Spycraft

The Secret History of the CIA's Spytechs from Communism to Al-Qaeda

By: Robert Wallace, Henry Robert Schelsinger

Narrated by: David Drummond

Length: 19 hrs and 50 mins

Publisher's summary

• Secret instructions written in invisible ink
• Covert communications slipped inside dead rats
• Subminiature cameras hidden in ballpoint pens

If these sound like the stuff of science fiction or imaginary tools of James Bond's gadget-master Q's trade, think again. They are real-life devices created by the CIA's Office of Technical Service. Now, in the first book ever written about this ultrasecretive department, the former director of OTS teams up with an internationally renowned intelligence historian to give listeners an unprecedented look at the devices and operations deemed "inappropriate for public disclosure" by the CIA just two years ago.

Spycraft tells amazing life-and-death stories about this little-known group, much of it never before revealed. Against the backdrop of some of America's most critical periods in recent history - including the cold war, the Cuban Missile Crisis, and the war on terror - the authors show the real technical and human story of how the CIA carries out its missions.

©2008 Robert Wallace, H. Keith Melton, and Henry R. Schlesinger (P)2008 Tantor

Critic reviews

"Forget James Bond's famous 'Q' and Hollywood, this is the most remarkable and revealing book ever published about the history and technology of spying." (Peter Earnest, executive director, International Spy Museum)

Very Informative and Entertaining

It was interesting to learn about the technology that helps keep our country safe from our enemies and the people who help make it happen. As and electronics engineer, I regret I never even thought of working for CIA or NSA. (I'm too old for that now.) I was really impressed how CIA taps into small entrepreneurs and inventors to get cutting edge technology. Most of the technology discussed in this book is obsolete now, so one can only image what they're doing now.

Interesting History Lesson

This book brings a lot of insight to the history of the OTS department of CIA. It is well written and the perfomance is excellent.
I highly recommend this book to anyone with the least bit of interest in the history of spycraft.

Not A Easy Read

This book wasn’t for you, but who do you think might enjoy it more?

Jump around a lot, taking stories from headlines and adding writers impressions, not worth it in my opinion.

Informative, Interesting and Well Written

A great peace of history.

Boring as hell for a technical person.

What disappointed you about Spycraft?

I was hoping to get the story of developing and using spy gadgets, instead I got a self-serving story of a CIA historian who praised the work the department he worked for at some point. Bunch of abbreviations, dates and names I don't care about. Politics inside CIA. Booooooring. I only made it through first 2 hours and then gave up.

Would you ever listen to anything by Robert Wallace and Henry Robert Schelsinger again?

no

An abridged version might have been better

This book is very long and only intermittently interesting. The first seven or so chapters are comprised largely of the humdrum history of CIA personnel, organization, and bureaucracy. The final section is a glorified appendix, and it repeats much of the information found earlier in the book.

There are intriguing stories of operations and fascinating descriptions of equipment interspersed among the dullness, but it's an exercise in patience getting from one to the next.

In the end the book illustrated to me what an incredible waste of resources have gone and continue to go into spying on our enemies and ourselves, with little (or no?) substantive results to show for it.

Not worth the time

Dry discourse of CIA methodology in excruciating, excessive and redundant detail. A great listen if you suffer from insomnia

strong => puff

The first 10% was strong and detailed, but the following 90% transitioned to whitewashed filler material that lost utility or insight

Great Info - Dull Presentation

I generally love this sort of book. Unfortunately it comes off like a CPA reading a budget report. The narrator is OK, but not the best choice. A reader with a greater tonal range and more active style would have helped. I got through the whole thing, but only be taking several breaks to listen to other books.