Arthey, Vin. Like Father Like Son: A Dynasty of Spies. London: St. Ermin’s Press, 2004.Rudolf Ivanovich Abel (1903-1971) was born William Fisher to Russian emigré parents in England. He was taken to the Soviet Union by his father in 1921. From about 1950, he served as a Soviet "illegal" in New York. Arrested in 1957, he was convicted of espionage and imprisoned until exchanged for U-2 pilot Francis Gary Powers in 1962.
Arthey, Vin. Like Father Like Son: A Dynasty of Spies. London: St. Ermin’s Press, 2004.
According to Peake, Studies 49.3 (2005), this book "makes it clear" that KGB Col. Rudolf Abel really was "Willi Fisher, born in Newcastle, England, in 1903." The author "adds considerable detail to Fisher’s stay in the United States, where he worked as an artist while supporting the Rosenberg network, atomic spy Ted Hall, and Morris and Leona Cohen."
Berkinow,
Louise. Abel. New York: Trident, 1970. New York: Ballantine, 1982.
Rocca and Dziak: The 1982 edition contains "a new perspective by the author." In this book, "the author conveys a neighbor's insight into Abel's enigmatic personality and Soviet clandestine modus operandi."
De
Gramont, Sanche. "Rudolf Abel." In Cry Spy, ed. Burke Williamson.
Scarsdale, NY: Bradbury, 1969. [Petersen]
Donovan, James B. Strangers on a Bridge: The Case of Colonel Abel. New York: Atheneum, 1964. London: Secker & Warburg, 1964. New York: Popular Library, 1964. [pb]
Clark comment: Donovan was Abel's court-appointed lawyer. This book covers from the beginning of Donovan's association with the case in 1957 to the trade of Abel for Francis Gary Powers on Glienicker Bridge in 1962.
Pforzheimer terms Strangers on a Bridge "an interesting and valuable book" on Donovan's experiences with Abel. Chambers sees the book as a "remarkable telling of the Abel trial and the exchange of Abel for Powers"; this is a "very important book."
For Constantinides, this book will not meet the need of researchers interested in Abel the intelligence officer and Soviet illegal.
Miskovsky, Studies 9.3 (Summer 1965), says Strangers on a Bridge "is a well-knit book"; the author "is a careful legal craftsman, and he also knows the ingredients of a good story." Beyond a review, Miskovsky provides additional information about the CIA's effort to set up a situation for the eventual exchange. "The necessary planning and coordination alone among State, Defense, Justice, CIA, and the White House were truly staggering."
Friedman, Richard. "A Stone for Willy Fisher." Studies in Intelligence 30, no. 4 (Winter 1986): 19-30. Studies in Intelligence: 45th Anniversary Special Edition (Fall 2000): 137-148. Reprinted as Anonymous, Intelligencer 12, no. 1 (Summer 2001): 20-27.
Westerfield: "The story of Willy Fisher, who became famous as the nonofficial-cover Soviet agent Rudolf Abel."
Gibney, Frank. "Intimate Portrait of a Russian Master Spy." Life, 11 Nov. 1957, 122-130.
Kahn, David. "Number One From Moscow." Studies in Intelligence 5, no. 5 (Fall 1961): A15-A28.
Kahn discusses the cryptographic system used to encipher a message to Col. Rudolf Abel's assistant, Reino Hayhanen. The author refers to it as "the finest and most advanced mnemonic cipher ever made public."
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