On January 1, 1928, Bazhanov escaped from the Soviet Union and became for many years the most important member of a new breed the Soviet defector. At the age of 28, he had become an invaluable aid to Stalin and the Politburo, and had he stayed in Stalin s service, Bazhanov might well have enjoyed the same meteoric careers as the man who replaced him when he left, Georgy Malenkov. However, Bazhanov came to despise the unethical and brutal regime he served. One he decided to become anti communist, he sought to bring down the regime. Planning his departure carefully, he brought with him...