Hide and Seek: The Untold Story of Cold War Naval Espionage Hardcover - 2009 - 1st Edition

From the rear cover

It was the golden age of cloak and dagger. In the years following the allied victory in World War II, a new breed of men and women entered the U.S. intelligence services, joining those experiencedhands who had survived the war to carry on acovert campaign against a new and wily adversary, the Soviet Union. Naval intelligence has always been acknowledged as one of the key arenas in the Cold War intelligence struggle, but the true details and drama of this fiercecompetition have remained obscure--until now.

Hide and Seek offers the first account of Cold War naval espionage, from the final months of World War II to the fall of the Soviet Union in1991. Based on interviews with Soviet and Western naval intelligence officers, newly availableRussian sources, important Western archivalreleases, and the latest historical research, it is packed with stunning revelations from both sides of the Iron Curtain and chilling anecdotes from the many secret battles waged between the world's two most powerful nations.

This colorful and fast-paced narrative reveals how a German inventor became the father ofthe U.S. Navy's cruise missile system; how aSoviet naval officer and GRU agent handleda French air force general who provided essentialinformation to the Kremlin before, during, andafter the Cuban missile crisis; the astounding truth about the 1964 Tonkin Gulf affair; the real story of the USS Liberty and Pueblo disasters and the metamorphosis of spy ships in theiraftermath; the latest on underwater incursions in Swedish waters; and much more.

Peopled with a motley array of spies, moles, double agents, defectors, techies, military officers, policy wonks, politicians, and more, this comprehensive account goes beyond previousbooks about submarine confrontations and accidents to explore the entire spectrum of navalintelligence. It covers human collection (racing with the Soviets to capture Nazi subs, unsuccessfulattempts by spies and defectors, and attache intrigues); ocean surveillance; underwater (from passive acoustic systems to tapping phone lines), surface, aerial, and space reconnaissance; and penetration by commando teams in balaclavas launched by speed boats, subs, and trawlers.

Complete with a collection of rare Cold War-era photos as well as riveting, hair-raising, and sometimes hilarious descriptions of actionsbeneath the sea, in outer space, and at allpoints in between, Hide and Seek is engrossing reading for anyone who loves naval history, international intrigue, and the nonstop action of a Tom Clancy novel.

From the jacket flap

It was the golden age of cloak and dagger. In the years following the allied victory in World War II, a new breed of men and women entered the U.S. intelligence services, joining those experiencedhands who had survived the war to carry on acovert campaign against a new and wily adversary, the Soviet Union. Naval intelligence has always been acknowledged as one of the key arenas in the Cold War intelligence struggle, but the true details and drama of this fiercecompetition have remained obscure--until now.

Hide and Seek offers the first account of Cold War naval espionage, from the final months of World War II to the fall of the Soviet Union in1991. Based on interviews with Soviet and Western naval intelligence officers, newly availableRussian sources, important Western archivalreleases, and the latest historical research, it is packed with stunning revelations from both sides of the Iron Curtain and chilling anecdotes from the many secret battles waged between the world's two most powerful nations.

This colorful and fast-paced narrative reveals how a German inventor became the father ofthe U.S. Navy's cruise missile system; how aSoviet naval officer and GRU agent handleda French air force general who provided essentialinformation to the Kremlin before, during, andafter the Cuban missile crisis; the astounding truth about the 1964 Tonkin Gulf affair; the real story of the USS Liberty and Pueblo disasters and the metamorphosis of spy ships in theiraftermath; the latest on underwater incursions in Swedish waters; and much more.

Peopled with a motley array of spies, moles, double agents, defectors, techies, military officers, policy wonks, politicians, and more, this comprehensive account goes beyond previousbooks about submarine confrontations and accidents to explore the entire spectrum of navalintelligence. It covers human collection (racing with the Soviets to capture Nazi subs, unsuccessfulattempts by spies and defectors, and attache intrigues); ocean surveillance; underwater (from passive acoustic systems to tapping phone lines), surface, aerial, and space reconnaissance; and penetration by commando teams in balaclavas launched by speed boats, subs, and trawlers.

Complete with a collection of rare Cold War-era photos as well as riveting, hair-raising, and sometimes hilarious descriptions of actionsbeneath the sea, in outer space, and at allpoints in between, Hide and Seek is engrossing reading for anyone who loves naval history, international intrigue, and the nonstop action of a Tom Clancy novel.

Media reviews

Citations

• Reference and Research Bk News, 05/01/2009, Page 290