A Short Course in the Secret War by Christopher Felix

He was still active in the community when this book was originally published way back when. Christopher Felix is the pseudonym of James McCargar who was a field agent in the late 40s. Except toward the end, this is not a light reading book. One must reread continuously to try to connect his thoughts. Sentences greater than an inch in width down a page are quite common. He is constantly interjecting side thoughts within a sentence that makes the use of many commas with some dashes the norm. The author makes a great use of run-on sentences. This book is informative and the author is obviously intelligent. It is a literate, complex, and thought-provoking book.

(Who knew Mao came up with the counter-insurgency strategy for which we give General Petraeus all the credit! That at least is one area of change.) The author doesn't flinch at pointing out America's characteristic strategic and tactical flaws in intelligence gathering and ground-level political operations abroad, and it was disheartening to realize that we are still repeating many of the same mistakes.

The chapter on political intelligence operations is spectacular, and applies (unfortunately) as much today as it did when first written more than 45 years ago. He also explains why any country caught with its hand in an intelligence cookie jar must never admit it, but instead must go to great lengths to act nonchalant - and makes clear all nations have at some point done whatever it is the currently embarrassed one is denying, and all nations get found out now and then, so there's no point in getting too indignant. The author explains why and how allies spy on one another, and what the normal ground rules are, as opposed to spying on adversaries. It is not a book that teaches you how to use a cut-out, for example, but why, and what the pros and cons are of doing so. What a brilliant exploration of the theory and practicalities of espionage. I've just read the 1987 edition - and ordered the 2001 4th edition. _An updated version of the author Christopher Felix's inside look at international intelligence and secret operations based on his own experience in Hungary after World War 11.Ī brilliant and educated look at espionage

A Short Course in the Secret War by Christopher Felix