
The Penetration
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed

Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Buy for $24.95
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Brian Richy
-
By:
-
Thomas E Sawyer
About this listen
For years, among members of the US Intelligence community, there was an undeserved smugness that highly placed Soviet Intelligence operatives such the British spies Guy Burgess, Donald Maclean, and Harold “Kim” Philby could never happen here in the United States. Despite the Hiss and Rosenberg cases, Americans were thought superior to “that sort of thing”. Besides, our security procedures and regulations were thought to be airtight. The British, on the other hand, were thought somewhat lacking in matters of security. Or, at least, that was the prevailing mentality until the arrival, on our shores, of one Anatoliy Golitsyn in the early 1960s.
Golitsyn, a self-confessed major in the Soviet Intelligence Service (known by the Cyrillic acronym “KGB” or “Committee for State Security”), astounded his CIA interlocutors with the assertion that there was one or, perhaps, even several, long-term KGB“moles” (“hostile penetration assets”) situated within the highest echelons of the CIA and other United States government offices. (Perhaps even within the Oval Office of the White House itself? [See this author’s book: For Good of Country: The Plot to Kill An American President.”])
Unfortunately, Golitsyn had had little, if any, additional identifying or qualifying information on the subject. Needless to say, Golitsyn’s revelations created immediate and widespread alarm throughout the U.S. Intelligence community and other US government offices. While some US officials, including the late James Jesus Angleton (the long-time Counter-Intelligence Chief of the Central Intelligence Agency), believed Golitsyn, an equal number of intelligence officials did not. These latter CIA officials rejected Golitsyn’s bona-fides and were convinced that Golitsyn was a Soviet “plant” whose mission was to give false information (“Dezinformatsiya”) to the Americans about highly-placed Soviet “moles” in the US government hierarchy.
©2020 Thomas E. Sawyer (P)2021 Thomas E. SawyerListeners also enjoyed...
-
The Spy and the Traitor
- The Greatest Espionage Story of the Cold War
- By: Ben Macintyre
- Narrated by: John Lee
- Length: 13 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
If anyone could be considered a Russian counterpart to the infamous British double-agent Kim Philby, it was Oleg Gordievsky. The son of two KGB agents and the product of the best Soviet institutions, the savvy, sophisticated Gordievsky grew to see his nation's communism as both criminal and philistine. He took his first posting for Russian intelligence in 1968 and eventually became the Soviet Union's top man in London, but from 1973 on he was secretly working for MI6.
-
-
John Lee is GREAT!
- By David on 09-21-18
By: Ben Macintyre
-
The Education of an Idealist
- A Memoir
- By: Samantha Power
- Narrated by: Samantha Power
- Length: 21 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In her memoir, Power offers an urgent response to the question "What can one person do?" and a call for a clearer eye, a kinder heart, and a more open and civil hand in our politics and daily lives. The Education of an Idealist traces Power’s distinctly American journey from immigrant to war correspondent to presidential Cabinet official. In 2005, her critiques of US foreign policy caught the eye of newly elected senator Barack Obama, who invited her to work with him on Capitol Hill and then on his presidential campaign.
-
-
Sam's Power: Privilege in U.S. Politics
- By RelizzScholar27 on 11-09-19
By: Samantha Power
-
Melania and Me
- The Rise and Fall of My Friendship with the First Lady
- By: Stephanie Winston Wolkoff
- Narrated by: Stephanie Winston Wolkoff
- Length: 11 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this candid and emotional memoir, Stephanie Winston Wolkoff takes you into Trump Tower and the White House to tell the funny, thrilling, and heartbreaking story of her intimate friendship with one of the most famous women in the world, a woman few people truly understand. How did Melania react to the Access Hollywood tape and her husband’s affair with Stormy Daniels? Does she get along well with Ivanka? Why did she wear that jacket with "I really don’t care, do u?" printed on the back? Is Melania happy being First Lady? Wolkoff has some ideas....
