King of Spies: The Dark Reign of America's Spymaster in Korea

by Blaine Harden

From the New York Times bestselling author of Escape from Camp 14, the shocking, gripping account of the most powerful American spy you’ve never heard of, whose role at the center of the Korean War—which gave rise to the North Korean regime—is essential to understanding the most intractable foreign policy conflict of our time.

In 1946, master sergeant Donald Nichols was repairing jeeps on the sleepy island of Guam when he caught the eye of recruiters from the army's Counter Intelligence Corps. After just three months' training, he was sent to Korea, then a backwater beneath the radar of MacArthur's Pacific Command. Though he lacked the pedigree of most U.S. spies—Nichols was a 7th grade dropout—he quickly metamorphosed from army mechanic to black ops phenomenon. He insinuated himself into the affections of America’s chosen puppet in South Korea, President Syngman Rhee, and became a pivotal player in the Korean War, warning months in advance about the North Korean invasion, breaking enemy codes, and identifying most of the targets destroyed by American bombs in North Korea.

But Nichols's triumphs had a dark side. Immersed in a world of torture and beheadings, he became a spymaster with his own secret base, his own covert army, and his own rules. He recruited agents from refugee camps and prisons, sending many to their deaths on reckless missions. His closeness to Rhee meant that he witnessed—and did nothing to stop or even report—the slaughter of tens of thousands of South Korean civilians in anticommunist purges. Nichols’s clandestine reign lasted for an astounding eleven years.

In this riveting book, Blaine Harden traces Nichols's unlikely rise and tragic ruin, from his birth in an operatically dysfunctional family in New Jersey to his sordid postwar decline, which began when the U.S. military sacked him in Korea, sent him to an air force psych ward in Florida, and subjected him—against his will—to months of electroshock therapy. But King of Spies is not just the story of one American spy: with napalmed villages and severed heads, high-level lies and long-running cover-ups, it reminds us that the darkest sins of the Vietnam War—and many other conflicts that followed—were first committed in Korea.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Espionage, Biography, War, Asia, Politics

272 pages, Hardcover

First published October 3, 2017

About the author

Harden is an author and journalist who worked for The Washington Post for 28 years as a correspondent in Africa, Eastern Europe and Asia, as well as in New York and Seattle. He was also a national correspondent for The New York Times and writer for the Times Magazine. He has contributed to The Economist and PBS Frontline.

Harden's newest book, "Murder at the Mission: A Frontier Killing, Its Legacy of Lies, and the Taking of the
American West." New York Times columnist Tim Egan calls it a "terrific" deconstruction of a Big Lie about the West. The LA Times calls the book "terrifically readable." The Spokesman Review (Spokane, Wa.) raves that Murder at the Mission is "a richly detailed and expertly researched account of how a concocted story...became a part of American legend.

Harden is also the author of "King of Spies" (Viking/Penguin 2017), "The Great Leader and the Fighter Pilot" (Viking/Penguin, 2015), "Escape From Camp 14" (Viking/Penguin 2012) and "A River Lost" (Norton, revised and updated edition 2012).

Reviews

[Jeanette · Rating 4 out of 5]

This takes the award for the entire last year of all my non-fiction reading. That category's award; BOOK THAT SHOCKED ME THE MOST. Yes, it was shocking. And I don't think I am easily shocked.

Donald Nichols' life from the age of 19 within the U.S. Army (Air Force designation at times) until his death in his 60's! It's so outlier that it is hard to believe. And not only the Army part. That's the first shock- just him.

But the greater shock is the amount of pure horror, death dealing, mood equilibrium for all those years equivocations. Coupled with how he seemed to walk through it all in a "type of charming line" to what he needed NOW (army's needs, information/spying's needs, his own needs).

The intermittent sections that relate in detail the process and progress of the governmental ends and associations on the Korean peninsula (overall history in specific and depth detail) from WWII years onward! Excellent! Knowing much about the American /Korean war conflict after 1950- I thought I knew most. NO, I did not. I never understood the underestimation and failures of MacArthur and Truman to their placements knowledge and importance in world "side" parsing either. Both made horrendous mistakes. Or the before period brutalities within the Koreans against each other.

This man Nichols was not educated (out of school by 13/14 years of age) and he reached the highest position in South Korea power structures (president's BFF - he was called "son" by this man) with 24/7 access to the highest decision points by Rhee for nearly 13-15 years.

But the biggest shock was the amount of genocide type mass murdering he enabled. Not only against the Communist factions but also against the South Korean villagers or contingents who may not be "trusted" for the "correct" onus for the current motives of the South Korean elderly president.

