Intelligence: Russian Spies:

Confessions of a Spy: The Real Story of Aldrich Ames ASIN:0425167127 Our Price: $15.00 Customer's Rating: 5 Summary: Flawed man and Flawed System Comments: Aldrich Ames' met with the author for several sittings after he was jailed and without the government's permission. That was just one more offense in a career of treason, drunkenness, slough and almost revolting passivity. Yet this man not only sent as many as 25 agents to their execution, he also spared no information to his KGB handlers. At times, he would be rooting for our side by day and by night he would have reversed and treacherously divulged everything he had previously learned. Of course the answer is how? Despite the agency's superiority in resources and technology, they retain a dangerous and imbecilic "he's one of us" mentality. Ames repeatedly failed to follow protocol. He was spending money like a madman and while there were a few who were convinced of his guilt, the amount of time and the ultimate leakage that occured with every day was shameful. Interestingly or not, the CIA has satellites that could zero in on Brezhnev as his dacha while he was being detained-but when it came down to getting the goods on Ames, they were more like the Keystone cops. Stealing trashcans, going door to door as salesmen, til someone called the cops and all of the vaudeville that one associates with those types of blunders. The book is far more flattering to the 'bureau,' who took full honors for the arrest even though there had been an agency team that had first fingered Ames and his wife. The underlying issue for me was a) how the nature of espionage seems to be more about getting moles than about truly gathering intelligence and b) the astonishing lack of effective ways to figure out if someone is working for the other side. All of which, indicts or acquits the nature of being human in a world of frightening homeland security and total information awareness. Getting the info is apparently easier than managing it and logically acting on behalf of the constitution- not an ideology. There has been nothing discovered that has solved that problem. I really enjoyed reading this book and having some insight into diplomacy and superpowers and flawed characters all over.

Betrayal: The Story of Aldrich Ames, an American Spy ASIN: 067944050X Our Price: $16.95 Customer's Rating: 5 Summary: Excellent resource on Counter-Intelligence Weaknesses Comments: This is a very readable book on Espionage and especially demonstrates the weaknesses in our Counter-Intelligence system. The CIA takes the heat in this book but this story demonstrates an inherint weakness in our security within ALL agencies involved in dealing with sensitive issues. I felt this book was well written and recommend it to anyone who wants to try and understand how this could have happened.

Killer Spy: The Inside Story of the Fbi's Pursuit and Capture of Aldrich Ames, America's Deadliest Spy ASIN: 0446519731 Our Price: $21.95 Customer's Rating: 2 Summary: Lots of fluff, little research Comments: THis book incorrectly focuses on the FBI as the capturers of Ames and leaves out the mole hunting CIA team's chase of Ames. While they did mess up and take years to identify the problem, the CIA team caught Ames. THis book is also way short on providing insight into Ames motives, tactics and techniques. A MUCH better book on the subject is "confessions of a spy" by Pete Early. Earley is the only journalist that was able to interview Ames and his well researched book provides the story in Ames own words as well as interviews with his russian accomplices.

Sellout: Aldrich Ames: the Spy Who Broke the CIA ASIN: 0140244670 Our Price:

Blunt, Anthony:

Great Betrayal: The Definitive Story of Blunt, Philby, Burgess, and MacLean ASIN: 0140061851 Our Price: $5.95

The red and the blue : intelligence, treason and the universities ASIN: 0297788663 Our Price:

The fourth man : the story of Blunt, Philby, Burgess, and Maclean ASIN: 0436506009 Our Price:

Conspiracy of Silence: The Secret Life of Anthony Blunt ASIN: 0374128855 Our Price: $22.95

