The CIA, blow up sex dolls, and the Billion Dollar Spy

[lucas80]

I just finished reading The Billion Dollar Spy by David Hoffman. A riveting tale of Adolf Tolkachev, a man who lost his life because he spied for the US in the a70's and 80's. The title comes from a guess as to how much the information Tolkachev passed on was worth. Tolkachev relentlessly provided huge amounts of information, mostly related to the radar capabilities of the USSR, until he was ratted out by Edward Lee Howard.
The book is an incredible page turner that provides great insight into the life of a spy. There is great analysis of Tolkachev and his burning desire to destroy the USSR. There is great psychological analysis of the man from retired CIA agents and some declassified documents. The book documents how the information Tolkachev passed onto the US allowed for the US to understand there were huge gaps in the USSR's radar coverage, and that our cruise missiles would be able to reach deep into the USSR. His information on airborne radar systems, and the radars on MIG interceptors allowed for the US to develop training regimens that produced pilots capable of seeing all the weaknesses of their potential opponents. Near the end of the book there is a chapter on how all of this information was put into use in the first Iraq War as the US decimated the Soviet designed systems employed by Iraq.
The book also analyzes the systemic faults of the CIA, and spares nobody who could have stopped Howard from corrupting Tolkachev's role as a CIA agent.
Can anyone guess what the CIA used the sex dolls for?

 

[The Tradition]

Can anyone guess what the CIA used the sex dolls for?

Fake agents on stakeouts?

 

[lucas80]

Fake agents on stakeouts?

Close enough. When trying to ditch a tail and get an agent onto the streets of Moscow they'd hide a doll in something like a fake cake, or briefcase, and after making a turn the agent would bail out and another agent would inflate the doll to create illusion of the first agent still being in the car. They abandoned it because they could be slow to inflate, or the fake clothes or hair would get caught. They eventually found out that a simple cardboard cutout worked just fine after dark.
Other agents found out that many KGB tails were lazy. If the US agent kept the same routine they could create gaps to make exchanges. 45 minutes to drive to get their hair cut every other week and the KGB would not tail. Taking home the nanny on an exact 30 minute trip every night and they might not tail. Really, really cold and they were less likely to tail these routine runs.

 

[LowerBarron]

I have this book on my iPad and was planning to read it on an overseas business trip this fall. Trip was cancelled so I haven't read it but will have to get started on it. Sounds like a good read.

 

[Nat Algren]

You should read, The Devil's Chessboard, by David Talbot.

http://www.amazon.com/Devils-Chessb...1447077920&sr=8-1&keywords=devil's+chessboard