The film
(released in 2015) was more telling about James Donovan (played by Tom Hanks)
who appointed by American government as the lawyer of suspected Soviet spy
Rudolf Abel who was arrested in the US at 21 June 1957, while in this book, the
story of James Donovan was not too detail described, instead the book writer
–Giles Whittell—told more about the story of William Fisher aka Rudolf Abel who
had multiple disguise names such as Emil Goldfus, Martin Collins, Robert
Callan, and many more. He was KGB colonel and the most senior undercover Soviet
agent in North America from 1948 to 1957.
The other
figures who were written in this book, of course, were Francis Gary Powers, an
American pilot who was captured when his spy plane shot down by Soviet Army,
and Frederic Pryor, a young American student mistakenly identified as a spy and
captured when he studied in Berlin, Germany.
The story
itself is already really good and worth for praises, hence whether you like to
see it through the film or the book, it remains good, and for sure, indeed
dramatic.
For me, the
most interesting part is the story of “spy swap” that arranged by James Donovan
who could make 1 for 2. It was not disclosed why Soviet finally succumbed to
this negotiation. They released two but only got one.
On February 10,
1962, the Glienicke Bridge witnessed a historic spy swap between Rudolf Abel
and Gary Powers. However people should not forget the Checkpoint Charlie in
Berlin, too, since this spot played a critical role that made the swap became
more dramatic. It was Frederic Pryor arrival at the spot that would make the
swap happens, or otherwise unexpected things might happen if some silly things
ruin the arrangement.
***
Serpong, 3 Oct
2021
Titus J.
