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

From two men who know better than anyone how espionage really works, an unprecedented history—heavily illustrated with neverbefore- seen images—of the CIA’s most secretive operations and the gadgets that made them possible. It is a world where the intrigue of reality exceeds that of fiction. What is an invisible photo used for? What does it take to build a quiet helicopter? How does one embed a listening device in a cat? If these sound like challenges for Q, James Bond’s fictional gadget-master, think again. They’re all real-life devices created by the CIA’s Office of Technical Service—an ultrasecretive department that combines the marvels of state-of-the-art technology with the time-proven traditions of classic espionage. And now, in the first book ever written about this office, the former director of OTS teams up with an internationally renowned intelligence historian to take readers into the laboratory of espionage. Spycraft tells amazing life and death stories about this littleknown group, much of it never before revealed. Against the backdrop of some of America’s most critical periods in recent history—including the Cold War, the Cuban Missile Crisis, and the war on terror—the authors show the real technical and human story of how the CIA carries out its missions. An unprecedented history of the CIA's secret and amazing gadgetry behind the art of espionageIn 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 From two men who know better than anyone how espionage really works, an unprecedented historyaheavily illustrated with neverbefore- seen imagesaof the CIAas most secretive operations and the gadgets that made them possible. It is a world where the intrigue of reality exceeds that of fiction. What is an invisible photo used for? What does it take to build a quiet helicopter? How does one embed a listening device in a cat? If these sound like challenges for Q, James Bondas fictional gadget-master, think again. Theyare all real-life devices created by the CIAas Office of Technical Serviceaan ultrasecretive department that combines the marvels of state-of-the-art technology with the time-proven traditions of classic espionage. And now, in the first book ever written about this office, the former director of OTS teams up with an internationally renowned intelligence historian to take readers into the laboratory of espionage. Spycraft tells amazing life and death stories about this littleknown group, much of it never before revealed. Against the backdrop of some of Americaas most critical periods in recent historyaincluding the Cold War, the Cuban Missile Crisis, and the war on terrorathe authors show the real technical and human story of how the CIA carries out its missions. From two men who know better than anyone how espionage really works, an unprecedented history—heavily illustrated with never-before-seen images—of the CIA's most secretive operations and the gadgets that made them possible.It is a world where the intrigue of reality exceeds that of fiction. What is an invisible photo used for? What does it take to build a quiet helicopter? How does one embed a listening device in a cat? If these sound like challenges for Q, James Bond’s fictional gadget-master, think again. They’re all real-life devices created by the CIA's Office of Technical Service—an ultrasecretive department that combines the marvels of state-of-the-art technology with the time-proven traditions of classic espionage. And now, in the first book ever written about this office, the former director of OTS teams up with an internationally renowned intelligence historian to take readers into the laboratory of espionage.Spycraft tells amazing life and death stories about this little known group, much of it never before revealed. Against the backdrop of some of America’s most critical periods in recent history—including the Cold War, the Cuban Missile Crisis, and the war on terror—the authors show the real technical and human story of how the CIA carries out its missions. From Two Men Who Know How Espionage Really Works, An Unprecedented History--heavily Illustrated With Never-before-seen Images--of The Cia's Most Secretive Operations And The Gadgets That Made Them Possible. What Is An Invisible Photo Used For? What Does It Take To Build A Quiet Helicopter? How Does One Embed A Listening Device In A Cat? These May Sound Like Challenges For James Bond's Fictional Gadget-master Q, But They're All Real-life Devices Created By The Cia's Office Of Technical Service. Now, In The First Book Ever Written About This Office, The Former Director Of Ots Teams Up With An Internationally Renowned Intelligence Historian To Take Readers Into The Laboratory Of Espionage.--from Publisher Description. Includes Bibliographical References And Index Robert Wallace And H. Keith Melton ; With Henry R. Schlesinger. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [525]-532) And Index.

an Unprecedented History Of The Cia's Most Secretive Operations And The Gadgets That Made Them Possible.

pete Earley

this Book Is Absolutely The Best I've Ever Read About The Cia's Spy-techs And The Critical Role They Have Played... Painstakingly Researched, Yet Written With A Novelist's Flair, spycraft Rips Back The Veils, Revealing Unfamiliar Cases And Offering Fresh Insights Into Infamous Ones. From Chronicling The Invention Of Exploding Pancakes To Wristwatch Cameras And Quiet Helicopters, spycraft Documents How Ingenious Techies Turned The Cia's Lab Into The Greatest Toy Shop In The World And Proved That If They Could Think It —(they) Could Do It. (pete Earley, Author Of comrade J: The Untold Secrets Of Russia's Master Spy After The End Of The Cold War And confessions Of A Spy; The Real Story Of Aldrich Ames)

In this the first book ever written about the CIA's Office of Technical Service, former director Robert Wallace (a real-life Q, straight out of the James Bond films) and internationally renowned intelligence historian H. Keith Melton offer an unprecedented look at the CIA's most secretive operations and the devices that made them possible. Against a backdrop of geopolitical tensions- including the Cold War, the Cuban Missile Crisis, and the current War on Terror-the authors show how the CIA carries out its missions employing amazingly inventive tools. Illustrated with images never before seen by the public-and featuring everything from micro cameras to wired kitties to exploding pancakes-Spycraft is both a fantastic encyclopedia of gadgetry and a revealing primer on the fundamentals of high-tech espionage.

Secret instructions written in invisible ink. Cigarettes that fire bullets. Covert communications slipped inside dead rats. Subminature cameras hidden in ballpoint pens. They are all real-life devices created by the CIA's Office of Technical Services. This title offers a look at the devices and operations from the history of the CIA. Tells the amazing life and death stories about this little-known group, much of which has never before been revealed. Against the backdrop of some of the most critical international events of recent years the authors show the real technical and human story of how the CIA carried out its most secret missions.