Mask of Treachery ASIN: 0688044832 Our Price: $22.95 Customer's Rating: 2 Summary: Not for the Beginner Comments: Boy was MI5 asleep at the wheel. It is really something that this level of KGB penetration could take place, especially in a government that was so focused on the issue of stopping the spread of communism. This book details the Blunt, Burgess, Philby, Maclean and Cairncross USSR spy ring inside the British intelligence services. This books main theme is trying to increase the roll one of the 5 spy's from one that has been traditionally thought of as a lower level pawn to one of the leader of the whole enterprise. The book basically unfolds as a biography of Blunt, instead of an overall review of the full ring. Blunt being the subject of the book, the author goes out of his way to increase his involvement in the spy ring thus increase the readers interested in the book. He does a good job here, both with the detailed history and the way Blunt interacted with the others in the spy ring. I just did not believe this book that fly's in the face of all the other literature on the topic. I was a little put off by all the detail of Blunt's best known personality trait, homosexuality Regarding the telling of the story the author does a good job. The book was a bit jumpy, not the best construction of a story. It also tended to drag at times; the author did not have the skill to present a laundry list of facts in an interesting way. The author did do a very good job in documenting his sources. I have read a few books on this topic and this one would probably not be my first choice, I suggest Spy Catcher. This is a good book if you are deeply interested in the topic.

Sovetnik korolevy--superagent Kremlia ASIN: 5856030567 Our Price:

Single spies : a double bill ASIN: 0571141056 Our Price:

Boyce, Christopher

The Falcon and the Snowman ASIN: 0792841794 Our Price: $14.95

Falcon & The Snowman ASIN: 6303602266 Our Price: $29.99 Customer's Rating: 5 Summary: Christopher Boyce Comments: I enjoyed this movie immensely. It was fairly true to life and very well done. Hutton and Penn are terrific and Schlesinger does an excellent job in directing. For those of you that are curious, Christopher Boyce will be released from a halfway house in San Francisco on March 15, 2003. He will be paroled after 25 years in prison, including spending time in SuperMax in Colorado, alongside Oklahoma City bombers Timothy J. McVeigh and Terry L. Nichols, and the Unabomber, Theodore J. Kaczynski. (Information taken from the LA Times story "The Falcon and the Fallout" by Richard A. Serrano, published March 2, 2003.)

The Falcon & The Snowman ASIN: 6303286054 Our Price: $9.99 Customer's Rating: 5 Summary: Christopher Boyce Comments: I enjoyed this movie immensely. It was fairly true to life and very well done. Hutton and Penn are terrific and Schlesinger does an excellent job in directing. For those of you that are curious, Christopher Boyce will be released from a halfway house in San Francisco on March 15, 2003. He will be paroled after 25 years in prison, including spending time in SuperMax in Colorado, alongside Oklahoma City bombers Timothy J. McVeigh and Terry L. Nichols, and the Unabomber, Theodore J. Kaczynski. (Information taken from the LA Times story "The Falcon and the Fallout" by Richard A. Serrano, published March 2, 2003.)

The Falcon and the Snowman ASIN: 6304524412 Our Price: $19.99

Hanssen, Robert Philip:

Master Spy - The Robert Hanssen Story ASIN:B00008K7AV Our Price: $44.99 Customer's Rating: 4 Summary: Where is the rest of the movie? Comments: William Hurt did an excellent job portraying the spy Robert Hanssen. Hanssen was a complex character. On the one hand, he was a church going family man who regularly went to confession, on the other, he was perverted. He would videotape sex with his wife (although she wasn't aware of it) and show it to his best friend. He came across as a loyal employee, yet he was selling our nation's top secrets to the KGB. The research for this film was great, but I was disappointed with the DVD. The original TV movie fit into a four hour time slot, this DVD only lasts two hours. Director Lawrence Schiller felt that all those extra scenes slowed down the story, but I feel that they gave the public a better understanding of what Hanssen was really like. While the DVD does contain some deleted scenes, it does not contain all of them. I hope they consider releasing the entire TV movie on DVD in the future.

