boris korczak

the spy with nine lives

At a party at the Soviet embassy in Copenhagen in November 1979, a CIA officer had a few too many vodkas. The American was goaded by one of his KGB hosts … and then … oops! The CIA officer blurted out the name of one of their agents, a man named Boris Korczak.

Or so the story goes.

It is just one of the strange incidents that have cropped up in the life of a most unusual man.

Seemingly outed as an American agent, Korczak moved to the United States. He approached the CIA, hoping to receive help to resettle with his family.

He claimed to have faced multiple assassination attempts, including being short with a poisoned pellet.

Rebuffed by the CIA, Korczak went on something of a media offensive. On multiple radio and television programs, he stated that the CIA had welched on their deal.

recommened reading

In the first part of our episode, we recreate a radio interview with Korczak. We have the full, unedited transcript (thanks to the CIA!): https://www.cia.gov/readingroom/docs/CIA-RDP88-01070R000100390002-1.pdf

Attribution for music used in this episode:

Assassinations Podcast Theme Music (Intro, Outro, and Transitions) written and performed by Graeme Ronald

"Funkeriffic" by Kevin MacLeod is in the Public Domain, CC0 / A derivative from the original work

"Lonely Mountain" by Rafael Krux is in the Public Domain, CC0 / A derivative from the original work