The Shadow Library: What the Heck, Sergei?

The Persecutor, by Sergei Kourdakov (1973, Baker Publishing Group)

All this reading about Russia reminds me of a book we were given to read in middle school (this would put it in the 1975 -1977 time zone). If I remember correctly, there was a whole pile in the home room, and we were allowed to keep a copy once we were done with it (which I did - it was as Gus would say "F-free!"). At this distance, I imagine they were supplied by the Baker Publishing Group (an evangelical organization) gratis or very low cost. We were still in the grip of the Cold War, so learning about their inhuman methods and their persecution of Christians (then more generally held in sympathetic esteem in the US) was probably seen as helping us to keep the thread of the narrative.

“The Persecutor, also known as Forgive Me Natasha and less commonly as Sergei, is the autobiography of Sergei Kourdakov, a former KGB agent who persecuted Christians in the Soviet Union in the 1970s, but defected to Canada in 1971 and converted to Evangelical Christianity. The book was finished shortly before his death in January 1973 and published posthumously. The Persecutor details Sergei Kourdakov's early life in Novosibirsk Oblast, his life as an orphan, the raids he led on private Christian assemblies while a Naval academy student in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, his defection to Canada, and his new life in Canada and the United States.” – Wikipedia.

“Sergei Kourdakov's death had been dubbed as "strange and uncertain." On January 1, 1973, Sergei Kourdakov was found dead in his motel room in Running Springs, California, killed by a gunshot to the head. Due to the circumstances, Sergei Kourdakov was initially announced to have died by suicide. Many, notably Underground Evangelism founder and then-president L. Joe Bass, repudiated this claim. After a more thorough investigation, Kourdakov's death was ruled an accident on March 1, 1973, stating that while Sergei was playing with his revolver, he probably accidentally shot himself. However, due to Kourdakov's status as a former high-rank KGB agent who defected to North America and publicly opposed Communism, some believe that he was assassinated by another KGB member in order to silence him.” – Ibid.

“In 2004, United States Christian journalist Caroline Walker released a drama documentary about The Persecutor. Claiming to have been given a vision from God, she traveled to Siberia to investigate various parts of book. Through the film, she claims that contrary to her own expectations, there are many inconsistencies in the autobiography. It looked like Sergei Kourdakov made up much of the story to earn political asylum in Canada. The documentary produced by Damian Wojciechowski about Walker's findings, Forgive Me, Sergei won numerous awards worldwide [stated as if that made it more likely to be true].” – Ibid.

Walker’s conclusions have also been debated, so where does the truth lie? I sure don’t know. I'm not even sure when or how the book left the Archives.