Engineering Communism: How Two Americans Spied for Stalin and Founded the Soviet Silicon Valley

ISBN: 0300108745

Author: Usdin, Steven T.

Condition: New

Product DescriptionEngineering Communism is the fascinating story of Joel Barr and Alfred Sarant, dedicated Communists and members of the Rosenberg spy ring, who stole information from the United States during World War II that proved crucial to building the first advanced weapons systems in the USSR. On the brink of arrest, they escaped with KGBs help and eluded American intelligence for decades.Drawing on extensive interviews with Barr and new archival evidence, Steve Usdin explains why Barr and Sarant became spies, how they obtained military secrets, and how FBI blunders led to their escape. He chronicles their pioneering role in the Soviet computer industry, including their success in convincing Nikita Khrushchev to build a secret Silicon Valley.The book is rich with details of Barrs and Sarants intriguing andexciting personal lives, their families, as well as their integration into Russian society. Engineering Communism follows the two spies through Sarants death and Barrs unbelievable return to the United States.Review"Engineering Communism provides a fascinating look at a virtually unknown facet of Cold War spy lore-the story of two Americans who worked with the Rosenbergs to transfer American military technology to Russia and went on to help found the Soviet computer industry. Highly recommended reading for anyone interested in an age we have quicklyforgotten, in which Americans could become committed Communists and risk everything for the sake of ideology."-Francis Fukuyama (Bernard L. Schwartz Professor of International Political Economy, The Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies, Johns Hopkins University; Author of "State-Building: Governance and World Order in the 21st Century, and "The End of History and the Last Man")(Francis Fukuyama)[An] outstanding book. . . . A valuable addition to the literature on the Soviet spy efforts in the U.S. . . . . Highly recommended."(Choice)About the AuthorSTEVE USDIN is senior editor at Biocentury Publications.