Cold wars and proxy conflicts Books
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC The Russian S300 and S400 Missile Systems
Book SynopsisAn expert account of the development, role, and capabilities of the S-300 and S-400 air defence missile systems, key strategic weapons in Putin's Russia. Few modern missile systems have had such significance as the S-300 family. Highly regarded technically, Russia's most powerful air-defense systems have been a major strategic asset to the country, exported to major powers around the world, and are a key weapon in many international hotspots and in recent wars. In this book, professional missile systems analyst Steve Zaloga uses his specialist knowledge to assess and analyse them in detail. He explains that the S-300 is, in fact, three systems: the S-300P, designed as a replacement for older Soviet strategic SAM systems, the S-300V, developed to defend against Pershing ballistic missiles, and the S-300F, designed for ship defense. He also considers the supplementary S-350 system and the new-generation S-400 system, deployed in Syria and sold to both China and Turkey. An assessmentTrade ReviewThe book is packed with illustrations and photos and technical information. -- Susan Wilson * Army Rumour Service *Table of ContentsINTRODUCTION ORIGINS S-300P Biryuza (SA-10A Grumble) S-300PS Volkhov M6 S-50 Moscow Defense Ring The second generation: S-300PM Volkhov M-6M (SA-20A Gargoyle) S-300PMU Export System Catering to the export market: S-300PMU-2 Favorit (SA-20B Gargoyle) S-350 Vityaz The third generation: S-400 Triumf (SA-21A Growler) The Naval S-300F Fort/Rif (SA-N-6 Grumble) S-300V (SA-12 Giant/Gladiator) S-300VM (SA-23) S-500 Prometey ATBM ASSESSMENT FURTHER READING
£11.69
Old Street Publishing The Shortest History of the Soviet Union
Book Synopsis
£8.54
C Hurst & Co Publishers Ltd Fugitives: A History of Nazi Mercenaries During
Book SynopsisFrom Spain to Syria, the thrilling, untold history of Nazi fugitives turned postwar agents—for America, the Soviets, the Third World, or themselves. After the Second World War, the Allies vowed to hunt Nazi war criminals “to the ends of the earth.” Yet many slipped away—or were shielded by the West, in exchange for cooperation in the unfolding confrontation with Communism. Reinhard Gehlen, founder of West German foreign intelligence, welcomed SS operatives into the fold, overestimating their supposed capabilities. This shortsighted decision nearly brought down his cherished service, as the KGB found his Nazi operatives easy to turn or expose. However, Gehlen was hardly alone in this cynical strategy; the American, Soviet, French and Israeli secret services—and nationalist organisations and independence movements—all used former Nazi operatives in the early Cold War. Nazi fugitives became freelance arms traffickers, spies, and assassins, playing crucial roles in the clandestine contest between the superpowers. From posh German restaurants, smuggler-infested Yugoslav ports, and fascist holdouts in Franco’s Spain to Damascene safehouses and Egyptian country clubs, these spies created a busy network of influence and information, a uniquely combustible ingredient in the covert struggles of the postwar decades. Unearthing newly declassified revelations from Mossad and other archives, historian Danny Orbach reveals this long-forgotten arena of the Cold War, and its colourful cast of characters. Shrouded in official secrecy, clouded by myth and propaganda, the extraordinary tale of these Nazi agents has never been properly told—until now.Trade Review‘[A] highly intriguing book … Fugitives is genuinely revelatory and Orbach’s research is impressive and scholarly. More to the point, the many fascinating narratives he relates here could easily provide the raw material for a dozen espionage novels. I have a feeling a lot of writers will be inspired.’ -- William Boyd, New Statesman'The tales Orbach tells could fit into a peculiarly cynical 1970s spy novel, and it can read like one too. [Fugitives] is a murky saga of espionage, paranoia, and betrayal.' -- The American Spectator
£18.04
Icon Books To Catch a Spy
Book SynopsisThe Spycatcher affair remains one of the most intriguing moments in the history of British intelligence and a pivotal point in the public''s relationship with the murky world of espionage and security. It lifted the lid on alleged Soviet infiltration of British services and revealed a culture of law-breaking, bugging and burgling. But how much do we know about the story behind the scandal?In To Catch a Spy, Tim Tate reveals the astonishing true story of the British government''s attempts to silence whistleblower Peter Wright and hide the truth about Britain''s intelligence services and political elites. It''s a story of state-sanctioned cover-up plots; of the government lying to Parliament and courts around the world; and of stories leaked with the intention to mislead and deceive.This is a tale of high treason and low farce. Drawing on thousands of pages of previously unpublished court transcripts, the contents of secret British government files, and original interviews with many of t
£21.25
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC Tanks at the Iron Curtain 196075
