IN THE BELLY
OF THE BEAR
AN FBI JOURNEY BEHIND THE NEW IRON CURTAIN
The collapse of the Soviet Union was a historic turning point when many, especially those who grew up during the Cold War, began to let go of their long-held fears and embrace feelings of hope for the future. That included agents of the FBI, who were, by necessity, busy building bridges with their former adversaries in response to a flood of Russian criminals pouring into the United States. In The Belly of the Bear chronicles this collaboration through the eyes of a well-positioned FBI agent who was on the frontlines in Russia.
In the Belly
of the Bear
Jeff Iverson explores obstacles he and his colleagues faced on their former rivals’ home turf, including counter intelligence challenges that have traditionally posed a danger to American government officials and/or business people traveling to Russia. Part cultural history, part international relations thriller, Iverson’s account details successful criminal and terrorism investigations between the FBI and former Soviet authorities, and the nature of the FBI’s fraught relationship with one of those agencies— the FSB, Russia’s modern-day version of the Soviet KGB. Iverson closes with a focus on the worrying parallels between Russia’s return to autocracy and our current American political discourse. This book will appeal to readers interested in the history of US and Russian relations as well as the history of the FBI.
“In the Belly of the Bear is an insightful and candid take on an intriguing former Soviet world by a senior FBI agent who experienced it on the ground both in Moscow and Central Asia. Much of what Mr. Iverson experienced then is very relevant to what is happening now in Moscow and throughout Russia under Putin’s rule.”
-- Michael di Pretoro, Former Deputy Assistant Director, International Operations at FBIHQ and FBI Legal Attaché, Moscow (Retired)
“In the Belly of the Bear” offers a unique insider perspective on the times we are currently seeing in the U.S. and the former Soviet Union. Jeffrey Iverson has an insight unavailable to most Americans on where Russia has been and where U.S./Russian relations are today. His insight is eye-opening and a warning to us all.”
-- Gregory Gonyea, USAF (Retired), Squadron Commander, F-117 Stealth Fighter, DESERT STORM, Iraq
“Jeff Iverson is the real deal. If you want to understand the post-Cold War fight against Eurasian organized crime from the working level, In the Belly of the Bear is the book you should read.”
-- Mike McCall, Special Agent, FBI (Retired), Eurasian Organized Crime Task Force, New York
“This is a “true north” book on Russia. As an FBI Special Agent investigating Russian criminal activities inthe US, and later, because of his specialized investigative background and Russian language expertise, Mr. Iverson was named the FBI Legal Attaché in Moscow, where he got an “insider look” into Russia that few Americans have actually experienced. Timely, revealing and insightful.”
-- Eugene Sullivan, Federal Judge (Retired.)
About the Author
Jeff Iverson is a former social worker who entered on duty as a Special Agent of the FBI in 1984. The last half of his twenty-two-year career with the FBI was devoted exclusively to investigations tied to the former Soviet Union as a street agent working Russian organized crime, supervisor of the Russian organized crime squad in San Francisco and as Legal Attaché in charge of FBI offices in Central Asia and Moscow. Throughout those years, Mr. Iverson also served as an instructor at the International Law Enforcement Academy in Budapest, Hungary, where he taught former Soviet bloc police managers on strategies to dismantle organized criminal enterprises. Following his retirement from the FBI in 2007, Mr. Iverson expanded his expertise through professional assignments in the former Soviet Union and Western Europe as a Senior Consultant/Contractor for Freeh Group International Solutions under the direction of former FBI Director Louis Freeh.
Preview
In the Belly of the Bear is the author’s take on an intriguing former Soviet world as an FBI agent with a ringside seat, colored by the memories of a Cold War kid. It is based on the last half of the author’s twenty-two-year career, during which consequential events in that region were his exclusive focus. That includes a brief window in time, years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, when the lingering shadow of that once frightened child crawled out of his shelter long enough to experience a beautiful and profoundly human side of the “other”; a time when it seemed plausible that the US and Russia might set aside their decades-long, danger-laden animosity. But a darker side of this story is the steep ascent of Soviet thinking that reemerged in the early 2000s, later overlapping with America’s descent into homegrown assaults on the democratic values, institutions and alliances that were once the tip of the spear in our victory over Ronald Reagan’s Evil Empire; calling into question not only our once undisputed status as victors in the Cold War, but the direction in which our democracy is now headed.
In retrospect, I consider myself fortunate that my initial introduction to my Russian colleagues took place at a time (1998) when an open window had temporarily replaced a door slammed shut. What I experienced in that moment was a peek into the Russian soul, and for the blink of an eye, a feeling of optimism on both sides. During that fleeting moment, those of us representing the FBI and our Russian partners could let our hair down and even become friends (not that we would say that out loud) and yet remain faithful to our respective countries. Though I am sure that feeling is now in a deep coma, that was a time to let the air out of a lifetime of fear of the “other”.
Rowman & Littlefield
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