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Loading... Spying in America: Espionage from the Revolutionary War to the Dawn of the Cold Warby Michael J. Sulick
   None No current Talk conversations about this book.  MontzaleeW | Feb 19, 2021 |   The primary danger for any work on history is that the author will provide information with such force and determination that the result is as dry as a mouth full of crackers. Sulick's treatment of the history of espionage against the United States does not so suffer. His presentation of the topic is pleasingly broad, covering the long history of the country, but still provides enough specific detail about particular cases to inform and entertain. The book is divided into five roughly chronological parts covering the Revolutionary War, Civil War, 1914-1945, 1930s and 1940s, and lastly the Russian spies around the development of the Atomic Bomb. While obviously there is some odd overlap the arrangement does make sense as later sections deal with specific programs within the government while overlapping in time frame with others. Each part begins with an overview of espionage in the subject area or period in history and later sections within each part give specifics on individual spies. So a reader wishing for more of a brief reading could peruse the more global sections and skip those that relate to individual players for a briefer read. These are, at times, a bit redundant and of marginal usefulness. In summary, the author does a wonderful job of taking a potentially dry topic and making hold the reader's attention. One is introduced to a few specific personages of spy fame but also given a sound overall understanding of why espionage works so well in America and entertaining insight on how the bumbling spies of yesteryear screw up and endanger themselves and their counterparts. A wonderful introduction to the real world of international espionage. (  )1  slavenrm | Apr 19, 2013 | no reviews | add a review
Can you keep a secret? Maybe you can, but the United States government cannot. Since the birth of the country, nations large and small, from Russia and China to Ghana and Ecuador, have stolen the most precious secrets of the United States. Written by Michael Sulick, former director of CIA's clandestine service, Spying in America presents a history of more than thirty espionage cases inside the United States. These cases include Americans who spied against their country, spies from both the Union and Confederacy during the Civil War, and foreign agents who ran operations on American soil. Some of the stories are familiar, such as those of Benedict Arnold and Julius Rosenberg, while others, though less well known, are equally fascinating. From the American Revolution, through the Civil War and two World Wars, to the atomic age of the Manhattan Project, Sulick details the lives of those who have betrayed America's secrets. In each case he focuses on the motivations that drove these individuals to spy, their access and the secrets they betrayed, their tradecraft or techniques for concealing their espionage, their exposure and punishment, and the damage they ultimately inflicted on America's national security. Spying in America serves as the perfect introduction to the early history of espionage in America. Sulick's unique experience as a senior intelligence officer is evident as he skillfully guides the reader through these cases of intrigue, deftly illustrating the evolution of American awareness about espionage and the fitful development of American counterespionage leading up to the Cold War. No library descriptions found. |
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 Google Books — Loading...GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)327.120973Social sciences Political Science International Relations Foreign policy and specific topics in international relations Espionage and subversion Intelligence Gathering - subdivisions Biography And History North AmericaLC ClassificationRatingAverage: (4)
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Wikipedia in English (1)
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Espionage from the Revolutionary War to the Dawn of the Cold War
By: Michael J. Sulick
Narrated by: Kevin Pierce
This book was one I received from freeaudiblecodes and I am so glad I did! It is so rich in information but also presented in an entertaining way. I was never bored. The book covers spying from the Revolution War to more recent times.
The more famous stories of spies I thought I would know a lot about because I am a big history nut but boy was I
arrogant and a fool! The book went into so much behind the story, with hidden secrets that I only knew a small portion of the story! I was amazed and excited! A lot of these were women too! It also discussed how slaves were used.
There were plenty of lesser known, or unknown to me, cases that were just as astonishing! Not only did the book describe the cases and who was involved but often more about the background of those people. This really made them come alive and gave me a glimpse as to why they did what they did.
If you like history, spies, a good mystery, or you're just a curious person than I would recommend this book! I was never bored and the narrator was excellent! (