Spycraft: The Secret History of the Cia's Spytechs, from Communism to Al-Qaeda - Paperback

by Robert Wallace (Author), H. Keith Melton (Author), Henry R. Schlesinger (Author)

An unprecedented history of the CIA's secret and amazing gadgetry behind the art of espionage

In this look at the CIA's most secretive operations and the devices that made them possible, Spycraft tells gripping life-and-death stories about a group of spytechs--much of it never previously revealed and with images never before seen by the public.

The CIA's Office of Technical Service is the ultrasecret department that grappled with challenges such as:

What does it take to build a quiet helicopter?
How does one embed a listening device in a cat?
What is an invisible photo used for?

These amazingly inventive devices were created and employed against a backdrop of geopolitical tensions--including the Cold War, the Cuban Missile Crisis, and continuing terrorist threats. Written by Robert Wallace, the former director of the Office of Technical Service, and internationally renowned intelligence historian Keith Melton, Spycraft is both a fantastic encyclopedia of gadgetry and a revealing primer on the fundamentals of high-tech espionage.

"The first comprehensive look at the technical achievements of American espionage from the 1940s to the present."--Wired

"Reveals more concrete information about CIA tradecraft than any book."--The Washington Times

"This is a story I thought could never be told."--JAMES M. OLSON, former chief of CIA counterintelligence

Author Biography

ROBERT WALLACE is the former director of the CIA's Office of Technical Service and lives in Virginia. A recipient of the CIA's Intelligence Medal of Merit, Wallace founded the Artemus Consulting Group in 2004, providing management and intelligence counsel to corporate and government clients. He is also a contributor to the oral history program of CIA's Center for the Study of Intelligence.

H. KEITH MELTON is an internationally recognized author, historian, and expert on clandestine devices and technology. He is the technical tradecraft historian at the Interagency Training Center in Washington, D.C. He has assembled the world's largest collection of espionage devices and lectures widely throughout the U.S. intelligence community and abroad. He resides in Florida.

HENRY ROBERT SCHLESINGER is an author and journalist who has covered intelligence technologies, counterterrorism, and law enforcement. His work has appeared in Popular Science, Popular Mechanics, Technology Review, and Smithsonian magazine. He lives in New York City.