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Inside the Aquarium: The Making of a Top Soviet Spy

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In the opening pages of "Inside the Aquarium" the narrator, ex-Soviet agent Viktor Suvorov, describes his first memory as a member of Soviet Military Intelligence: watching a film of an execution of a would-be defector. The officer in question was strapped into a coffin with an open lid, elevated slightly so he could see what was coming, and then traversed slowly down a conveyor belt into a blast furnace, screaming all the way.

With this gut-wrenching scene, Suvorov opens "Inside the Aquarium", his tale of how he was recruited, served, and ultimately defected from, the GRU, the military counterpart (and rival) of the communist KGB.

As an officer, Suvorov was the cream of the cream. A company commander, he participated in the "liberation" of Czechoslovakia in '68, served a tour on the General Staff and in the Spetznaz (the elite Soviet special forces) and was ultimately tapped for service with the GRU, an organization hardly anyone had heard of but whose impact could scarcely have been greater during the Cold War.

Suvorov described the mission, organization, scope and accomplishments of this massive octopus in his companion work, "Inside Soviet Military Intelligence." In sum, its mission was to recruit foreign agents, spy, and steal technology from the West using any and all means -- from bribery and blackmail to intimidation and murder.

Suvorov has many spy tales to enthrall the reader -- his physical and psychological training pitted him against condemned inmates in hand-to-hand combat, punished lapses of memory with electrical shocks, and strove to exploit his emotional pressure points at every turn, until he was for all appearances just the type of pitiless machine-man communism hoped to produce. And his field experiences in the West are an unrelenting tale of deceit, lies and ruthless manipulation. There was nothing the GRU wouldn't do to get its hands on foreign technology and the foreign agents willing to sell it. Success meant medals, promotion and respect; failure meant disgrace, torture and sometimes execution. In Intelligence, like Hollywood, you're only as good as your last job, and the mantra of Suvorov's superiors was unvaryingly: "What have you done for me today?"

The book is most effective for me, however, in conveying the mental and emotional atmosphere which living in the communist penitentiary state produced among its inmates. As a GRU agent, Suvorov had unheard-of priveleges and status, yet the unyeilding pressure to produce results "or else", the knowledge that his every word, action and even facial expression was under constant scrutiny from psychologists and superiors, and the unspoken knowledge that many of his assignments were actually tests of his willingness to betray his friends, all brought me back to Orwell's "1984." To a world where lies, cruelty, double-dealing and fear rule every moment of every day, and all human emotions except lust, cruelty and ambition are discouraged and punished.

The most emotionally difficult moments in the book for me were not the betrayals, murders and interrogations of former pals (conducted on the dreaded "conveyor", which some killed themselves to avoid experiencing) but Suvorov's knowledge that so many idiots in the West were all to willing to give up their freedom and prosperity and become knowing tools of Soviet intelligence. His incredulity and hatred of these people, who he was trained to recruit and treat kindly, is excellent proof that freedom is best appreciated by those who had to risk everything to win it. Suvorov coldly refers to communist-loving Westerners as "expletive-eaters" and this expression was shared by the whole of the GRU. They had to live in a prison: why would anyone want to do it voluntarily?

"Aquarium" (named after the nickname for GRU headquarters), should be required reading for all those daddy-financed college rebels who put on Che Guevera T-shirts and denounce Western capitalism in favor of some kind of Marxian utopia. Suvorov lived in one, and risked being thrown in a blast furnace to escape it.

This is not meant as a review, but as a warning for those interested in Soviet Military Intelligence. This book, and Survorov's other book, "Aquarium: The Career and Defection of a Soviet Military Spy" are the same books. So make sure to only purchase one.

Suvorov takes a deep look at human nature, the Soviet intelligence arena and military intelligence in general. I believe it is a text to be studied and returned to. The following passage is the readers favorite:

"The troops were convinced that human nature was basically vicious and incorrigible. They had good reason. Every day they risked their lives and every day they had an opportunity to observe people on the brink of death. So they divided everybody into the good and the bad. A good person in their eyes was one who did not conceal the animal seated within him. But a person who tried to appear good was dangerous. The most dangerous were those who not only paraded their good qualities but who also believed within themselves they were indeed good people.