If you have aversion to WWII camp descriptions, these are WORSE here. They are. Cutting off heads was the easy exit out. And putting them afterwards in buckets to deliver to the "other side's" bosses. More common is torture and extended periods of brutal beating ending in firing squad death. People put on sticks with a target on their chest while the coffin boxes were stacked in view beside them. Hundreds at a time.

And Nichols' personality was particularly in several points of emotive and practical applications both- most certainly recognizable as being clearly insane for vast numbers of years. And yet he prospered. And was at the same time also the most successful American spy for not only that period, but some say for that entire century. Not withstanding that he sent his army subordinates to certain death by parachute drops North within a percentage of not even 40% making it through their first days. Most ended their lives in torture and execution too within North Korean territory.

And the money laundering and embezzlement? Or did all that come from "overages"? Or bribery to escapes for South Koreans? Or goods redistribution? And how he stored and transported the cash!

And the life "after". Not different in personality reveals all that much, IMHO. Just perceived differently in the "outside of espionage" world because of his violent and frustrated reactions being more visible by civilians. He was always that way to a great extent. And remained too for parts of his life, even after electroshock treatments and incarceration within mental institutions. Always holding the worst assaulting and predatory habits against young men and boys, while also spinning paper and legal tales of an invisible wife and possible biological son. NOT! Lying even down to his gravestone "facts"!

You never hear his name. Not even as a mention to the dichotomy of spying betrayal like a Philby. Neither in the positive or negative of spy tales. I haven't in all the spy non-fiction and other related materials to American espionage during various periods of the Cold War that I've read. Yet this man holds the most decorations, medals - declarations of import (photos of these are hard to believe)! All of the photographs in the book were just excellent. References not shabby either. But I can believe it took 60 to 70 years to get some of those views (photos) free to publish. I'm sure everybody involved had to be long dead first.

How atrocious! And at the same time of speaking of this horrid reality it also opened a wide window to my understanding of the Kim family who rules North Korea today. And their onus and bestial methods to their own regime's purposes. It's sick as sick can be, but it's not all paranoia.

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'll have to bear in mind that I'm reviewing the book and not Donald Nichols' conduct here. Nichols is one of those historical figures you never heard of, (or at least I hadn't, anyway) but who have had a pivotal role in a historical event. In Nichols' case the event was the Korean War, and the part he played was huge.

Amazingly, Nichols went from being an enlisted man to being the top intelligence man in Korea. He also became friend and close advisor to Syngman Rhee, the President of South Korea. This relationship made him virtually fireproof, and he was at liberty to use whatever method he found good to achieve his aims. His agents tortured and killed civilians and enemy alike, enemy POWs were sweet talked into rebadging, often being sent back on suicide missions. Nichols himself was present, snapping pictures, at a government massacre of civilians. Not surprisingly, these methods worked quite well. US air power had very accurate information regarding troop movements and concentration, and bombed the living hell right out of them. It has been speculated that Nichol's timely intelligence was directly responsible for saving thousands, perhaps tens of thousands, of UN and South Korean lives.

Nichols' unit was also responsible for entering North Korea and bringing back important components of enemy aircraft. He was there for these missions, but his actual role is open to dispute.

After the war Nichols returned home with a large amount of cash of dubious origin and promptly went into a tailspin. He had a penchant for fondling and fellating young boys which, understandably, landed him in trouble with with law enforcement and mental health agencies. Possibly going from being a big wheel to being a nobody was more than he could take, not that his behavior could ever have been considered normal.

In the end, I don't know what to think about Nichols. He was an unrepentant pederast, so there's that. I guess nowadays they would call it chronophilia, something the left in this country is murmuring about legitimizing. As far as I'm concerned, he loses my vote for hero of the century on that point alone. But there's no question he shortened the war and saved huge numbers of lives, albeit with methods that would make us all queasy today. Mr Harden has laid it all out in his book accompanied by a lot of glossy photographs so you can get a look at Mr Nichols. Anyone interested in the Korean War or espionage in general should enjoy this one.

[David Quijano · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was on my t0-read list before I went to Korea. Of course, I didn't start reading it until I was back in America. I wasn't sure what to expect from this book, but it ended up being perfect for what I wanted. The story told here is mostly a biography of Donald Nichols, an American spy in South Korea during and after the Korean War. But the author does a great job explaining much of the history of the Korean War, including atrocities committed by America and American-backed forces. This was something I was hoping to learn more about while in Korea, but most of what I was exposed to while visiting was unapologetically anti-communist and pro-American. This book is disturbing but very interesting. If you are interested in the Cold War, Korean War, spies, or revisionist history, this is a great option.

