Go Spy the Land: Military Intelligence in History

(Hardback)

Publishing Details

Classifications

Physical Properties

Description

For too long military history has ignored the role of intelligence. As a result, many people do not realize that intelligence has played a significant role in history. However, intelligence gathering, evaluation, and analysis has always been part of war. Lack of knowledge of how intelligence has been utilized in wars makes for an incomplete and inaccurate picture of historical events. While many are aware of such things as the Allied code-breaking efforts in World War II, few know that similar activities were undertaken as early as the beginning of recorded history. By examining a number of case studies from Roman times to the present, "Go Spy the Land" reveals the essential continuity in military intelligence, the fact that many of the problems involved in military intelligence have remained constant, and the nature of the problems themselves. According to the authors, military intelligence has always been an important aspect of military planning and campaigns. Furthermore, military intelligence in its essentials has not changed over time: while technology and society have affected the "ways" in which this essential activity has been carried out, the problems inherent in the task have remained constant. The latter conclusion is something not generally appreciated in the intelligence field, which has been dominated by historians studying the 20th century. This collection not only provides case studies, but also shows that much of what is claimed as exclusively a product of the 20th century has its roots as far back in time as the Roman Empire.

Reviews

. . . a fascinating article with interesting illustrations.-Cryptologia
Articles in this anthology, originally presented in 1990 at the Sixteenth Military History Symposium of the Royal Military College of Canada, provide a historical dimension to a subject most often treated in contemporary contexts. The authors successfully establish the continued importance of intelligence in military planning. Ancient Romans, the combatants in the Hundred Years War, and diplomats and generals in the Age of Reason all depended on knowing their enemies' intentions while concealing their own. Interpretation of intelligence, however, is at least as important as information itself. The experiences of 19th-century Britain and modern Canada are used to show that the ways states and individuals perceive reality greatly affects the uses that are made of specific data. General essays further enhance the value of this volume, which is important for both scholars and interested general readers.-Library Journal
These papers are well written, well documented, and contribute to a better understanding of military intelligence throughout history....This reviewer recommends it for the serious student of military intelligence.-The Historian Autumn, 1993
This book has many strong points to recommend it. The authors successfully establish the continued importance of intelligence in military planning through the ages. They illustrate that although technology and society have affected the ways in which this activity has been carried out, the problems inherent in the task have remained constant. This book should be a welcome addition to intelligence historians and required for those who think that intelligence gathering is a modern invention.-The Journal of Military History
." . . a fascinating article with interesting illustrations."-Cryptologia
"These papers are well written, well documented, and contribute to a better understanding of military intelligence throughout history....This reviewer recommends it for the serious student of military intelligence."-The Historian Autumn, 1993
"This book has many strong points to recommend it. The authors successfully establish the continued importance of intelligence in military planning through the ages. They illustrate that although technology and society have affected the ways in which this activity has been carried out, the problems inherent in the task have remained constant. This book should be a welcome addition to intelligence historians and required for those who think that intelligence gathering is a modern invention."-The Journal of Military History
"Articles in this anthology, originally presented in 1990 at the Sixteenth Military History Symposium of the Royal Military College of Canada, provide a historical dimension to a subject most often treated in contemporary contexts. The authors successfully establish the continued importance of intelligence in military planning. Ancient Romans, the combatants in the Hundred Years War, and diplomats and generals in the Age of Reason all depended on knowing their enemies' intentions while concealing their own. Interpretation of intelligence, however, is at least as important as information itself. The experiences of 19th-century Britain and modern Canada are used to show that the ways states and individuals perceive reality greatly affects the uses that are made of specific data. General essays further enhance the value of this volume, which is important for both scholars and interested general readers."-Library Journal

Author Bio

Keith Neilson is Professor of History at the Royal Military College of Canada. He is the author of Strategy and Supply: Anglo-Russian Relations, 1914-1917 and recently edited, with Ronald G. Haycock, The Cold War and Defense (Praeger, 1990). He has also published a wide range of articles on British diplomatic and military history. B.J.C. McKercher is Associate Professor of History at the Royal Military College of Canada. He is the author of The Second Baldwin Givernment and the United States, 1924-1929 and Esme Howard: A Diplomatic Biography. He recently edited with Jane Errington, The Vietnam War as History (Praeger, 1990).