ACADEMIA

Welcome to the ACADEMIA page, where we delve into the intricate world of espionage through a collection of scholarly documents, case studies, and reviews. This resource is designed for those who seek to understand the complex methods used in intelligence gathering, covert operations, and the art of concealment.

Featuring a curated selection of PDFs from Academia.org, the page covers a wide range of topics, including historical espionage cases, clandestine communication techniques, and modern-day intelligence practices. Whether you're a researcher, history enthusiast, or simply intrigued by the unseen forces that shape global affairs, this page offers in-depth analysis and expert insights into the world of espionage. Explore, learn, and uncover the secrets that have influenced some of the most pivotal moments in history.

Vladimir Petrov: A Reappraisal

By Phillip Deery

During the Cold War, defectors from the Russian Intelligence Services to the West were of critical importance. They exposed and neutralised hundreds of Soviet agents who had penetrated government departments and democratic institutions. Stretching from Anatoli Granovsky in 1946 to Oleg Gordievsky in 1985, these Soviet defectors were highly prized for the intelligence they provided to security services. Ranked amongst the most valuable at the time was Vladimir Mikhailovich Petrov, who defected in Sydney in 1954. Yet he, almost alone, has overwhelmingly been cast by commentators and historians as lazy, inefficient, and incompetent.

This article will offer an alternative interpretation of Petrov. My argument has three prongs. First, Petrov's contact with Russian individuals and pro-Soviet political organisations in Australia was far more extensive than generally assumed. Second, contrary to the historiographical consensus, he withheld intelligence about his contacts and informants from his security service debriefers. Third, rather than Petrov seeing espionage as too dangerous, as suggested, he was a committed and active Soviet intelligence cadre. By reappraising Petrov, the article seeks to provide a fresh understanding of this key episode, the Petrov Affair, in Australia's Cold War history.

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Phillip is an Emeritus Professor of history at Victoria University, Melbourne, where he was Director of Research and Research Training in the College of Arts. He specialises in the fields of communism, espionage, and the Cold War. His books on the Cold War include Spies and Sparrows: ASIO and the Cold War (Melbourne University Press, 2022), The Age of McCarthyism: A Brief History With Documents, Third Edition (co-authored, Bedford/St. Martins, 2017), Red Apple: Communism and McCarthyism in Cold War New York (Fordham University Press, 2014, 2016) and Espionage and Betrayal: Behind the Scenes of the Cold War (co-authored, Feltrinelli Press, 2011).