From Warsaw with Love: Polish Spies, the CIA, and the Forging of an Unlikely Alliance

Written by John Pomfret

Narrated by Donald Corren

The epic story of how Polish intelligence officers forged an alliance with the CIA in the twilight of the Cold War, told by the award-winning author John Pomfret

Spanning decades and continents, from the battlefields of the Balkans to secret nuclear research labs in Iran and embassy grounds in North Korea, this saga begins in 1990. As the United States cobbles together a coalition to undo Saddam Hussein’s invasion of Kuwait, six
US officers are trapped in Iraq with intelligence that could ruin Operation Desert Storm if it is obtained by the brutal Iraqi dictator. Desperate, the CIA asks Poland, a longtime Cold War foe famed for its excellent spies, for help. Just months after the Polish people voted in
their first democratic election since the 1930s, the young Solidarity government in Warsaw sends a veteran ex-Communist spy who’d battled the West for decades to rescue the six Americans.

John Pomfret’s gripping account of the 1990 cliffhanger in Iraq is just the beginning of the tale about intelligence cooperation between Poland and the United States, cooperation that one CIA director would later describe as “one of the two foremost intelligence
relationships that the United States has ever had.” Pomfret uncovers new details about the CIA’s black site program that held suspected terrorists in Poland after 9/11 as well as the role of Polish spies in the hunt for Osama bin Laden.

In the tradition of the most memorable works on espionage, Pomfret’s book tells a disquieting tale of moral ambiguity in which right and wrong, black and white, are not conveniently distinguishable. As the United States teeters on the edge of a new cold war
with Russia and China, Pomfret explores how these little-known events serve as a reminder of the importance of alliances in a dangerous world.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Recorded Books, Inc.
• Release date: Oct 26, 2021
• ISBN: 9781705040584

Reviews for From Warsaw with Love

[ikeman100 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Eye opening book about the relationship of Polish intelligence and USA cooperation at the end of the cold war.

[wagner5sarah35 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

*I received a copy of this book through LibraryThing Early Reviewers.*This book chronicles the tale of two adversaries (Poland and the United States) becoming allies. Starting in the Cold War, Poland built an impressive intelligence agency which spared with the U.S.'s CIA, among others. But as communism deteriorated in Eastern Europe in the late 80s, Poland began to cooperate with American CIA agents and the two countries were soon sharing intelligence. Not long after this new relationship was formed, Polish agents helped to rescue several Americans trapped in Iraq during the First Gulf War. From there, the relationship deepened, to the extent of Poland providing the CIA with a black site to use enhanced interrogation methods on suspected terrorists. I came away from this book with a new appreciation of not just how intelligence gathering works, but how the U.S. utilizes (and sometimes abuses) its allies to obtain sought-after information. The author describes this book as "a mediation about alliances" and it certainly provided plenty of food for thought about the importance of alliances for the U.S.

[thewanderingjew_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

From Warsaw With Love, John Pomfret, author This book is about an incident and a developing relationship between Poland and the United States with many ups and downs, that are far from well known. When six military personnel, too valuable to be captured because of the secrets they knew, were trapped in Iraq when Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait, the United States asked the Poles to help rescue them. With a daring escape plan drawn up by a renegade Pole, that was more like a movie script, the men were rescued from Baghdad where they had been hiding out. The Poles were always expert in espionage. They broke and deciphered Germany’s Enigma Code. This book explains in extraordinary detail, the unique alliance that developed between Poland and the United States, at the end of The Cold War. Before the Cold War ended, Poles spied on the United States for Russia, After, they spied on Russia and other enemy nations of the United States, for the United States. The United States wanted to establish Operation Unity as a way of working with their former enemies for their own benefit. The Poles were eager to comply. The Poles worked hard to cultivate a friendship with the United States at the end of the Cold War. They wanted to join NATO and the European Union and believed, as the years passed, that the friendship would help, but they also believed they were like kinsmen, thinking alike. Unfortunately, the United States participants were not as magnanimous. However, the Poles were led to a more democratic society by the United States when they funded the country and trained their spies to work for us. Today, however, the country has moved further to the right and is less tolerant.The Poles helped in Iraq, Iran, North Korea, Russia, and other countries to which America had no access. They warned us of a major terrorist attack on a vessel and were ignored. Then the attack on the Kohl occurred, and we were totally unprepared for it. The soldiers and agents who helped the USA during the Iraq War, were surprised that the same effort expended in Poland, to maintain the country by incorporating all sides, even enemies into the new Poland, was reversed in Iraq. The successful past experience in Poland was totally ignored even when the Poles suggested they use the same protocol. It is one of the reasons for the failures in Iraq and Afghanistan. There was no true shared experience as all former enemies were not given the chance to become friends, but instead were expunged. This created further enemies.Poland engaged in clandestine efforts for the CIA and put themselves in personal danger in order to curry favor with the United States, in combination with its great respect for America. Ultimately, the United States betrayed those that helped them over the course of several Presidencies, from Clinton to Both Bushes, to Obama and Trump. The Poles and Poland were betrayed by Obama and Bush when they were called upon to help as the Polish government changed hands, which it often did as it matured. Ex-communists, former heroes, were condemned, and those involved in the LGBT community were condemned, as well. The leaders of the free world remained silent then, on the sidelines, in much the same way as they did with the invasion of Crimea by Russia. Oddly, the author chose to cast the worst light on the one least involved, you guessed it President Trump, and this behavior is getting to be a tiresome and disingenuous practice of liberal authors.Poland was used as a site for Black Ops, which violated international law, but the poles were loyal to the USA and agreed to do it. Then they were betrayed by the very same people or organizations they risked their lives and reputations to help. When the leadership in Poland changed and ex-Communists who had helped the USA were persecuted, no one stepped forward to help them even though their betrayal exposed them to punishment. This occurred largely during the Bush and Obama administrations. Clinton was also not helpful, but he had at least paved the way for Poland’s entry into NATO. Although Trump was blamed by the author, as well, the die was pretty much cast for foreign policy when he took over.There is a wealth of knowledge in these pages. It does not paint a pretty picture of the USA and its spy network or the behavior of its Security agencies. Although they wanted the help of the Poles and their excellent spy network, and they helped to build up their post-Cold War security programs, Americans thought that they were far superior to the Poles at everything. Often, however, it was the Americans whose arrogance made them seem incompetent, disloyal, and outpaced by their Polish counterparts. They behaved more like Ugly Americans, if the author is to be believed, and he documents much of the book very well.The research was obviously extensive. I am not a student of history, although I enjoy learning about it, so much of what I read was foreign to me, at first. I had to do my own research as I read. I think it might have been an easier read had the book been better organized and edited, because like tying shoelaces, the steps are automatic. The author may have been well versed in all of the events, but readers need the gaps filled in, in a bit more orderly fashion.. The timeline is not linear as the narrative jumps back and forth describing varied missions and events, which sometimes made the message repetitive. In addition, the alphabet soup of names and places was very confusing, so perhaps a list of characters and places, with pronunciation and a brief description to refer to, would be helpful in the front or at the end of the print copy.I was disappointed to learn of the deceptive behavior of America, of its disloyalty to those that offered aid to them in these nefarious endeavors, and of its cruel interrogation procedures. The book might require a second read, but it would be well worth it.

