Espionage: A Concise History

The MIT Press Essential Knowledge

by Kristie Macrakis

A concise introduction to the history and methods of espionage, illustrated by spy stories from antiquity to today's high-tech world.

Espionage is one of the most secret of human activities. It is also, as the popularity of spy stories suggests, one of the most intriguing. This book pulls the veil back on the real world of espionage, revealing how spying actually works. In a refreshingly clear, concise manner, Kristie Macrakis guides readers through the shadowy world of espionage, from the language and practice of spycraft to its role in international politics, its bureaucratic underpinnings, and its transformation in light of modern technology. Espionage is a mirror of society and human foibles with the added cloak of secrecy and deception. Accordingly, Espionage traces spying all the way back to antiquity, while also moving beyond traditional accounts of military and diplomatic intelligence to shine a light on industrial espionage and the new techno-spy. As thorough—and thoroughly readable—as it is compact, the book is an ideal introduction to the history and anatomy of espionage.

Genres: Nonfiction, History

184 pages, Paperback

Published February 28, 2023

About the author

Kristie Macrakis is Professor of History in the School of History and Sociology at Georgia Tech. She is the author of many books, including Seduced by Secrets and Prisoners, Lovers, and Spies.

Reviews

[Petra X]

"During the Cold War, US counter-intelligence creaed a mnemonic for four major motivations for spying: MICE, standing for Money, Ideology, Compromise and Ego." James Bond - Money and Ego!

[Karen]

Found the book interesting and well researched. I question if the benefits of having so many federal agency basically doing the same thing is worth the billions and billions of taxpayer dollars.

[Lauren Albert · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was good and interesting but very short. I did wish for more.

[hielianthos · Rating 5 out of 5]

Truly, "A Concise" History!

If the Professor ever wants to write a longer book about Espionage, i will be first in line to read it.
ALRIGHT!!! SCRATCH THAT! I JUST FOUND OUT SHE PASSED AWAY IN 2022! REST IN PEACE PROFESSOR!

(now i'm gonna try to get my fingies on some of her other published work)

[Realini Ionescu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Espionage – A Concise History by Kristie Macrakis

9 out of 10





The subject is more than interesting – fascinating is the word that most often comes to mind, but it was compromised by too much use – for instance, CNN has an anchor that I dislike, Becky Anderson, and one reason why I change the channel, whenever she is on is that she keeps saying ‘fascinating’, albeit I do not believe she is all that enthused, exuding with interest…she is not the only, and I am very wrong in keeping this sort of grudge – and the fact that readers have the chance to get acquainted with it is a plus.



On the other hand, it could be argued that this is (too) short and does not offer more than a glimpse, and there is the disadvantage that most people have seen James Bond movies, read novels – some of them, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy http://realini.blogspot.com/2022/06/t... by John le Carre (mentioned in this book) for instance, excellent – and therefore are quite familiar with the subject

In such a short volume, it is to be expected that one can find few revelations, though this reader has found quite a few details he did not know – what comes to mind is the case of the bureaucrat who was assigned the task of working with KGB documents to have an archive, he then smuggled outside, first in his shoes, then seeing that the guards only look in his briefcase, he had the notes in the pockets of his pants and coat, and then went with them to the British Embassy – together with known tales.



The best known situations have been presented in documentaries, or other books, Talking To Strangers http://realini.blogspot.com/2020/09/t... by the luminary Malcolm Gladwell is the opus where we find about the Cuban agent infiltrated near the top, within the CIA – Kristie Macrakis tells us that the CIA calls them assets now, not agents – and they are very good, think of the prediction made that Russia would invade, which sounded so preposterous, crazy and then turned out to be true, contrary to what common sense would say, Putin started a massacre

Another segment that stayed with me refers to the West German woman that went to DDR aka East Germany and there they used a fellow to get to her…actually, most of the details would appear in the days of the re-unification, but they insisted the man had not been on a mission, whatever the truth was, they started a relationship, he convinced her to spy for Stasi (one of the most efficient agencies, with files on most people



The Lives of Others aka Das Leben der Anderen http://realini.blogspot.com/2023/05/d... is one of the best films ever made, and it tells the narrative of ordinary and special humans targeted by the Stasi, how their lives have been changed by this intrusive, devilish outfit



The German woman that fell in love with a Stasi ‘asset’ went on to get a top job in Bonn, and offered multiple secrets, while refusing money, she even paid for her travel expenses, when she did work for the communists, because of her beliefs (she must have been crazy, if you ask me) and we come to MICE, the formula for the motivation which drives most (not all, the author writes) spies and these stand for Money, I for Ideology (as for this poor West German), C for Compromise, and finally E for Ego…

Compromise is mentioned in the segment dedicated to the homosexual that was cornered by the KGB, attracted to parties and orgies (was that what I read, or is this from some other book I wonder), filmed, his activities documented and then he was presented with the material, at a time when homosexuality was punished with jail time, and this blackmail worked in getting the victim to work for the other side…



