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Double-Edged Secrets: U.S. Naval Intelligence Operations in the Pacific During World War II
Offers a firsthand account of the small group of men who gathered and used intelligence at Pearl Harbor between 1941 and 1945
256 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1979
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
August 6, 2018
Started this probably 5 years ago as an "extra" book. About a billion projects later, decided to finish it back to the shelf. Published in 1979, by an officer who was there, I'd categorize this as "somewhat sanitized" source material. It goes into no detail about the codes themselves, but does provide a modicum of illumination of the problem of using confidential material. Pretty sure Stephenson read it before Cryptonomicon.
Upgraded to five stars, the original source firsthand experience is a delight.
Upgraded to five stars, the original source firsthand experience is a delight.
December 15, 2019
This is a description of the intelligence effort during World War 2 as coordinated from Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. This book is taken from the perspective of one of the leaders of the intelligence effort. It begins when the author is woken from peaceful sleep and heads for his office at Pearl Harbor while the Japanese were bombing. The book ends as the author heads for bed with the country once more at peace and the Japanese surrendering In the middle is how the small intelligence office grew into a massive organization distributing reports to the military by the ton, literally. (Paper is heavy.)
Note:
While the story is reasonably exciting, there is not a lot of context provided. The focus is on the intelligence data, how it was produced and distributed including the politics that threatened to cripple the effort. Also toward the end of the book the events tend to be presented as one success after another. One might be tempted to skip ahead, but don't do it. In the last few pages he makes the point that became the title of the book, that secrets can cut both ways like a double-edged sword. That is, secrets can kill your own people as well as the enemy when your efforts to keep something secret means that the right information doesn't get to the people who need it in time to do them any good or to save their lives.
This is my second reading of this book and I will probably read it again.
Note:
While the story is reasonably exciting, there is not a lot of context provided. The focus is on the intelligence data, how it was produced and distributed including the politics that threatened to cripple the effort. Also toward the end of the book the events tend to be presented as one success after another. One might be tempted to skip ahead, but don't do it. In the last few pages he makes the point that became the title of the book, that secrets can cut both ways like a double-edged sword. That is, secrets can kill your own people as well as the enemy when your efforts to keep something secret means that the right information doesn't get to the people who need it in time to do them any good or to save their lives.
This is my second reading of this book and I will probably read it again.
December 1, 2023
3.5-4 stars for me!!
I just read this book for a paper in an intelligence class at college, it was tough to get into at first. After finishing the book, and writing a long paper about not only this book but other instances throughout history that relate to the message of this book, I find myself wanting to reread.
I think that the firsthand recounting of events in World War II from someone who worked in a lesser known part of the navy was very interesting.
Also after finishing the book and understanding the authors message and meaning behind the title, I think of the events and explanations within the book in a different perspective from when I was first going through it.
It also opened my eyes to the other countless events not only during the war but throughout our history that highlight the failures of intelligence and the specific dilemmas that those who handle it face. I now want to search for other big events or scandals that are a result of this.
I will be rereading and might read other stories regarding the history of intelligence.
I just read this book for a paper in an intelligence class at college, it was tough to get into at first. After finishing the book, and writing a long paper about not only this book but other instances throughout history that relate to the message of this book, I find myself wanting to reread.
I think that the firsthand recounting of events in World War II from someone who worked in a lesser known part of the navy was very interesting.
Also after finishing the book and understanding the authors message and meaning behind the title, I think of the events and explanations within the book in a different perspective from when I was first going through it.
It also opened my eyes to the other countless events not only during the war but throughout our history that highlight the failures of intelligence and the specific dilemmas that those who handle it face. I now want to search for other big events or scandals that are a result of this.
I will be rereading and might read other stories regarding the history of intelligence.
January 3, 2021
I recommend this book for those interested in the narrow subject matter. It has a substantial element of being a personal history of the author's experiences as a participant in those operations as a naval officer. That personal element made it more interesting to me than just a detached account by an uninvolved reporter. It uses that personal history as context for the history of the greater conduct of intelligence operations and issues it faced. Because of its specific subject and assumption of general knowledge of the Pacific war, I wouldn't recommend it for those who don't already have knowledge of the Pacific war and its broader history.
January 19, 2024
Great Read
A great read on how, and who, did the intelligence gathering in the Pacific Theater during WWII. Along with the pitfalls of too little and too much distribution of the information, including several examples of both.
A great read on how, and who, did the intelligence gathering in the Pacific Theater during WWII. Along with the pitfalls of too little and too much distribution of the information, including several examples of both.
January 28, 2020
Interesting easy to read insight into naval intelligence of WW2. It clearly tells you how the intel was received and what could and what could not be done with it.
June 22, 2020
Compelling personal history.
January 2, 2017
This wasn't a bad book. It was full of information about radio intelligence and submarines from WW2, but it was just too dry for me. I'm not a huge nonfiction fan, which is most of the problem. I was reading it to finish it, not reading it to enjoy it.
There are lots of acronyms, a side effect of a naval career. It was interesting for me to see the similarities and difference of the navy and intelligence then vs the navy and intelligence now.
I was confused at how the time line of the book kept jumping around. It was like the author would write chapters about the progression of the war, but a lot of backstory would need to be shared for the reader to understand the significance of the event, but it was confusing to keep it all straight. A timeline diagram may have helped.
There are lots of acronyms, a side effect of a naval career. It was interesting for me to see the similarities and difference of the navy and intelligence then vs the navy and intelligence now.
I was confused at how the time line of the book kept jumping around. It was like the author would write chapters about the progression of the war, but a lot of backstory would need to be shared for the reader to understand the significance of the event, but it was confusing to keep it all straight. A timeline diagram may have helped.
December 26, 2014
I read this book, "Double-edged Secrets" after Tom Clancy mentioned the title in one of his novels.
After I read this history of World War 2 I felt I understood what a moral dilemma knowing a secret can be. In the intelligence business, they want to know MORE secrets from that same source, but if you do something that reveals that source, that source (if it is human) can end up dead. If it is mechanical or electronic, that source can be changed so that it becomes impossible to get further information. This means that even though you may know where the enemy will strike next, you may not be able to do anything about it because doing something about it tells the enemy that you knew ahead of time and they will start looking for where the leak is in their organization. You want to find enough information to win the war... not just one battle.
I'd read this book again.
After I read this history of World War 2 I felt I understood what a moral dilemma knowing a secret can be. In the intelligence business, they want to know MORE secrets from that same source, but if you do something that reveals that source, that source (if it is human) can end up dead. If it is mechanical or electronic, that source can be changed so that it becomes impossible to get further information. This means that even though you may know where the enemy will strike next, you may not be able to do anything about it because doing something about it tells the enemy that you knew ahead of time and they will start looking for where the leak is in their organization. You want to find enough information to win the war... not just one battle.
I'd read this book again.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews