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From Warsaw with Love
- Polish Spies, the CIA, and the Forging of an Unlikely Alliance
- Narrated by: Donald Corren
- Length: 8 hrs and 54 mins
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Publisher's summary
From the award-winning and acclaimed author of The Beautiful Country and the Middle Kingdom, From Warsaw with Love tells the epic story of how Polish intelligence officers forged an alliance with the CIA in the twilight of the Cold War. In 1990, soon after the Polish people voted in their first democratic election since the 1930s, the young Polish government sent a veteran spy, who’d battled the West for decades, to rescue six American officers trapped in Baghdad. As the US cobbled together a coalition to undo Saddam Hussein’s invasion of Kuwait, the CIA asked the Polish government for help. The American officers held valuable intelligence that, if discovered by Saddam, could have spelled ruin for Desert Storm.
John Pomfret’s gripping account of the cliff-hanger in Iraq is just the beginning of a saga about intelligence cooperation between Poland and America, cooperation that a CIA director would describe as “one of the two foremost intelligence relationships that the United States has ever had”. Poland’s ex-communist spies snooped for America from Havana to Moscow, Pyongyang to Tehran. Pomfret also reveals shocking details about the CIA’s “black site” program that held suspected terrorists in Poland after 9/11 as well the role of Polish spies in the hunt for Osama bin Laden.
As the US teeters on the edge of a new cold war with Russia and China, Pomfret explores these little-known events as a reminder of the challenges and importance of alliances in a dangerous world.
Contributor Bio(s): John Pomfret, a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize, served as a correspondent for the Washington Post for two decades, covering wars, revolutions, and China. His most recent book, The Beautiful Country and the Middle Kingdom, won the Arthur Ross Book Award from the Council on Foreign Relations. The recipient of numerous journalism awards, he lives with his wife and three children in Berkeley, CA.
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Ghost Wars
- The Secret History of the CIA, Afghanistan, and bin Laden, from the Soviet Invasion to September 10, 2001
- By: Steve Coll
- Narrated by: Malcolm Hillgartner
- Length: 26 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
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The explosive first-hand account of America's secret history in Afghanistan. With the publication of Ghost Wars, Steve Coll became not only a Pulitzer Prize winner, but also the expert on the rise of the Taliban, the emergence of Bin Laden, and the secret efforts by CIA officers and their agents to capture or kill Bin Laden in Afghanistan after 1998.
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An Exceptional Accomplishment
- By Joe on 11-08-13
By: Steve Coll
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Betrayal in Berlin
- The True Story of the Cold War's Most Audacious Espionage Operation
- By: Steve Vogel
- Narrated by: Joel Richards
- Length: 17 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
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Its code name was “Operation Gold”, a wildly audacious CIA plan to construct a clandestine tunnel into East Berlin to tap into critical KGB and Soviet military telecommunication lines. The tunnel, crossing the border between the American and Soviet sectors, would have to be 1,500 feet (the length of the Empire State Building) with state-of-the-art equipment, built and operated literally under the feet of their Cold War adversaries.
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Fascinating Book
- By Toni Bowes on 01-11-20
By: Steve Vogel
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To Start a War
- How the Bush Administration Took America into Iraq
- By: Robert Draper
- Narrated by: Stefan Rudnicki
- Length: 15 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
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Even now, after more than 15 years, it is hard to see the invasion of Iraq through the cool, considered gaze of history. For too many people, the damage is still too palpable, and still unfolding. Most of the major players in that decision are still with us, and few of them are not haunted by it, in one way or another. Perhaps it's that combination, the passage of the years and the still unresolved trauma, that explains why so many protagonists opened up so fully for the first time to Robert Draper.
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If you’ve grown weary of the current GOP administration’s incompetence...
- By Marynelle on 09-04-20
By: Robert Draper
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The Rebel and the Kingdom
- The True Story of the Secret Mission to Overthrow the North Korean Regime
- By: Bradley Hope
- Narrated by: Lee Osorio
- Length: 8 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
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In the early 2000s, Adrian Hong was a soft-spoken Yale undergraduate looking for his place in the world. After reading a harrowing account of life inside North Korea, he realized he had found a cause so pressing that he was ready to devote his life to it. Hong journeyed to China, outwitting Chinese security services as he helped ferry asylum-seeking North Korean escapees to safety. The Rebel and the Kingdom is an exhilarating account of a man who turns his back on the status quo—to instead live boldly by his principles.
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Phenomenal true story
- By NYCdogmomma on 11-13-22
By: Bradley Hope
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The Black Banners (Declassified)
- How Torture Derailed the War on Terror After 9/11
- By: Ali H. Soufan
- Narrated by: Fajer Al-Kaisi
- Length: 19 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
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Widely heralded on publication as a “must-read” (Military Review) and “important window on America’s battle with al-Qaeda” (Washington Post), Ali Soufan’s revelatory account of the war on terror as seen from its front lines changed the way we understand al-Qaeda and how the United States prosecuted the war — and led to hard questions being asked of our leaders.
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Magnificent !
- By JJ on 09-21-20
By: Ali H. Soufan
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White Malice
- The CIA and the Covert Recolonization of Africa
- By: Susan Williams
- Narrated by: Chanté McCormick
- Length: 21 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
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In White Malice, Susan Williams unearths the covert operations pursued by the CIA from Ghana to the Congo to the UN in an effort to frustrate and deny Africa’s new generation of nationalist leaders. This dramatically upends the conventional belief that the African nations failed to establish effective, democratic states on their own accord. As the old European powers moved out, the US moved in.
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A very good read.
- By Amazon Customer on 11-20-22
By: Susan Williams
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The Longest War
- America and Al-Qaeda Since 9/11
- By: Peter L. Bergen
- Narrated by: Peter Ganim
- Length: 16 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
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In The Longest War, Peter Bergen offers a comprehensive history of this war and its evolution, from the strategies devised in the wake of the 9/11 attacks to the fighting in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and beyond. Weaving together internal documents from al-Qaeda and the U.S. offices of counterterrorism, first-person interviews with top-level jihadists and senior Washington officials, along with his own experiences on the ground in the Middle East, Bergen balances the accounts of each side.
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More Bush bashing..yes, but still worth reading.
- By Dennis on 01-18-11
By: Peter L. Bergen
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Russians Among Us
- Sleeper Cells, Ghost Stories, and the Hunt for Putin’s Spies
- By: Gordon Corera
- Narrated by: Derek Perkins
- Length: 12 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
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With intrigue that rivals the best le Carre novels, Russians Among Us tells the urgent story of Russia’s espionage efforts against the United States and the West from the end of the Cold War to the present.
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Should be required reading for every citizen
- By Amazon Customer on 02-27-20
By: Gordon Corera
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Good Hunting
- An American Spymaster's Story
- By: Jack Devine
- Narrated by: Malcolm Hillgartner
- Length: 12 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
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Good Hunting: An American Spymaster's Story is the spellbinding memoir of Devine's time in the CIA, where he served for more than 30 years, rising to become the acting deputy director of operations, responsible for all of the agency's spying operations. This is a story of intrigue and high-stakes maneuvering - all the more gripping when the fate of our geopolitical order hangs in the balance. But this audiobook also sounds a warning to our nation's decision makers.
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Fascinating, An education on spying
- By Anthony on 12-13-15
By: Jack Devine
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Legacy of Ashes
- The History of the CIA
- By: Tim Weiner
- Narrated by: Stefan Rudnicki
- Length: 21 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
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This is the book the CIA does not want you to read. For the last 60 years, the CIA has maintained a formidable reputation in spite of its terrible record, never disclosing its blunders to the American public. It spun its own truth to the nation while reality lay buried in classified archives. Now, Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times reporter Tim Weiner offers a stunning indictment of the CIA, a deeply flawed organization that has never deserved America's confidence.
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Flawed but Important
- By Michael on 07-18-08
By: Tim Weiner
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The Afghanistan Papers
- A Secret History of the War
- By: Craig Whitlock, The Washington Post
- Narrated by: Dan Bittner
- Length: 9 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
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Unlike the wars in Vietnam and Iraq, the US invasion of Afghanistan in 2001 had near-unanimous public support. At first, the goals were straightforward and clear: Defeat al-Qaeda and prevent a repeat of 9/11. Yet soon after the United States and its allies removed the Taliban from power, the mission veered off-course and US officials lost sight of their original objectives.
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Eye-Opening Book
- By David J Ray on 09-01-21
By: Craig Whitlock, and others
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The Folly and the Glory
- America, Russia, and Political Warfare: 1945-2020
- By: Tim Weiner
- Narrated by: Stefan Rudnicki
- Length: 10 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
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From Tim Weiner, winner of the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award, an urgent and gripping account of the 75-year battle between the US and Russia that led to the election and impeachment of an American president.
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Worst Narration Ever
- By Amy on 02-15-21
By: Tim Weiner
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American Cipher
- Bowe Bergdahl and the U.S. Tragedy in Afghanistan
- By: Matt Farwell, Michael Ames
- Narrated by: Christopher Ryan Grant
- Length: 12 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
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The explosive narrative of the life, captivity, and trial of Bowe Bergdahl, the soldier who was abducted by the Taliban and whose story has served as a symbol for America's foundering war in Afghanistan.
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An epic he had written in his imagination...
- By Darwin8u on 03-18-19
By: Matt Farwell, and others
What listeners say about From Warsaw with Love
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Jale Robertson
- 12-09-21
Great book
Really enjoyed this book. Narrator is wonderful. Can’t wait to read more books by John Pomfret.
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- zephyr99
- 07-08-23
Superb - All Americans should know about its recent and colonial history if strayegic partnership with the USA
I enjoy historical non fiction books, and found From Warsaw with Love full of information and facts that surprised and enlightened me. A must read.
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- wacek szymkowiak
- 07-23-24
Fascinating and well researched
I’m a Pole and I had lived throughout this era, I actually knew some people mentioned in the book. I had no idea about behind the scene intrigues and circumstances. Thank you for opening my eyes. I’m recommending it to many of my closest friends.
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- Kasia
- 11-19-21
Fascinating
Great book, growing up in Poland there was so much kept from us, propaganda, omission and straight lies. It was great to revisit the history from this perspective, I never knew how intertwined our spy services were. I highly recommend this story, it doesn't matter whether you are familiar with it or will you be learning about it for the first time, it is very well explained, easy to follow and well written.
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- matt r
- 07-04-22
Great story and good listen
The story and book were both great until in the last chapter the author reveals himself to be a foaming at the mouth liberal and begins ranting against conservative politics/politicians.
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- Margaret S. Johns
- 11-17-21
A Fantastic Story
As I read/listened to the book, I found myself wishing that my Father was alive to read the book. He was from a prominent Krakow family, and had served in WWII. In the IS he was an academic and Aerospace executive. This book reads like the spy novel it is. Incredibly well researched. Astounding in the tales it tells.
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- Derek A Proudian
- 10-31-21
Spy Thriller++
Spy thriller as history? History as spy thriller? Either way Pomfret’s magnificent book “From Warsaw with Love” channels a satisfying blend of Ian Fleming and Bob Woodward to create a page turner that educates while it entertains. This meticulously researched story about pre-and-post-Cold-War Polish espionage - and its critical role in Poland’s perilous navigation from the Soviet to the American sphere of influence - does not disappoint.
The book covers a time period in Poland from 1977 to 2020, – from Brezhnev-era espionage in the late 1970s and the rise of Solidarity in Poland in the mid-1980s, through the epochal events in Eastern Europe of 1989, the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait and Poland’s role in the American response, through the Clinton years, 9/11, and the disastrous second Iraq war, up to the present day ascendancy of right-wing ethno-nationalism in Poland, Russia and the USA. The heart of tale takes place during the pivotal years immediately before and after the collapse of the Soviet Union, centering on the gripping rescue mission led by Polish spy Gromoslaw Czempinski (a real world James Bond) to extricate from Iraq six US officers with key military intelligence during the early days of Operation Desert Storm.
But “From Warsaw with Love” is much more than an edge-of-your-seat spy-vs-spy yarn – it recapitulates a key period of recent history from the realpolitik vantage point of the international intelligence community – deftly weaving together multiple stories of the spies and spy agencies in both the USA and Poland as they traverse the chaotic geopolitical vacuum created by the evaporation of the USSR, and the end of the Cold War stasis that had defined geopolitics for over forty years. What emerges is a picture not only of the collapse of the Soviet Union, but also the collapse of American statecraft absent a well-defined mission.
Donald Corren adroitly narrates this very human spy story that will keep you compulsively listening long into the wee hours of the morning.
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