SNAFU with Ed Helms – S4E19: Former KGB Spy Jack Barski

Release Date: February 11, 2026
Guest: Jack Barski (former KGB spy)
Host: Ed Helms
Theme: A firsthand look inside Cold War espionage, ideology, and spycraft through the life and defection of Jack Barski, once a Soviet KGB “illegal” planted in the United States.

Episode Overview

In this gripping bonus installment of SNAFU, Ed Helms interviews Jack Barski, a former KGB agent who infiltrated the US under a stolen identity in the late 1970s. The episode delves into Barski's early life in Soviet-occupied Germany, his recruitment and training by the KGB, day-to-day life as a spy in America, the paranoia of the Cold War, and the personal transformation that led him to defect and become a US citizen. Along the way, Barski offers rare insights into the mindset of Soviet intelligence and the human factors behind global paranoia and espionage blunders.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Barski’s Early Life in East Germany

• Grew up in rural, Soviet-occupied Germany in poverty, though it was a “universal” poverty.
  • “I didn’t know that I was poor because everybody else was poor.” (04:47 – Jack Barski)
• Christmas persisted with pagan overtones, devoid of religion.
  • “I honestly had no idea that the rest of the world was celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ. I had no idea Jesus even existed.” (05:28 – Jack Barski)
• Education was heavily ideological: Marxism-Leninism was treated as science.
  • “There was only one truth. There was science and math, and then there was ideology. And the ideology was treated as if it was a science.” (05:56 – Jack Barski)

2. Pop Culture and Perceptions of the West

• Western music, especially The Beatles, had a profound cultural impact, even under communism.
  • “It doesn’t matter how communist we were, so to speak. We all loved that music.” (07:05 – Jack Barski)
• Soviet/East German media portrayed spies as heroic, ideological figures—East German “James Bonds.”
  • Barski recalls a popular show, "The Invisible Visor," that glamorized espionage.

3. KGB Recruitment and Ideology

• Academic achievements and ambition led to Barski being noticed by the KGB.
  • “That, I believe, got the KGB to pay attention to me.” (10:45 – Jack Barski)
• The recruitment process started with opaque, indirect approaches.
  • Initial KGB contact disguised as innocuous career inquiry; Barski was unfazed and “fearless.” (12:36)
  • “I have always been fearless.” (12:36 – Jack Barski)
• Barski was a true believer in communism—an ideal candidate for the cause.

4. Spy Training in Moscow

• Training was cerebral, not violent: Morse code, radio reception, surveillance detection, and "secret writing" (covert messaging).
  • “Our weapons were supposed to be our brains.” (15:33 – Jack Barski)
• Surveillance detection routes: recognizing being followed, evasion techniques, “winning” all his test followings.
  • “If you see the same face twice within three hours, you know that you’re being followed...I won every time.” (18:00–18:05 – Barski)

5. Building a False Identity

• KGB sourced identities by using records of deceased children—Barski became “Jack Barski” after acquiring the birth certificate of a boy who died young.
  • “This is what the KGB used to steal identities. And this is what’s still being used, if possible.” (21:27–21:59 – Barski)
• Barski’s main mission: embed into American society, rise through the ranks, and eventually return as a wealthy, influential “asset” after “laundering” his identity.

6. In America: Tasks and Missions

• Conducted spot checks for KGB on military installations as part of “Operation Ryan,” the program to detect American war preparations.
  • “You are the first and only interviewer who knows exactly what that was...I was told to periodically take a look at the Navy weapons station at the shore of New Jersey.” (28:35 – Barski)
• Located a KGB defector under a death sentence, though no hit was attempted.
  • “They wanted me to find out where he is...I did...Neither I nor he knew who we were.” (26:33–27:47 – Barski)
• Served as a “spotter,” looking for Americans who could be recruited.

7. The Cold War Mindset – Paranoia and Misunderstanding

• Genuine paranoia about an imminent nuclear war—Soviet leaders truly feared Reagan.
  • “My interaction with my handlers in Moscow indicated to me that they were really afraid of Ronald Reagan.” (29:57 – Barski)
  • “There was some element of cultural misunderstanding... Andropov and the Central Committee...were really afraid of this man.” (30:26 – Barski)
• Misunderstandings (such as Ronald Reagan’s religious rhetoric) fueled Cold War brinksmanship.

