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Andrew Vasser
3-27-15
4A
George Kisevalter One question that addresses this paper well is, what George Kisevalter’s effect on the Cold War was. So, obviously, because of this my paper will be on George Kisevalter’s effect on the Cold War.
First off, it would be good to tell you about George’s early life which helped to get him his amazing job at the CIA. In 1910, George was born in St. Petersburg, Russia. He got to America when he was five and his grandfather went there to buy weapons for the Czar, or king, of Russia. When this happened his grandfather brought everyone, including George, to America. His family was going to return to Russia but, because of the Bolshevik revolution, they remained in America and received citizenship there. George later attended Dartmouth College and studied engineering.
Now, the Second World War led to him joining the CIA. ”When the United States entered World War II in December 1941, George joined the U.S Army. For much of World War II, George helped support the Soviet war effort through the Lend-Lease Program, which
Vasser 2 supplied Allied nations with war materials.”(web CIA) After the war, George left the Army and joined the private sector. His career there was very brief, because he soon got a job somewhere else. “A place where sound intelligence and solid tradecraft were key: the Central Intelligence Agency.”(web CIA)
He quickly went through the ranks of the agency. “By 1953, George became branch chief in the Soviet Division of what was then the Directorate of Plans.”(web CIA) Nowadays this is known as the National Clandestine Service. Later that year he was assigned as a handler of one of the agency’s very important assets: Lt Col. Pyotr Popov. Back then, Popov was thought of as the agency’s most important asset. For 6 years, George developed a friendship with Popov while Popov provided him with incredibly valuable intelligence. Sadly, later Popov was found out by the Soviets. He was captured and executed in 1960.
In 1961, George was ordered to be a handler for another incredibly important Soviet asset: GRU Colonel Oleg Penkovsky. Penkovsky provided so much intelligence, he is still considered one of the CIA’s most valuable assets in history. “For the next two years, George worked
