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

Spycraft, an important work that must be listen to/read and understood, especially in light of cooling relations with the Russians (once again). Anyone who has lived through the cold war will remember the tensions of the 'doomsday' clock and how it colored our world. As I remembered living through those times I felt there was an under current beyond our perception, struggling for dominance. This book details the struggle and fills in all the things you thought must have been happening.

This book is for every geek, techie and gadget person out there as well as serious intel bookworms. Find out from the inside how the CIA "Q" teams work. Not only is the story captivating concerning the spy gear, but the people behind the inventions are even more exciting to read about. The story of the American POWs after the Cuban missle crisis underscores the commitment and dedication of all of the CIA volunteers as true American patriots.

Fascinating. The book arrived this morning and I have had a hard time putting it down. This could be a text book on spy craft but it is anything but dull. The gadgets are fascinating and the stories are captivating. You will wonder why it is not "classified". This book is a must for anyone who wants to know more about the technical and human side of espionage.

D LeRoy
Chicago

The tools of the spy trade are fascinating for their role throughout history, and SPYCRAFT tops the list as the most comprehensive account of their creation and implementation. H. Keith Melton and Robert Wallace are the world's leading authorities on the subject. As one of the producers of the SPIES series for A&E, I thoroughly enjoyed this book!

For most people when they think of Spying they think of the guy on ground
doing his Thing.But little thought is given to the people who make and place
the gadgets the spy uses. The book goes through the history of the departments and devices involved from the beginning till the present day with eye opening stories packed full of interesting facts.
If you are interested in Tradecraft then this is the flip side of the coin.
An excellent book that belongs in every spy buffs library !

Spycraft is by far the most thorough and complete book on espionage tradecraft published to date. A must read for anyone interested in the technical portion of spying and it's impact on the operational aspects of espionage. Well written and packed with documented detail, this book is much more than I thought would ever see public print. The authors have done a great job.I give it my highest recommendation.

"Marvelous. Really enjoyable. Well written. I read every page." A. SanbornSpycraft: The Secret History of the CIA's Spytechs, from Communism to al-Qaeda

Not recommended as an everyday read for the general reader. Thank goodness for such folks on our side and their tools of the trade. The world is full of stealth bad guys and gals. Spying is a necessary evil.

This book is very long and only intermittently interesting. The first seven or so chapters are comprised largely of the humdrum history of CIA personnel, organization, and bureaucracy. The final section is a glorified appendix, and it repeats much of the information found earlier in the book.

There are intriguing stories of operations and fascinating descriptions of equipment interspersed among the dullness, but it's an exercise in patience getting from one to the next.

In the end the book illustrated to me what an incredible waste of resources have gone and continue to go into spying on our enemies and ourselves, with little (or no?) substantive results to show for it.

UPDATE: For a far more informative (not to mention interesting) account of the CIA, read Legacy of Ashes: The History of the CIA instead.