Tennent H. Bagley (1925–2014)

Spymaster

Proverbs 16:28
English Standard Version

A dishonest man spreads strife,
 and a whisperer separates close friends.

He loathed the cruelty and brutality of its leaders, who had “gained power more by bribery, backstabbing, toadyism, and favoritism than by knowledge and competence.”

Sergey A. Kondrashev lived an extraordinary life and accomplished great things during his long life in the service of his country of Russia. He loved learning. He was an excellent communicator in several languages and adept reader of people and their intentions and motives. He was also trustworthy and a valued asset of his service wherein he worked and dedicated his life and loyalty to no matter what. But he never lost his morals or his values in spite of everything he had to do or say. He knew who he was and he knew what he was about.

From him I formed my credo ‘Openness, Honesty, Communication. At all times.’ That is my credo because I want to be open about my life as much as possible yet spread awareness about certain issues without people casting judgment on me because of issues that are beyond my control. Speak my truth. Live my truth. Honor my truth. Be open and forthcoming at all times. Especially with those that care and nurture your growth. One to one. Over a long period. Just like Mr. Kondrashev did with the author Mr. Bagley.

Do not be cruel with your actions or your heart. It is not wise. Be loving and kind. In everything that you do. Be nice and the world will be kind to you. Be love. Speak love. Give love. Spread love.

Be love. Rosa expressed her love for her husband always by being a loving force in his career and supporting him when things got tough. Their relationship was one of mutual support, love, growth, understanding, determination, and grit. Support for each other and their families and their careers. Love for what her husband did and faith that he could and would achieve great things no matter what came his way because he had family who believed in him and his purpose.

Speak love. Mr. Kondrashev’s father-in-law spoke love in his life by giving his support and care and words of advice when things got tough. He never allowed his Sergey to give up on himself and never allowed him to give up on his mission and life purpose.

Give love. The German neighbor in the apartment where Mr. Kondrashev grew up with his parents gave love to him by sharing his language and culture and way of assimilating seamlessly into his culture and making sure he perfected the language likes native. It helped him excel and provided benefits many times over in the years to come for Mr. Kondrashev.

Spread love. Sergey spread love by sharing his story and all that happening to him whilst still remaining loyal to his service and country. That showed selfless love and dedication.

Be nice and the world will be kind to you- Mr. Kondrashev exemplified this throughout his life through listening deeply to others and their needs and discerning their true wants and motives and rewarding them if they were nice to him and delivered on their word. He always tried to give an individual a favorable solution to a problem even if others did not agree with his assessment. Why? Because he saw their heart and soul and their dreams and their humanness and not just a person that imparted information unto him in trust and confidence. He was wise in human relationships and how he dealt with others and the impact he had on them. He made others looked good up and down the chain of command in his service whether it benefited him or not because he saw others were human and needed to excel and use their skills for their benefit so they too could shine. Like Misha the cipher who loved numbers and words and had the skill of getting those he worked with to open up enough for them to work with him,to deliver the services he felt would make them happy to please him in their efforts. Misha was a master at convincing others to open up and give numbers and mathematical equations in pictures without diluting the fact that they trusted him because he was open about what he wanted from them without a hint of flattery or guile.

Value relationships and strengthen them. Mr. Kondrashev valued relationships and strengthened them by being open in all of his relationships and hiding nothing from anyone. The only instance he did in certain cases was with the author when he had to keep certain information private for the sake of privacy. As well as keep his relationships strong and healthy in the intelligence service that he loyally served with care, determination, sacrifice, and utmost patience.

He was truly a man worthy to be called blessed and highly favored for his effortless and deft openness. His relentless honesty. And his excellence in communicating his message no matter verbal or nonverbal. People understood and they listened. Because they trusted and had faith in him. He never gave them reason to doubt him or his word.

“A honest soul so rare”

In a world where whispers dance with grace,
Sergey stood, an honest soul so rare.
He listened deeply, hearts in his embrace,
Understanding intents, feelings laid bare.
Languages he wove, cultures to share,
In the tapestry of life, he found his place.

With privacy's shield, he guarded with care,
A fortress strong, where trust did trace.
In dealings honest, beyond compare,
Helpful at every turn, a gentle grace.
Life lived richly, a vibrant chase,
Sergey's legacy, love beyond the surface.

~ 1-16-2024… (meer)