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The Main Enemy: The Inside Story of the CIA's Final Showdown with the KGB Hardcover – May 6, 2003

by Milton Bearden (Author), James Risen (Author)
4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 645 ratings
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A landmark collaboration between a thirty-year veteran of the CIA and a Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist, The Main Enemy is the dramatic inside story of the CIA-KGB spy wars, told through the actions of the men who fought them.

Based on hundreds of interviews with operatives from both sides, The Main Enemy puts us inside the heads of CIA officers as they dodge surveillance and walk into violent ambushes in Moscow. This is the story of the generation of spies who came of age in the shadow of the Cuban missile crisis and rose through the ranks to run the CIA and KGB in the last days of the Cold War. The clandestine operations they masterminded took them from the sewers of Moscow to the back streets of Baghdad, from Cairo and Havana to Prague and Berlin, but the action centers on Washington, starting in the infamous "Year of the Spy"--when, one by one, the CIA’s agents in Moscow began to be killed, up through to the very last man.

Behind the scenes with the CIA's covert operations in Afghanistan, Milt Bearden led America to victory in the secret war against the Soviets, and for the first time he reveals here what he did and whom America backed, and why. Bearden was called back to Washington after the Soviets withdrew from Afghanistan and was made chief of the Soviet/East Euro-pean Division—just in time to witness the fall of the Berlin Wall, the revolutions that swept across Eastern Europe, and the implosion of the Soviet Union.

Laced with startling revelations--about fail-safe top-secret back channels between the CIA and KGB, double and triple agents, covert operations in Berlin and Prague, and the fateful autumn of 1989--The Main Enemy is history at its action-packed best.
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  1. Print length
    576 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Random House
  4. Publication date
    May 6, 2003
  5. Dimensions
    6.42 x 1.7 x 9.48 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0679463097
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0679463092
  8. See all details
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Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
645 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book well-written and engaging. They appreciate the informative content and well-researched details about the Cold War intelligence wars. The narrative is described as great and enthralling, with an interesting account of how people, events, and operations shape the direction of the story. Overall, readers describe the book as a fascinating historical account of the intelligence game that went on between the United States and Russia during the 1980s.

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ReadabilityInformation qualityStorytellingEra
64 customers mention "Readability"57 positive7 negative

Customers find the book engaging and well-written. They describe it as an espionage novel with high-stakes scenes. The book is described as fun and accessible, making it enjoyable for spy enthusiasts.

"...it to a Michael Shaara work in the sense that it is factual, but reads like a novel." Read more

"...Nonetheless, this is a good read that those interested in international espionage should not miss. Recommended. RJB." Read more

"This is an excellent work...almost too good!..." Read more

"...It's an interesting read, and if you want to understand the end of the Cold War or the Afghan-Soviet war, I recommend it." Read more

44 customers mention "Information quality"39 positive5 negative

Customers find the book informative and interesting. They appreciate the well-researched details and the authors' explanations of the details. The book provides comprehensive documentation of the final years of the Cold War, with a good bibliography. It describes some inner workings of the CIA, while reading like a novel.

"...I would liken it to a Michael Shaara work in the sense that it is factual, but reads like a novel." Read more

"This is what appears to be an extremely authentic and insightful look at the last decades of the struggle between Russian and American intelligence...." Read more

"This has an amazing amount of detail, much of it first-person. The access the authors had to files and people on both sides is astounding...." Read more

"...in the book, I definitely assess the content to be factual, i. e. a true account of what went on during the Cold War with respect to intelligence..." Read more

35 customers mention "Storytelling"27 positive8 negative

Customers find the storytelling engaging and well-written. They describe it as a fascinating account of the internal workings of the CIA and KGB in spying on each other. The book is described as one of the most interesting non-fiction books they've read by a former intelligence officer. Readers appreciate the factual stories, drama, and high-stakes scenes based on real events and characters.

