From his early childhood, the noble ideals of communism shine like a beacon to Andrei Aarons. Instilled in him by his Russian-Jewish father, his love for the Party flourishes into steadfast devotion, and as a young man still in his twenties, he captures the attention of Party insiders. Recognizing the value of his unique ability to persuade the "doubters," they send him to America to help further their cause.All the while maintaining the cover of a middle-class New York City bookseller, Aarons finds that his role gradually shifts from voice of the Party to full-fledged secret agent. Through it all, the bright light of Lenin's dream leads him unflaggingly on.And then, years later, the dream comes to a devastating end.His ears are flooded with shocking stories of corruption, greed, and murder in far-off Moscow. His most respected mentors, once as impassioned about the dream as he was, are now utterly disillusioned. The noble goals of communism are gone, they tell him - absent entirely from the agenda of Stalin and the Party. Power is the only principle left. They bitterly renounce the Party, and urge Aarons to do the same.Back in Moscow, the reports from Aarons's network continue to flow in. For years. For decades. The Cold War will surely be won, thanks to the greatest Soviet agent of all time. But there is one thing that Stalin, that Khrushchev will never know: Andrei Aarons is known as "A" to Harry Truman and "Andy" to Jack Kennedy - just two of the many presidents to whom he continually serves as an adviser. Read Less