First Main Directorate

Recruiting Agents: The KGB’s Secret Tradecraft Revealed - First Ever Professional English Translation

Unveiling the top-secret recruitment tactics of the Soviet KGB, Recruiting Agents is a never-before-professionally-translated espionage manual that exposes the covert techniques used by Soviet intelligence officers to identify, assess, and recruit spies worldwide. This first-ever professional English translation, meticulously produced by the Conflict Research Group, grants unprecedented access to the KGB’s clandestine tradecraft, offering a rare glimpse into the Cold War-era Soviet espionage machine.

This book is the next volume in the Conflict Research Group’s series of KGB manuals. This groundbreaking project continues to bring formerly top secret KGB intelligence training materials to a wider audience, shedding light on the shadowy world of Soviet espionage.

• Cold War Espionage - Learn how the KGB targeted foreign nationals, diplomats, scientists, and government officials for recruitment.
• Psychological Warfare - Explore the coercion, persuasion, and ideological manipulation used to turn targets into willing intelligence assets.
• False Flag Operations - Discover the sophisticated deception strategies of Soviet intelligence, including recruiting under foreign intelligence covers.
• Counterintelligence Evasion - Understand the methods the KGB used to outmaneuver Western security services and avoid exposure.
• Operational Security & Tradecraft - Gain insights into how KGB intelligence officers went about covertly assessing potential agents.

Unlike previous machine-generated translations available today, this Conflict Research Group edition is the first professional English translation, preserving the accuracy, clarity, and operational terminology essential to understanding KGB recruitment methodologies.
Scholars, intelligence professionals, and espionage enthusiasts will find this edition an invaluable historical document, meticulously restored for accuracy.

This authoritative edition goes beyond mere translation. Featuring a detailed editor’s introduction, a translator’s note, and an insightful overview of the KGB’s structure, this book provides critical historical context to one of the most classified documents ever produced by Soviet intelligence.

If you’re a researcher, academioc, intelligence professional or simply fascinated by real-world spycraft, Cold War history, or covert intelligence operations, Recruiting Agents is an essential addition to your library.