Spies

The Epic Intelligence War Between East and West

By: Calder Walton

Narrated by: Dugald Bruce-Lockhart

The “riveting” (The Economist), secret story of the hundred-year intelligence war between Russia and the West with lessons for our new superpower conflict with China.

Spies is the history of the secret war that Russia and the West have been waging for a century. Espionage, sabotage, and subversion were the Kremlin’s means to equalize the imbalance of resources between the East and West before, during, and after the Cold War. There was nothing “unprecedented” about Russian meddling in the 2016 US presidential election. It was simply business as usual, new means used for old ends.

The Cold War started long before 1945. But the West fought back after World War II, mounting its own shadow war, using disinformation, vast intelligence networks, and new technologies against the Soviet Union. Spies is a “deeply researched and artfully crafted” (Fiona Hill, deputy assistant to the US President) story of the best and worst of mankind: bravery and honor, treachery and betrayal. The narrative shifts across continents and decades, from the freezing streets of St. Petersburg in 1917 to the bloody beaches of Normandy; from coups in faraway lands to present-day Moscow where troll farms, synthetic bots, and weaponized cyber-attacks being launched woefully unprepared West. It is about the rise and fall of Eastern superpowers: Russia’s past and present and the global ascendance of China.

Mining hitherto secret archives in multiple languages, Calder Walton shows that the Cold War started earlier than commonly assumed, that it continued even after the Soviet Union’s collapse in 1991, and that Britain and America’s clandestine struggle with the Soviet government provided key lessons for countering China today. This “authoritative, sweeping” (Fredrik Logevall, Pulitzer Prize­–winning author of Embers of War) history, combined with practical takeaways for our current great power struggles, make Spies a unique and essential addition to the history of the Cold War and the unrolling conflict between the United States and China that will dominate the 21st century.

This is a definitive account of pre & post cold war

This book explains the how and why of the coup that unseated Gorbachev and other things that only now are coming to light. The author does not stint in his praise and condemnation of Eastern and Western spy agencies.

Dry but fascinating

The language is dry as dust but the history is absolutely riveting. Worth every minute!

Overall good; authors political bias shows

Everything was good until the final few chapters; the author’s political bias shows strongly, and some of the claims and predictions have proven very incorrect. The author’s should stick to history, at which they do well, and not current events or future-casting — they demonstrably do not have the objectivity nor clarity required for accuracy in those endeavors.

Great detailed historical and present day information

So much information and presented so well with thoughtful reach backs to when a topic originally surfaced to keep the thread straight.
Fascinating stories about Soviet, Russian and Chinese spying with many names and incidents less well known. The WWII Russian penetration of the Executive Branch - Treasury, White House and the OSS should give one pause. Also, the recruitment of a member of Congress actually makes one wonder about who currently might be on the Russian payroll.

Much discussion and fact-finding are covered describing what went into Russian disinformation campaigns over the years and their immediate effects and implications. Also, how the description of how the Trump administration has unusually close ties to the Putin dictatorship. It's quite chilling actually.

Chinese espionage and cyber activities are equally daunting as well. They have taken a page out of the Russian playbook and now blame COVID on the US! Their 2 Wuhan bioweapon labs notwithstanding, of course and their rigid control of the internet while vacuuming up enormous quantities of data through vast global cyber operations.
One wonders if we can maintain the United States as we know it.

Did not age well

Unfortunately this author comprised his own integrity with his token Trump - Russia collusion fraud. And yes, this book was written long after the facts were out. Really embarrassing and pathetic to read an author with TDS. Sad. More importantly, objectively false. What does that say about the rest of his research?