Description
A history of Americans who spied against their country and what their stories reveal about national security What's your secret? American Spies presents the stunning histories of more than forty Americans who spied against their country during the past six decades. Michael Sulick, former head of the CIA's clandestine service, illustrates through these stories-some familiar, others much less well known-the common threads in the spy cases and the evolution of American attitudes toward espionage since the onset of the Cold War. After highlighting the accounts of many who have spied for traditional adversaries such as Russian and Chinese intelligence services, Sulick shows how spy hunters today confront a far broader spectrum of threats not only from hostile states but also substate groups, including those conducting cyberespionage. Sulick reveals six fundamental elements of espionage in these stories: the motivations that drove them to spy; their access and the secrets they betrayed; their tradecraft, or the techniques of concealing their espionage; their exposure; their punishment; and, finally, the damage they inflicted on America's national security. The book is the sequel to Sulick's popular Spying in America: Espionage from the Revolutionary War to the Dawn of the Cold War. Together they serve as a basic introduction to understanding America's vulnerability to espionage, which has oscillated between peacetime complacency and wartime vigilance, and continues to be shaped by the inherent conflict between our nation's security needs and our commitment to the preservation of civil liberties. Now available in paperback, with a new preface that brings the conversation up to the present, American Spies is as insightful and relevant as ever.
"I find it delightful to encounter a volume written by a professional who has walked the ground about which he writes. A must-read."
About the Author
Michael J. Sulick is a retired intelligence operations officer who was director of the CIA's National Clandestine Service (2007-10), chief of CIA counterintelligence (2002-4), and chief of the Central Eurasia Division (1999-2002), among other assignments during his twenty-eight-year career. He holds a PhD in comparative literature from the City University of New York. He is the author of Spying in America: Espionage from the Revolutionary War to the Dawn of the Cold War.
Reviews
As a bibliophile who devours several lineal feet of books on espionage and intelligence each month, both for review and for pleasure, I find it delightful to encounter a volume written by a professional who has walked the ground about which he writes . . . . Albeit scholarly, it brims with details of spying that make for enjoyable reading. * The Intelligencer: Journal of US Intelligence Studies *
The book is very readable; it is a history of espionage played out on American shores. The stories are long enough to be detailed but short enough to hold attention. While reading I kept hoping someone would find out about them and stop the leakage of secrets but usually they were able to spy for years undetected. I very much recommend this book as a caution to our current times. * San Francisco Book Review *
In addition to being an interesting, well-researched, and well-written book, 'American Spies' is a thought-provoking . . . analysis of the security and counterintelligence problems the United States faces today and in the future. It should be read by anyone who has a professional or personal interest in these areas. * Proceedings *
Sulick blends the historical record with his own intelligence expertise to create a nonfiction espionage thriller on par with the best of Ian Fleming and John Le Carre. * Choice *
Makes real-life spy history come alive, and is highly recommended especially for public and college library American History shelves. * Midwest Book Review *
I find it delightful to encounter a volume written by a professional who has walked the ground about which he writes. A must-read. * The Washington Times *
With the current presidency of Donald J. Trump and his seemingly inexplicable deference to Vladimir Putin and the Russian military establishment's espionage activities and interference with the American political election process, American Spies: Espionage against the United States from the Cold War to the Present is an urgently important and unreservedly recommended addition to personal, professional, community, college, university, and governmental library collections on Espionage, Political Intelligence, National and International Security. * Midwest Book Review *
Book Information
ISBN 9781647120375
Author Michael J. Sulick
Format Paperback
Page Count 384
Imprint Georgetown University Press
Publisher Georgetown University Press
Weight(grams) 544g
"I find it delightful to encounter a volume written by a professional who has walked the ground about which he writes. A must-read."
About the Author
Michael J. Sulick is a retired intelligence operations officer who was director of the CIA's National Clandestine Service (2007-10), chief of CIA counterintelligence (2002-4), and chief of the Central Eurasia Division (1999-2002), among other assignments during his twenty-eight-year career. He holds a PhD in comparative literature from the City University of New York. He is the author of Spying in America: Espionage from the Revolutionary War to the Dawn of the Cold War.
Reviews
As a bibliophile who devours several lineal feet of books on espionage and intelligence each month, both for review and for pleasure, I find it delightful to encounter a volume written by a professional who has walked the ground about which he writes . . . . Albeit scholarly, it brims with details of spying that make for enjoyable reading. * The Intelligencer: Journal of US Intelligence Studies *
The book is very readable; it is a history of espionage played out on American shores. The stories are long enough to be detailed but short enough to hold attention. While reading I kept hoping someone would find out about them and stop the leakage of secrets but usually they were able to spy for years undetected. I very much recommend this book as a caution to our current times. * San Francisco Book Review *
In addition to being an interesting, well-researched, and well-written book, 'American Spies' is a thought-provoking . . . analysis of the security and counterintelligence problems the United States faces today and in the future. It should be read by anyone who has a professional or personal interest in these areas. * Proceedings *
Sulick blends the historical record with his own intelligence expertise to create a nonfiction espionage thriller on par with the best of Ian Fleming and John Le Carre. * Choice *
Makes real-life spy history come alive, and is highly recommended especially for public and college library American History shelves. * Midwest Book Review *
I find it delightful to encounter a volume written by a professional who has walked the ground about which he writes. A must-read. * The Washington Times *
With the current presidency of Donald J. Trump and his seemingly inexplicable deference to Vladimir Putin and the Russian military establishment's espionage activities and interference with the American political election process, American Spies: Espionage against the United States from the Cold War to the Present is an urgently important and unreservedly recommended addition to personal, professional, community, college, university, and governmental library collections on Espionage, Political Intelligence, National and International Security. * Midwest Book Review *
Book Information
ISBN 9781647120375
Author Michael J. Sulick
Format Paperback
Page Count 384
Imprint Georgetown University Press
Publisher Georgetown University Press
Weight(grams) 544g