-
-
AUTHOR IS AN ENGAGING NARRATOR
- By k on 09-02-20
-
Tough Love
- My Story of the Things Worth Fighting For
- By: Susan Rice
- Narrated by: Susan Rice
- Length: 22 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Recalling pivotal moments from her dynamic career on the front lines of American diplomacy and foreign policy, Susan E. Rice - national security advisor to President Barack Obama and US ambassador to the United Nations - reveals her surprising story with unflinching candor in this New York Times best seller.
-
-
Necessary, Transparent, Educating & Timely.
- By Amazon Customer on 10-09-19
By: Susan Rice
-
I'll Take Your Questions Now
- What I Saw at the Trump White House
- By: Stephanie Grisham
- Narrated by: Stephanie Grisham
- Length: 9 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Stephanie Grisham rose from being a junior press wrangler on the Trump campaign in 2016 to assuming top positions in the administration as White House press secretary and communications director, while at the same time acting as First Lady Melania Trump’s communications director and eventually chief of staff. Few members of the Trump inner circle served longer or were as close to the first family as Stephanie Grisham, and few had her unique insight into the turbulent four years of the administration, especially the personalities behind the headlines.
-
-
Total self serving BS by the new Linda Trip
- By J. Justin Meehan on 10-06-21
-
Both/And
- A Life in Many Worlds
- By: Huma Abedin
- Narrated by: Huma Abedin
- Length: 21 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The daughter of Indian and Pakistani intellectuals and advocates, Abedin grew up in the United States and Saudi Arabia and traveled widely. Both/And grapples with family, legacy, identity, faith, marriage, motherhood - and work - with wisdom, sophistication, grace, and clarity.
-
-
Amazing book, absolutely recommended!
- By Prerit Pramod on 11-05-21
By: Huma Abedin
-
The Spy and the Traitor
- The Greatest Espionage Story of the Cold War
- By: Ben Macintyre
- Narrated by: John Lee
- Length: 13 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
If anyone could be considered a Russian counterpart to the infamous British double-agent Kim Philby, it was Oleg Gordievsky. The son of two KGB agents and the product of the best Soviet institutions, the savvy, sophisticated Gordievsky grew to see his nation's communism as both criminal and philistine. He took his first posting for Russian intelligence in 1968 and eventually became the Soviet Union's top man in London, but from 1973 on he was secretly working for MI6.
-
-
John Lee is GREAT!
- By David on 09-21-18
By: Ben Macintyre
-
The Education of an Idealist
- A Memoir
- By: Samantha Power
- Narrated by: Samantha Power
- Length: 21 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In her memoir, Power offers an urgent response to the question "What can one person do?" and a call for a clearer eye, a kinder heart, and a more open and civil hand in our politics and daily lives. The Education of an Idealist traces Power’s distinctly American journey from immigrant to war correspondent to presidential Cabinet official. In 2005, her critiques of US foreign policy caught the eye of newly elected senator Barack Obama, who invited her to work with him on Capitol Hill and then on his presidential campaign.
-
-
Sam's Power: Privilege in U.S. Politics
- By RelizzScholar27 on 11-09-19
By: Samantha Power
-
Melania and Me
- The Rise and Fall of My Friendship with the First Lady
- By: Stephanie Winston Wolkoff
- Narrated by: Stephanie Winston Wolkoff
- Length: 11 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this candid and emotional memoir, Stephanie Winston Wolkoff takes you into Trump Tower and the White House to tell the funny, thrilling, and heartbreaking story of her intimate friendship with one of the most famous women in the world, a woman few people truly understand. How did Melania react to the Access Hollywood tape and her husband’s affair with Stormy Daniels? Does she get along well with Ivanka? Why did she wear that jacket with "I really don’t care, do u?" printed on the back? Is Melania happy being First Lady? Wolkoff has some ideas....
-
-
AUTHOR IS AN ENGAGING NARRATOR
- By k on 09-02-20
-
Tough Love
- My Story of the Things Worth Fighting For
- By: Susan Rice
- Narrated by: Susan Rice
- Length: 22 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Recalling pivotal moments from her dynamic career on the front lines of American diplomacy and foreign policy, Susan E. Rice - national security advisor to President Barack Obama and US ambassador to the United Nations - reveals her surprising story with unflinching candor in this New York Times best seller.
-
-
Necessary, Transparent, Educating & Timely.
