Cold War Exiles and the CIA: Plotting to Free Russia

During the Cold War, the CIA supported Russian exiles in Germany to conduct propaganda, espionage, and subversion operations against the Soviet Union. This engagement entangled the CIA with the internal struggles of Russia abroad and the espionage wars in divided Germany, resulting in a transnational political sphere involving Russian exiles, American and German anti-communists, and spies. The CIA's patronage of Russian exiles inadvertently forged a complex sub-front in the wider Cold War, highlighting the ways in which the hostilities of the Cold War played out in ancillary conflicts involving proxies and non-state actors.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 352 pages
Publication date: 28 February 2023
Publisher: Oxford University Press

The United States government launched covert operations during the Cold War in the 1950s to undermine the Soviet Union. As part of these efforts, the CIA committed to supporting Russian exiles, populations uprooted either during World War Two or by the Russian Revolution decades before. The CIA directed these uprooted Russians to carry out propaganda, espionage, and subversion operations from their home base in West Germany. It was believed that the Russians, who had experienced firsthand the hardships of communism, were well-suited to fight in the American secret war against communism. However, the American engagement with Russian exiles had unforeseen consequences.

Cold War Exiles and the CIA, by drawing on recently declassified and previously untapped sources, explores how the CIA's Russian operations became entangled with the internal struggles of Russia abroad and the espionage wars of the superpowers in divided Germany. The book reveals how the CIA's patronage of Russian exiles forged a complex sub-front in the wider Cold War, demonstrating the ways in which the hostilities of the Cold War played out in ancillary conflicts involving proxies and non-state actors.

The Russian exiles played a significant role in the American secret war against communism. They were often skilled in propaganda, espionage, and subversion, and the CIA provided them with resources and support. However, the CIA's involvement in Russian affairs also had unintended consequences. The support for Russian exiles created tensions with other factions within the Soviet Union, including the KGB and the Communist Party. This led to a complex web of espionage and counter-espionage, with spies operating on both sides of the Iron Curtain.

The CIA's patronage of Russian exiles also had implications for the wider Cold War. It contributed to the polarization of the world, as the United States and the Soviet Union became increasingly embattled in a geopolitical struggle. The support for Russian exiles also undermined the credibility of the United Nations, as it appeared that the organization was willing to overlook the human rights abuses of communist regimes in order to advance its own political agenda.

In conclusion, Cold War Exiles and the CIA provides a valuable insight into the complex relationship between the United States government, Russian exiles, and the wider Cold War. The book demonstrates how the CIA's patronage of Russian exiles forged a complex sub-front in the wider Cold War, involving different groups of Russian exiles, American and German anti-communists, and spies operating on both sides of the Iron Curtain. The book also highlights the unintended consequences of the American engagement with Russian exiles, including tensions with other factions within the Soviet Union, the polarization of the world, and the undermining of the credibility of the United Nations.

Weight: 532g
Dimension: 235 x 157 x 18 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780198880691