Customer Reviews

Potsdam Mission: Memoir of A U.S. Army Intelligence Officer in Communist East Germany

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I was in the Mission from 70 to 73 and therefore had a personal interest. The book is accurate and interesting.

An excellent and riveting first-hand report by a former U.S. Army officer about a little-known but extremely important role played by the U.S. Military Liason Mission in Potsdam. Holbrook was a legendary Russian linguist and was considered to have native fluency.

However, it would be even more interesting if Holbrook completed this abbreviated memoir with his exploits a few years later at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow, where it is understood that the KGB attempted to compromise and turn him and a cloak-and-dagger story that rivals any James Bond exploit.

Good summary of someone who was there but somewhat dull and lacking in anecdotes, could have been more interesting
given the material.

Potsdam Mission is a great account of the Liaison Mission in its heyday, but is altogether too short, as it ended way too soon for me. A thousand pages would have been appreciated, but this title is still an easy five stars.

Intelligence gathering in East Germany was a difficult task, certainly, but the Mission was still able to find a treasure trove of remarkable finds, especially in the Soviet Post garbage dumps. I have first-hand experience with this and know what sorts of items can be had there.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and am astounded by the author's ability to recall dates, facts, and missions, as any private record keeping was strictly prohibited. Luckily, however, recently declassified documents were available to help confirm and corroborate events.

A great account of the Potsdam Liaison Mission.

With so little known about our intelligence collection efforts against the Soviets during this Cold War era, this book tells it like it was with amazing detail and photography. I highly recommend my friend's book. Leland McCaslin