A Secret Life: The Polish Officer, His Covert Mission, and the Price He Paid to Save His Country

Not quite finished as yet, but this is a truly extraordinary story of a wonderful man. A must read

Weiser's book is an excellent account about one of Poland's traitors activity, but also about his CIA handlers proffesional undercover activities.The book showed the life/espionage activity of this Polish officer during his period as one of the most prized CIA asset behind Iron Curtain. Over 9 years he delivered over 40000 pages of information about Polish/Soviet/Warsaw Pact defence, crippling his country and other countries defence (at that time!). His activity is called anywhere in this world treason and the person who is doing this, traitor.I noticed the debate about his role: was he a traitor or a patriot? Short definitions might help here: a patriot is somebody who helps/supports his country while a traitor is somebody who betrayed vital secrets of one's country, in this case Poland. Accordingly, Kuklinsky was a real traitor (in the same category with Gordievsky, Pacepa, Ames, Hanssen, Pitts, Pelton, Pollard and more recently Poteyev etc) of his country and most probably knew that. To claim that he saved something is a prefabricated story made to impress,especially, a non-intel educated audience. If he was a hero and hated the communism or the soviets then he should be part of an organization that was doing something against the communist regime (ex. Solidarity). If hated the 1968 intervention of the WP countries in Czechoslovakia, then he should defected earlier, in 1969 or before he offered his services to CIA in aug. 1972. Instead, he was persuaded and accepted to remain as agent in place.Remember that J. Pollard betrayed the US secrets to an ally (Israel) and now serves a life in prison as a traitor of his country. So the debate about his role, good or bad traitors is useless: he was a TRAITOR!! Nobody can judge his role with two measures (two different ways!).That Poland joined NATO in 1997 was not due his contribution (he defected in nov. 1981), but rather to the whole Polish people and the change/openess of the new regime.Returning to the book I noticed a well documented study, with nice photos and very interesting stories about the main character (R. Kuklinsky and his family); next to him, his CIA handlers received, normally, the winning prize for secondary roles.Thus the book, no doubt inspired and supported by CIA, is a remember for an own agent and also to speak about his life/activities. That does not make a hero anyway, but the book deserves all the money.Overall this a good book that can explain some of the aspects of the communism/intel operations in Eastern Europe.

"A Secret Life: The Polish Colonel" by Benjamin Weiser turns out to be an excellent non-fiction read.Though the first 40% of the book is a struggle, due to its super-detailed accounts of meetings, messages and mystery, the story picks up as it goes along. In the last half of the book, Kulkinski's escape from Poland (together with his family) coordinated and pulled off by the CIA is the exceptional part of the story.The book does delve rather deeply into anti-Communist political blather from time to time, but the dip into ideology is real and honest. What struck me, as someone who lived through that era and who visited Poland in the 1960s, was the tone of reality about the Cold War, its ugliness and its toll on humans.In a real sense, the story is a profound tragedy, not only from the standpoint of the human toll in Eastern Europe during the Cold War, but for Kulkinski himself. From my distant view, it seems obvious that he never recovered from the need to leave his homeland and his subsequent sentencing in absentia for his "traitorous" conduct, despite redemption later in his life.On an intellectual level, the book raises an interesting question about what it means to take a stand, even secretly as Kulkinski did, to spy against one's ruling government. What is patriotism and what is loyalty to the flag, people, language and culture. Is it okay to deceive your superiors and government if your motivation is based in a higher necessity? The book thoughtfully explores the topic, and of course ends up on the side of the higher necessity.Well done. I liked it. Sad, terrifying and important.A solid 4 on Amazon's rating scale.

Written in a true journalistic style, we live through the tense secrecy, real threat of death, and insight into one of the most historically significant episodes of the Cold War. Sometimes too much detail is conveyed, but the true-life drama of a real hero keeps the tension moving in one of the most compelling stories of our times in Eastern Europe in the aftermath of World War II. History lovers will be enthralled.

The book gives a comprehensive account of a Polish officer who played a crucial role in the cold war. The man understands that in case of a Russian attack on Western Europe for which the plans were ready and at his disposal, his own country would be devastated. He would not accept the supreme command of the Russians over the Polish troops in case of conflict and decided to inform the Americans. Nice writing and a good analasys of the moral problem: was he a traitor or a hero? Strangely the reviewers who rate the book low are people who consider the man a traitor. In my opinion the personal answer to the moral question does in no way influence the quality of the book, on the contrary!What the book also describes painstakingly (and without any criticism) is how a CIA-officer developes what he calls a 'personal relationship' with the Pole, to whom he writes letters. As he is transferred to another section of the service, a colleague starts to write the 'personal letters', imitating the style of the Pole's "American friend". The Pole never finds out and, finding back his friend years later, considers him a real friend and the American apparently too. I found this a repelling example of ignoring the meaning of friendship, of a personality made out of plastic, but of course that does in no way hurt the quality of the book.

Everything as expected, Excellent choice, great purchase.

Very interesting story about polish officer working as spy for West and risking all for his country, thoroughlly enjoyed by all memnbers of my family.

sollte in unserem seit 1945 kranken deutschen Schulwesen zur Pflichtlektüre werden, wie auch "a Bucket of Sunshine" von Mike Brooke über die englischen Canberras als Vorgänger der deutschen Tornados, denen Europa bis 1989 und den Überfällen auf die Krim und die Ukraine jahrzehntelangen Frieden verdankt

hervorragend erzählt mit Blick und Gefühl für die Tiefe der Thematik - auch der besonderen Position und Vorgeschichte Polens im Sowjetpakt. Der Author hält die menschliche Ambivalenz zwischen Antrieb und Angst, Zweifel und Patriotismus ebenfalls im Blick. Was ich nicht erwartet habe ist was für ein Eindruck Kuklinski hinterlassen und gar Veränderung bei den US-Offizieren und Diplomatenbewirkt hat.Ich habe danach auch eine Doku mit Interviews mit den Protagonisten gesehen- ich habe vorher noch nie CIA-Offiziere mit feuchten Augen etwas erzählen hören. Als sie über Kuklinski sprachen taten sie es- sehr beeindruckend. Es liest sich wie ein Drehbuch zu einem Thriller. Es wird Oberst Kuklinski ausgesprochen gerecht. Nun ja, wegen polnischer Offiziere macht man keine Filme fürs breite Publikum. Das Thema bleibt wohl für immer einem interessierten Publikum vorbehalten.Wer auf der "sonnigen" Seite des Eisernen Vorhangs aufgewachsen ist bekommt hier auch einen Eindruck wie schwierig und auf den ersten Blick widersprüchlich das Leben in einer Diktatur sein kann- vor allem wie schwierig und widersprüchlich es ist in einer Diktatur anständig zu bleiben.

Hard to write book as the character is hard to judge simply. Written calmly and based on good sources, author shows Kuklinski and his times.