Spy Sites of Washington, DC - by Robert Wallace & H Keith Melton (Paperback)

About the Book

Lifting the cloak on over two centuries of espionage in the Washington region, the authors tell the stories and give coordinates for the headline-making cases and long-forgotten spy games that have changed the course of world affairs. Contains 220 main entries as well as listings for dozens more spy sites, maps, and more than 300 photos.

Book Synopsis

Washington Post Bestseller

Washington, DC, stands at the epicenter of world espionage. Mapping this history from the halls of government to tranquil suburban neighborhoods reveals scoresof dead drops, covert meeting places, and secret facilities--a constellation ofclandestine sites unknown to even the most avid history buffs. Until now.

Spy Sites of Washington, DC traces more than two centuries of secret history from the Mount Vernon study of spymaster George Washington to the Cleveland Park apartment of the "Queen of Cuba." In 220 main entries as well as listings for dozens more spy sites, intelligence historians Robert Wallace and H. Keith Melton weave incredible true stories of derring-do and double-crosses that put even the best spy fiction to shame. Maps and more than three hundred photos allow readers to follow in the winding footsteps of moles and sleuths, trace the covert operations that influenced wars hot and cold, and understand the tradecraft traitors and spies alike used in the do-or-die chess games that have changed the course of history.

Informing and entertaining, Spy Sites of Washington, DC is the comprehensive guidebook to the shadow history of our nation's capital.

Review Quotes

Most Americans acknowledge that our nation's capital is ground zero in terms of spies per square inch. This new volume by Keith Melton and Bob Wallace puts flesh on those bones, combining museum-worthy stories and actual addresses of the most famous espionage cases in America. The resulting book is a delectable history that lives and breathes as the pages are turned. Espionage aficionados and urban explorers alike will be delighted with this experience.

--Antonio J. Mendez, Author of ARGO,

The authors' incredibly well researched "Spy Sites" explores every nook and cranny of the nation's capital where a vast number of American spies and their foreign collaborators lived, worked and secretly betrayed the country's secrets for over two centuries. This is not just a guidebook of those landmarks but a must-read, comprehensive history of espionage in America. Another tour de force by Wallace and Melton!

--Michael J. Sulick, retired director of the CIA's National Clandestine Service and author of Spying in America: Espionage from the Revolutionary War to the Dawn of the Cold War

This delightfully informative book is a Who's Who of spy vs. spy skullduggery in the world's most powerful city. Spy experts Robert Wallace and H. Keith Melton take us on a mesmerizing tour of traitors and tradecraft revealing the wheres and whys of Washington's second-oldest profession. It's a must-read for both the curious and serious researchers. Bravo!

--Pete Earley, New York Times Bestselling author of Family of Spies: Inside the John Walker Spy Ring and Confessions of A Spy: The Real Story of Aldrich Ames

Wallace and Melton are expert chroniclers of the spy business. Spy Sites of Washington, DC is admirably detailed and thoroughly enjoyable. If you loved their book Spycraft on the intricate world of espionage tradecraft, you will find Spy Sites an essential guide to the intelligence landmarks of Washington.

--David E. Hoffman, author of The Billion Dollar Spy: A True Story of Cold War Espionage and Betrayal

A pleasurable read, Spy Sites of Washington, DC is recommended for those interested in espionage history, as well as any history-minded visitors or residents of the nation's capital.

--Washington History

Fun, educational, and should get everybody to put down their electronics and roam around the city. This is the ultimate Baedeker Guide for spy enthusiasts about one of the greatest espionage targets in history: Washington, DC.

--Intelligencer

Readers can trust the expertise of the authors. . . . A guide book that should be invaluable for weeks of Sunday afternoon spy walks or drives. . . . A first-rate spy read: five cloaks, five daggers.

--Intelligencer: Journal of US Intelligence Studies

About the Author

Robert Wallace is the former director of the Central Intelligence Agency's Office of Technical Service. He and H. Keith Melton have co-authored four books, including Spycraft: The Secret History of the CIA's Spytechs, from Communism to Al-Qaeda, The Official CIA Manual of Trickery and Deception, Spy Sites of New York City, and Spy Sites of Philadelphia.

H. Keith Melton is an intelligence historian and author of several books, including Ultimate Spy: Inside the Secret World of Espionage. He owns one of the largest collections of spy paraphernalia in the world.

Henry R. Schlesinger is a New York-based writer who has collaborated previously with the authors on Spyycraft, Spy Sites of Philadelphia and Spy Sites of New York City.