Spy: The Inside Story of How the FBI's Robert Hanssen Betrayed America ASIN:0375507450 Our Price: $17.47 Customer's Rating: 5 Summary: Spy: The Inside Story of How the FBI's Robert Hanssen... Comments: This is a fascinating book. I couldn't put it down; stayed up until the wee hours of the morning to completely read in one sitting. David Wise definitely has contacts inside the FBI and CIA, otherwise it would be difficult to understand where he obtained his information. He goes into great detail and leaves one wondering exactly how competent are these agencies. I recommend this book to anyone who desires a better understanding as to how the FBI and CIA operate. After reading this book, you will want to read Wise's book on the Aldrich Ames case.

The Spy Who Stayed out in the Cold: The Secret Life of FBI Double Agent Robert Hanssen ASIN:0312287828 Our Price: $18.17 Customer's Rating: 3 Summary: Informative light read. Comments: This book provides a wealth of information for those of us who have not followed the Hanssen story closely, but find its murkey contours intrigueing. Yes, many of the sources (aside from interviews) are available on the Net, but who has the time and the inclination to compile this material merely to satisfy a superficial curiosity? I don't, and thus I found the book well worth the purchase price. One aspect of the book I find particularly interesting is that Hanssen reminds me of most of my former neighbors in the DC area. Middle Class, intelligent, somewhat geeky, no people skills, and suffering from ego wounds inflicted in high school and earlier. It is a personality type more prevelent in the DC suburbs than anywhere else I have lived. The book renewed my determination never to live in the Washington area again, or even to visit. A note on writing style: I don't like it. I find it cutesy and kitchy, the use of "Bob" particularly annoyed me for the first 30 pages or so. Things get better when Opus Dei is addressed and thereafter.

Into the Mirror: The Life of Master Spy Robert P. Hanssen ASIN:0060508094 Our Price: $18.17 Customer's Rating: 4 Summary: ...an enlightening view of Hanssen Comments: "Into The Mirror" is the first work written by Lawrence Schiller that I've read. Naturally, I was extremely interested in reading about Robert P Hanssen's life. After all, who wouldn't wonder what kind of a childhood or life Hanssen had lived before/during that of a turncoat spy? When Hanssen's story first broke in the news media, and his position with the FBI that had allowed for his twenty years of spying, I was quite appalled. Who wasn't? Still, like every other American, I soon developed my own opinion. I thought Hanssen spied for the money. After reading Schiller's book, my first impression was right. With his back financially against the wall, Hanssen found an easy way out of his problem. Yet, I kept wondering how this man could sleep at night for twenty years, knowing what he had done. Not only had this traitor put the lives of every American in harm's way by divulging pertinent top-secret information to the Russians, but also the lives of his wife and six children. What a monster! There's no doubt in my mind that Hanssen has to be one very sick and mentally deranged individual. He endured a childhood that was a nightmare. An abusive father who openly flaunted his womanizing in front of his wife and Robert. No doubt, dressed in his policeman's uniform, Hanssen's father considered himself another King Kong. The things Hanssen's father did to him were incomprehensible and unforgettable. Yet Schiller showed in his research that Hanssen grew to manhood with a different outlook about life, marriage and raising children. The author is trying to convince his readers that Hanssen was unfaithful only once to his wife. That may be the case. Who oculd actually know for sure? But after reading the way Hanssen defiled Bonnie with his best friend, Jack, by showing Jack nude pictures of her and allowing Jack to observe what took place in the privacy of their bedroom...well, this is the part that proves Hanssen is mentally deranged. Perhaps he was trying to compare himself and his position to that of James Bond-Agent 007. The job put him above anyone or anything else. He too was another King Kong like his father, while toting his Walther PPK as an FBI agent. But instead of womanizing, which I would think he remembered his father here, he chose pornography. Everything Hanssen did in regard to sex was not normal. My only problem with this book was wondering if Schiller really did believe Hanssen's wife, Bonnie, was so gullible and naive. Surely he knows women better than that. If I found $10,000 in one of my husband's socks, I'd know something was going on. It's hard to beleive Hanssen succeeded for twenty years in giving his wife this kind of a snow job. Otherwise, I think Schiller has done a wonderful job in the research and portraying of Hanssen's life. I can't wait for the mini-series. I enjoy a book that keeps me wanting to turn the page. "Into The Mirrow" kept me turning its pages. I started reading and couldn't put the book down. I plan on recommending this book to my library book review group. And now, I'm going to the library and look for Schiller's book "American Tragedy".

