Spying Without Spies : Origins of America's Secret Nuclear Surveillance System

This book provides the first documented description of the genesis and institutionalization of America's nuclear surveillance system. It traces the development of covert technical methods for assessing the nuclear capability of foreign powers from the introduction of these techniques in World War II to 1949, when they were successfully employed to detect the test of Russia's first atomic bomb. Ziegler and Jacobson examine the planning for the system as well as the technical and organizational obstacles that had to be overcome before it could be implemented. They describe the government decision-making processes and the ways individuals and groups with different beliefs and interests were mobilized in support of the program. They also explore the relationships between the intelligence and scientific communities that were forged in this process.

Drawing on a wide variety of sources, the authors of this accessible study describe the organization of the responsible agency...and the development of radiological, sonic and seismic technology that has monitored nuclear activity worldwide for over 40 years. This study fills a gap in the historical record... Publishers Weekly

Publishers Weekly

The Soviets exploded their first atomic bomb on August 29, 1949, signaling the end of the U.S. nuclear monopoly and the start of the postwar arms race. Despite Soviet efforts to conceal their test, it was detected by a long-range surveillance system with origins in WWII. Drawing on a wide variety of sources, the authors of this accessible study describe the organization of the responsible agency-called by several names through the years, it is currently the Air Force Technical Applications Center (AFTAC), headquartered at Patrick Air Force Base in Florida-and the development of radiological, sonic and seismic technology that has monitored nuclear activity worldwide for over 40 years. The study fills a gap in the historical record, revealing America's nuclear surveillance capability and its pervasive, though unheralded, effect on foreign policy and the arms race. Ziegler and Jacobson both teach anthropology at Brandeis University.