"An American reporter of Russian heritage assigned to Soviet-era Moscow might seem to have an edge on his colleagues, but when he's falsely accused of spying, any advantage quickly evaporares." "As a young UPI correspondent in Moscow during the early 1960s, Nicholas Daniloff hoped to jump-start his career in his father's homeland, but he soon learned that the Cold War had its own rules of engagement. In this memoir, he describes the reality of journalism behind the Iron Curtain: how Western reporters banded together to thwart Soviet propagandists, how their "official sources" were almost always controlled by the KGB - and how those sources would sometimes try to turn newsmen into collaborators." "Leaving Moscow for Washington in 1965, Daniloff honed his skills at the State Department, then returned to Moscow in 1981 and found a more open society. But when the FBI nabbed a Soviet agent in 1986, Daniloff was arrested in retaliation and thrown into prison as a spy - an incident that threatened to undo the Reykjavik summit until top aides to Reagan and Gorbachev worked out a solution. In addition to recounting a career in the thick of international intrigue, Of Spies and Spokesmen is brimming with inside information about historic events. Daniloff tells how the news media played a crucial role in resolving the Cuban Missile Crisis, recalls the emotional impact of the JFK assassination on Soviet leadership, and describes the behind-the-scenes struggles that catapulted Mikhail Gorbachev to power."--BOOK JACKET.
Includes bibliographical references (p. 403-415) and index.