[David Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

A top nonfiction title for anyone even remotely interested in spies, political/military history, or the Korean War. Blaine Harden is a consummate writer and researcher. This book is expertly structured, with unfailing prose and heady storytelling. Never a dull moment.

King of Spies details the life an unlikely spy master who was instrumental in the Korean War. If one person can be credited with turning the tide against the North and China, it is Donald Nichols. His rise to prominence is as interesting as his fall from grace.

[Mal Warwick · Rating 5 out of 5]

We know very little about America's role in the Korean War. History books relate how Kim Il-Sung's North Korean army invaded the South. They tell us that the invasion succeeded in driving US and South Korean troops down the length of the peninsula. Then, we learn, General Douglas MacArthur saved the day. The histories describe how MacArthur's forces quickly drove north to the Korean border with China.

MacArthur publicly advocated crossing the Yalu River, using nuclear weapons on Chinese and North Korean troops. President Truman famously fired MacArthur, but the damage had been done. Three hundred thousand Chinese troops flooded across the border, overwhelming American forces and driving them back to the 38th Parallel that separated North from South. An armistice followed soon after, freezing the status quo. That's about the extent of what most of us Americans are taught about the Korean War.

America's shameful role in the Korean War
There's nothing amiss in the skeletal account above. But it neatly covers up America's shameful role in the Korean War. Award-winning journalist Blaine Harden brings much more of the story to light in King of Spies, his account of the improbable American spymaster who helped the US survive the war. Yes, I use the word "survive" rather than "win," because even today, more than six decades later, there is no peace treaty between the North and South. And, President Donald Trump notwithstanding, we are still living with the grim consequences of that bloody war.

Following are some of the most serious aspects of the truth about America's role in the Korean War.

South Korea was a sitting duck
The Truman Administration brought home nearly all American troops from South Korea despite clear evidence of the danger in doing so. "Truman and his advisers did not see the invasion as a consequence of decisions that they had made about the Korean Peninsula," Harden writes. "They had defined it as strategically unimportant and had withdrawn the army from South Korea. By leaving behind no armor, no artillery, and no modern military aircraft, they had made South Korea a sitting duck."

MacArthur rejected warnings that an invasion was imminent
Months in advance, US intelligence agents with good sources in Korea warned General MacArthur that an invasion was imminent. MacArthur and his intelligence chief refused to believe the reports and insisted to the Pentagon and the White House that the few reports that had gotten past them were not to be believed. And even several days after North Korean troops crossed the 38th Parallel, they insisted that the invasion was merely a probe and not to be taken seriously.

American troops witnessed South Korea's wholesale slaughter of its citizens
The man the US installed as South Korea's first president was a murderer thousands of times over. "The government of Syngman Rhee used the invasion as an excuse to slaughter—in just a few weeks—tens of thousands of South Korean civilians including women and children, who it suspected were Communists or who happened to be in jail when war broke out." And American troops silently witnessed the slaughter.

The US Air Force almost literally bombed North Korea into the Stone Age
American and British bombers famously turned many of Germany's cities into ash in World War II. What the US Air Force did in the Korean War was worse. Using immense quantities of explosives and napalm, they destroyed every one of North Korea's cities in 1950-52. The U.S. dropped a total of 635,000 tons of bombs, including 32,557 tons of napalm, on Korea, more than during the whole Pacific campaign of World War II. When North Korea's dictators whip up their people into a frenzy over the behavior of the Americans, that's not paranoia. And it's no mystery why most of the people of that poverty-stricken land express such profound hatred of Americans. They're simply responding to their history.

The American military didn't win the war
"In the end, American bombs did not stop the war; Stalin did, by dying," Harden asserts. "After the dictator's death on March 5, 1953, no one who mattered in the Soviet Union wanted to prolong the expensive bloodshed in Korea. Within days, the Soviet leadership moved to work with the Chinese and seek 'the soonest possible conclusion' to the war. Peace talks with the Americans suddenly turned serious." Clearly, the US military had never learned the lesson about strategic bombing in World War II: it doesn't work. And the American government compounded the error once again in Vietnam more than a decade later.

