Packed with dastardly details and top-secret stories, this book recounts thrilling tales, tools, and tricks of spies throughout history, from the ancient world of Sun Tzu to the latest cyber threats.
"In Secrets, Spies and Scholars - for the first time - Ray S. Cline, a former top-level CIA official with operational experience, puts the triumphs as well as the disasters of American intelligence into a meaningful perspective - encompassing national political processes and decision-making. The book contains many illustrative accounts of what espionage, counterespionage and other intelligence work at the top levels of government are really like, including the operational..." --Abebooks.com.
An illustrated guide to the deadly world of espionage. Agents, double agents and multiple agents are vital to waging war successfully and they often help nations avoid war altogether. Spies have affected the outcomes of wars and crucial battles throughout history. Spies exposes the secret successes and public failures of intelligence gathering and operations from ancient times to the current war on terrorism. Using easy-to-follow illustrated case studies and sidebar features, Spies reveals the behind-the-scenes stories of famous spies, international secrets, betrayals and bravery in the long history of spying. The book describes in exciting detail: The art of spy tradecraft Techniques spies use to gather and send secrets Devices used to steal state secrets How agents survive in hostile environments Whether or not spies like James Bond really exist. Today, sophisticated digital and space-based technology gathers untold amounts of raw data. Yet far from rendering the spy on the ground obsolete, human intelligence is more vital than ever to separate the truth from the deception. Spies is a factual and fascinating look into a dangerous world where nothing is what it appears to be.
"When Jason Hanson joined the CIA in 2003, he never imagined that the same tactics he used as a CIA officer for counter intelligence, surveillance, and protecting agency personnel would prove to be essential in every day civilian life. In addition to escaping handcuffs, picking locks, and spotting when someone is telling a lie, he can improvise a self-defense weapon, pack a perfect emergency kit, and disappear off the grid if necessary. He has also honed his "positive awareness" - a heightened sense of his surroundings that allows him to spot suspicious and potentially dangerous behavior - on the street, in a taxi, at the airport, when dining out, or in any other situation."--Provided by publisher.
Exploring how intelligence professionals view accountability in the context of twenty-first century politics How can democratic governments hold intelligence and security agencies accountable when what they do is largely secret? Using the UK as a case study, this book addresses this question by providing the first systematic exploration of how accountability is understood inside the secret world. It is based on new interviews with current and former UK intelligence practitioners, as well as extensive research into the performance and scrutiny of the UK intelligence machinery. The result is the first detailed analysis of how intelligence professionals view their role, what they feel keeps them honest, and how far external overseers impact on their work Moving beyond the conventional focus on oversight, the book examines how accountability works in the day to day lives of these organizations, and considers the impact of technological and social changes, such as artificial intelligence and social media. The UK is a useful case study as it is an important actor in global intelligence, gathering material that helps inform global decisions on such issues as nuclear proliferation, terrorism, transnational crime, and breaches of international humanitarian law. On the flip side, the UK was a major contributor to the intelligence failures leading to the Iraq war in 2003, and its agencies were complicit in the widely discredited U.S. practices of torture and “rendition” of terrorism suspects. UK agencies have come under greater scrutiny since those actions, but it is clear that problems remain. The book concludes with a series of suggestions for improvement, including the creation of intelligence ethics committees, allowing the public more input into intelligence decisions. The issues explored in this book have important implications for researchers, intelligence professionals, overseers, and the public when it comes to understanding and scrutinizing intelligence practice.
Intelligence and Espionage: Secrets and Spies provides a global introduction to the role of intelligence – a key, but sometimes controversial, aspect of ensuring national security. Separating fact from fiction, the book draws on past examples to explore the use and misuse of intelligence, examine why failures take place and address important ethical issues over its use. Divided into two parts, the book adopts a thematic approach to the topic, guiding the reader through the collection and analysis of information and its use by policymakers, before looking at intelligence sharing. Lomas and Murphy also explore the important associated activities of counterintelligence and the use of covert action, to influence foreign countries and individuals. Topics covered include human and signals intelligence, the Cuban Missile Crisis, intelligence and Stalin, Trump and the US intelligence community, and the Soviet Bloc. This analysis is supplemented by a comprehensive documents section, containing newly released documents, including material from Edward Snowden’s leaks of classified material. Supported by images, a comprehensive chronology, glossary, and 'who’s who' of key figures, Intelligence and Espionage is an invaluable resource for anyone interested in the role of intelligence in policymaking, international relations and diplomacy, warfighting and politics to the present day.
Fourteen-year-old Beth Johnson is a talented and beautiful young actress. She is also a spy. The year is 1664, and Charles II is on the throne, but all is not well in the bustling city of London, and there are those who would gladly kill the king and destroy the Monarchy. One morning, a mysterious ghost ship drifts up the Thames. Sent to investigate by the King's Master of Secrets, Alan Strange, Beth quickly finds herself embroiled in a dangerous adventure. Will Beth be able to unravel the plot to kill the King before it's too late?
A Financial Times Best Book of the Year The untold story of how Russian espionage in imperial China shaped the emergence of the Russian Empire as a global power. From the seventeenth to the nineteenth century, the Russian Empire made concerted efforts to collect information about China. It bribed Chinese porcelain-makers to give up trade secrets, sent Buddhist monks to Mongolia on intelligence-gathering missions, and trained students at its Orthodox mission in Beijing to spy on their hosts. From diplomatic offices to guard posts on the Chinese frontier, Russians were producing knowledge everywhere, not only at elite institutions like the Academy of Sciences in St. Petersburg. But that information was secret, not destined for wide circulation. Gregory Afinogenov distinguishes between the kinds of knowledge Russia sought over the years and argues that they changed with the shifting aims of the state and its perceived place in the world. In the seventeenth century, Russian bureaucrats were focused on China and the forbidding Siberian frontier. They relied more on spies, including Jesuit scholars stationed in China. In the early nineteenth century, the geopolitical challenge shifted to Europe: rivalry with Britain drove the Russians to stake their prestige on public-facing intellectual work, and knowledge of the East was embedded in the academy. None of these institutional configurations was especially effective in delivering strategic or commercial advantages. But various knowledge regimes did have their consequences. Knowledge filtered through Russian espionage and publication found its way to Europe, informing the encounter between China and Western empires. Based on extensive archival research in Russia and beyond, Spies and Scholars breaks down long-accepted assumptions about the connection between knowledge regimes and imperial power and excavates an intellectual legacy largely neglected by historians.
'Secrets, Lies, Gizmos and Spies' is the secret history of spies and espionage throughout the ages. From the Trojan War to World War II, from James Bond to Austin Powers, all aspiring special agents will learn the unbelievable and unpredictable stories of the world's most famous spies, artful deceptions and classified operations. Featuring numerous photographs of disguised weapons, astonishing gadgets, tools and documents, as well as a guide to key terms, timeline, and two interviews with real spies, this heavily illustrated volume brings the death-defying stories of spies, moles and double agents to life. Heroes, villains or traitors - you decide!
On July 7th 2005 London suffered the worst terrorist attack in its history. Despite one of the largest police investigations ever to take place in Britain, to date not a single person has been found guilty for the atrocity that killed over 50 people. Using unsealed court documents and declassified intelligence agency files Secrets, Spies and 7/7 takes you on a journey through the labyrinth of disinformation about the bombings. Drawing on over 7 years of research, Tom Secker shows how the official version of events, which blamed 4 British Muslim men, is a mess of contradictions, errors and fantasies. This unique investigation also explores the 'War on Terror' context in which the attacks took place and shows how an alternative look at the evidence suggests some very different culprits to those blamed by the official story.