A Short Course in the Secret War

by Christopher Felix

Book Overview

_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.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1568331797
• ISBN13: 9781568331799
• Release Date: November 2001
• Publisher: Madison Books
• Length: 304 Pages
• Weight: 2.60 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 5.4" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

A brilliant and educated look at espionage

I've just read the 1987 edition -- and ordered the 2001 4th edition. What a brilliant exploration of the theory and practicalities of espionage. 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. The author explains why and how allies spy on one another, and what the normal ground rules are, as opposed to spying on adversaries. 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 chapter on political intelligence operations is spectacular, and applies (unfortunately) as much today as it did when first written more than 45 years ago. 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. (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.) It is a literate, complex, and thought-provoking book. Very highly recommended.

A Classic of Tradecraft

No need to repeat what is covered below. Christopher Felix is the pseudonym of James McCargar who was a field agent in the late 40s. He was still active in the community when this book was originally published way back when. Then it was one of the few reality based accounts by an American about the postwar era when the Red juggernaut was slowly rolling up eastern Europe.I still find it of interest and it proves how little tradecraft has changed, just the tools that are used.

An excellent introduction into espionage

Christopher Felix's A Short Course in the Secret War provides the reader with an excellent introduction into the little known world of international espionage. As a reviwer noted earlier, the first part of the book outlines what spycraft is and is not, what the theory of intelligence work is, and how it is practiced. Pay close attention, as the vocabulary used and techniques discussed are put into practice later in the book.The second half of the book details Felix's work as an operations officer (i.e. "spy") in Hungary at the end of the Second World War. Here the glamourous and mundane work of espionage is recounted in an almost casual manner, as are the daily challenges and frustrations the author experienced while working there.There are litterally hundreds of books written on the subject - yet in my opinion, A Short History is among the best. The writing is clear and lucid, and captivates the reader's attention; the material related is all first hand, and while a little dated, the lessons taught are relevant and comprehensive. A must read for anyone interested in learning more about the real practice of intelligence gathering.

Great Book

A great read, just great. Absolutely fantastic.

A study of principals and a first hand experience.

The author divides the book into two parts. The first examines some of the principals governing secret opperations generally. Here he clarifies what secret opperations are, what they are not, and what the language surrounding them means. He describes the rules of the game and how things work. This section is interesting, informative, and fun to read. In the second part of the text the author recounts his own experience opperating in eastern Europe. His experience occured shortly after the Second World war before the Soviets had complete control over what would later become the Communist Block. The author's experiences and decisions offer the reader an opportunity to critically apply what he learned in the first part of the book. They will also keep the reader up very late. The author's experience takes the reader into a country on the verge of Communist take-over. The reader sees the world through the eyes of a spy. The author has edited the text to reflect post-Soviet realities. The changes are appropriately relegated to footnotes. The principals and the experience described are not relevant only to one time or place. Change only the names of the countries and the book might have been written yesterday. The writing style is almost casual, editorial in style. The author treats the reader like a partner in a conversation. This reviewer found the book engaging, disarming, disturbing, and, most of all, fascinating. Highly recomended.