Michal Goleniewski was a pivotal yet overlooked figure in the Cold War intelligence landscape. Investigative journalist Kevin Coogan uncovers Goleniewski's remarkable story in this biography. Rising to a senior position in the Polish intelligence service, he gained access to crucial Polish and Russian secrets. Disillusioned with the Soviet Bloc, he contacted the CIA, providing significant intelligence before defecting to America in 1961 through a complex escape plan in Berlin. His disclosures led to the identification of several key Soviet spies in the West, including the Portland spy ring in the UK and MI6 traitor George Blake. Despite these critical contributions, Goleniewski's later claims of being Tsarevich Alexei Nikolaevich of Russia—last member of the Romanov family—resulted in his abandonment by the CIA. His increasingly bizarre assertions drew him into a strange world of Russian exiles, anti-communist zealots, right-wing extremists, and chivalric orders linked to America's racist and antisemitic underground. This captivating biography will appeal to students and researchers of Cold War history, intelligence studies, and right-wing extremism, as well as general readers interested in these compelling topics.
