THE SPY IN THE ARCHIVE by Gordon Corera (epub)(Nonfiction)

The Spy in the Archive by Gordon Corera (ePub) (Nonfiction)
Author: Gordon Corera
Publication Date: June 5, 2025
Category/Genre: Nonfiction, Espionage, History, Biography

The Spy in the Archive is a gripping narrative nonfiction account of Vasili Mitrokhin, the introverted KGB archivist who became one of the most significant spies of the twentieth century. As the in-house archivist for the KGB, Mitrokhin spent decades surrounded by the Soviet Union’s most sensitive secrets. Disillusioned by the brutality and corruption he uncovered within the regime, he transformed from a loyal functionary into a dissident—and ultimately, a traitor to the KGB.

Mitrokhin’s daring act was to secretly copy and smuggle out thousands of pages of the KGB’s most closely guarded files, all under the noses of Soviet authorities. Over years, he amassed what would become known as the Mitrokhin Archive: an unprecedented trove of intelligence that revealed the scale and methods of Soviet espionage operations across the globe. In 1992, with the help of MI6, Mitrokhin and his family made a dramatic escape to the West, bringing the archive with them.