Lhář - Skutečný příběh Karla Köchera, československého špiona, který pronikl do CIA – Cunningham Benjamin (2024)

The character of Karel Koecher has sparked controversy since his youth. Cunningham describes how a gifted high school student with resistance tendencies became an agent of the StB, a philosophy student at Columbia University, and a "mole" in the CIA. He portrays Koecher as a person who struggles with authority, rebelling even within the StB, driven primarily by a desire to excel and prove himself, even in a socially beneficial sense. Was Koecher too naive? How did he morally reconcile his career as a spy? After overcoming the challenges faced by fresh immigrants, Karel and Hana Koecher began to fully enjoy life in the USA, where they spent just over twenty years. Cunningham captures the revolutionary social changes the couple experienced firsthand, as well as small eccentricities, such as Koecher's fondness for luxury or their long-standing involvement in swinging activities. Hana Koecher, initially a shy girl from a communist family, grew alongside her husband into a savvy diamond dealer and StB courier. However, through the cases Koecher encountered in the CIA, the author primarily introduces us to various corners of the world, which, along with the appropriate historical context, creates a fascinating picture of the Cold War and the individuals trapped within it.