Jack Barsky

Jack Philip Barsky (born Albrecht Dittrich; 18 May 1949) is an author, former chief information officer (CIO) at a Fortune 500 energy firm and former operative of the KGB who spied on the United States from 1978 to 1988. Exposed after the Cold War had ended, Barsky became a resource for U.S. counterintelligence agencies, and held executive technology roles at major U.S. corporations. He was not charged with any crime and was allowed to remain in the United States. His autobiography, Deep Undercover, was published in 2017, and he frequently speaks on his experiences and as an expert on espionage.

Early life Dittrich was born in Rietschen in Upper Lusatia, and grew up in , part of Bad Muskau. His father, a schoolteacher, was a committed Marxist–Leninist. He has a brother, Günther, who is three years younger.

KGB career

In 1969, Dittrich was a senior at the University of Jena when he was approached by a member of the Stasi who asked if he was interested in a job at VEB Carl Zeiss Jena. This turned out to be a ruse, however, and he was offered a job with the KGB. The next year, he was studying for a doctorate in chemistry and working as an assistant professor when he was sent to East Berlin for several weeks of training with the KGB. He was told that the Soviet Union only had use for spies who were willing participants, and thus he was free to turn down the offer, but that he had only 24 hours to decide. Intrigued, he decided to join. He was also given a back story that his mother had been German to explain the occasional accented word.

Barsky noted that the Soviets in the 1980s were trying to recruit right-wing radicals as sources. He created profiles on potential right-wing recruits. However, Barsky never learned of the outcome of this effort as separate agents were responsible for the attempted recruitment. Barsky also stated, "Many a right-wing radical had given information to the Soviets under a 'false flag', thinking they were working with a Western ally, such as Israel, when in fact their contact was a KGB operative."

On Barsky's first trip back to East Germany in 1980, he was allowed to marry his girlfriend, an accepted practice as the KGB believed a married spy with a spouse back home would be less likely to defect. The red paint was a predefined signal of the highest emergency, ordering him to immediately report to the Soviet Embassy in Canada to return to East Germany.

Post-Cold War activities Since his uncovering, Barsky has revealed the truth about his life and activities to his families, both in the United States and in Germany.

Dittrich has appeared on CNN as an expert on espionage, commenting on Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections, and Ambassador Sergey Kislyak's interactions with Donald Trump's associates.

Personal life Barsky married three times. First, as Albrecht Dittrich, he married Gerlinde in East Germany, with whom he had a son, Matthias Dittrich, born in 1981. While living as Jack Barsky in the United States, he married Penelope, an immigrant from Guyana, when she became pregnant in 1986. They had a daughter, Chelsea, born 1987, followed by a son, Jessie. When his daughter (who now goes by Chelsea Dittrich) was 21, she began the search to find and meet her half-brother's family in Germany. Barsky became a Christian after meeting his third wife, Shawna, a devout Christian from Jamaica.

Barsky lived in Schaghticoke, New York The FBI agent who lived next door and interrogated him after his detention became a close friend and godfather to Trinity.