Overview

An unprecedented history of the CIA's secret and amazing gadgetry behind the art of espionage In this look at the CIA’s most secretive operations and the devices that made them possible, Spycraft tells gripping life-and-death stories about a group of spytechs—much of it never previously revealed and with images never before seen by the public.   The CIA’s Office of Technical Service is the ultrasecret department that grappled with challenges such as:   What does it take to build a quiet helicopter? How does one embed a listening device in a cat? What is an invisible photo used for?   These amazingly inventive devices were created and employed against a backdrop of geopolitical tensions—including the Cold War, the Cuban Missile Crisis, and continuing terrorist threats. Written by Robert Wallace, the former director of the Office of Technical Service, and internationally renowned intelligence historian Keith Melton, Spycraft is both a fantastic encyclopedia of gadgetry and a revealing primer on the fundamentals of high-tech espionage.   “The first comprehensive look at the technical achievements of American espionage from the 1940s to the present.”—Wired   “Reveals more concrete information about CIA tradecraft than any book.”—The Washington Times   “This is a story I thought could never be told.”—JAMES M. OLSON, former chief of CIA counterintelligence

Full Product Details

Author:   Robert Wallace ,  H. Keith Melton ,  Henry R. Schlesinger ,  George J. Tenet
Publisher:   Penguin Putnam Inc
Imprint:   Plume
Dimensions:   Width: 13.90cm , Height: 3.30cm , Length: 21.40cm
Weight:   0.573kg
ISBN:  

9780452295476

ISBN 10:   0452295475
Pages:   624
Publication Date:   26 May 2009
Recommended Age:   From 18 years
Audience:   General/trade ,  General
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   In Print  
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Table of Contents

SpycraftForeword Preface Official Message from the CIA Section I. At The Beggining 1. My Hair Stood on End 2. We Must Be Ruthless Section II. Playing Catch-Up 3. The Penkovsky Era 4. Beyond Penkovsky 5. Bring in the Engineers 6. Building Better Gadgets Section III. In The Passing Lane 7. Moving Through the Gap 8. The Pen Is Mightier Than the Sword (and Shield) 9. Fire in the Arctic 10. A Dissident at Heart 11. An Operation Called CKTAW Section IV. Let The Walls Have Ears 12. Cold Beer, Cheap Hotels, and a Voltmeter 13. Progress in a New Era 14. The Age of Bond Arrives 15. Genius Is Where You Find It Section V. Prison, Bullet, Passport, Bomb 16. Conspicuous Fortitude, Exemplary Courage in a Cuban Jail 17. War by Any Other Name 18. Con Men, Fabricators, and Forgers 19. Tracking Terrorist Snakes Section VI. Fundamentals Of Tradecraft 20. Assessment 21. Cover and Disguise 22. Concealments 23. Clandestine Surveillance 24. Covert Communications 25. Spies and the Age of Information Epilogue: An Uncommon Service Appendix A: U.S. Clandestine Services and OTS Organizational Genealogy Appendix B: Selected Chronology of OTS Appendix C: Directors of OTS Appendix D: CIA Trailblazers from OTS Appendix E: Pseudonyms of CIA Officers Used Appendix F: Instructions to Decipher the Official Message from the CIA on page xxv Glossary Notes Selected Bibliography Acknowledgments Index

Reviews

Details of operational activity are as engrossing as the descriptions of the equipment. <br>- Library Journal <br><br> Reveals more concrete information about CIA tradecraft than any book... [Deserves] a five cloak-and-dagger rating. <br> - The Washington Times <br><br>

Reveals more concrete information about CIA tradecraft than any book. <b><i>The Washington Times</i> This is a story I thought could never be told. <b>James M. Olson, former chief of CIA counterintelligence The first comprehensive look at the technical achievements of American espionage from the 1940s to the present. <i><b>Wired</b></i>

aDetails of operational activity are as engrossing as the descriptions of the equipment.a <br>a Library Journal <br> aReveals more concrete information about CIA tradecraft than any booka] [Deserves] a five cloak-and-dagger rating.a<br> a The Washington Times

Reveals more concrete information about CIA tradecraft than any book. --<b><i>The Washington Times</i> This is a story I thought could never be told. --<b>James M. Olson, former chief of CIA counterintelligence The first comprehensive look at the technical achievements of American espionage from the 1940s to the present. --<i><b>Wired</b></i>

Details of operational activity are as engrossing as the descriptions of the equipment. <br>- Library Journal <br><br> Reveals more concrete information about CIA tradecraft than any book... [Deserves] a five cloak-and-dagger rating. <br> - The Washington Times

Author Information

ROBERT WALLACE is the former director of the CIA's Office of Technical Service and lives in Virginia. A recipient of the CIA's Intelligence Medal of Merit, Wallace founded the Artemus Consulting Group in 2004, providing management and intelligence counsel to corporate and government clients. He is also a contributor to the oral history program of CIA's Center for the Study of Intelligence. H. KEITH MELTON is an internationally recognized author, historian, and expert on clandestine devices and technology. He is the technical tradecraft historian at the Interagency Training Center in Washington, D.C. He has assembled the world's largest collection of espionage devices and lectures widely throughout the U.S. intelligence community and abroad. He resides in Florida.  HENRY ROBERT SCHLESINGER is an author and journalist who has covered intelligence technologies, counterterrorism, and law enforcement. His work has appeared in Popular Science, Popular Mechanics, Technology Review, and Smithsonian magazine. He lives in New York City.

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