5 Facts: Moscow Station & Spaso House

In celebrating the release of Chief of Station to Kindle, here are five fun facts about the real Moscow Station and Spaso House!

1.) The KGB posed as firefighters to break into Moscow Station

In August 1977, a transformer ignited after hours in the Embassy's economics section. Initial help from the Moscow Fire Department was both slow and poorly equipped. More experienced firefighters later appeared on the scene, though some were believed to have been members of the KGB. Then CIA station chief Gardner Hathaway, ignoring orders by the U.S. Ambassador to leave, decided to take action. With a revolver in hand, he blocked the 'firefighters' from entering the CIA's Moscow Station on the seventh floor for which he would later be awarded the Intelligence Star.

2.) The CIA used an early wireless instant communication device

To lessen in-person meetings, the CIA developed a handheld gadget known as a Discus in the late 1970's. The device was cutting edge for its time, using automatic encryption and a message received verification system. However, it did have its drawbacks. The Discus required being both stationary and within so many meters of another device.

3.) The Builder of Spaso: Nikolay Vtorov

Spaso House was built in 1914 for wealthy industrialist Nikolay Vtorov. Vtorov died just three years later at the height of the Bolshevik Revolution. Little is known about his ultimate demise. Rumors abound, however, including assassination as well as murder by his own son on the front vestibule of Spaso House.

4.) A host of celebrities

When U.S. Ambassador Arthur Hartman came to Moscow in 1981, he set out on welcoming various artists to Spaso House during his tenure. Stars included John Denver, Ray Charles, Leonard Bernstein and Chick Corea. Shortly after Hartman left, David Brubeck even performed at a State Dinner in 1988 attended by both President Reagan and General Secretary Gorbachev.

5.) Identity Transfer

To evade detection and successfully meet with agents, CIA officers at Moscow Station would take on the identity of an Embassy worker that wasn't under considerable surveillance by the KGB. This tactic required a carefully crafted disguise matching an outfit often worn by the employee. When a CIA officer went to a meeting in this outfit, the person whose identity was transferred was required to stay hidden in the Embassy and remain silent (lest there be a listening device) until they returned.

Now on Amazon: CHIEF OF STATION