In fact, I just checked and it is Coercion, not Compromise, but hey, my memory is not what it used to be and we need to move to Richard Hanssen, I think I have seen at least two documentaries about this fella, a vicious creature, who has been the highest ranking spy working for Russia in the US, at least that we know of, and who was lured by Money, after a divorce, the man walked into the Russian embassy, and he provided material for the enemy worth the lives of many assets, for which he was paid more than a million dollars

Not that this is such a rare vermin, I keep referring to people I meet at the sauna, Downtown, some of them educated, presumably able to distinguish between right and wrong, propaganda and truth, but ready to side with Putin nonetheless and willing to give the man secretes or whatever, if they had them, we are just lucky that such devotees have nothing in their bag but stupidity and devotion to monsters



I have doubts of my own though, I was thinking about these hundreds (actually billions) that I despise and label as fools, cretins, because they worship the long list of crooks, despots, monsters like Putin, Xi, Kim of North Korea, MBS, the list is so long, when you add the ‘lesser’ devils, that just embrace the big demons, from Lula of Brazil to Modi, the fool from South Africa, Manangagua, etc…maybe they are in fact another species, destined to win the game and the important fight, they are in office in so many places, and they and the billions that love them are basically ruling the world…well, we have Biden – Alhamdulillah – in the most powerful position in the world, but next year, we may have a return of the Ghost, Godzilla, Darth Vader…





Now for a question, and invitation – maybe you have a good idea on how we could make more than a million dollars with this http://realini.blogspot.com/2022/02/u... – as it is, this is a unique technique, which we could promote, sell, open the Oscars show with or something and then make lots of money together, if you have the how, I have the product, I just do not know how to get the befits from it, other than the exercise per se



As for my role in the Revolution that killed Ceausescu, a smaller Mao, there it is http://realini.blogspot.com/2022/03/r...

[Alessandra · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found this book a little hard to follow. The headers of chapters and sections are helpful, but if it wasn’t for those, it would be challenging to understand what the author wants to convey in each section. I found the information quite intertwined and often the most detailed concepts were presented too fast. I also would have expected more examples of known spy stories. Some relevant spy stories are presented in the book, but its often in passing and mixed up with other concepts. I would have liked a chapter dedicated to spy stories to prove the points of the other chapters, with a bit more emphasis on the spy characters so it would have been easier to retain the names and the stories. I finished the book, and, unfortunately, I can’t say I learned something interesting that I’ll keep in my memory.

[Makronyyy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Its kinda like reading wiki about espionage. Does give good insight to a lot of principles and a general history of spying. Throughout reading this book I got the feeling that the writer was constantly trying to steer my opinion into being that espionage has become too big and is not worth the massive amounts of resources that it costs. This could be true but I'd like to come to that conclusion myself. Loved the part about the Acoustic Kitty project :).

[Tabitha · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was shared by Georgia Tech as a recently released publication by a recently deceased professor on campus.
I agree that this was a concise history. Unfortunately, it was so concise as to have little depth. It was laid out in an organized manner but the way the content was explored did not engage me as a reader. I debated quitting early but pushed through.

[PoligirlReads · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quick read (it's in the title!) that offers a general overview of espionage. Good for the basics. It may make you want to know more, and that's great because in the back is a helpful section of recommended further reading.

[Lilli Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was required for one of my classes. I haven’t traditionally been interested in espionage but this book provided helpful insights, information, and real life examples. I found this to be an easy and interesting read for someone wanting to begin to learn more about espionage.

[Paul Young · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting, with enough depth for my curiosities.

[Jeff J. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good overview.

[willow · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice book! Although it is a short one there is a lot to be learned even if you’ve read on the topic. There were times when I felt that there were too many facts without sufficient context that made it a bit disengaging but overall I enjoyed it.

[Mathias Vander Stock · Rating 4 out of 5]

"As everyone knows, cats are finicky and hard to control."

[Miss Sophie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some interesting stories, but overall there were some editing mistakes that really bothered me.

[Dobby · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't know what it is but I find these MIT Press Essential Knowledge books to be extremely satisfying. Their simple and pleasing cover artwork, their small physical size (they're truly a pocketbook), their unusual topics are all incredibly pleasing. These books provide you with a clear overview of a topic but they don't get you too bogged down in the minutiae. That is exactly what this book does. I finished and I had a better understanding and overview of the topic of Espionage. This book is a really great jumping off point for the topic and it would allow anybody to then start reading further on the subject and not be totally lost. The book also doesn't get over-technical, its very digestible, which makes it accessible.

It is also nice that you can basically sit down and finish it in one sitting. That is always a very satisfying thing to do.

Final Thoughts
It's a great little book that was highly enjoyable. I would read it again. I also think that I will definitely be reading more of these MIT Press Essential Knowledge books