Historical Dictionary of International Intelligence

(Hardback, Second Edition)

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Intelligence is now acknowledged as the hidden dimension to international diplomacy and national security. It is the hidden piece of the jigsaw puzzle of global relations that cements relationships, undermines alliances and topples tyrants, and after many decades of being deliberately overlooked or avoided, it is now regarded as a subject of legitimate study by academics and historians. This second edition of Historical Dictionary of International Intelligence covers its history through a chronology, an introductory essay, and an extensive bibliography. The dictionary section has over 500 cross-referenced entries on espionage techniques, categories of agents, crucial operations spies, defectors, moles, double and triple agents, and the tradecraft they apply. This book is an excellent access point for students, researchers, and anyone wanting to know more about the international intelligence.

Reviews

The field of international intelligence is always changing, and many major events have occurred since this work first appeared in 2006. The second edition offers information and analysis of international intelligence up through 2014, according to its chronology, which starts in 1908 with the founding of the US Bureau of Investigation, the predecessor to the modern FBI. Military historian West, author of numerous works on intelligence and espionage (many issued under the publisher's Scarecrow imprint), provides a list of acronyms and abbreviations, a chronology of events, an introduction, the dictionary proper with AZ entries, and an index. Of particular interest is the coverage of Edward Snowden, which provides a well-written summary of the man and the covert operations of the National Security Agency he revealed to the world. One bolded cross-reference points to an especially informative entry on Government Communications Headquarters, the British cryptography group; see and see also references are plentiful throughout. Of greatest value to those researching espionage and intelligence are the extensive topically organized bibliography and official government and organizations websites. With the events of the past decade, this worthwhile updated volume is a necessary purchase for all libraries supporting intelligence collections. Summing Up: Recommended. All libraries/levels. * CHOICE *

Author Bio

Nigel West is the European Editor of the International Journal of Intelligence and Counter-Intelligence and teaches the history of postwar intelligence at the Centre for Counterintelligence and Security Studies. He is the author of many books, including the Historical Dictionary of British Intelligence (Scarecrow, 2005), Historical Dictionary of International Intelligence (Scarecrow, 2006), Historical Dictionary of Cold War Counterintelligence (Scarecrow, 2007), and Historical Dictionary of Sexspionage (Scarecrow, 2009). In October 2003 he was awarded the U.S. Association of Former Intelligence Officers' first Lifetime Literature Achievement Award. In 2012 he was appointed a judge of the St Ermins Intelligence Book of the Year award.