# Sleeper Agent: The Atomic Spy in America Who Got Away - Hardcover

by **Ann Hagedorn** (Author)

**Nominated for an Edgar Award​**

**This "historical page-turner of the highest order****" (_The Wall Street Journal_) tells the chilling story of an American-born Soviet spy in the atom bomb project in World War II, perfect for fans of _The Americans_.**

George Koval was born in Iowa. In 1932, his parents, Russian Jews who had emigrated because of anti-Semitism, decided to return home to live out their socialist ideals. George, who was as committed to socialism as they were, went with them. There, he was recruited by the Soviet Army as a spy and returned to the US in 1940. A gifted science student, he enrolled at Columbia University, where he knew scientists soon to join the Manhattan Project, America's atom bomb program. After being drafted into the US Army, George used his scientific background and connections to secure an assignment at a site where plutonium and uranium were produced to fuel the atom bomb. There, and later in a second top-secret location, he had full access to all facilities, and he passed highly sensitive information to Moscow.

There were hundreds of spies in the US during World War II, but Koval was the only Soviet military spy with security clearances in the atomic-bomb project. The ultimate sleeper agent, he was an all-American boy who had played baseball, loved Walt Whitman's poetry, and mingled freely with fellow Americans. After the war he got away without a scratch. It is indisputable that his information landed in the right hands in Moscow. In 1949, Soviet scientists produced a bomb identical to America's years earlier than US experts expected.

A gripping, fast-paced, and "fascinating" (Bob Shacochis, National Book Award-winning author of _The Woman Who Lost Her Soul_) story about one undetected spy whose actions influenced history, _Sleeper Agent_ is perfect for Ben Macintyre fans.

### Author Biography

Ann Hagedorn has been a staff writer for _The Wall Street Journal_ and has taught writing at Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism and at Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism. She is the author of _Wild Ride_, _Ransom_, _Beyond the River_, _Savage Peace_, _Invisible Soldiers,_ and _Sleeper Agent_.

**Number of Pages:** 272

**Dimensions:** 1 x 9 x 6.3 IN

**Illustrated:** Yes

**Publication Date:** July 20, 2021

**Award:** Edgar Allan Poe Awards (2022)

## Details

- **Price:** 28.0 USD
- **Vendor:** Books by splitShops
- **Type:** Books
- **Tags:** Books by splitShops, Shopify Collective

## Variants

| Variant | Price | Available |
|---------|-------|-----------|
| Default Title | 28.00 USD | In stock |

## Images

- Sleeper Agent: The Atomic Spy in America Who Got Away - Hardcover
- Sleeper Agent: The Atomic Spy in America Who Got Away - Hardcover

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