- By Amazon Customer on 10-09-19
By: Susan Rice
-
I'll Take Your Questions Now
- What I Saw at the Trump White House
- By: Stephanie Grisham
- Narrated by: Stephanie Grisham
- Length: 9 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Stephanie Grisham rose from being a junior press wrangler on the Trump campaign in 2016 to assuming top positions in the administration as White House press secretary and communications director, while at the same time acting as First Lady Melania Trump’s communications director and eventually chief of staff. Few members of the Trump inner circle served longer or were as close to the first family as Stephanie Grisham, and few had her unique insight into the turbulent four years of the administration, especially the personalities behind the headlines.
-
-
Total self serving BS by the new Linda Trip
- By J. Justin Meehan on 10-06-21
-
Both/And
- A Life in Many Worlds
- By: Huma Abedin
- Narrated by: Huma Abedin
- Length: 21 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The daughter of Indian and Pakistani intellectuals and advocates, Abedin grew up in the United States and Saudi Arabia and traveled widely. Both/And grapples with family, legacy, identity, faith, marriage, motherhood - and work - with wisdom, sophistication, grace, and clarity.
-
-
Amazing book, absolutely recommended!
- By Prerit Pramod on 11-05-21
By: Huma Abedin
-
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
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
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.
-
-
Should be required reading for every citizen
- By Amazon Customer on 02-27-20
By: Gordon Corera
-
Agent Sonya
- Moscow's Most Daring Wartime Spy
- By: Ben Macintyre
- Narrated by: Ben Macintyre
- Length: 14 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In 1942, in a quiet village in the leafy English Cotswolds, a thin, elegant woman lived in a small cottage with her three children and her husband, who worked as a machinist nearby. Ursula Burton was friendly but reserved, and spoke English with a slight foreign accent. By all accounts, she seemed to be living a simple, unassuming life. Her neighbors in the village knew little about her. They didn’t know that she was a high-ranking Soviet intelligence officer. They didn’t know that her husband was also a spy, or that she was running powerful agents across Europe.
-
-
Wanted to love it
- By Robert Bell on 09-30-20
By: Ben Macintyre
-
Autobiography of Eleanor Roosevelt
- By: Eleanor Roosevelt
- Narrated by: Tavia Gilbert
- Length: 18 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The daughter of one of New York's most influential families, niece of Theodore Roosevelt, and wife of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Eleanor Roosevelt witnessed some of the most remarkable decades in modern history, as America transitioned from the Gilded Age, the Progressive Era, and the Depression to World War II and the Cold War. A champion of the downtrodden, Eleanor drew on her experience and used her role as First Lady to help those in need.
-
-
Fascinating
- By Jean on 03-26-18
-
Vernon Can Read!
- A Memoir
- By: Vernon Jordan Jr, Annette Gordon-Reed - contributor
- Narrated by: Vernon Jordan Jr
- Length: 14 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
As a young college student in Atlanta, Vernon E. Jordan, Jr. had a summer job driving a white banker around town. During the man’s post-luncheon siestas, Jordan passed the time reading books, a fact that astounded his boss. “Vernon can read!” the man exclaimed to his relatives. Nearly 50 years later, Vernon Jordan, now a senior executive at Lazard Freres, long-time civil rights leader, adviser and close friend to presidents and business leaders and one of the most charismatic figures in America, has written an unforgettable book about his life and times.
-
-
details
- By Beverleyann on 03-26-25
By: Vernon Jordan Jr, and others
-
The Daughters of Yalta
- The Churchills, Roosevelts, and Harrimans: A Story of Love and War
- By: Catherine Grace Katz
- Narrated by: Christine Rendel
- Length: 14 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Tensions during the Yalta Conference in February 1945 threatened to tear apart the wartime alliance among Franklin Roosevelt, Winston Churchill, and Joseph Stalin just as victory was close at hand. Catherine Grace Katz uncovers the dramatic story of the three young women who were chosen by their fathers to travel with them to Yalta, each bound by fierce family loyalty, political savvy, and intertwined romances that powerfully colored these crucial days.
