Spycraft: The Secret History of the CIA's Spytechs, from Communism to Al-Qaeda

Spycraft: The Secret History of the CIA's Spytechs, from Communism to Al-Qaeda
Robert Wallace,H. Keith Melton,Henry R. Schlesinger | 2009-05-26 00:00:00 | Plume | 576 | United States
In this the first book ever written about the CIA's Office of Technical Service, former director Robert Wallace (a real-life Q, straight out of the James Bond films) and internationally renowned intelligence historian H. Keith Melton offer an unprecedented look at the CIA's most secretive operations and the devices that made them possible. Against a backdrop of geopolitical tensions- including the Cold War, the Cuban Missile Crisis, and the current War on Terror-the authors show how the CIA carries out its missions employing amazingly inventive tools. Illustrated with images never before seen by the public-and featuring everything from micro cameras to wired kitties to exploding pancakes-Spycraft is both a fantastic encyclopedia of gadgetry and a revealing primer on the fundamentals of high-tech espionage.
Reviews
Interesting book covering (or recovering) some good details - but like many books of its ilk it expands the CIA element at the expense of the truth. The Penkovsky story while a great story is misleading. Penkovsky is as important as stated in the story except the Brits led that op and while he states that quickly he goes on to talk abou the involved individuals as if they were CIA when in fact they were Brits for the most part. As for the 64 find the CIA did not go looking for it and Navy CBs did not find it. It was discovered by three State Department engineers based on information from a defector that the CIA did not believe and kept locked in isolation for 2 years. I am sure there are other details that I am unaware of that are similar. But overall the book is a good read and covers a lot of bases in the tech world. i would recommend it but like all things intel - with a grain of salt.
Reviews
If you're unable to visit the Spy Museum in Washington, DC then this is the book for you. Filled with back-stories, techniques, and history this book takes you from the heady days of the beginning of the Cold War to the present day. Too, you'll learn just how valuable the the CIA has been in developing and implementing technologies that allowed the US to 'compete' in global clandestine information business. We're lucky that there were so many talented individuals willing to make such sacrifices for their country. Some lost their lives and are honored with a star at CIA HQ. A fine read for anyone.
Reviews
Lots of info in an easy to read, comprehend and remember format. Go for it!
Reviews
This is written by insiders and they had trouble getting permission from the CIA to publish it. It's a thick book, reasonably well written, but most compelling for the real inside view of the real world version of James Bond's Q. But stepping away from the fictional versions, you really understand the years of work it took, for example, to understand the Soviet Russian mail censorship and examination process, or the years of duty in Moscow for a handful of document passes. Dead drops, brush passes, the evolution of electronic bugs, the Leo Theremin-designed "Beast" in the US embassy in Moscow, the life of a tech bugging offices worldwide, and the history of document cameras are all well covered. Many topics are in this book and nowhere else.
Reviews
I can't believe they were allowed to write this book and reveal all those secrets.

Can you imagine all those secret weopons that we have that they're not authorized to reveal?

Download this book!

Free Ebooks Download