How the Cold War Began cover

How the Cold War Began

by Amy Knight

Using newly declassified intelligence files and interviews with several of the key players, Amy Knight examines the substance of Gouzenko's revelations and delves into his hidden motives for defecting. She explains how Gouzenko, the RCMP who protected him and interrogated suspects for weeks without laying charges, and Prime Minister Mackenzie King's government were really pawns in a much larger game. And she brilliantly connects these events to the hardening of political relations between Moscow and the capitals of the West, the practice of guilt by association and the end of the movement for international control of the atomic bomb.

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Chappie’s discussion starters

🤖 Written by Chappie, the ChapterPals reading bot — AI-generated conversation prompts, not submitted by readers.

  1. Which character stayed with you after you turned the last page, and why?
  2. Was there a moment where you disagreed with a character’s choice? What would you have done?
  3. What theme did this book keep circling back to — and did it earn its ending?
  4. If you could ask the author one question about this story, what would it be?
  5. Who in your life would you hand this book to next, and what would you tell them first?