"...I am not in the intelligence field, but I was able to appreciate the characters and stories...." Read more

"This is what appears to be an extremely authentic and insightful look at the last decades of the struggle between Russian and American intelligence...." Read more

""The Main Enemy" reads almost like an espionage novel, full of drama and high-stakes scenes...." Read more

"...That being said, I found it to be thoroughly interesting...." Read more

18 customers mention "Era"18 positive0 negative

Customers find the book fascinating and well-written. They say it provides an interesting historical account of the intelligence game between the United States and Russia during the 1980s. The book provides a new perspective on the people and events from a different angle.

"This has an amazing amount of detail, much of it first-person. The access the authors had to files and people on both sides is astounding...." Read more

"...A fascinating historical account of the intelligence game that went on between the United States and Russia during the Cold War." Read more

"This fascinated me on 2 levels...." Read more

"...The interpersonal spy games, machinations, and sometimes just the dumb luck that guided foreign policy decisions for the two world superpowers..." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Too many toys
    5.0 out of 5 stars Well done
    Reviewed in the United States on September 4, 2015
    Verified Purchase
    Rarely can an autobiographic author get out of their own way and accept some help. It is also rare that a co-author, even a knowledgeable one can preserve the authenticity of the stories participants. The authors were able to accomplish both in this story. They used good judgement as to the right level of detail to promote understanding without becoming tedious. I am not in the intelligence field, but I was able to appreciate the characters and stories. The authors seemed to resist the urge to sensationalize, be too proud or too humble in a way that would reduce their credibility. If the topic is of interest, I highly recommend this book. I would liken it to a Michael Shaara work in the sense that it is factual, but reads like a novel.
    3 people found this helpful
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  • Roger J. Buffington
    4.0 out of 5 stars An oral history of the last years of the CIA-KGB struggle
    Reviewed in the United States on February 18, 2012
    Verified Purchase
    This is what appears to be an extremely authentic and insightful look at the last decades of the struggle between Russian and American intelligence. The author writes with authority and conviction in an engaging manner that makes this book a very enjoyable read. Overall, one comes away from this one with the impression that the KGB somewhat edged out the CIA in terms of competence, but that the CIA, as the author says, at the end of the day was "good enough" to protect America until the Soviet system imploded. Both agencies penetrated the other at various times, but the KGB, with Aldrich Ames within the CIA and Robert Hanssen within the FBI, appears to have gotten the better of the CIA. Nonetheless the CIA was not without its victories, although many "KGB turncoats" turned out to be double agents who fed the CIA disinformation.

    The author is particularly engaging when writing about the US effort to subvert the Russian invasion of Afghanistan, and the final days of the Soviet Union. In Afghanistan the Soviets learned in full why that country has been termed "the graveyard of Empires." (A lesson America is learning today.) We learn that when the East Bloc and Soviet systems came to their abrupt ends that American intelligence did not see it coming and neither did the Soviets. The Soviet system was apparently appallingly weak economically and no longer able to bear the burdens of a corrupt inefficient economy, aid to Soviet satellite states, and irrationally high military expenditures. The CIA should doubtless have understood this better but did not.

    One ominous conclusion of the author is that Hanssen and Ames were not the only Russian moles within American intelligence. He believes that there were others who were never found and thus may be in place today.

