Preface : why this memoir? -- The Cold War begins : the formative years, 1945-50 -- The view from a think tank : Soviet affairs expert at RAND -- The thaw : observing the Soviet Union after Stalin -- CIA and intelligence analysis and estimates -- "Foreign affairs adviser" at the Pentagon -- Intelligence excursions in the Soviet Union -- The espionage game -- Department of State : the Kennedy years (I) -- Department of State : the Kennedy years (II) -- The Cuban Missile Crisis : turning point of the Cold War -- Department of State : the Johnson years -- The diplomacy of East-West relations -- Negotiating on strategic arms : SALT and the ABM Treaty -- Developing détente in U.S.-Soviet relations -- Inspecting the American conduct of foreign relations -- Ambassador to Bulgaria -- The decline and collapse of the détente of the 1970s -- Witness to the Cold War endgame : 1980-90 -- Reflections on the Cold War -- Epilogue : a personal reminiscence.