Bibliograph

The spy who was left behind, Russia, the United States, and the true story of the betrayal and assassination of a CIA agent, Michael Pullara

Type

Label

The spy who was left behind, Russia, the United States, and the true story of the betrayal and assassination of a CIA agent, Michael Pullara

Language

eng

resource.biographical

contains biographical information

Index

index present

Literary Form

non fiction

Main title

The spy who was left behind

Responsibility statement

Michael Pullara

Sub title

Russia, the United States, and the true story of the betrayal and assassination of a CIA agent

Summary

On August 8, 1993, a single bullet to the head killed Freddie Woodruff, the Central Intelligence Agency's station chief in the former Soviet Republic of Georgia. Within hours, police had a suspect -- a vodka-soaked village bumpkin named Anzor Sharmaidze. A tidy explanation quickly followed: It was a tragic accident. US diplomats hailed Georgia's swift work, and both countries breathed a sigh of relief. Yet the bullet that killed Woodruff was never found and key witnesses have since retracted their testimony, saying they were beaten and forced to identify Sharmaidze. But if he didn't do it, who did? Those who don't buy the official explanation think the answer lies in the spy games that played out on Russia's frontier following the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union. Woodruff was an early actor in a dangerous drama. American spies were moving into newborn nations previously dominated by Soviet intelligence. Russia's security apparatus, resentful and demoralized, was in turmoil, its nominal loyalty to a pro-Western course set by President Boris Yeltsin, shredded by hardline spooks and generals who viewed the Americans as a menace

Target audience

adult

Creator