A disturbing story of an unlikely spymaster
Of course, King of Spies isn't a history of the Korean War. As the subtitle makes clear, it's the disturbing story of one of the most unlikely spymasters in American history. His name was Donald Nichols. At the age of 19, Nichols was a master sergeant in the US Army who was a seventh-grade dropout from a dirt-poor and abusive family. He was working in the motor pool on a base when World War II ended. Instead of returning home to the States, he enrolled in a training program for the Army's Counter Intelligence Corps. Soon, he was in Korea.

"He became a spymaster with his own base, his own secret army, and his own rules," Harden notes. And Nichols became virtually untouchable by his superiors when he stumbled into a close friendship with the President of South Korea, Syngman Rhee. Unaccountably, Rhee, who possessed a PhD from Princeton, regarded him as a son, and Nichols called him "father." The two couldn't possibly have been more ill-matched. Yet through Rhee Nichols thus gained access to information that was uniquely useful to his superiors. And that information played a large role in helping the allies prevail on the battlefield.

Eventually, "he supervised up to fifty-eight American intelligence officers and airmen, two hundred South Korean intelligence officers, and more than seven hundred agents, most of them defectors and refugees from North Korea." He was brave to the point of foolhardiness and was decorated numerous times both by the US and South Korea. Nichols became so powerful that even a major general who tried to have him sent home was unable to do so.

The truth about Nichols' conduct was a long time coming
Nichols eleven-year career in espionage for the US military only came to an end in 1957, four years after the armistice was signed. In the years that followed, the truth about his conduct came to light. He took home hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash from currency manipulation and the black market. He pressed young Korean soldiers into performing sexual favors for him. Hundreds of his Korean agents lost their lives on suicide missions, or in some cases at Nichol's hands personally. (He pushed an unknown number of Koreans to their death from airplanes and helicopters.) He may also have sold "U.S. military equipment for large amounts of money." And he was among those American soldiers who witnessed mass murder engineered by Syngman Rhee.

Unsurprisingly, Nichols found it difficult to adjust to life back home. He was already obese, but his weight ballooned to 320 pounds. Following his arrest on charges of pedophilia, he was committed to psychiatric care. There, he was treated with massive doses of Thorazine and fifty rounds of unusually brutal electroshock therapy. Nichols died years later, in 1992. Only a handful of people attended his funeral.

About the author
Among Blaine Harden's many journalistic credentials are his 28-year career as a foreign correspondent with the Washington Post, four years with the New York Times, and as a contributor and consultant to PBS Frontline. He has written five books, the last three of which probe the history of North Korea.

[Lauren Stoolfire · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had never heard of Donald Nichols before reading this, but it sounds like he was quite the spy. But an awful person on top of that.

[Aaron Schmidt · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars.

I thought this book was interesting mostly for the Korean War history. A subject I am fairly ignorant on. The geopolitical history of the region and its use as a proxy for the major powers is quite sad. I was unaware of the mass scale bombing of the country - something that is apparently still used to this day to drum up anti-American fervor there. From the sounds of it - the destruction was significantly worse than the bombing of Japan, even including the two nuclear bombs.

I also enjoyed how the author portrayed the main character as someone who was deeply flawed by his upbringing. Despite this, he was able to flourish amidst the chaos of the Korean War. He is credited with a number of intelligence coos such as the defection of a North Korean pilot with a fully functioning MiG. However, he became enough of a liability after the war and was eventually sacked. Which led to a mental break followed by disgrace and (more) predation after returning to civilian life. The warning signs about his flawed character seemed to have been fairly apparent early on in his military career, but were ignored / not looked at due to the amount of value he was providing to the war effort.

[Stephen Rowland · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story is fucking bonkers, but there are so many unknowns and so much speculation. It's frustrating. Sometimes I felt like the author didn't investigate deeply enough. At any rate, definitely worth reading.

[Nick · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

Interesting (if brief) overview of the Korean War and the life of the King of Spies Donald Nichols. While the story of his ascension into the spy scene and seemingly free rein is utterly fascinating, the majority of details (which were probably limited to author by no fault of his own) were too vague in certain areas. Overall, I enjoyed it enough to seek further reading materials about both the Korea War and some of its other well-known key players.

[Maarten · Rating 4 out of 5]

King of Spies deals with some seriously interesting subject matter, and does so quite well. Harden brings out a lot of sources, some of them heretofore unknown, and manages to weave them into a very readable book that captures the nuances of Donald Nichols' life and career. The biggest negative in this book is that it seems to construe the Korean War as an exclusively American venture, completely ignoring the other UN forces involved. Aside from that, it's a solid historical biography.