[lamson_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

For decades Polish and US intelligence were playing on opposite sides of the field. One of theirs started out as a machine tool salesman and ended up stealing major defense secrets. Then one day the Cold War is over, and the United States finds itself need of the assistance of its former adversary to get some spooks out of Iraq. This is the first of many successful collaborations. Fast forward to the War on Terror and Poland finds itself sucked into the black prison's fiasco by the US. They could have made better decisions.

[drneutron_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

As the Soviet influence over Eastern Europe crumbled, people in the Polish government understandably worried that Germany and Russia would continue to contest for control of the region, with the Poles in the middle. Looking around, they found an unexpected ally - the US. In a change driven, surprisingly, from the Polish foreign intelligence service, the CIA moved from respected opponent to enthusiastic partner, forming a Special Relationship win many ways even more special than the one with Britain. Pomfret tells a good story, clearly with access to some of those involved, documenting how the change occurred, how the Polish intelligence service led the way in operations like rescuing Americans trapped in Saddam Hussein's invasion of Kuwait, and even to the evil of secret prisons where the CIA was given free reign to torture prisoners. The story's got heroic moments, but also some pretty bad actors, showing once again how the American government can be the worst of friends.

[sherman1951 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Surprise, surprise. It turns out that Great Britain is not the only country that has a “special relationship” with the U.S. Who knew Poland had developed such a relationship with the CIA? Although Poland had its share of spies in the US during the Cold War, it did a 180 and was actually spying on the Soviet Union by 1989 and probably has continued into present day Russia. It also has spied, on behalf of the U.S., on North Korea and Iran. In one of the most spectacular stories, six U.S. officers were trapped in Iraq prior to the start of Operation Desert Storm. They were rescued with the assistance of a veteran Polish spy who had skirmished with Americans earlier. Unfortunately, they also acquiesced to hosting suspected terrorists under the CIAs Black site program. Poland had a good history of spy craft and this book details many of the successes in a highly readable format. I would have suggested that the author provide some photographs as it would have been interesting to “see” who some of these spies were.

[chrisethier · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Disclaimer: ARC via a Librarything Giveaway.Most people love spy stories. Some of these people love them because of the romanticized aspect – more of a James Bond view than the Le Carre. Pomfret’s book is a spy story, but it is also a how spying impacts international relations between countries. Pomfret details the relationship between the Polish spy service, both during and after the Cold War, with America. The first part of the book concerns the Polish service spying on American, focusing on industrial spy craft. What is interesting about this section is the reason the Polish spy becomes a spy and the ability he has to “turn” the American source. The second half of the book details not only tells the story of a Polish spy getting Americans got of Iraq during the invasion of Kuwait but what occurs after.I should note that I am usually not interested in Cold War history, but Pomfret’s writing style is so engrossing that I read over one hundred pages before I looked up. There is something compelling about Pomfret’s style. In part, this is because he does not editorial to a great degree, any degree really. It is like you are reading a report of the action as it comes in.Pomfret’s relating of the Iraq mission is particularly good, and he uses it to highlight how relations between countries in terms of spy craft do not only shift from respected enemy to friend to friend who has been used and now has complex feelings. It would be accurate to say that Pomfret is more sympathetic to Poland in the later part of the book. The focus on making a deal with a hippo that rolls over on you because it is a hippo attests to this. But there is also a sense of that is what it is, what did you think was going to happen. But it also raises the question of morality and responsibility as well as the cost that is not always paid by the spies themselves.It is interesting that some of the spies that Pomfret writes about seem to have decided to become spies because of the whole romantic view of James Bond. Popular, accomplished, and loved, if at least physically. This is not true of the more professional spies whose views are a little cutthroat if realistic.This is an enjoyable read that moves quickly.