The most loathsome disgusting criminal might kill a man, ten men or even a hundred. But a criminal will never kill people by the million. Millions are killed only by those who consider themselves good."

Suvarov, or whatever his name is, is quite a person. This book details his transition from ambitious soviet tank commander to soviet intelligence agent, and supposedly it is all true. Suvorov is so amazingly smart and thorough that if it were not true, we would never know. But thats not the point. this book is a page turner, reads like a novel, and discloses just how hard core and thorough the soviet intelligence services were, and probably are in whatever their current guise is. They were competitive, ambitious, driven, scared, talented and well organized. It would be hard to imagine building a more frightening group then the GRU. In fact, it makes you wonder how in the world anyone on the capitalist/NATO/etc side could even compete with these guys. From the fact of not even giving them guns (if you need a gun you are already done for), recruiting only agents who did not look suspicious, to keeping them frightened of the "conveyor", I doubt you will be the same after reading this book. I mean, this guy jumps naked into ant hills to get bitten by ants so he wont get sick. Entertaining and highly recommended. If you like reading something like "smileys people" --this is the flip side, soviet, and true. scary.

In this impressive work, Viktor Suvorov, a former GRU agent, takes the reader out into the field with Soviet military intelligence. He takes the reader through the recruitment process, training, and actual field intelligence work in a manner that crackles with authenticity. After reading this work, it is impossible not to come away sobered by the discipline and dedication of the Soviets. Nor is this book irrelevant today. By all accounts the GRU is still in business, whatever it now calls itself under the Russian Republic. It is not likely that it has changed much.

In one particularly telling scene, during their training military intelligence agents are taken to the training camp of young Soviet athletes, who are struggling mightily and sweatily to prepare for the Olympics--working literally every waking hour. The spy trainer then says to the students words to the effect of "This is how hard those who represent our country in the field of sport must work. Did you really think you, who will represent our country in the field of intelligence, can work any less hard?" Quite a good point, when one reflects upon it.

Suvorov is an engaging writer who knows how to make his points. This book is a fascinating look into a world that many Westerners barely know exists. Highly recommended.

Normally I hate spy stories. This one is different. It will grab you on page one and have you wanting more at the end. Anyone with an interest in the Soviet state should put this down as a 'must read'.

The book definitely establishes the differences between one's love for his country and at the same time his loathing of the people who somehow captured control of running the country. The romantic aspect of fighting democracy, as we define the term, that was in vogue in the 60's, suddenly takes a realistic turn in this book so that readers can acutally see the viciousness of what was being praised by some of our studentsof the day. This reality pulls into focus the maturity and judgement of those who were howling the loudest and who are now leading our country today.

Despite being a (generally) non-fiction novel with only one female character who is there for 3 pages, Aquarium is one of the most interesting books I ever read. Suvorov was a Soviet military intelligence officer who defected to the West in 1978 and became a writer. He has 3 types of non-fiction: political/historical, informative (e.g. about the Red Army), and books about his life. This book belongs to the latter. It starts after his participation in the invasion of Czechoslovakia as a tank commander and follows his rise through military intelligence (spying on the west). It has conversation and reads like fiction, although it isn't. Suvorov is a very capable writer. He is tied with Ayn Rand for the amount of books on my list of best. He is the person I quote the most in conversation.

I agree that this book is a well-written novel and a grate historical document. However, the book is much more then that. It is about testing the limits of a men: moral choices, physical skills, intellectual and emotional demands. All of them put to the extreme.
It is also about unbelievable possibilities of human mind for learning, holding emotions, performing under stress. From this point of view it is one of the most inspiring books I ever read.

I read the book and I thought it was great. It is fantastic to read a book that shows a new world to you. It begins with the author as a Soviet army "tanker" through his initiation into Soviet Military Intelligence and then the collapse of his world when an operation gone bad threatens his life. The book creates a sigh of relief that the communist regime is gone. Thanks for the book Victor and good luck to you.