that it stated that a number of Western scientists, including Niels BohrNiels Bohr
Niels Henrik David Bohr was a Danish physicist who made foundational contributions to understanding atomic structure and quantum mechanics, for which he received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1922. Bohr mentored and collaborated with many of the top physicists of the century at his institute in...
, Robert Oppenheimer
Robert Oppenheimer
Julius Robert Oppenheimer was an American theoretical physicist and professor of physics at the University of California, Berkeley. Along with Enrico Fermi, he is often called the "father of the atomic bomb" for his role in the Manhattan Project, the World War II project that developed the first...
and others, while not agents for the Soviets, had provided (in some cases unwittingly) information that was useful to the Soviet atomic bomb program; this has been deeply disputed.
The dispute is about very subtle points: there is no question, for instance, that Bohr met with a Soviet intelligence agent, and discussed atomic questions with him (the transcript of the meeting has been made public by the Russian State Archives); the issue is whether anything he said was not merely a repetition of information that was already public, and how much help (if any) Bohr's statements were to the Soviet atomic program. The fact that so many people were involved in creating the text may have subtly changed the meaning of Sudoplatov's statements, which would be a problem when treating such a diffuse topic.
The book also confirmed that Julius and Ethel Rosenberg
Julius and Ethel Rosenberg
Ethel Greenglass Rosenberg and Julius Rosenberg were American communists who were convicted and executed in 1953 for conspiracy to commit espionage during a time of war. The charges related to their passing information about the atomic bomb to the Soviet Union...
had worked for Soviet intelligence, although it pointed out that their role was not very important.
Other subjects
However, the material on the atomic espionage is only a small part of the book. It also details many Soviet intelligence operations, mostly those with which Sudoplatov has personal involvement. For the period after Sudoplatov's arrival in Moscow, it also discusses the political machinations, both inside the intelligence services, and at the top of the Soviet Government.For instance, the events surrounding the falls of Nikolai Yezhov
Nikolai Yezhov
Nikolai Ivanovich Yezhov or Ezhov was a senior figure in the NKVD under Joseph Stalin during the period of the Great Purge. His reign is sometimes known as the "Yezhovshchina" , "the Yezhov era", a term that began to be used during the de-Stalinization campaign of the 1950s...
and Lavrentii Beria are given in considerable detail, as are the events in the Soviet Union leading up to World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, and Joseph Stalin
Joseph Stalin
Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin was the Premier of the Soviet Union from 6 May 1941 to 5 March 1953. He was among the Bolshevik revolutionaries who brought about the October Revolution and had held the position of first General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union's Central Committee...
's reaction to the outbreak of the war.
Other reactions
The intense controversy around the atomic information charges led to questions about who had really written the book, and whether Sudoplatov had deliberately made misrepresentations.A number of parties, including Russia's own Foreign Intelligence Service, contended that Sudoplatov exaggerated his own role when writing his autobiography. Members of the Soviet atomic bomb project
Soviet atomic bomb project
The Soviet project to develop an atomic bomb , was a clandestine research and development program began during and post-World War II, in the wake of the Soviet Union's discovery of the United States' nuclear project...
felt Sudoplatov's claims about the amount of information provided to them by Soviet intelligence denigrated the scientists' role in the creation of Soviet atomic bombs.
Further reading
- Pavel Sudoplatov, Anatoli Sudoplatov, Jerrold L. Schecter, Leona P. Schecter, Special Tasks: The Memoirs of an Unwanted Witness—A Soviet Spymaster (Little, Brown and CompanyLittle, Brown and CompanyLittle, Brown and Company is a publishing house established by Charles Coffin Little and his partner, James Brown. Since 2006 it has been a constituent unit of Hachette Book Group USA.-19th century:...
, Boston, 1994). ISBN 0316773522
External links
- Review in the Canadian Journal of History: Reviews
- Review in Foreign AffairsForeign AffairsForeign Affairs is an American magazine and website on international relations and U.S. foreign policy published since 1922 by the Council on Foreign Relations six times annually...
- Atomic Secrets: Who Were The Spies?
- Atomic Spies?: The Implosion of the Sudoplatov Charges
- Review of another book by the Schecters; includes comments about this one