Secrets of the Cold War: Espionage and Intelligence Operations - From Both Sides of the Iron Curtain

by Andrew Long

The Cold War, which lasted from the end of the Second World War to the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, was fought mostly in the shadows, with the superpowers maneuvering for strategic advantage in an anticipated global armed confrontation that thankfully never happened.

How did the intelligence organizations of the major world powers go about their work? What advantages were they looking for? Did they succeed?

By examining some of the famous, infamous, or lesser-known intelligence operations from both sides of the Iron Curtain, this book explains how the superpowers went about gathering intelligence on each other, examines the type of information they were looking for, what they did with it, and how it enabled them to stay one step ahead of the opposition. Possession of these secrets threatened a Third World War, but also helped keep the peace for more than four decades.

With access to previously unreleased material, the author explores how the intelligence organizations, both civilian and military, took advantage of rapid developments in technology, and how they adapted to the changing threat. The book describes the epic scale of some of these operations, the surprising connections between them, and how they contributed to a complex multi-layered intelligence jigsaw which drove decision making at the highest level.

On top of all the tradecraft, gadgets and ‘cloak and dagger’, the book also looks at the human side of espionage: their ideologies and motivations, the winners and losers, and the immense courage and frequent betrayal of those whose lives were touched by the Secrets of the Cold War.

Genres: History

280 pages, Hardcover

First published December 31, 2022

Reviews

[Robert Neil Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mention the Cold War and what comes readily to mind is a stand-off between the two superpowers, USA and USSR. Both armed to the teeth, guarding themselves against the other’s imminent attack, while their proxies fought small wars across the globe. Beneath the surface, however, both sides worked feverishly to determine the capabilities of the other through clandestine intelligence activities. In this book, Andrew Long surveys many of those operations and the warriors who fought in the shadows.
Long opens with tables that, while useful, could have better served as appendices: a list of Dramatis Personae, a glossary of abbreviations, and a basic chronology of events. His narrative begins in the Stalin era with a survey of Soviet intelligence and the quest for atomic weapons. The Soviets deployed the Rosenberg network among others to boost their atomic knowledge, quite easily too, so it seems because the US and UK were shocked when the USSR conducted their first atomic detonation. The traitor Klaus Fuchs leads Long’s British contingent of spies into the 1950s and 1960s. It took a while, but the Soviet spy rings began to fall apart when a defector in Canada exposed them. Then came the brilliant counter-intelligence work of the Venona programme that finally dismantled the rings, though Long notes that some high profile spies escaped detection, and that the whole episode was a remarkable success for Stalin.
A relatively lengthy biography of British spy George Blake kicks off a new phase of the Cold War intelligence battle. His name will always be linked to the mind-boggling Berlin tunnel operation, though his long prison sentence and subsequent escape have somewhat masked his role in the betrayal and deaths of up to forty people. Long moves on to three cases that exemplified tradecraft, the skills needed for effective intelligence work: the Portland spy ring, the Oleg Penkovsky story, and the Gerald Brooke case. The latter led to UK involvement in spy swaps for the first time. We then move onto a chapter revealing how NATO intelligence operations, including ‘tours’, worked along the blurred lines between east and west from the end of WWII, until the reunification of Germany made them redundant. In his conclusion, Long ties up the loose ends from the stories in his book and reflects on a war played out in the shadows, some of which have yet to reveal their secrets.
They say never trust a book by its cover, or in this case, title. There is very little in Secrets of the Cold War that should be considered as ‘secret’. Indeed, most of what Long includes is well-trodden ground, particularly for readers of a certain age. The emphasis is on the early Cold War for the most part, leading to some curious omissions from the latter period. That said, newcomers to Cold War espionage will find this a fascinating read, even if some of it is a bit dry, and Long’s book should have them reaching for more.

