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

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 From the Trade Paperback edition. 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 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. Who's spying on you' And how are they doing it' Spycraft offers an unprecedented look at the CIA's most secretive operations and the devices that made them possible. Written by the former director of the CIA's Office of Technical Service, Robert Wallace (a real-life Q, straight out of the James Bond films), and internationally renowned intelligence historian H. Keith Melton, Spycraft reveals how the CIA carries out its life-and-death missions against a backdrop of geopolitical tensions - including the Cold War, the Cuben Missile Crisis, and the War on Terror. More relevant than ever - given the news about Edward Snowden and the NSA, concerns about privacy rights, organizations like Julian Assange's WikiLeaks, and popular entertainment like The Americans and Homeland - Spycraft is an important and revealing primer on the fundamentals of high-tech espionage "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"--Publisher description