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A Short Course in the Secret War

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The thinking man's spy book. —The New York Times Book Review

288 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1963

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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
Profile Image for Brent Winslow.
368 reviews
July 22, 2020
The first half of A Short Course in the Secret War describes US intelligence policies, developed during WWII and expanded during the Cold War, with the second half describing the author's experiences in Hungary prior to Soviet takeover.

The ideas remain valid in 2020 - "the cardinal rule of such operations - do not make unnecessary promises or promises you have neither the ability nor intention to keep. Once a promise is given, an agreement made, it must be kept to the best of one's ability. In the jungle of international politics this is the equivalent of 'honor among thieves'."
Profile Image for Sarah Kaminski.
64 reviews1 follower
June 24, 2020
The second half wasn’t bad, but it was hard to read due to its 50-year-old syntax.
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