Five questions
Five Questions with Jack Barsky: Jack Barsky, the former Russian spy who at one time lived in Schaghticoke, is coming back to the Capital Region for a book signing. Millions watched the CBS “60 Minutes” special on Barsky in 2015. Now, in a memoir titled “Deep Undercover: My Secret Life and Tangled Allegiance As a KGB Spy in America,” the former KGB agent tells his story of gut-wrenching choices, appalling betrayals, his turbulent inner world and the secret life he lived for years without getting caught. Barsky’s upcoming booksigning event will take place at 7 p.m. Thursday, March 30, at the Barnes & Noble store in Colonie Center. He will give a small talk, followed by a question-andanswer session, before signing books for customers. “We are very excited to have Jack Barsky visit our store,” said Laura D’Orazio, community business development manager of Barnes & Noble Colonie Center. “His story is fascinating, as is the fact that he lived locally. We had an ex-spy in our own backyard.” Barsky, who now lives in Georgia, said he and his family have very fond memories of their time in the Capital Region. “We left some very good friends behind, but I have always told my children that one of the most important things in life is to know when it is time to go,” he said. “It was our time to go, but the memories remain.” In an interview with The Record, Barsky recalled his time in upstate New York and shared why he chose to tell his story.
1 : Why did you decide to write this book at this point in your life? The first impetus came from my children, Jessie and Chelsea, once they heard my story. That was about seven years ago. I reached out to several agents in the publishing business, but nobody showed any appreciable interest, so I promised my kids that I will write my life story down as a legacy piece for the family. For the next five years, I spent many a Sunday morning (before the family was up) piecing together the story of my life, slowly discovering and connecting individual pieces of the puzzle. The level of interest by literary agents changed dramatically after the “60 Minutes” piece. At that point, I was ready to do this, especially since I had the raw material ready.
2 : What do you want people to know about your experiences? Well, I do believe I have a message, especially for young people. It is a multifaceted message. In no particular order: • Love does conquer all. The love for my 18-month-old baby girl turned my entire life around 180 degree, so never miss a chance to love and to accept love. • Communism is an ideal that may be very attractive to young people, but it was never implemented
anywhere and at any time. All “communist” countries were and are dictatorships. Since my primary motive to become a secret agent was to serve the communist cause, I did a lot of digging and research into the history of East Germany, the country of my birth, the Soviet Union and the KGB. What I found was eye opening and often terrifying. • The unquestioning belief in self is not only illogical, it is also detrimental to oneself. In my youthful arrogance, I had determined that I was indestructible and able to get out of danger because of my own above-average abilities. In hindsight, the fact that I am still on this earth, talking about my book, has very little to do with my own abilities, but can be traced back to what many people call happenstance and coincidence. Being a numbers person, I have made a rough estimate of the probability of reaching the point where I am today: It is a staggering 20 billion to one. Can you blame me if I now believe in divine intervention? 3 : Why did you decide to settle in Schaghticoke? I moved to Schaghticoke because I took a position with the NYISO. We owned this incredibly beautiful property right on the Hudson River. That is where my six-yearold daughter grew up — her best friends and neighbors were frogs, a pair of bald eagles, a mean snapping turtle and a heron. The Capital Region is a great place to bring up young children, but when I left the [New York Independent System Operator in Rensselaer], it was time to regroup. We now live in Covington, Georgia, about 35 miles southwest of Atlanta, where the average high temperature last winter was 65 degrees. In spite of all that pleasant weather, my wife and daughter are still homesick, and they even miss the snow (this is all the more surprising since my wife is originally from Jamaica).
4 : Tell me about your experience working at the NYISO. Is that part of your book? The NYISO was a great place to work. It was — and I am certain still is — loaded with very smart people. The task of running the electric grid and the power markets requires the best of the best. I always liked situations where I was never the smartest person in the room. In addition, it felt really good to work for a company that provides an essential public service and does so with consistent excellence. And no, my experience at the NYISO is not part of the book. Neither are my memories of other companies I worked for. This kind of topic is not central to my story — it probably deserves another book, but I doubt that people would be much interested in my thoughts about the strengths and weaknesses of American corporations.
5 : With all of this behind you, what are your personal goals for the future? The most important thing for me is to take care of my daughter, Trinity. God has given me another opportunity at parenting, and I am taking full advantage of that. Most of my contemporaries are now retired or close to retiring. That is not an option for me, [and] neither is the thought of playing golf every day and watching TV every night that appealing to me. So, I am now trying my sixth career work: author and public speaker.