Anatoliy Golitsyn: The Life and Legacy of the KGB Defector Who Became a CIA Asset

Many people remain fascinated by stories about the Cold War, particularly the espionage that was covertly conducted across the globe by both sides. Indeed, from the beginning of the Cold War, there were hundreds if not thousands of spies positioned in each side’s governments. Some worked as double agents, while others worked to plant pivotal pieces of information or disinformation to persuade government officials within these warring countries.

Inevitably, some of the Cold War’s most shadowy actions involved trying to turn Soviet assets, whether for propaganda or intelligence purposes, but the Soviet system constantly had to worry about defections, as evidenced by the construction of the Berlin Wall in the early 1960s. That said, while the whistleblowers may be celebrated if they damage the public relations of an adversary, they can be controversial if they damage one’s own country, as evidenced by the polarizing reputations of individuals like Edward Snowden and Julian Assange.

During Congressional testimony concerning President Kennedy’s assassination many years after Anatoliy Golitsyn’s defection, James Jesus Angleton claimed he was “probably without any question the most major defection since World War II as far as Soviet intentions, Soviet organization, and Soviet operations are concerned.” He would later become a voice for the Soviets’ disinformation strategy through his studies and his work as a KGB agent and with the CIA’s Counterintelligence Unit. Golitsyn became disenchanted with Moscow and the Soviet way of life after having spent his life protecting it.

Thanks to his schooling and training, Golitsyn had deep inside knowledge of the USSR’s (communist) strategy to rule the world. Angleton, the chief of the CIA’s Counterintelligence Unit, was a huge supporter and believer of Golitsyn’s ideas and theories.