Encyclopedia of Cold War Espionage, Spies, and Secret Operations - Annotated by Richard Trahair (Hardcover)

About the Book

Everybody spied on everybody else during the Cold War. France had agents in the U.S., China had agents in East Germany, Poland had agents in Great Britain, and the U.S. and the U.S.S.R. had agents everywhere--in governments, in industry, in the military, and within each other's, and their own, intelligence agencies. A-Z entries provide a fascinating glimpse into the subterranean world, events, people and operations of the Cold War.

Cold War espionage was a nightmare of errors, seen darkly in a wilderness of mirrors, raining desperate deceptions in a climate of treason, with assassins trading in treachery using hidden hands running invisible governments. As fascinating as it was lethal, this labyrinthian world is still masked in mystery. A good amount is known and knowable, however, and this encyclopedia offers up the latest and most up to date information available, drawn from scholarship, memoirs, and journalism. Everybody spied on everybody else during the Cold War. France had agents in the U.S., China had agents in East Germany, Poland had agents in Great Britain, and the United States and the U.S.S.R. had agents everywhere: in governments, in industry, in the military, and within each other's, and their own, intelligence agencies. A-Z entries provide a fascinating glimpse into the subterranean world, events, people and operations of the Cold War.

Close to 300 hundred entries provide vivid summaries of hazardous careers, both long and tragically brief, of betrayal and double-cross, and of diplomatic maneuvering so freighted with deception and cunning it sometimes seems unreal. Every entry concludes with suggested readings, and is thoroughly cross-referenced. A thematic guide quickly directs users to Affairs, Crises, Disasters, Hoaxes and Scandals; Agents of Influence, Spies, Spymasters, and Informants by nationality; Assassins and Assassinations; Covert Operations; Defectors to the East and West; Double Agents, Fictional Agents and Operations; Honeytraps; Spy Exchanges; Victims of Covert Operations; and Women Spies and Agents. It contains an extensive annotated chronology, and is thoroughly indexed. This encyclopedia will be immensely helpful to students and researchers of the seamier side of 20th century world history, Cold War history, and world politics.

Book Synopsis

Everybody spied on everybody else during the Cold War. France had agents in the U.S., China had agents in East Germany, Poland had agents in Great Britain, and the U.S. and the U.S.S.R. had agents everywhere--in governments, in industry, in the military, and within each other's, and their own, intelligence agencies. A-Z entries provide a fascinating glimpse into the subterranean world, events, people and operations of the Cold War.

Cold War espionage was a nightmare of errors, seen darkly in a wilderness of mirrors, raining desperate deceptions in a climate of treason, with assassins trading in treachery using hidden hands running invisible governments. As fascinating as it was lethal, this labyrinthian world is still masked in mystery. A good amount is known and knowable, however, and this encyclopedia offers up the latest and most up to date information available, drawn from scholarship, memoirs, and journalism. Everybody spied on everybody else during the Cold War. France had agents in the U.S., China had agents in East Germany, Poland had agents in Great Britain, and the United States and the U.S.S.R. had agents everywhere: in governments, in industry, in the military, and within each other's, and their own, intelligence agencies. A-Z entries provide a fascinating glimpse into the subterranean world, events, people and operations of the Cold War.

Close to 300 hundred entries provide vivid summaries of hazardous careers, both long and tragically brief, of betrayal and double-cross, and of diplomatic maneuvering so freighted with deception and cunning it sometimes seems unreal. Every entry concludes with suggested readings, and is thoroughly cross-referenced. A thematic guide quickly directs users to Affairs, Crises, Disasters, Hoaxes and Scandals; Agents of Influence, Spies, Spymasters, and Informants by nationality; Assassins and Assassinations; Covert Operations; Defectors to the East and West; Double Agents, Fictional Agents and Operations; Honeytraps; Spy Exchanges; Victims of Covert Operations; and Women Spies and Agents. It contains an extensive annotated chronology, and is thoroughly indexed. This encyclopedia will be immensely helpful to students and researchers of the seamier side of 20th century world history, Cold War history, and world politics.

Review Quotes

?[T]rahair's book is concise, thorough, and well written. The paucity of recent reference sources on this topic make its purchase worthwhile. General readers; lower-division undergraduates.?-Choice

?An encyclopedia A-Z organization allows quick reference to scandals, spies, assassins' covert operatations, victims and agents, using extensive cross-referencing along with bibliographic references to ease the researcher's job.?-Donovan's Bookshelf

?The Encyclopedia illuminates ... many a dark corner of contemporary history, and would be a useful addition to reference collections interestd in the field.?-Reference Reviews

?This intriguing encyclopedia looks at key players in cold war espionage activities, reviews their activities during the cold war period, and explains what occurred because of those activities....A solid piece of work, the encyclopedia would be a good choice for public library where there is interest in the subject area. Colleges and universities with programs in modern history, government policy, and security and intelligence will find it a good introductory source.?-Booklist/Reference Books Bulletin

"ÝT¨rahair's book is concise, thorough, and well written. The paucity of recent reference sources on this topic make its purchase worthwhile. General readers; lower-division undergraduates."-Choice

"[T]rahair's book is concise, thorough, and well written. The paucity of recent reference sources on this topic make its purchase worthwhile. General readers; lower-division undergraduates."-Choice

"An encyclopedia A-Z organization allows quick reference to scandals, spies, assassins' covert operatations, victims and agents, using extensive cross-referencing along with bibliographic references to ease the researcher's job."-Donovan's Bookshelf

"The Encyclopedia illuminates ... many a dark corner of contemporary history, and would be a useful addition to reference collections interestd in the field."-Reference Reviews

"This intriguing encyclopedia looks at key players in cold war espionage activities, reviews their activities during the cold war period, and explains what occurred because of those activities....A solid piece of work, the encyclopedia would be a good choice for public library where there is interest in the subject area. Colleges and universities with programs in modern history, government policy, and security and intelligence will find it a good introductory source."-Booklist/Reference Books Bulletin

About the Author

RICHARD C.S. TRAHAIR is Social Research Advisor and Consulting Psychologist at La Trobe University, Bundoora, Victoria, Australia. He is the author of From Aristotelian to Reaganomics: A Dictionary of Eponyms with Biographies in the Social Sciences (Greenwood, 1994) and Utopia and Utopians: An Historical Dictionary (Greenwood, 1999).