-
-
Engaging
- By Jean on 06-19-21
-
Hell and Other Destinations
- A 21st-Century Memoir
- By: Madeleine Albright
- Narrated by: Madeleine Albright
- Length: 13 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Six-time New York Times best-selling author and former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright - one of the world’s most admired and tireless public servants - reflects on the final stages of one’s career, and working productively into your later decades in this revealing, funny, and inspiring memoir.
-
-
Madeleine Albright is a giant
- By kosta on 04-14-20
-
Spy
- A Novel
- By: Danielle Steel
- Narrated by: Samuel Roukin
- Length: 8 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
At 18, Alexandra Wickham is presented to King George V and Queen Mary in an exquisite white lace and satin dress her mother has ordered from Paris. With her delicate blond looks, she is a stunning beauty who seems destined for a privileged life. But fate, a world war, and her own quietly rebellious personality lead her down a different path. By 1939, Europe is on fire and England is at war. From her home in idyllic Hampshire, Alex makes her way to London as a volunteer in the First Aid Nursing Yeomanry. But she has skills that draw the attention of another branch of the service.
-
-
Great book
- By Rakel on 11-26-19
By: Danielle Steel
-
JFK
- Coming of Age in the American Century, 1917-1956
- By: Fredrik Logevall
- Narrated by: Mark Deakins
- Length: 29 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
By the time of his assassination in 1963, John F. Kennedy stood at the helm of the greatest power the world had ever seen, a booming American nation that he had steered through some of the most perilous diplomatic standoffs of the Cold War. Born in 1917 to a striving Irish American family that had become among Boston’s wealthiest, Kennedy knew political ambition from an early age, and his meteoric rise to become the youngest elected president cemented his status as one of the most mythologized figures in American history.
-
-
Excellent Portrait of JFK & His Times
- By John David on 12-14-20
By: Fredrik Logevall
-
The Princess Spy
- The True Story of World War II Spy Aline Griffith, Countess of Romanones
- By: Larry Loftis
- Narrated by: Kate Reading
- Length: 9 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When Aline Griffith was born in a quiet suburban New York hamlet, no one had any idea that she would go on to live “a life of glamour and danger that Ingrid Bergman only played at in Notorious” (Time). As the United States enters the Second World War, the young college graduate is desperate to aid in the war effort, but no one is interested in a bright-eyed young woman whose only career experience is modeling clothes.
-
-
Repeat of spy wore red
- By Theresa Pease on 02-18-21
By: Larry Loftis
-
The Compatriots
- The Brutal and Chaotic History of Russia's Exiles, Émigrés, and Agents Abroad
- By: Andrei Soldatov, Irina Borogan
- Narrated by: Nick Sullivan
- Length: 10 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The history of Russian espionage is soaked in blood, from a spontaneous pistol shot that killed a secret policeman in Romania in 1924 to the attempt to poison an exiled KGB colonel in Salisbury, England, in 2017. Russian émigrés have found themselves continually at the center of the mayhem. Russians began leaving the country in big numbers in the late 19th century, fleeing pogroms, tsarist secret police persecution, and the Revolution, then Stalin and the KGB - and creating the third-largest diaspora in the world.
-
-
Great book. Extremely detailed history of the USSR
- By M. Gordon on 03-03-20
By: Andrei Soldatov, and others
-
Kindred Souls
- The Friendship of Eleanor Roosevelt and David Gurewitsch
- By: Edna P. Gurewitsch
- Narrated by: Bernadette Dunne
- Length: 10 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
For 15 years, Eleanor Roosevelt and her handsome doctor, David Gurewitsch, were friends, traveling, entertaining, and eventually buying a townhouse together in Manhattan. Their friendship has always intrigued historians, but not much is known about it. David kept detailed journals and took thousands of photos, but he never publicly discussed their time together.
-
-
I'm glad I listened to this one first
- By R. Jones on 12-24-05
-
The League of Wives
- The Untold Story of the Women Who Took on the U.S. Government to Bring Their Husbands Home
- By: Heath Hardage Lee
- Narrated by: Heath Hardage Lee
- Length: 10 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The true story of the fierce band of women who battled Washington - and Hanoi - to bring their husbands home from the jungles of Vietnam.
-
-
Authority on The League of Wives origin story
- By David Atherton on 12-27-24