SSG: Spy/Spec-Ops Group discussion

Hello, I'm looking for any recommendations of such books. I searched the web and found a last for this theme, but was from 2008. Are there any you've read that I should not do without?

Yes, I can name some.

The Invisible Government ...(all about regime de-stabilization)
The Craft of Intelligence ...(written by one-time CIA chief)
The Secret War ...(most thorough)
On Thermonuclear War ...(by the Rand Corp)
Red Alert ...(basis for 'Fail Safe')
Us Foreign Intelligence ...Charles is a member of this group!

The Art of Intelligence by Hank Crumpton

The Main Enemy by Milt Bearden and James Risen

The Sword and the Shield by Christopher Andrew & Vasili Mitrokhin

Inside the CIA by Ronald Kessler

I have heard great reviews about this book.

The Great War of Our Time: The CIA's Fight Against Terrorism--From al Qa'ida to ISIS

I have read the book featured with the title of this thread and had found it fascinating reading. The incompetence and multiple instances of gross abuse of power by the CIA in its early decades was truly staggering, with one man mostly to blame for that: Allen Dulles. This is a Must Read.

Legacy of Ashes: The History of the CIA

The Soviets ran rings around us in the early years. We always laughed at them for being backward, but they proved that practical, modest, non-fancy, nuts'n'bolts espionage --intelligence based on people-- works best. Even as incompetent, boorish, and unfamiliar with western ways as they often were; (example: the hilarious way they handled Gouzenko's defection) they had a system which was rock-solid in its fundamentals. It was a lattice-structure which was so well put together, it bended on demand to accommodate almost any screw-up in the field.

What I strongly object to was the west turning to technology-based intelligence (satellites, etc) rather than continuing to rely on the human factor. Human strengths--our powers of evaluation and critical thinking--are what we need more of, we need them more now than ever before--yet they are marginalized today in almost every field. I see it everywhere. Its this insane godamn over-reliance on hi-tech, this stupid and childish circle-jerk fascination with bells, whistles, and flickering screens.

Agreed, Feliks. HUMINT is key, supplemented by tech not replaced by it.

Michael, Legacy is on my soon TBR pile!!!

Note also that OSS operative and later CIA Director William Casey wrote "The Secret War Against Hitler."

a more recent release is this:
Spy Secrets That Can Save Your Life: A Former CIA Officer Reveals Safety and Survival Techniques to Keep You and Your Family Protected

Which is somewhat unpleasant to read because the author is very smarmy, snide, and rank. His whole tone is one of hucksterism. Every few pages he mentions a link he wants you to go to, to buy more of his stuff. He's one of these guys who's book shows up in ads all the time; 'As Seen on TV'; and he works the usual charlatan lecture circuit.

But I mainly wanted to see what gear tips he had to offer. You'd be familiar with most of them but there are a few worth knowing better (I had to admit).

Basically, army paracord is a wonder material. Can't fault him in this. It's the #1 thing ya got to remember. Paracord!

Feliks wrote: "The Soviets ran rings around us in the early years. We always laughed at them for being backward, but they proved that practical, modest, non-fancy, nuts'n'bolts espionage --intelligence based on p..."

reminds of of Arthur Wellesley's 'rope and harness' analogy.
He said that at Waterloo, Napoleon's plan was like harness, beautiful, but if one thing went wrong, the plan totally wiped out beyond the point of return. His strategy on the other hand was like rope. Ugly, but if something went wrong, it could be put back together and continued to function.

Currently I'm reading "A Spy Among Friends". It's about three intelligence officers and how one destroyed the others psychologically. He broke them in such a way that they were never the same. One fell into depression, while the other went into a state of what could be uncharitably described as paranoid madness.