Epstein Secrets

intelligence coups through the eyes, and mind-set, of their KGB handler might provide some historical context for the Snowden defection. So I invited Cherkashin to lunch at Gusto, a quiet Italian restaurant, located near the Chekhov Theater in Moscow. Cherkashin, a tall thin man with silver hair, showed up p

ontext for the Snowden defection. So I invited Cherkashin to lunch at Gusto, a quiet Italian restaurant, located near the Chekhov Theater in Moscow. Cherkashin, a tall thin man with silver hair, showed up promptly at 1:00 p.m., wearing an elegant gray suit and dark tie. He walked with a spry step. Because he

es. One of the sin- gles that Poteyev personally handled was Anna Kushchyenko. She was a strikingly beautiful Russian student who changed her name to Anna Chapman by briefly marrying a British citizen she met at a rave party. After taking his name, she left him. After completing her training in Russia, she was

cknowledges: Bamford, “Edward Snowden.” 154 “absence of evidence”: Carl Sagan, Cosmos (New York: Random House, 1980), 49. 154 “The greatest trick”: Cherkashin, interview with author. The quotation from The Usual Suspects was adopted by the movie from Charles Baudelaire’s observation “La plus belle des rus

th author. Cuarter 25 Through the Looking Glass 254 “There's definitely a deep state”: Vanden Heuvel and Cohen, “Snowden Speaks.” 255 according to Cherkashin: Cherkashin, interview with author. 258 Pelton had left the NSA: George E. Curry, “Ex-intelligence Expert Guilty of Espionage,” Chicago Tribune, Jun

sy Ena and Ines Talakic Anatoly Kucherena: AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko Snowden’s first appearance in Russia: Human Rights Watch, Tanya Lokshina Anna Chapman: AP Photo/Sergei Karpukhin, Pool, File Poitras, Greenwald, and Mills: Kevin Winter/Getty Images | | Epst_9780451494566_2p_all_r1.indd 351 @ 9/30/16

then cited the signature line from the movie Zhe Usual Suspects “The greatest trick the Devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn't exist.” Cherkashin thinly smiled and said “CIA denial [of moles] certainly helped.” HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_020275 124 In view of such past successes of the Russian intellig

mous spy delivered 27 computer discs containing hundreds of secret documents revealing the sources and methods of American intelligence. According to Cherkashin, it was the largest haul of top secrets documents ever obtained by the KGB (although it was only a small fraction of the number of top secret NSA, De

. One of the singletons that Poteyev personally handled was Anna Kushchyenko. She was a strikingly beautiful Russian student, who changed her name to Anna Chapman by briefly marrying a British citizen she met at arave party. After taking his name, she left him. After completing her training in Russia, the SVR s