Capital of Spies: Intelligence Agencies in Berlin During the Cold War

by Bernd von Kostka, Sven Felix Kellerhoff

For almost half a century, the hottest front in the Cold War was right across Berlin. From summer 1945 until 1990, the secret services of NATO and the Warsaw Pact fought an ongoing duel in the dark. Throughout the Cold War, espionage was part of everyday life in both East and West Berlin, with German spies playing a crucial part of operations on both sides: Erich Mielke's Stasi and Reinhard Gehlen's Federal Intelligence Service, for example.

The construction of the wall in 1961 changed the political situation and the environment for espionage - the invisible front was now concreted and unmistakable. but the fundamentals had not changed: Berlin was and would remain the capital of spies until the fall of the Berlin Wall, a fact which makes it all the more surprising that there are hardly any books about the work of the secret services in Berlin during the Cold War. Journalist Sven Felix Kellerhoff and historian Bernd von Kostka describe the spectacular successes and failures of the various secret services based in the city.

Genres: History, Espionage

288 pages, Hardcover

First published January 19, 2009

Reviews

[Arcadiusz · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found this book boring and difficult to read.

I didn't find it intriguing at all, except for the last 5 chapters.

Also, many sentences in the book were complicated and didn't make sense. But maybe I was unlucky, perhaps the version that I read was poorly translated from German.

I don't recommend this book, at least not for leisure.

[Simon J. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting material, though its being a translation is apparent.

[Michael J · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good for what it does cover. But it has next to nothing about the KGB and GRU in Berlin.

[Henric Wiktor · Rating 3 out of 5]

Liten titt under ytan med olika korts historier om vad som hände under ytan i Berlin som går från att vara småintressant till lite lätt tråkigt.