[Lisa Kircher · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was the first I've read about the Korean war. With the current geopolitical climate and my other reading about North Korea it was good to get a better understanding of the war. The book wasn't very pleasant to read/listen to because the subject was so unlikable and the nature of his work and likely abuses of power.

[Eli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nominally the story of a very odd character in the history of the Korean War. Also, a cautionary tale about how things can get out of control in a hurry. Learned a lot I never knew about the Korean War. Some lessons we (the US) should have learned, but did not, leading to making some of the same mistakes a decade later in Vietnam.

[Bob Lundquist · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the true story of Donald Nichols, a spymaster during and after the Korean War. It is a sordid life that reflects the shabbiness with which the U. S. treated Koreans in general before the war as well as the Vietnamese during the next war in southeast Asia. Born in New Jersey and with little education, he joined the Army during World War II and switched to the Air Force afterwards. It was there that he had good relations with the Koreans in general, but not so well at a personal level. He got in the good graces of the Korean President, Syngman Rhee, and became an important advisor. He also had good contacts with the top brass in the Air Force. When the Korean War hit, he got into super-spy mode and used his contacts to gather info on North Korean targets for the U. S. Air Force to hit. He also trained agents to infiltrate the north (few returned) to get more info on their war effort and more targets. Meanwhile, his personal style was gruff towards Koreans and subordinates. He witnessed executions and even did his own killing when he thought it useful.

This book is a good and factual narrative of Nichols’ life before, during and after the Korean War. Though useful for the Air Force, he was eventually forced out in 1957 with apparent mental health problems. He underwent drug and electroshock therapy with mixed results. This was not helped by the rudimentary knowledge of mental health issues of the day. He got through it and led an outwardly normal suburban life in Florida. No one really knew where he got all the wads of cash he always had with him. He apparently also committed sex crimes with minors of which he was convicted but never served time due to his mental health issues and a good lawyer. A fast and interesting read that also gets into some background of the Korean War.

[Socraticgadfly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating book. I had never heard of Donald Nichols before, but when I saw this book on the remaindered shelf at Dollar Tree, I took a look. Then, when I saw Bruce Cumings blurb it, I had to get it.

This book shows incontrovertibly how MacArthur and his toady Willoughby had clear evidence of Kim Il Sung's plans to invade South Korea, and a couple of months in advance, from an Air Force non-com, and eventual officer, who wormed his way into Syngman Rhee's graces enough to call him Father, and from there, make connections to ROK intelligence forces, and from there, pick up basics of the invasion plans.

After the invasion, Nichols, at the Pusan Perimeter, organized a team to find the weak spot on a T-34 tank. Later, he organized another team to salvage info that it could from the first MiG downed near ROK/US/UN lines. And, in both cases, lied about his personal on-the-ground involvement.

Yet, after getting USAF protectors to keep the Army and/or CIA from stealing him, he was drummed out of the military by 1957. Was it because of his abusiveness to inferior officers and non-coms, as alleged? Shuffled off the stage because of propping up Rhee too much? Gay, but contra the norm, kept on the QT because of his intell background?

[Justina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Blaine Harden is New York Times bestselling author of Escape from Camp 14. I have read that fantastic page turning book and picked another of his books hoping I would enjoy reading it too. I was very disappointed, because 'King of spies' was so boring! I couldn’t believe the same author wrote those two books! The autobiography of Donald Nichols is quite interesting but the book is written very poorly in my opinion. I was hoping a page turning thriller full of spy’s secrets and dangerous action situations, but instead it’s like a text book. I could hardly concentrate on the story. I had to listen to some sections of the book few times again and again as I just couldn’t hold my attention. It rarely happens, but I couldn’t wait until I will finish the book and will start a new one.
The only one fascinating thing from the book I will remember was a quick mention of the North Korean fighter jet pilot who defected to South Korea. He flew his plane from Pyongyang to one of the busiest American military air bases near Seoul. It took him 17 minutes to escape from his country! :D He landed the wrong way though, almost causing a plane crash with the other plane landing from the other side of the runaway. I think Blaine Harden wrote another book about this guy, so I will try to read that some time.
Even the book was boring to listen, I am glad I have learned some history and some things to think about:
1. Now I understand why North Korea hates Americans so much. Even Kim’s regime was not perfect and they have attacked South Korea first, but Americans were super brutal fighting back and unnecessarily burning all they could in their way.
2. On the other hand, if not Americans, and specifically this spy – Donald Nichols – there would be no such a prosperous democratic country as South Korea. It would have been one united Korea under iron Kim’s regime and more people could have been doomed to live in constant fear, starvation and pain for decades and to this day.

