R. R. – Page 3 – Read Write Reflect

“The Bet”

Anton Chekhov (Heraklion Press)

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In this is a short but insightful read, a wealthy banker and a young lawyer argue vehemently about capital punishment versus life imprisonment. As the argument unfolds, they make a rash bet: the banker bets 2 million (currency unstated) that the lawyer cannot spent 5 years in confinement. The brash young lawyer raises this to 15 years and so they embark upon their bet.

In his solitary confinement the lawyer begins an aggressive campaign of self-learning.

In year one he reads light novels and plays the piano.

In year two he reads classics.

In year five he eats, drinks, writes and returns to music.

In years six to 10 he studies history and philosophy and learns six languages.

He then spends one full year on the New Testament.

He spends his final two years on science and random reading.

[Spoiler alert] As the end of the 15th year draws near, the banker, now broke, regrets his bet and concludes the only way out for him is to kill the lawyer. With the watchman away from his post, the banker enters the lawyer’s cell only to find the man sleeping with a note on the table before him. In the note, the lawyer shares that he has explored everything in his confinement and determined that the millions no longer matter to him. In fact, he renounces his claim to the millions.

Thoughts

The true depth of this story is the lawyer’s note in which he contemplates the meaning of life. He condemns humanity saying that “Though you be proud and wise and beautiful, yet will death wipe you from the face of the earth” and describes them as “mad, and gone the wrong way.”

In a powerful conclusion he states: “So do I marvel at you, who have bartered heaven for earth.” In my mind, this is the critical message of the whole story and evokes the words of Jesus: “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul?” (Matthew 16:26). And I agree with Jerome Smith (https://www.realbiblestudy.com/?p=3379) that the critical element in understanding the lawyer’s decision to walk away from the millions is found in the year he spent studying the New Testament.

The version I read was from Heraklion Press but that no longer seems to be available on Amazon. Another option is available:

“The Spy and the Traitor”

Ben Macintyre (Broadway Books)

This is an incredible true spy story. I knew this book was going to be awesome when I saw that John LeCarre described it as “The best true spy story have ever read” but it surpassed my expectations.

The spy is KGB Colonel Oleg Gordievsky who becomes an MI6 double agent and today lives in hiding in the UK. Gordievsky became disillusioned with the lie that was the Soviet Union and set out to bring an end to the communist system.

The traitor is Aldrich Ames, the CIA double agent who spied for the KGB and is believed to be the mole who ultimately betrayed Gordievsky. Ames is serving a life sentence in a US prison.

The book is well researched and contains multiple quotes from key KGB, CIA, MI6 and MI5 participants. The narrative is compelling and the story is so incredible that it would be unbelievable except for the fact that it’s true. The author makes clear that there is no moral equivalence between these two double agents: Ames betrayed his country for money; Gordievsky sought to save his country from the clutches of the communist regime.

[Spoiler alerts] The book traces Gordievsky’s life from loyal KGB agent, to MI6 informant, his posting to Scandinavia and London, his recall to Moscow after he became the subject of suspicion, his torture and interrogation, and ultimately his incredulous escape from the Soviet Union.

One of the most compelling personal elements of the story is Gordievsky’s love for his wife (the daughter of a KGB general) and his daughters who knew nothing of his betrayal of the Soviet Union. He struggles desperately in deciding whether to escape alone or risk taking the entire family in an escape attempt that seems destined to fail. Ultimately, he escapes alone, leaving his wife to endure relentless KGB interrogation. Efforts by the UK to extract Gordievsky’s family from the USSR were unsuccessful. Finally, in the dying months of the Soviet Union, six years after their separation, the family was reunited. Tragically, the precious love they shared had died and the author states that Gordievsky’s wife believed that his “loyalty to an idea had taken precedence over his love for her” (Epilogue).

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Compelling Quotes:

“The decision to leave his family behind was either an act of monumental self-sacrifice, or one of selfish self-preservation, or both. He told himself he had no choice, which is what we all tell ourselves when forced to make a terrible choice” (p.249).

The Telegram from MI6 to the extraction team: “The Prime Minister has personally approved this operation and expressed her confidence in your ability to carry it out. We all here join in standing 100% behind you and are confident you will succeed” (p. 270).

“Gordievsky risked his life for a cause; Ames wanted a bigger car” (Epilogue).

“He is one of the bravest people I have ever met, and one of the loneliest” (Epilogue).

Summation:

In the Afterword, the author states:

“Oleg Gordievsky did not read the book before publication; he then read it twice, and sent his assessment in a single line, written in a wobbly hand: “It is flawless.” This book is certainly not flawless, but if it has helped to bring to the world’s attention a remarkable, brave, and complex man and an important episode in recent hisotry, then it will have served its purpose” (Afterword).

I would assure the author that he most definitely got my attention. I had never heard of Oleg Gordievsky and now I wonder why. The book had a remarkable impact. I’m glad I had the chance to read it and I recommend it wholeheartedly to anyone with an interest in history and especially the Cold War era.

Author: R. R. (Page 3 of 3)

The meaning of life: Brilliant, insightful classic

MI6, the KGB & the CIA: Treachery, betrayal and sacrifice

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