The Bureau and the Mole: The Unmasking of Robert Philip Hanssen, the Most Dangerous Double Agent in FBI History (Wheeler Large Print Book Series (Cloth)) ASIN:1587242281 Our Price: $28.95 Customer's Rating: 4 Summary: Let's rate all three Comments: Consider this to be a sort of consumer's guide to the three Hanssen books on the market, from one who's read them all . . . 1. THE BUREAU AND THE MOLE has a good photo section but no index or bibliography, both essential in my opinion. Half of it is a bio of Louis Freeh, who should hang his head in shame rather than be credited for uncovering Hanssen. The sex revelations are here, but unless you like pornography I advise you to skip the part about Hanssen's postings on the internet. Still, the information about Bonnie Hanssen's brother--an FBI agent--who suspected him and was ignored is almost worth the price of the book. Four stars. 2. THE SPY NEXT DOOR has an index but no photos and no bibliography. The writing is a little wooden and there are little mistakes like getting the the church where the Hanssen's were married wrong. They have some sex stuff too, but thankfully no internet ramblings. A workmanlike job that reads like a Time magazine cover story. Three stars. 3. THE SPY WHO STAYED OUT IN THE COLD has photos, a bibliography and an index. It's also about 30 pages longer than the other two. Alas, no sex though the chapter on the stripper runs for some 12 pages and is titillating. It's the most complete with it's biggest scoop being that Hanssen told friends he wanted to be a double agent long before he joined the FBI and thus should have never been hired. Four-and-a-half stars.

Spy: How the Fbi's Robert Hanssen Betrayed America ASIN:0375758941 Our Price: $11.16 Customer's Rating: Summary: Comments:

The Spy Next Door: The Extraordinary Secret Life of Robert Philip Hanssen, the Most Damaging FBI Agent in U.S. History ASIN: 0316718211 Our Price: $18.17 Customer's Rating: 4 Summary: The Latest Spy . . . . But Probably Not the Last Comments: Shannon and Blackman have written an interesting book about the career of Robert Philip Hanssen, the FBI "mole" who was arrested in February 2001 for spying for the KGB and its successors. The authors' prose is clear and crisp, and in the end they settle for a "just the facts, ma'am" approach to the story. The book discusses Hanssen's childhood, education, career with the FBI, religious convictions, sexual fantasies, as well as the secrets he betrayed. Hanssen emerges as a study in contradictions: a vocal anti-Communist who spies for the Soviet Union; a devout Catholic who sells vital secrets to an atheist government; an apparent prude who patronizes a stripper and posts odd fantasies about his sex life on the Internet. Hanssen betrayed everything that he claimed was important to him--his wife, his family, his friends, his religion, and his country. But the motive for his horrendous crimes, which he committed over the course of more than twenty years, is anything but clear. I would have loved it if this book had had more to say about the psychology of a spy, but it didn't. How can someone like Hanssen wake up and go to work every morning, knowing what he's risking and what he's done? Why doesn't the contradiction between his public image and his life cause him to break down? Is he able to compartmentalize things, so that the "good" Hanssen can live his life while the "bad" Hanssen" lives a lie? Is he just a sociopath, who doesn't really care about anyone or anything but himself? Maybe the FBI's own behavioral science unit will weigh in on this subject one day, but Shannon and Blackman don't venture down this dangerous trail. For better or worse, they describe "what" Hanssen is without really explaining "why" he is. Another gap in the book is that, apart from a few generalizations, it doesn't address why the FBI and CIA seem so incompetent when it comes to catching spies (not that the KGB comes off looking a whole lot better). Perhaps the problem is that resources aren't allocated well, or that FBI and CIA personnel aren't trained to recognize the behavioral patterns of a spy--whatever the reason, the book largely leaves that problem to the reader's imagination. The thing that should really strike you about this book is the realization that, for the last 25 years, there has always been at least one--usually several--moles who are busily selling vital American secrets. And those are just the ones that we know about. There is no obvious reason to think that there aren't just as many spies today as there have been in the last two decades. A book like this cries out for an explanation: what, if anything, are the FBI and the CIA doing to make sure that a disaster like Hanssen doesn't happen again?

