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Spycraft: The Secret History of the CIA's Spytechs, from Communism to al-Qaeda | 
| Authors: Robert Wallace, H. Keith Melton, Henry R. Schlesinger
Publisher: Dutton Adult
Category: Book
List Price: $29.95
Buy New: $19.77
You Save: $10.18 (34%)
New (1) Used (10) from $15.75
Avg. Customer Rating:  19 reviews
Sales Rank: 1536
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 576
Shipping Weight (lbs): 2
Dimensions (in): 9.3 x 6.2 x 2.1
ISBN: 0525949801
Dewey Decimal Number: 327.1273
EAN: 9780525949800
ASIN: 0525949801
Publication Date: May 29, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
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Product Description
From two men who know better than anyone how espionage really works, an unprecedented historyheavily illustrated with neverbefore- seen imagesof the CIAs most secretive operations and the gadgets that made them possible.
It is a world where the intrigue of reality exceeds that of fiction. What is an invisible photo used for? What does it take to build a quiet helicopter? How does one embed a listening device in a cat? If these sound like challenges for Q, James Bonds fictional gadget-master, think again. Theyre all real-life devices created by the CIAs Office of Technical Servicean ultrasecretive department that combines the marvels of state-of-the-art technology with the time-proven traditions of classic espionage. And now, in the first book ever written about this office, the former director of OTS teams up with an internationally renowned intelligence historian to take readers into the laboratory of espionage.
Spycraft tells amazing life and death stories about this littleknown group, much of it never before revealed. Against the backdrop of some of Americas most critical periods in recent historyincluding the Cold War, the Cuban Missile Crisis, and the war on terrorthe authors show the real technical and human story of how the CIA carries out its missions.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 14 more reviews...
The other side of the Trade July 20, 2008
For most people when they think of Spying they think of the guy on ground
doing his Thing.But little thought is given to the people who make and place
the gadgets the spy uses. The book goes through the history of the departments and devices involved from the beginning till the present day with eye opening stories packed full of interesting facts.
If you are interested in Tradecraft then this is the flip side of the coin.
An excellent book that belongs in every spy buffs library !
The Whole Story July 18, 2008
This is the Whole Story
Robert Wallace is a good friend and a former colleague.
Cold War intelligence operations and those who managed and ran them were always highly compartmentalized so that only a handful knew the whole story.
Now, with access to former Soviet intelligence files, many things have become more clear. Still, it is for writer/practitioners like Wallace to give us a fascinating and until-now-unknown view of the long U.S. - Soviet standoff.
This book is a great read, hard to set aide. It should be must reading for anyone who wants facts about how technology supported (and sometimes failed) American (and Soviet) intelligence operations during those long and expensive years. Interested college students and their teachers can rely on this text. It is painstakingly researched and noted.
The Agency understandably has a tough pre-publication review process and I am pleasantly surprised to see how much of Wallace's material has been allowed to see print. Although I often knew only a little of the many specifics he writes about, there is no doubt that this is the whole story, satisfying and often surprising even to the Old Timers who were involved.
best book ever! July 15, 2008
This is the best book I have ever read! You won't believe what you'll read in this book! They got to make this book into a movie! It is better than James Bond!
A riveting read for all espionage fans! July 15, 2008
The tools of the spy trade are fascinating for their role throughout history, and SPYCRAFT tops the list as the most comprehensive account of their creation and implementation. H. Keith Melton and Robert Wallace are the wolrd's leading authorities on the subject. As one of the producers of the SPIES series for A&E, I thoroughly enjoyed this book!
Spycraft -- a must read July 6, 2008
I grew up in the 60's and 70's watching "Get Smart" on TV and James Bond movies in theatres. I loved the gadgets and often wondered how many actually existed in the real "spy world." Now that I live in DC and work in biometrics, I'm still fascinated by surveillance technology, but since reading "Spycraft," I don't have to wonder anymore. This book is fascinating -- not just because it details the gadgets, but because it looks at the people, politics and tactics behind the technology used by the CIA in recent decades. Forget James Bond -- the real spy heroes are in this book. I have a new appreciation for spytechs and their role in the intelligence game, and I was surprised how quickly I got through the 500+ pages. Loved the photos! Well done to Bob Wallace and Keith Melton!
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