Lawrence Martin-Bittman (14 February 1931 – 18 September 2018),Lawrence Martin-Bittman, 87, Master of Disinformation, DiesManning, Martin J., and Herbert Romerstein. Historical Dictionary of American Propaganda. Westport: Greenwood Group, 2004. Print. formerly known as Ladislav Bittman, was an American artist, author, and retired professor of disinformation at Boston University.Richman, Evan. "The Spy Who Came Into the Classroom Teaches at Boston U." The New York Times 27 Apr. 1994: n. pag. Web. He was best known for his 1983 book, The KGB and Soviet Disinformation: An Insider's View.

Prior to his defection to the United States in 1968, he served as an intelligence officer specializing in disinformation for the Czechoslovak Intelligence Service.Manning, Martin J., and Herbert Romerstein. Historical Dictionary of American Propaganda. Westport: Greenwood Group, 2004. Print.

Czechoslovak secret services In Czechoslovakia, Ladislav Bittman worked as an intelligence officer and played an integral part in a propaganda operation known as Operation Neptune.Butterfield, Fox. "BOSTON U. FOCUSES ON DISINFORMATION." The New York Times 18 Nov. 1986: n. pag. Web. He wrote a few books in the 1970s and 1980s about his career and the role of disinformation in Soviet propaganda operations.Bittman, Ladislav. The Deception Game; Czechoslovak Intelligence in Soviet Political Warfare. Syracuse, NY: Syracuse U Research, 1972. Print.Bittman, Ladislav. The KGB and Soviet Disinformation: An Insider's View. Washington: Pergamon-Brassey's, 1985. Print.

Defection to United States The Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia and the subsequent end to the Prague Spring became driving forces behind his decision to leave for the United States in 1968.Shipler, David K. "After They Defect..." The New York Times 7 Dec. 1986: n. pag. Web. Defectors at that time, most particularly those fleeing the Soviet Union and/or those formerly in positions of government or intelligence, were considered "a valuable source of information" by the US government, which spent at least a year's time in debriefing defectors and in helping them settle down to their new life.S. Doc. No. Senate Committee of Intelligence-98-10 at 32 (1983). Print. As part of the process, he changed his name from Ladislav Bittman to Lawrence Martin (later Lawrence Martin-Bittman) shortly after his debriefing had concluded.Shipler, David K. "After They Defect..." The New York Times 7 Dec. 1986: n. pag. Web.

He was sentenced to death in absentia in 1974 by the Czechoslovak government for treason for his defection, a sentence that was not lifted until 20 years later.Richman, Evan. "The Spy Who Came Into the Classroom Teaches at Boston U." The New York Times 27 Apr. 1994: n. pag. Web.

Teaching career In 1972, four years after his defection to the United States, Bittman was given a teaching position at Boston University and primarily taught classes about international media, particularly the press.Richman, Evan. "The Spy Who Came Into the Classroom Teaches at Boston U." The New York Times 27 Apr. 1994: n. pag. Web. He began to incorporate classes on disinformation, propaganda, and international intelligence to make use of his former career. In 1986, that led to him founding a new center in Boston University's school of journalism specifically on disinformation.Butterfield, Fox. "BOSTON U. FOCUSES ON DISINFORMATION." The New York Times 18 Nov. 1986: n. pag. Web.

After the return to the Soviet Union of Nikolai Ryzhkov, the soldier who had defected in Afghanistan, Bittman appeared before Congress along with several others in 1987 to testify about the government's treatment of Soviet defectors.Communist Defectors. C-SPAN. Washington, D.C., 8 Oct. 1987. Television.

Later life In 1996, after a heart attack, which left him unable to teach, Lawrence retired from his position at Boston University and settled down in his home in New England to pursue his hobby of art.Martin-Bittman, Lawrence. "Studio 006 And A Half." Studio 006 And A Half. N.p., n.d. Web. He resided in Rockport, Massachusetts, and promoted his art as an honorary member of Local Colors, an artist community in Gloucester, Massachusetts, until he opened his own studio, Studio 006 and a Half.Martin-Bittman, Lawrence. "Studio 006 And A Half." Studio 006 And A Half. N.p., n.d. Web."Special Exhibition: Lawerence Martin-Bittman, March 8th to 29th 2014." Local Colors. N.p., 04 Feb. 2014. Web.

He died on September 18, 2018, at his home in Rockport at the age of 87.

See also Active measures Viktor Suvorov Ion Mihai Pacepa Yuri Bezmenov

References

Bibliography Bittman, Ladislav. The Deception Game; Czechoslovak Intelligence in Soviet Political Warfare. Syracuse, NY: Syracuse U Research, 1972. Print. Bittman, Ladislav. The KGB and Soviet Disinformation: An Insider's View. Washington: Pergamon-Brassey's, 1985. Print.