[Martin Koenigsberg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Andrew Long is an historian and author with a focus on the Cold War, and in Secrets of the Cold War , he takes the reader on a tour of the biggest spy/counterspy stories of that conflict. By focusing on the Soviet theft of the Atomic secrets, The Berlin Cable tapping, The Cambridge 5 and the Brixmis Mission in Berlin, we are getting the biggest stories of the era- but by no means an exhaustive source. Long is using the latest information, so there are some twists in the stories that even older readers like myself who lived through much of the period did not know, or could not glean from previous works. He also is good at explaining the harm or benefit of flows of information in each case. There are some fun pics in both colour and b/w to back up the narrative as well as maps and diagrams. A good read for period geeks and newbs alike.

Long is good at evoking the feel of the period - and the near paranoia the proximity of the two antagonists engendered. Hard for folks under 30 to comprehend, but the world really was sort of divided into two camps- with a constant threat of conventional and or nuclear war at all times. Long strives to remind the reader about the differences between the "Free World" and the "Soviet Bloc". Revelations tend to lead to sentences, deportations, and exchanges in the West- in the East- the Gulag and/or executions. Long delineates those who spied/defected/informed for worldly things, love/sex, and actual true believers. Some of the stories of later lives in Russia after the fall of the Soviets are interesting, some never accepting the abject failure of the "Worker's Paradise". Throughout, the author keeps it moving and compelling, sure to grab the attention of any level of reader.

There are a lot of adult themes, but little graphic injury description, so this is a book for the Junior Reader over 13/14 years. For the Gamer/Modeler/Military Enthusiast, a bit of a mixed resource. For the Gamer-more about the feel of the period and Espionage RPGs than for the Team Yankee/BattleGroup Northag crowd. The Modeler should pay attention to the last chapters- about the Uniformed Spying/information Gathering of the Liaison Missions in Berlin- the fabled BrixMis- an amazing opportunity for Cold War dioramas-like the guy who crept into a garage to get pics of the latest Soviet Tank. For the Military Enthusiast, it's all important stuff- the Cold War made the Post Cold war World we all live in. Understanding that the Griner/ Bout trade had roots in spy trades in the Cold War gives the reader perspective they might miss in a 20 second TV story. I think readers will like this book and the stories it tells- it might help them understand modern struggles too.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first half of this book was a detailed and intriguing account of the atomic spies, such as Fuchs, and other traitors, as well as wonderfully brave spies who made great sacrifices to spy on the Soviet Union, such as Greville Wynne. There were also exciting stories about defectors. I found the lack of security and the reliance on upper-class men, such as Philby, being trustworthy because they were 'gentleman' absolutely amazing. I knew about this before, of course, but this book really brings it home to readers. I also liked the descriptions of the James Bond-ish equipment that the spies used, such as the tiny mini-cameras. Some would use these extremely quickly, while their boss was nearby!

However, the second half became a bit too technical for me.

I received this free ebook from NetGalley in return for an honest review.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent work, I already knew about some espionage in the cold war, this book made me aware of others I did not know about.
A really good read which explains the workings of the KGB and forerunners. It covers Russian infiltration of the Manhattan project, the Portland spy ring, George Blake and others. It also describes how the networks worked and what happened to the people involved in the espionage.
If you are interested in the Cold war and espionage, this is an informative book to read, it is not a in depth detailed textbook and if you wish to look into an episode in depth there are other books, but as a brief overview and taster it is excellent.
Highly readable, I will read more from Andrew Long

Thanks to the publisher and Net galley for the ARC of this book.

[Karl Wardlaw · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a history of various Cold War intelligence operations from both sides,exploring things from a technical point of view, particular spy rings and descriptions of the personalities involved.

This is really good for someone who doesn't know much about what happened. It was good looking at the personalities involved and why they agreed to spy for the Soviets such as the Cambridge ring. It has really made me want to look at a part of history I didn't know much about.

[Becki Sims · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a comprehensive historical account that appears to cover everything it needs to and more.

I found it engaging and informative and would recommend it to anyone who wants to expand their knowledge of the Cold War.

Many thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for gifting me this arc in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.