Sergei Kourdakov, a former KGB agent and Soviet naval intelligence officer, defected from the USSR at the age of twenty. A year later we met at my Federal Government office in Washington DC. We were watched and followed. “Even you could be spy,” Sergei whispered. My book, A Rose for Sergei, is the true story of our time together.

Thursday, January 28, 2016

Blame It On The Blizzard | Investigating Sergei Kourdakov


There was a lot of snow to shovel out of our driveway this week—over 40 inches.  Snowbound for five days means extra time for internet browsing, which can be okay.  I found some books for my to-read list, and sparkly jewelry to pin on my “Have a Heart” board on Pinterest.  I blame the idle hours online on the Blizzard of 2016 (aka Snowzilla) that hit the east coast.  At least we had electricity.

That snow-stuck-at-home internet searching also led to finding some pretty harsh comments about Soviet KGB defector Sergei Kourdakov, author of The Persecutor.  Some proclaim that Sergei and his book are all a lie.  Those beliefs are exactly the reason why I wrote A Rose for Sergei.  Those beliefs are why I told a story that I kept to myself for over forty years.  Those beliefs are why I finally had to speak out.

I’ve mentioned it before in my blog—that Sergei’s background was thoroughly checked out by government agencies.  I don’t think that fact sinks in with some people, or that they fully understand what “checked out” implies.  Investigating Sergei’s background was not a simple call to the KGB to ask them to verify Sergei’s employment.  Sorry, I’m being facetious.  I wonder if people have any idea what that type of investigation entails.  The INTEL, or intelligence gathering, was ongoing and the information received corroborated Sergei’s story.  Over the course of several months the facts maintained their integrity.  Sergei Kourdakov was telling the truth.


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