GENERAL MILITARY - NONFICTION
"Operation Rollback: America's Secret
War Behind the Iron Curtain" By Peter Grose 
In January 1946, George F. Kennon, a career diplomat trained in Soviet Affairs, became the ambassador to the U.S.S.R. when Averell Harriman returned to the United States. Kennon wrote many dispatches about the turmoil within the Soviet Union, but they were largely ignored. When asked to write an "Interpretive Analysis" of Soviet statements regarding international institutions, Kennon let loose with both barrels. This paper became the basis for future American policies towards the Soviet Union.
This is a fine account of the people and early (if inept) efforts by the U.S. to subvert the Soviet control of Eastern Europe just after WWII. The book traces the political background and the maneuvering of the World Powers and is instructive as to the current environments in Albania, Hungary, Romania, Poland, and the emerging Balkan States.
The early efforts of the OPC (Office of Policy Coordination), that were mostly thwarted by the infamous spy Kim Philby (British Liaison Officer), are covered in some depth. The OPC was later absorbed by the CIA. Also discussed are the secret ways the OPC was financed and its existence kept hidden from the American public. I had never heard of the OPC, but these guys were responsible for covert operations. They tried to stir up trouble within the Soviet sphere of influence, including the Soviet Union itself. They trained operators recruited from Eastern European Refugees, arranged and carried out parachute drops of agents behind the Iron Curtain, smuggled weapons, and dispersed money to agents and sympathizers. They also carried out propaganda campaigns and started Radio Free Europe.
It is interesting that the Soviets had so penetrated the political parties and intelligence agencies of the U.S. and Great Britain long before World War II started. What is also fascinating is that we knew about much of their spying efforts and for a long time chose to ignore them. There were a lot of sympathizers in the U.S. that were rooting for the socialist experiment.
This is a fine book for students of Political Science, Post WWII History, and fans of the history of covert operations. I have read many novels and seen many movies about secret operations, but they pale compared to the real stuff!
SORRY: Forgot Publishing Information!!
