23. Old School Spying
Adolf Tolkachev was a creative spy, and consistently managed to get around the stringent security measures at his workplace. Despite strict document access procedures, he routinely checked out top secret documents. He took them home or to other parts of the workplace, where he could examine them at leisure without arousing suspicions. When the spy cameras provided him by the CIA failed, he photographed secret documents with a civilian camera. His production was copious: one time, he gave his handler over 150 rolls of film, and on another occasion, over 200 rolls. All in all, Tolkachev’s information put the US in a position to dominate the skies in case of war. It confirmed that Soviet air defenses were vulnerable to low flying American missiles and warplanes.
Tolkachev refused any payment at first, and insisted that he was acting out of principle. He wanted to undermine his government, which he detested. He also feared that money would be too noticeable and draw suspicion. However, he accepted as gifts for his son some items that were hard to come by in the USSR, such as music records and art supplies. Eventually, he accepted some small payments to bribe any colleagues who might discover what he was up to. He was also extremely careful, and refused to follow the CIA’s standard spycraft, which he deemed counterproductive, and likely to give him away. He declined to use radios, or work through dead drops – intelligence delivered to a secret location for a handler to pick later. He instead insisted on the personal delivery of his goods in face to face meetings.