Hiss, Alger:

Witness ASIN: 039445233X Our Price: $16.37 Customer's Rating: 5 Summary: Time to accept the painful truth Comments: It's only after the cold war that we can accept the threatening truth of "Witness". There was a massive spy network in place in the United States. Many of our best and brightest worked to subvert the American democracy and Constitution. Any objective look at history now shows that Alger Hiss was guilty just as the Rosenbergs were. But there's a deeper message behind "Witness". Chambers wants us to know that the Cold War wasn't about the conflict between faith and no faith. It was about a war between two faiths, both deeply held. Chambers ultimately opted for Christianity over Communism because he became aware of the evil the latter inevitably produced. He gave the reason one of his acquaintances gave up the Communist faith. It was simple and moving: He heard screams. Read this book and appreciative the moving genius of Whittaker Chambers.

The Alger Hiss Communist Spy Trial: A Headline Court Case (Headline Court Cases) ASIN: 0766014835 Our Price: $20.95

The sleeping truth: the Hiss-Chambers affair: the spy case that split a nation ASIN: 0090868900 Our Price: Customer's Rating: 3 Summary: A rather run-of-the-mill account of the famed Hiss case Comments: As Ronald Seth ever so casually admits, this is a novel that is so partial so Mr. Alger Hiss that one wonders why one of Whittaker Chambers' descendents did not bother filing some sort of a complaint against him? Perhaps it was because the Chambers's were by then used such people lashing out against Whittaker, and after all, there is such thing as the right of the freedom of the press. Mr. Seth was indeed entitled to say as he wished, whether it be kind, or even necessarily true. One of the things that bothered me most about his writing was hypocrisy, a tactic he seemed to use when comparing the acts of Mr. Chambers to the acts of Mr. Hiss. Seth views Chambers as some sort of liar for mishandling dates, but when Hiss did the same, the excuse became "but what man doesn't after so many years?" He also believes that Chambers is some sort of fake for saying that Alger Hiss was 5'9 when he was really 6'0, that he was never really in his house because he could not remember a distinctly patterned mirror, and because he said their library was "simple" and "non-descript", even though Alger was always supposed to show off a book that was important to him. True, it would have added to the credibility of Chambers's testimony, had he remembered such things, but forgetting them should not deem him a liar, as Mr. Seth seems to think. If failed memory deems one a liar than what does that make Hiss, who could not even recall the name of George Crosely(the man whom he said was Chambers, using one of his many aliases)and even flubbed the address of his own street once while cross-examining Mr. Chambers? Besides glorious praises of Hiss and numerous insults aimed at Chambers(he didn't have to call the "Letter to my Children" section of Witness nauseating!), this book fails to account little more than some re-hashes of the trials, as well as a section of Seth's view of "what really happened", which at times was so outrageous I was literally laughing out loud. Not exactally earth-shattering material in other words, but he does have a smooth writing style, and his vast knowlege of espionage and spy tactics was actually quite interesting, a point in his favor. With that in mind, I would advise that people read this book if interested in getting a "pro-Hiss" view on the cases, but it would simply not do to ONLY read this book if wanting to find out about the case and nothing more. You would surely be missing out.

Whittaker Chambers : the secret confession ASIN: 0951873806 Our Price: