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Spycraft: The Secret History of the CIA's Spytechs, from Communism to al-Qaeda by Robert Wallace
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Spycraft: The Secret History of the CIA's Spytechs, from Communism to…

by Robert Wallace

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In 500 non-encrypted pages, the reader learns the basic elements of espionage and the real history of the first 50 years of the CIA's Office of Technical Services. The tools of espionage were always at the cutting edge of technology. Sometimes, commercially-produced electronics were the basis for a CIA device, but more often, the demands of our spies drove the developments that would later give us pagers and miniature digital cameras. James Bond's toys were more realistic than most people ever realized. Behind them was a dedicated group of clever, driven technologists who supplied agents with better means of surveillance and covert communications. More than just a guide to gadgets, this book tells a meaningful story about the importance of intelligence to national security, and the unfortunate events that occur when the intelligence network is compromised. ( )
  jpsnow | Mar 15, 2009 |
This book is packed with stories of interesting James Bond-type gadgets. But, it's considerably longer than it really needs to be and is far too cheerleaderish about the CIA for my taste. ( )
  wanack | Jul 6, 2008 |
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Amazon.com Product Description (ISBN 0525949801, Hardcover)

From two men who know better than anyone how espionage really works, an unprecedented history—heavily illustrated with neverbefore- seen images—of the CIA’s 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 Bond’s fictional gadget-master, think again. They’re all real-life devices created by the CIA’s Office of Technical Service—an 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 America’s most critical periods in recent history—including the Cold War, the Cuban Missile Crisis, and the war on terror—the authors show the real technical and human story of how the CIA carries out its missions.

(retrieved from Amazon Fri, 24 Apr 2009 07:58:16 -0400)

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