6 out of 10

[Jocelyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

King of Spies written by Blaine Harden is about the untold story of Donald Nichols, a U.S. spy who operated in Korea during the Korean Wars. From his upbringing in 1946 toward the end of his life in 1992, It follows Nichols's records and life as he becomes one of the most vital spies of the entirety of the war.

The book consists of many factors, including a biography of Nichols' life and testimonies of those who worked and lived with him. It goes through his relationship with South Korean President Syngman Rhee as well as the achievements Nichols had during his time in the Air Force. Shockingly, the author, Blaine Harden, also sheds light on the mass-murdering activities and secret schemes that Nichols was involved in (including committing sexual crimes towards young men). As interesting as it was to read, there were many issues that affected the overall reading of the book. For starters, there were many speculations and unknown facts regarding Nichols's life as well as very vague descriptions of his actions in many chapters. This was especially noticeable in the middle of the book, where the author discussed Nichols's sexuality and connection with Rhee. In terms of content, it is a book that is not for everyone as it sheds light on mass murder, pedophilia, and mental illness regarding Donald Nichols. Other than that, it is a fantastic book for those interested in the Korean Wars and an introduction to Donald Nichols.

[Scott Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book covers the life of a previously underreported figure who played a very significant role in the lead up to and during the Korean War (1950-1953). Nichols, a man who came from a undistinguished background, emerged to become a major figure in the South Korean government and in the intelligence efforts to counter North Korea during that time.

He did accomplish a great deal, identifying the trends that showed North Korean aggression and build-up prior to the start is the war, even when most others didn’t. Nichols’ efforts at gathering intelligence aided much of the Allied Bombing efforts and did give insight into North Korea. Yet, his faults and lack of oversight created many issues, from complicity in the various South Korean massacres, to abuse and disregard for South Korean agents. His excesses and hubris became his undoing.

This is not a tale about an admirable figure, nor a straight hit piece. It offers insight about a key figure at a key time in history. Some parts of this book are hard to read, but there is much to learn. The reader does a great job with the material. Worth the read, even if it isn’t for everyone.

[Pam Christison · Rating 3 out of 5]

A couple of things. This book was very interesting when it talked about the Korean War and the things that led up to it. It was interesting when it talked about Nichols and how he ran his spy ring. But, it wasn't all that detailed. I felt like it was trying super hard to be sensational without a lot backing it up. The same with the book title and the reviews on the back. When I think about war and all of the terrible things that happen, I'm not trying to say I condone the human rights violations that transpired, but it doesn't seem super shocking in a context of war.

Then once the book quickly brings the war to a close, Nichols gets sent back to the states in disgrace. He turns out to be a pedophile with packets of cash in his freezer, gets arrested, and spirals downhill to an ignominious end. Still vey sensationalized but not, to me, interesting, just pathetic.

[Nigel Pinkus · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was about a war that was often called ‘The Forgotten War’ because by 1945 the world had well and truly had enough of war and conflict. It had barely survived World War Two and yet, another war had broken out, this time on the Korean Peninsula. It was called the Korean War ~ a bloody, bitter dreadful war, which was struggle to restore South Korean independence after the Communist invasion of June 1950. The war would be remembered, but by only a few. It would be known by even less that inherent military mistakes would be drastically made then and repeated some fifteen years later in South East Asia in Vietnam and Cambodia. It would be known to all as the Vietnam War (1964 ~ '75), but, this time, the world would be wide awake. This time people, the babies born in World War Two would grow up and would become outraged by a deceitful, despicable American White House headed by a guy famously called ‘Tricky Dickie’ AKA Richard Nixon because of all the lies he would say.

Immersed in a world of tortures and beheadings, was a man by the name of Don Nichols who worked for the US Air Force and was spy for the US government. He also worked closely as a confidant to the South Korean government, President Syngman Rhee. He would send many to their deaths on reckless missions, he even shot some of his own men who attacked him and no-one said a thing. It was never mentioned on his army record. The same officer pushed people out of planes and still no-one said anything and again, it was never mentioned on his army record. The US and Korean governments must have saw it as an acceptable price to pay.

