I am reading the autobiography of Ronald M. Hirano, who says this happened during a 1953 visit to the Soviet embassy in DC:

"...I left and hurried toward the front entry, followed by my friends. As I grasped the doorknob, I was shocked by electricity. The staff immediately shut it off and apologized to me." (p. 65)

While I'm curious if that's likely to be true, I'm even more curious about what other methods the Soviets used to prevent defection for those embassy staff who were in foreign countries and could see the disparity of lifestyle with their homeland.

While I imagine it was party loyalists in most prominent positions, what about secretaries and other lower-ranking staff? Did the USSR threaten family members at home, as DPRK does?

My only knowledge of Soviet defections is from "Moscow on the Hudson," so I'm grateful for any information on defections, the prevention thereof, and the response to both successful and unsuccessful attempts. Thank you.