A file of documents relating to the defection of the Soviet Lieutenant Colonel Gregory Tokaev (codename EXCISE) from Berlin during the early stages of the Cold War. Subjects discussed in the file include the colonel’s reasons for defecting; his objections to the repressive nature of the Soviet state and Soviet foreign policy; Soviet preparations for a future war, including work on atomic weapons; the strength of Soviet control of various sections of the U.S.S.R.; the reasons for the Soviet-Yugoslav split; the level of underground opposition in the Red Army; anti-Western propaganda; and a transcription of a tumultuous press conference given by the colonel which was repeatedly disrupted by Soviet journalists.