New book explores the real-life KGB spy program that inspired 'The Americans' (Dave Davies; Fresh Air podcast)

In The Illegals: Russia's Most Audacious Spies and Their Century-Long Mission to Infiltrate the West, Shaun Walker shares how agents were trained to blend into a target country and pose as citizens.

Interview: 

https://www.npr.org/2025/04/16/g-s1-60586/new-book-explores-the-real-life-kgb-spy-program-that-inspired-the-americans

‘The perfect target’: Russia cultivated Trump as asset for 40 years – ex-KGB spy

"Trump was the perfect target in a lot of ways: his vanity, narcissism made him a natural target to recruit. He was cultivated over a 40-year period, right up through his election."

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/jan/29/trump-russia-asset-claims-former-kgb-spy-new-book

A former KGB spy explains how US presidents have been historically naive about the Russians

Jack Barsky, a former KGB spy and author of "Deep Undercover: My Secret Life and Tangled Allegiances as a KGB Spy in America," explains how American presidents have historically been naive about the Russians. ...
http://www.businessinsider.com/jack-barsky-kgb-american-presidents-historically-naive-about-russia-putin-2017-6