The Escape of Ion Mihai Pacepa and his Impact on the Romanian Intelligence Services

Abstract

The escape of the number two leader of Romanian intelligence in the period before 1989 is still of great interest. From a four-decade perspective, archival sources provide a fresh reading of Pacepa’s defection and, in addition, a glimpse into the scenes of Romanian intelligence. In the present study we ignore the myth of Ion Mihai Pacepa formed by the books, and set up a verifiable scenario of his crossing to the Western camp and its consequences.