There were many actors in this pantomime of the absurd. America had their puppet in President Syngman Rhee who, at the end, had no support of his own parliament, yet had enough support of the public to remain in office. So, in order to win a second term he changed the constitution in order to stay in government. There was US General MacArthur who had become obsessive, delusional and out of touch and yet, was still goading for more war. He was finally sacked in April 11 1951 for not respecting the authority of US President Truman. Then there was amoral, Don Nichols, who was directly responsible for the deaths of hundreds of South Korea civilians. They were routinely rounded up and interrogated, tortured, shot and some were even decapitated. To top of it off, the US Airforce dropped (carpet bombed!) an incredible 32,000 tons of napalm on the Korean Peninsula! More of North Korea was destroyed than the fire bombing of Tokyo and the nuclear bombing of Nagasaki and Hiroshima combined. Despicable. 4 STARS.

Further Reading:
~ North and South Korea ~
1. ‘Sex Amongst Allies: Military Prostitution in US-Korea Relations’, Katherine H.S. Moon. 1997.
2. ‘Blowback: The Cost and Consequences of the American Empire’, Johnson Chambers. Ed. 2000.
Ch4, ’South Korea: Legacy of the Cold War’ & CH5, ’North Korea: Endgame of the Cold War’.
3. ‘Escape from Camp 14’, Blaine Harden. 2012. (North Korea).
4. ‘In Order to Live’, Yeonmi Park. 2015. (North Korea).
5. ‘The Korean War’, Max Hastings. 1987. (Korea).
6. ‘Scorched Earth, Black Snow’, Andrew Salmon. 2011. (the US, Aust & the British in North Korea).
7. ’The Pacific War 1931 ~ 1945’, Saburo Ienaga. 1978. (Korea & Japan).

[Ronald Schoedel III · Rating 5 out of 5]

Blaine Harden has brought to light a history of the Korean War that most Americans will find very surprising. We all know about the crazy Kim family of North Korea that threatens destruction to America and keeps their population in fear of a militarily crazed American bogeyman. What most Americans don’t know is that American forces in actual fact napalmed every last city and village in North Korea during the Korean War. The Kim dictators base their fear-inducing narrative on fact. The reality is America took it upon itself to draw an arbitrary line on a map (literally) and then destroy everything above that line, including countless civilian men, women, and children.

The American people also might not know that Americans actually fought real Russians in Russian aircraft during the Korean War. What sort of international crisis could that have sparked had that incident become known at the time?

So whilst this narrative centers on the “King of Spies” and whilst that narrative is chilling and makes one wonder what in the heck the Far East command was doing at the time that the King of Spies could be permitted to do all the dastardly deeds this book chronicles, it also tells the bigger story of an America that turned a blind eye to South Korean torture and murder by the hundreds of thousands and which burnt an entire country to the ground and bombed it back past the Stone Age, setting the stage for decades of accurate propaganda in favor of the Kims.

The full story of the Korean War seems to only be coming out in recent years, and it is more horrendous than many Americans will care to know about. America is being shown to be an aggressor and a butcher of innocents. But the truth must be known.

Don Nichols’ role in that war was outsized for a middle-school dropout with no formal training in spy craft, and his story is both fascinating and sad.

[Ray · Rating 3 out of 5]

"King of Spies" is a story of a poor Florida boy who served in the Air Force in Korea and became a key spy master during the Korean War. Much of what is known of Donald Nichols is from his own accounts, much of which is b.s. and self-promotion. Nonetheless, it apparently was true that he did have a personal relationship with the South Korean President, and did have valuable connections during the Korean War which enabled him to bring useful intelligence to the U.S. forces fighting against the North Koreans and Chinese troops. His actions were effective, but highly questionable. He also was an unlikeable character. During the war, he may well have profited from his position and black market dealings, allowing him to leave the service quite well off financially. However, his retirement was marred by his sexual abuse of several teen-aged boys, and he ended up being treated for mental problems.

[celestine · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not a fan of the journalistic writing, feel like all the important information of this book could be disseminated in 100 or less pages. Mr. Donald Nichols doesn’t deserve so much prose. What did I glean from the book? The US was complicit in covering up crimes against humanity before the war and responsible for crimes against humanity during. I guess that’s not new. Nichols was subject to extensive electroshock therapy at the end of his “tour of duty”— nothing exceptionally new, except some additional evidence of the US attempting to subject their own citizens to brainwashing. Nichols was witness and accomplice and primary actor to many war crimes. While his story offers nothing new systemically, it provides ample evidence.

Nichols was also a serial pedophile and the brushing under the rug of this for the duration of his stay in Korea while he was important, and the relative ease with which he got off later on, depict another aspect of American society.

