Spycraft The Secret History of the CIA's Spytechs, from Communism to Al-Qaeda

Paperback (26 May 2009)

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Publisher's Synopsis

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

About the Publisher

Plume

Plume

Plume was founded in 1970 as the trade paperback imprint of New American Library. In its early history, Plume focused primarily on nonfiction titles, publishing approximately 35 titles per year. In the early 1980s, as trade paperbacks were rapidly becoming the format of choice among a large segment of book buyers, Plume began expanding its reach, and became recognized as one of the pre-eminent trade paperback imprints. The 1980?s saw Plume make its mark with a number of major bestsellers, including Toni Morrison?s Tar Baby, Erica Jong?s Fanny, Russell Baker?s Growing Up, and Gloria Steinem?s Outrageous Acts and Everyday Rebellions, among others. Now, in 2014, Plume is publishing 85 to 100 titles a year, and its backlist currently encompasses approximately 700 titles.

Book information

ISBN: 9780452295476
Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group
Imprint: Plume
Pub date:
DEWEY: 327.1273
DEWEY edition: 23
Language: English
Number of pages: 548
Weight: 508g
Height: 210mm
Width: 141mm
Spine width: 33mm