{"product_id":"the-mission-cia-in-the-balkans-9780595657322","title":"The Mission: CIA in the Balkans","description":"Ivan Kolev claws an opening under a barbed wire fence in a driving rain and escapes from Communist Bulgaria to Greece, and into a Greek Army ambush. \u003cp\u003eKolev's freedom is short-lived. After weeks of interrogation, the CIA recruits him to return to Bulgaria clandestinely on an espionage mission.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eHe trains physically for months in the rugged mountains of northern Greece shepherded by a tough Greek, a former guerilla fighter. Then, when proficient in the use of a pistol, map, compass and camera, he is dispatched by the CIA to Bulgaria.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eEnter the world of Cold War espionage as Kolev voluntarily surrenders to the Bulgarian Intelligence Service and agrees to become a double agent, a decision that exposes him to violence and the risk of death, and one that changes his life forever.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Mission\u003c\/i\u003e also portrays the rarely told story of the reality of life in the CIA's clandestine service; the dangers its operations officers face and the impact on their personal lives.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e iUniverse\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 08\/10\/2003\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780595657322\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 156\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.83lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.41h x 6.32w x 0.70d","brand":"R. E. Estes","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42183707918517,"sku":"9780595657322","price":19.51,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0473\/0804\/6492\/products\/img_edd5484f-f39a-4762-bcee-e4f538919476.jpg?v=1654569980","url":"https:\/\/pastforward.org\/products\/the-mission-cia-in-the-balkans-9780595657322","provider":"Past Forward","version":"1.0","type":"link"}