In this extraordinary Cold War intelligence operation, Ryszard Kuklinski, a respected colonel in the Polish army, plays the leading role. In August 1972, he made contact with the American embassy in Bonn to arrange a secret meeting. He expressed his disgust with the Soviet occupation and his conviction that Poland was on the wrong side of the Cold War.
Over nine years, Kuklinski, under the codename 'Jack Strong,' rose rapidly within the Polish Ministry of Defense. He served as a liaison to Moscow and helped prepare for a possible war with the West. At the same time, he led a dangerous double life, full of secret messages, hidden cameras, and clandestine transmissions. In 1981, he revealed CIA plans to suppress the Solidarity trade union. When his discovery was imminent, he fled with his family to the West, where he has since lived in secrecy.
This story reveals a personal struggle over loyalty: was Kuklinski a traitor or a patriot? Based on extensive interviews and access to secret CIA archives, Benjamin Weiser provides a profound and detailed insight into this hidden episode of the Cold War.