Spies, Wiretaps, and Secret Operations: An Encyclopedia of American Espionage

by Glenn P. Hastedt (Editor), Steven W. Guerrier (Editor), James L. Erwin

In two volumes, "Spies, Wiretaps, and Secret Operation: An Encyclopedia of American Espionage" ranges across history to provide a comprehensive, thoroughly up-to-date introduction to spying in the United States--why it is done, who does it (both for and against the United States), how it is done, and what its ultimate impact has been.

The encyclopedia includes hundreds of entries in chronologically organized sections that cover espionage by and within the United States from colonial times to the 21st century. Entries cover key individuals, technologies, and events in the history of American espionage. Volume two offers overviews of important agencies in the American intelligence community and intelligence organizations in other nations (both allies and adversaries), plus details of spy trade techniques, and a concluding section on the portrayal of espionage in literature and film. The result is a cornerstone resource that moves beyond the Cold War-centric focus of other works on the subject to offer an authoritative contemporary look at American espionage efforts past and present.

996 pages, Hardcover

First published December 9, 2010

Reviews

[Piemaker · Rating 2 out of 5]

Now woefully out of date, the encyclopedia is also riddled with errors around dates, associations, and basic fact. Some can be attributed to newly released information - other parts are just down to sloppy research. Wikipedia is, bizarrely, probably a better source these days, and as the book predates the recent exposures of modern cyberespionage and the leaking culture it lacks vital information revealed since about major intelligence matters.