Ephemeris of the Mind (Book Review) Strangers on a Bridge: The Case of Colonel Abel and Francis Gary Powers
Time to read: 2 min read
Book Cover
At the request of the United States government, I attended a meeting in Washington and was told it had been determined "on the highest level" that it would be in the national interest to effect a Powers-for-Abel exchange.
Review
This book is a non-fiction account takign place during the late 1950s and early 1960s, surrounding the legal trial of Abel v. United States, at the center of which is Colonel Rudolf Ivanovich Abel, one of the highest-ranking KGB agents in the United States. The author of this book, James B. Donovan, is non other than the defense lawyer of Abel in the case. The book meticulously details the legal proceedings of the case, as well as the eventual prisoner exchange of Colonel Abel for Captain Francis Gary Powers, a U-2 pilot shot down by the Soviets.
The book contains many primary sources, such as transcripts of conversations, letter excerpts, and court documents. The book is incredibly thorough, going into great detail about the evidence surrounding Soviet espionage in the US, including different protocols used to transmit intel back to the USSR (shortwave radios, hollow pencil containing microfilm, cipher pads, etc), which I found very interesting.
One of the most compelling aspects of this book is Donovan's characterization of the individuals involved in the trial, such as the mild-mannered Abel, who enjoys painting in his spare time. Abel is humanized in this book, and shares a professional and cordial relationship with Donovan, friendly even. Donovan also characterizes the other characters, such as Hayhanen, the spy who betrayed Abel and is described as "the most bumbling, self-defeating, inefficient spy that any country ever sent on any conceivable mission".
This book is on the longer end and touches on many topics peripheral to the trial; some topics, such as the USSR and US international relations (Khrushchev's public stance on the capture of Abel and the capture of Powers), I found to be very insightful while other topics, such as details Donovan's personal life (vacation at Lake Placid), I found less so. Overall it's a very fascinating look into an incredible event which occured during the Cold War.
Conclusion
A real-life spy story, retold by someone directly involved.