[Bill Conrad · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an unexpected read for me. I liked Blaine Harden’s previous works and found this book on sale. I had no idea that Donald Nichol had so much influence on the Korean War and on modern spy craft. To me, this was a completely new topic. This made for a really fascinating read and it gave a lot of detail into the background of what happened before/during/after the Korean War with regards to intelligence. Blaine Harden did a great job capturing Donald Nichol’s strange life and the chaos that surrounded him. I found it amusing that the people in charge willingly turned such a massive blind eye to all aspects of Donald Nichol. King Of Spies revealed some surprising facts and it tied in a lot of history together that I was already aware of. This was a fascinating read about a really strange man. I have recommended this book to several friends.

[Iris Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was an eye-opener for me about the Korean War. It is well researched, and well written.
So much of the material covered here was unknown to me before. Highly recommended especially for people who want to better understand the U.S. position in regards to the Korean War.
It is also a reminder of the accomplishments of one individual and his contributions to the U.S. and the S.Korean success in that war, while at the same time not making a demigod out of him. I thought that just as the S.Koreans remembered him as a hero of that war, the U.S. should have too, acknowledged his contributions when he was discharged. In the end - I felt both sad and angry for what they have done to him after he was shipped back home, and what has become out of him in civilian life.

[Steven Owad · Rating 4 out of 5]

Owad’s Micro-Review #69

Donald Nichols is America’s man in Korea after World War II. As an “advisor” to America’s handpicked South Korean president, he builds his own army and operates virtually independent of oversight from either Seoul or Washington. What follows is not quite a Shakespearean tragedy, but it is gripping. The former junior-high-school dropout presides over torture and murder and ops both black and grey. His ultimate downfall is perhaps predictable, but the story is illuminating. In telling it, Harden provides a compact, riveting history of the two Koreas that brings the geopolitical furies of the 1950s into sharp focus. This is a great book for 20th century history buffs. Nov. 11, 2021

[Jeffrey Edick · Rating 4 out of 5]

good book on how the US got involved in South Korea after WW2, with emphasis on the secret spy network installed by the Air Force. I knew little about pre-war Korea so this book was full of general info for me. The King of Spies started a brutal network that terrorized both North and South, and actually saved the South from a total loss, when the final assaults came at the Pusan perimeter. The King truly is a war hero, unfortunately he is also a criminal and murderer, a pedophile and a money launderer. A good primer on the subject, I will be looking for more books with greater detail on actual spy cases in the future.

[Marisa Young · Rating 5 out of 5]

The unbelievable story of a Master Sergeant who went from repairing jeeps to a spymaster in Korea. Set before the Korean War, it tells how he was able to become a personal friend of the South Korean president and played an important role in the war. It goes on to detail his fall from grace after the war including a stay in a military psych ward. It also explains the U.S., Chinese and Russian roles in Korea. It also covers the violence and killing of civilians during the war.

Fascinating story of an unlikely spy with great detail about the Korean conflict - history that is very relevant today. I recommend this book.

[Naomi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Donald Nichols, a seventh grade drop-out in the army was in Guam repairing jeeps. He was recruited by the Counter Intelligence Corps in 1946 for training to be sent to Korea. He became a black ops phenomenon and insinuated himself into America's chosen puppet in South Korea, President Syngman Rhee. He warned the American government of the probability of invasion by North Korea. But he wasn't listened to by anyone. He became a spymaster which lead to his power growing. It is really interesting to read how MacArthur and other generals missed all the signs until it was too late about the invasion. Nichols did more than his job for the army but his private life is not to be admired.

[Jan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I chose this primarily since looking for an audiobook read by Bramhall. What an eyeopener! Since this author researches subjects thoroughly, I have little reason to think it's embellished. Given the info presented as to details of the US acts of war I can imagine why distrust and hatred runs deep in Korea. Wholesale killing of civilians makes me question, consider current events in Ukraine. It would seem every country is very capable of outright murder to meet our deepest desires in an effort to rule.

I found this outstanding, the events will stay with me. Man's inhumanity to (our) own species.

[Tolani · Rating 4 out of 5]

Little is ever mentioned in history about Donald Nichols, yet if there’s a name you need to know about the one person for who played a huge role during the Korean war, it is Donald Nichols. This was the third book I read by Blaine Harden, and he does a great job of depicting the life of Donald Nichols – a high-school dropout from Florida who later became a spymaster and built such a strong spy network that toppled the Kim regime in North Korea. Spy network, Agent Orange, Napalm, true crimes, Truman leadership, Pusan perimeter, Pres. Syngman Rhee, General McArthur - this book has it all!