The Spy Who Didn’t Come Home | Jack Barsky

No Limitations

In Episode 115 of the No Limitations podcast The Spy Who Didn’t Come Home, Blenheim Partners’ Gregory Robinson speaks with Jack Barksy, a former agent of the KGB, the foreign intelligence and domestic security agency of the Soviet Union.

In a fascinating and revealing discussion, Jack shows us both sides of the Iron Curtain as we delve into the world of espionage. We uncover his story from his beginnings as a high-achieving student recruited by the KGB through the East German Stasi, trained in Moscow and eventually inserted into the United States. We hear of his missions, the near misses that risked blowing his cover and the lead up to his fateful encounter with the FBI.

Originally from East Germany, Jack was recruited by the KGB as a university student and later infiltrated the United States where he spent ten years spying for the Soviet Union. He severed his relationship with the KGB in 1988 and pursued a corporate career in information technology. He was eventually discovered by the FBI. Today, Jack is an American citizen who is taking advantage of one last chance to live a normal life.

In 2017, Jack released a book about his experiences Deep Undercover: My Secret Life and Tangled Allegiances as a KGB Spy in America. He is also the subject of a 12-part podcast series The Agent which was released in 2021.

Please note: this episode was recorded on 14 April 2023.

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