8. Spycraft: Communication with Moscow

• No in-person meetings—only Morse code radio transmissions and secret-writing letters to global “convenience addresses.”
  • “There was a hard rule... communication wasn’t direct. They sent me the stuff...in Morse code.” (35:12 – Barski)
  • “Still being used. It’s significantly better than... the Internet.” (35:39 – Barski)

9. The Decision to Defect

• His disillusionment grew as he realized American society was not as the Communist ideology portrayed.
  • “The first thing that I realized was that capitalism isn’t really as oppressive to the workers as I thought.” (37:02 – Barski)
• Fatherhood—love for his American-born daughter drove his ultimate break with the KGB.
  • “If I had not been in love with this little girl, I would have made the beeline to Moscow and East Germany and lived the good life...The love kept me here.” (44:56 – Barski)
• To escape, Barski lied to the KGB, claiming he had AIDS to ensure they would not recall him.
  • “My last letter, in secret writing, stated...‘I can’t come because I have HIV, AIDS.’” (41:11 – Barski)

10. Aftermath: Defection and New Identity

• KGB accepted the story and wrote him off as dead to his family.
• Barski built a new life, was eventually debriefed by the FBI, subjected to lie detector tests, opened up as a source, and became a US citizen.
  • “I had to pass a lie detector test. I passed that test. And then... seven, eight years as a trusted source. I flipped completely. I’m as anti-communist as you can get.” (43:46 – Barski)

Memorable Quotes & Moments

• On Communist Indoctrination:
  “Marxism-Leninism was considered a science equal to physics and chemistry and so forth.”
  — Jack Barski (05:56)

• On KGB Recruitment:
  “You could not contact the KGB. They came to me.”
  — Jack Barski (11:01)

• On Fearlessness:
  “I have always been fearless.”
  — Jack Barski (12:36)

• On First Stolen Identity:
  “The only paper that was important was the birth certificate of Jack Barski, a child who passed away at the age of 11.”
  — Jack Barski (21:13)

• On KGB Paranoia about Reagan:
  “My interaction with my handlers in Moscow indicated to me that they were really afraid of Ronald Reagan…there was some element of cultural misunderstanding.”
  — Jack Barski (29:57)

• On Defection and Love:
  “Love conquers all. That’s it.”
  — Jack Barski (44:26)

• Closing Reflection:
  “If I had not been in love with this little girl, I would have made the beeline to Moscow and East Germany and lived the good life…The love kept me here.”
  — Jack Barski (44:56)

Important Timestamps

• 04:47 – 07:05: Early life, Christmas under communism, Beatles as a cultural influence.
• 10:45 – 15:16: Academic achievements, KGB recruitment, first meeting, fearlessness.
• 15:33 – 18:05: Spy training, focus on brains over violence, surveillance detection.
• 20:59 – 24:47: Creating an American identity as “Jack Barski,” the KGB’s forgery methods.
• 26:13 – 28:04: Actual espionage operations in the US, including tracking defectors and “spotting” for recruitment.
• 28:35 – 31:34: Operation Ryan, Soviet paranoia about a US first strike, misunderstanding Reagan's rhetoric.
• 35:12 – 36:46: Communication methods—Morse code, secret writing, no in-person meets.
• 37:02 – 41:14: Rational for defecting, discovering American society, love for his daughter as the crucial turning point.
• 41:11 – 44:56: Escape plan through the AIDS ruse, “death” in the East, building a new life, full cooperation with US authorities, and reflections on what really matters.

Tone and Style

• Friendly, candid, and often self-deprecating humor from both Ed Helms and Jack Barski.
• Barski is open, clear, and surprisingly relaxed recounting both mundane and extraordinary moments.

Summary Takeaway

This episode offers a rare, humanizing look at Cold War espionage, showing not just the tradecraft but the psychological and personal costs of spy life. Through Barski’s journey—from indoctrinated communist to American citizen, with remarkable honesty about both the failures and follies of the KGB—the episode illustrates how love and personal experience can break through ideology and reshape a life. As Ed Helms puts it in closing, Barski’s story is nothing short of profound.

Recommended Follow-Ups:

• Jack Barski’s memoir: Deep Undercover: My Secret Life and Tangled Allegiances as a KGB Spy in America
• The podcast “The Agent” (about Barski’s life)