⋙ Libro Gratis The Secret State A History of Intelligence and Espionage John HughesWilson Colonel 9781681776378 Books

The Secret State A History of Intelligence and Espionage John HughesWilson Colonel 9781681776378 Books

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The Secret State A History of Intelligence and Espionage John HughesWilson Colonel 9781681776378 Books

Easy reading, insightful, authoritative. The huge range of incidents are nearly uniformly engaging and clearly presented, and the enormous value of knowing one's enemy through diligent surveillance is crystal clear.

It took a while to get through the definitions of different kinds of intel near the beginning, which slowed the pace, as the anecdotes are the meat of the book, and categorization of methods is not necessary for the tales. Another minor gripe is the normative tone - don't ignore this possibility, and that method shouldn't be used this way - I wasn't looking for a manual in how to use spies. A final tone that seemed forced is that most conflicts were presented as having been decided by the quality of the spying and whether the authorities listened to the usually exemplary spies, maybe true, or maybe a little too self-congradulatory for the spying profession.

A curiosity is that the Cuban missile crisis is presented as a triumph of good intelligence by the US. But elsewhere I've read that Kennedy was totally unaware that the Soviets had nuclear bombs in Cuba and a sub that the US forced to surface nearly used its nuclear missiles, of which the US was unaware. He also presents the Viet Nam as easily winnable; failure of US was due to lack of stomach for bad publicity. Makes me wonder if there is some distortion to uphold the image of US intelligence, and one purpose of the book might be lobbying for resources for the CIA and its British equivalent.

This book reinforces my belief that it is very hard to judge the actions of nations, as there is much perspective gained through espionage that the public never sees at the time, or sometimes until decades later, if ever.

A good read.


Tags : The Secret State: A History of Intelligence and Espionage [John Hughes-Wilson Colonel] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. <strong>A ground-breaking history of intelligence―from its classical origins to the onset of the surveillance state in the digital age―that lifts the veil of secrecy from this clandestine world.</strong> Comprehensive and authoritative,John Hughes-Wilson Colonel,The Secret State: A History of Intelligence and Espionage,Pegasus Books,1681776375,Europe - Great Britain,Military - General,Military - Strategy,Espionage - History,Intelligence service - History,Military intelligence - History,HISTORY Europe Great Britain General,HISTORY Military General,HISTORY Military Strategy,HISTORY Military United States,History,Intelligence Agencies,Military,Military Science (Specific Aspects),POLITICAL SCIENCE Intelligence & Espionage,Political ScienceHistory & Theory - General

The Secret State A History of Intelligence and Espionage John HughesWilson Colonel 9781681776378 Books Reviews

I thought The Secret State was going to be a struggle to get through but I was wrong. I couldn't put it down.
An excellent history of spying through the ages. However, too many editing mistakes that make me wonder which facts may be incorrect. SIGNINT instead of SIGINT, apparently $500,000 = half a billion and mixes up North Korea and North Vietnam in the same sentence. Many left out words also. Again, an excellent book where someone fell asleep at the wheel, as many intelligence agencies continue to do.
This is an informed, breezy read on intelligence. Were it not for the author polluting the work with his anti-Semitism, it would be a good book. For starters, on page 99, the author blames Bill Clinton escaping being thrown out of office by Congress for the Lewinksy affair on "plentiful Jewish bribes on Capitol Hill..." Don't reward this kind of bigotry with your money.
I enjoyed the reviews of history of various ways Intel is gathered and the problem with failure to do it right. Fast paced. Well organized book.
A gift my husband loves
This is a great book about intelligence. It gives you a broad perspective of what intelligence really is. The best thing about it is that the author tries to provide you with a non-opinionated view of how it works (or worked) in practice, emphasizing both failures and successes. Recommended for anyone who wants to know more about the subject.
This is a good book for the reader of spy novels who deserves a background of espionage from hundreds of years ago to the present. I suppose it includes a little more information about spying in one place than is necessary but a ready reference is fine by me. I am now set to return to fiction with a better knowledge of actual espionage that so fascinates me.
Easy reading, insightful, authoritative. The huge range of incidents are nearly uniformly engaging and clearly presented, and the enormous value of knowing one's enemy through diligent surveillance is crystal clear.

It took a while to get through the definitions of different kinds of intel near the beginning, which slowed the pace, as the anecdotes are the meat of the book, and categorization of methods is not necessary for the tales. Another minor gripe is the normative tone - don't ignore this possibility, and that method shouldn't be used this way - I wasn't looking for a manual in how to use spies. A final tone that seemed forced is that most conflicts were presented as having been decided by the quality of the spying and whether the authorities listened to the usually exemplary spies, maybe true, or maybe a little too self-congradulatory for the spying profession.

A curiosity is that the Cuban missile crisis is presented as a triumph of good intelligence by the US. But elsewhere I've read that Kennedy was totally unaware that the Soviets had nuclear bombs in Cuba and a sub that the US forced to surface nearly used its nuclear missiles, of which the US was unaware. He also presents the Viet Nam as easily winnable; failure of US was due to lack of stomach for bad publicity. Makes me wonder if there is some distortion to uphold the image of US intelligence, and one purpose of the book might be lobbying for resources for the CIA and its British equivalent.

This book reinforces my belief that it is very hard to judge the actions of nations, as there is much perspective gained through espionage that the public never sees at the time, or sometimes until decades later, if ever.

A good read.