    I deprived this excellent piece of one star because of its chaotic organization. It jumps from event to event in abrupt style, switching between first and third person in an occasionally confusing manner. Nonetheless, this is a good read that those interested in international espionage should not miss. Recommended. RJB.
    5 people found this helpful
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  • Scott Uehlinger
    5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating - almost too good!
    Reviewed in the United States on February 2, 2015
    Verified Purchase
    This is an excellent work...almost too good! It seems that at the end of the Cold War, CIA rather naively agreed to the publishing of this book - which features operational details which had they been written about only 5 years earlier, would have earned a jail sentence. I couldnt help thinking as I turned its pages that the SVR/FSB also really enjoyed reading this book - heck, they even allowed Bearden to use the digraph/crypts of the assets! like GTTophat, etc. Apparently Bearden was one of those officers who sort of "lost it" at the end of the Cold War - a professional, Russian speaking officer that suddenly became a polyanna type the minute the Cold War ended.....The Russians were going to be our friends, kumbaya......I guess he kind of ignored about 1000 years of Russian history. And now, of course, we have seen the reversion to the mean with good old Russia.......
    7 people found this helpful
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  • Phil Lindley
    5.0 out of 5 stars Another great spy story
    Reviewed in the United States on April 20, 2019
    Verified Purchase
    This has an amazing amount of detail, much of it first-person. The access the authors had to files and people on both sides is astounding. It is bit of a slow read because of the details, and the size of the print, but well worth it. The book recounts the stories of the numerous traitors to the US, some that took quite a while to discover. I would recommend a number of other books (and one mini-series) that provide more detail about separate stories: Circle of Treason (Assets is the mini-series based on the book); The Spy and the Traitor; The Billion Dollar Spy; and A Spy Among Friends. Also, check out Antonio Mendez's ARGO.
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  • Paul Mullen
    5.0 out of 5 stars Recommended reading for super insight into the intelligence business
    Reviewed in the United States on November 28, 2013
    Verified Purchase
    I must disclose that I am only 50% through this book and rate it five stars at this point. As a former counter-intelligence agent with the U. S. Army during the mid-50's, I have been, and always will be, very interested in the intelligence game between the U. S. and Russia.. At this point in the book, I definitely assess the content to be factual, i. e. a true account of what went on during the Cold War with respect to intelligence gathering, disinformation dissemination, propaganda, and decision-making both sides. Many mistakes were made by both governments and their intelligence agencies. The book also gives you an accurate insight into how Russia became involved in the Afghanistan war and our response to it. An ongoing conflict to this day as you know. I look forward to finishing the book and likely will do a follow up review at that time. I predict I will still rate it five stars and recommend the read at this time.

    Have finished the book. As predicted in my initial review above, overall I rate this book as an Amazon 5-star read. Among many other things, it gives you factual insight into the Berlin Wall, its subsequent destruction, the failure of Russia's invasion of Afghanistan, and the fall of the Soviet Union. A fascinating historical account of the intelligence game that went on between the United States and Russia during the Cold War.
    17 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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  • Riccardo Ricci
    5.0 out of 5 stars Must have sulla lotta contro l’Urss.
    Reviewed in Italy on July 25, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    Libro completo e scritto magistralmente che ci trasporta sullo scacchiere internazionale durante gli ultimi anni della guerra fredda. La guerra di spie impera in Russia, Afganistan e altri scacchieri dove la CIA combatte contro il KGB fino alla dissoluzione della Unione Sovietica
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  • Kiko
    5.0 out of 5 stars What a book!
    Reviewed in Spain on May 17, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    Dense, thorough, and thought-provoking on a human level about values and ethics. Most of all it is entertaining and, incredibly, all true.
    Report
  • Germangeoff
    5.0 out of 5 stars Spies Can Tell Some Good Stories
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 27, 2017
    Verified Purchase
    I saw this book referenced elsewhere in a negative way which meant I approached it with low expectations - it soon proved to be most unfair so I award it 5 stars - but would plump for 4.5 if I could, however it closer to the full five than only four.

    This is an extremely well written book, assuming it is true, detailing the life and times of a pretty big cheese in the CIA and his working life tackling Russian secret agents working in America, then he moves on to his work in Afghanistan giving exhaustive accounts of events like the Stinger missile used by the Mujaheddin shooting down Russian helicopters, the book closes with the end of the Cold War in eastern Europe and the attempted coup which failed but hastened the end of Soviet Russia. My reservation concerns how the various storylines interconnect and we might be introduced to a character at one stage then, as it is written in rigid chronological order, pick up with this person again months or years later. This is however a minor quibble in an otherwise excellent work.
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  • Amazon Customer
    2.0 out of 5 stars Good.
    Reviewed in India on October 25, 2017
    Verified Purchase
    A good read.
    Report
  • Marc
    5.0 out of 5 stars Best insight views
    Reviewed in Germany on November 5, 2015
    Verified Purchase
    For everyone who wants to learn more about the connections of spies in the past.
    learn from the past to understand the future.
    in the past years you have seen massive intelligence work and papers being leaked to the public.

    this book will teach you that nothing is as it seems. a great read.
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