Book SynopsisA new analysis of the technology and tanks that faced off against each other on opposite sides of the Iron Curtain, during the very height of the Cold War.From the 1960s onwards, there was a generational shift in tank design and warfare with the advent of CBR (chemical, biological, radiological) protection and a move away from HEAT ammunition to APFSDS. This shift confronted the growing threat of guided anti-tank missiles and saw the introduction of composite armor. Soviet heavy tanks and tank destroyer/assault guns became obsolete, giving way to the technological might of the T-62 and T-64, while NATO forces employed the Chieftain, AMX-30, Leopard I, and M60, plus the initial attempt at a common US-German tank, the MBT-70. Using detailed illustrations and contemporary photographs, this companion volume to NVG 301, Tanks at the Iron Curtain 194660 focuses on key battle tanks and their technology to give a comprehensive overall picture of hTrade ReviewThe writer compares tank production figures, gun and ammunition, armour, and estimated combat effectiveness of opponent tanks. A good review of this big subject with photos and impressive artwork, recommended. -- John Ham * Tankette *This is an easy-to-read volume stacked with great images of cold war tanks, this is definitely a book worth picking up especially war gamers wo either play or plan to play A Cold War gone hot scenario. -- Jason Hubbard * Irregular Magazine *Table of ContentsIntroduction The Tanks, Doctrine, and Organization Soviet Union: The Rise of the Missile Tank Warsaw Pact United States: The Missile Tank Debacle; Radical Alternatives; M48/M60 Improvements United Kingdom West Germany France Tanks in Battle Technical Analysis Firepower T-62 vs. NATO tanks Fire control Protection Tank Armor of the 1960s Mobility Tank Comparisons Combat Effectiveness of NATO/Warsaw Pact Tanks: Further Reading Index
£11.39
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC Tanks at the Iron Curtain 194660
Book SynopsisA study of the Soviet and NATO armored forces that faced each other off in Central Europe in the early Cold War, and how their technology, tactics, and doctrine were all rapidly developed.For 45 years, the most disputed point in the World was the dividing line between East and West in Europe; here the use and development of tanks was key. In this fully illustrated study, author Steve Zaloga, describes how Soviet and NATO tanks were deployed in the early years of the Cold War, and how a generation of tanks such as the Soviet T-44/T-54 and IS-3, British Centurion, US Army M26/M46 Pershing (all developed during World War II) saw extensive service after the war had ended. Initial post-war generation tanks including the Soviet T-54A, T-10 heavy tank, British late-model Centurions, Conqueror, US Army M41, M47, M48 and the French AMX-13 are examined in detail alongside the most important technical trends of the era: the development of shaped-charge anti-tank projectiles, theTable of ContentsIntroduction The tanks, doctrine, and organization Tanks in battle Technical analysis Further reading Index
£11.39
Amberley Publishing Bomber Command
Book SynopsisNew paperback edition - A complete history of Bomber Command, including its crucial role in WWII and later nuclear role in the Cold War.Trade Review'In this comprehensive and illustrated history, Gordon Wilson, a retired military and commercial pilot, explores the 'human face' of the organisation from its inception just prior to World War II until its final years during the Cold War.' -- Military History Matters, December 21/ January 2022'Overall this book is very well written and the author has the technical detail and knowledge as a former flyer, that has produced a really good read so compliments to the author and a book I would certainly recommend.' -- Ben Davidson Blog'Complemented by a range of images and identifying famous personnel, stations and aircraft, this book will fascinate any enthusiast of 'The Many'.' -- Britain at War Magazine, February 2024
£8.24
Penguin Books Ltd The Spy Who Came in from the Cold
Book SynopsisThe classic Cold War thriller, published as a Penguin Essential for the first time.Alec Leamas is tired. It''s the 1960s, he''s been out in the cold for years, spying in Berlin for his British masters, and has seen too many good agents murdered for their troubles. Now Control wants to bring him in at last - but only after one final assignment. He must travel deep into the heart of Communist Germany and betray his country, a job that he will do with his usual cynical professionalism. But when George Smiley tries to help a young woman Leamas has befriended, Leamas''s mission may prove to be the worst thing he could ever have done. In le Carré''s breakthrough work of 1963, the spy story is reborn as a gritty and terrible tale of men who are caught up in politics beyond their imagining.''Superbly constructed, with an atmosphere of chilly hell'' J.B. Priestley''The best spy story I have ever read'' Graham Greene''The master storyteller ... has lost none of his cunning'' A. N. Wilson''I have re-read The Spy Who Came In From The Cold over and over again since I first encountered it in my teens, just to remind myself how extraordinary a work of fiction can be'' Malcolm Gladwell''One of those very rare novels that changes the way you look at the world. Unflinching, highly sophisticated, superb'' William BoydTrade ReviewPassionate, intense, wonderful -- David NichollsThe best spy story I have ever read -- Graham GreeneA masterpiece, the best espionage novel ever written -- John BanvilleOne of those writers who will be read a century from now -- Robert Harris
