Spies in the Vatican: The Soviet Union's Cold War Against the Catholic Church Paperback - 2011

Other than a mark on the upper text block, this is a clean, tight, and unmarked First Edition. " The shocking history of the Soviet Union's espionage campaign against the Catholic Church. Infamous for the arbitrary and paranoid persecution of their citizens, it is a little-known fact that the Soviet Union also waged a vicious espionage war against the Catholic Church and its followers. From the targeting of local priests to an assassination order against Pope John Paul II, the KGB viewed Catholicism as a threat to stability in Eastern Europe and treated the Church as an enemy of the State. Former U.S. Army Intelligence Officer John Koehler has written the definitive book on this startling history. Using never-before-seen documents and transcripts, including an order against the Pope that was signed by Gorbachev, Koehler paints a vivid picture of the network of spies and double agents who were working to infiltrate the Church's infrastructure, from the Vatican down to local parishes. But what is most impressive is the overwhelming evidence of the extreme courage of everyday believers who offered shelter and protection to the persecuted, despite the danger of their own arrest or execution. The KGB's efforts to purge the Soviet Union of the Church's conspiratorial influence? would eventually backfire. This unprecedented history of the Soviet Union's Cold War against the Catholic Church is a vital and important contribution to the works of twentieth-century history. John Koehler is the author of Stasi: The Untold Story of the East German Secret Police. He has worked as a journalist for nearly forty years with the Associated Press and is a former U.S. Army Intelligence Officer, specializing in counter-espionage and intelligence collection. An adviser to President Reagan from 1985-1989, John is retired and lives in Stamford, Connecticut."- Illustrated.