This paper deals with the essentially paranoid nature of Soviet espionage. It shows how the mentality of the Soviet state
was paranoid and
conspiratorial even before its inception. Therefore, the Soviet security and
intelligence agency was necessarily paranoid and conspiratorial as well. The paranoia that consumed the Soviet leadership undoubtedly paved the way for the creation of the most successful intelligence gathering agency in modern history. This paper shows how the same paranoid mentality inevitably doomed the Soviet security and intelligence agency as an effective intelligence apparatus capable of providing accurate information about foreign operations.