Strangers On A Bridge: The Case Of Colonel Abel

Description

The gripping first-hand account of the events that inspired the major film Bridge of Spies, starring Tom Hanks, by the man at the centre of them all - James B Donovan. Also featuring a foreword by Jason Matthews. With the Cold War at its height, the capture and trial of Colonel Abel, the Soviets' most capable and effective spy, revealed the chilling depths of the KGB's penetration of the West. But when an American U-2 spy plane was shot down over Russia and its CIA pilot, Gary Powers, captured, both men's fates hung in the balance. With East and West staring each other down across the Iron Curtain the stakes couldn't have been higher. And at the heart of it all, from Abel's arrest to his exchange with Powers on Berlin's infamous 'Bridge of Spies', was James B. Donovan. Strangers on the Bridge is the only inside account of the greatest spy story of the era and a real-life espionage classic. Reviews of Strangers on a Bridge: "Enthralling...Engrossing...Truly remarkable." (New York Times). "As compelling as The Spy Who Came in from the Cold except it happens to be true." (Life). "A top notch spy thriller." (Time).

Author description

During WWII lawyer James Donovan served with the US Navy and Office of Strategic Services, the forerunner of the CIA before becoming lead prosecutor at the Nuremberg Trials. In January 1962 he walked out across the Glienicke Bridge linking East and West Berlin, the famous Bridge of Spies, to exchange Abel for Powers ...