Overview

The old world of spying-dead-letter boxes, microfilm cameras, an enemy reporting to the Moscow Center, and a hint of sexual blackmail-is history. The spymaster's technique has changed and the enemy has, too. He or she now frequently comes from a culture far removed from Western understanding and is part of a less well-organized group. The new enemy is constantly evolving and prepared to kill the innocent. In the face of this new threat, the spymasters of the world shunned human intelligence as the primary way to glean clandestine information and replaced it with an obsession that focuses on the technical methods of spying ranging from the use of high-definition satellite photography to the global interception of communications. However, this obsession with technology has failed, most spectacularly, with the devastation of the 9/11 attacks. In this searing modern history of espionage, Stephen Grey takes us from the CIA's Cold War legends, to the agents who betrayed the IRA, through to the spooks inside Al-Qaeda and ISIS. Techniques and technologies have evolved, but the old motivations for betrayal-patriotism, greed, revenge, compromise-endure. Based on years of research and interviews with hundreds of secret sources, Stephen Grey's The New Spymasters is an up-to-date expose that shows how spycraft's human factor is once again being used to combat the world's deadliest enemies.

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9780312379223

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Reviews

A comprehensive, intelligent look at the evolving world of spies. Kirkus Reviews A manual of modern espionage. Farewell George Smiley. The targets are new, the methods different, the technology hyper. Only the purpose remains - forewarning. Frederick Forsyth, author of Day of the Jackal Full of revelations. There are many books on spies and spying, but few as perceptive or rigorous as this. A very enjoyable read... should be on the shelves of anyone interested in the world we live in, the threats we face, and those who are charged with keeping us safe. Jason Burke, author of Al Qaeda and The 9/11 Wars I urge spymasters new and old - but more importantly those who want to understand the role of espionage - to read this remarkably accurate and detailed account of the CIA's transition from Cold War to ISIS War, from nuclear attack to hacker attack. It captures the work in progress - traditional adversaries still threaten and new ones require a national clandestine service to penetrate and defeat them. Stephen Grey nails the story in this exceptionally readable book. John Macgaffin III, former Deputy Director for CIA Clandestine Service

A comprehensive, intelligent look at the evolving world of spies. --Kirkus Reviews A manual of modern espionage. Farewell George Smiley. The targets are new, the methods different, the technology hyper. Only the purpose remains - forewarning. --Frederick Forsyth, author of Day of the Jackal Full of revelations. There are many books on spies and spying, but few as perceptive or rigorous as this. A very enjoyable read... should be on the shelves of anyone interested in the world we live in, the threats we face, and those who are charged with keeping us safe. --Jason Burke, author of Al Qaeda and The 9/11 Wars I urge spymasters new and old - but more importantly those who want to understand the role of espionage - to read this remarkably accurate and detailed account of the CIA's transition from Cold War to ISIS War, from nuclear attack to hacker attack. It captures the work in progress - traditional adversaries still threaten and new ones require a national clandestine service to penetrate and defeat them. Stephen Grey nails the story in this exceptionally readable book. --John Macgaffin III, former Deputy Director for CIA Clandestine Service A comprehensive, intelligent look at the evolving world of spies. Kirkus Reviews A manual of modern espionage. Farewell George Smiley. The targets are new, the methods different, the technology hyper. Only the purpose remains - forewarning. Frederick Forsyth, author of Day of the Jackal Full of revelations. There are many books on spies and spying, but few as perceptive or rigorous as this. A very enjoyable read... should be on the shelves of anyone interested in the world we live in, the threats we face, and those who are charged with keeping us safe. Jason Burke, author of Al Qaeda and The 9/11 Wars I urge spymasters new and old - but more importantly those who want to understand the role of espionage - to read this remarkably accurate and detailed account of the CIA's transition from Cold War to ISIS War, from nuclear attack to hacker attack. It captures the work in progress - traditional adversaries still threaten and new ones require a national clandestine service to penetrate and defeat them. Stephen Grey nails the story in this exceptionally readable book. John Macgaffin III, former Deputy Director for CIA Clandestine Service

Author Information

Stephen Grey is a British writer, broadcaster, and investigative reporter with more than two decades of experience reporting on intelligence issues. He is best known for his world exclusive revelations about the CIA's program of extraordinary rendition, as well as reports from Iraq and Afghanistan. A former foreign correspondent and investigations editor with The Sunday Times, he has reported for The New York Times, The Guardian, BBC, and Channel 4, and is currently a special correspondent with Reuters. Grey is the author of Ghost Plane

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