£8.54
Penguin Books Ltd The World of the Cold War
Book Synopsis
£21.25
Penguin Books Ltd The Cold War
Book SynopsisA brilliantly arresting historical work, John Lewis Gaddis''s The Cold War takes us as never before to the time when the world stood on the brink of destruction. In 1945 war came to an end. But a whole new terror was only just beginning... Here is the truth behind every spy thriller you''ve read: why America and the Soviet Union became locked in a deadly stalemate; how close we came to nuclear catastrophe; what was really going on in the minds of leaders from Stalin to Mao Zedong, Ronald Reagan to Mikhail Gorbachev, how secret agents plotted and East German holidaymakers helped the Berlin Wall fall. It is a story of crisis talks and subterfuge, tyrants and power struggles - and of ordinary people changing the course of history. ''Gripping'' Len Deighton ''Superb ... brimful of racy incident'' Independent on Sunday ''A lively and readable history'' The Times<
£11.69
Pan Macmillan Comrades
Book SynopsisRobert Service is the author of the highly acclaimed Lenin: A Biography, A History of Twentieth-Century Russia, Russia: Experiment with a People and Stalin: A Biography, as well as many other books on Russia's past and present. He is a Fellow of the British Academy and of St Antony's College, Oxford. He is married with four children.
£14.44
Profile Books Ltd Nuking the Moon: And Other Intelligence Schemes
Book Synopsis"Compulsively readable laugh out loud history." Mary Roach Bomb-carrying bats. Poisoned flower arrangements. Cigars laced with mind-altering drugs. Listening devices implanted into specially-trained cats. A torpedo-proof aircraft carrier made out of ice and sawdust. And a CIA plan to detonate a nuclear bomb on the moon ... just because. In Nuking the Moon, Vince Houghton, Historian and Curator at the International Spy Museum, collects the most inspired, implausible and downright bizarre military intelligence schemes that never quite made it off the drawing board. From the grandly ambitious to the truly devious, they illuminate a new side of warfare, revealing how a combination of desperation and innovation led not only to daring missions and brilliant technological advances, but to countless plans and experiments that failed spectacularly. Alternatively terrifying and hilarious, and combining archival research with newly-conducted interviews, these twenty-six chapters reveal not only what might have happened, but also what each one tells us about the history and people around it. If 'military intelligence' makes you think of James Bond and ingenious exploding gadgets ... get ready for the true story.Trade ReviewThere's a lot of idiocy in these pages to admire, and all of it's given the gloss of Houghton's natural wit. * How It Works *A collection of tales sure to entertain as well as inform -- Gen. Michael Hayden, former director of the NSA and CIA, and New York Times bestselling authorHilariously skewers some of the military and intelligence community's weirdest, wackiest, and most outlandish plots, plans, and covert operations -- H. Keith Melton, co-author of SpycraftVince Houghton is a fresh new voice that will have you laughing out loud at some of the serious yet hysterical false starts in the history of the intelligence community. -- Jonna Mendez, former CIA Chief of DisguiseThese are amazing tales, and readers may ... be left pondering whether the book will be shelved among works of history or science fiction novels. -- Robert Wallace, co-author of SpycraftCompulsively readable laugh out loud history -- Mary RoachAlternately terrifying and hilarious...if 'military intelligence' makes you think of James Bond and ingenious exploding gadgets...get ready for the true story * Eye Spy *Makes you wonder what schemes the secret service are conducting right now. -- Alastair Mabbott * The Herald Magazine *Fascinating ... Houghton's history of drastic espionage failures is amusing, surprising and, at times, almost beyond belief * Daily Mail *
£9.49
Penguin Books Ltd The Mitrokhin Archive The KGB in Europe and the
Book Synopsis''One of the biggest intelligence coups in recent years'' The TimesFor years KGB operative Vasili Mitrokhin risked his life hiding top-secret material from Russian secret service archives beneath his family dacha. When he was exfiltrated to the West he took with him what the FBI called ''the most complete and extensive intelligence ever received from any source''. This extraordinary bestselling book is the result. ''Co-authored in a brilliant partnership by Christopher Andrew and the renegade Soviet archivist himself ... This is a truly global exposé of major KGB penetrations throughout the Western world'' The Times''This tale of malevolent spymasters, intricate tradecraft and cold-eyed betrayal reads like a cold war novel'' Time''Sensational ... the most informed and detailed study of Soviet subversive intrigues worldwide'' Spectator''The most comprehensive addition to the subject ever published'' Sun
£18.00
Profile The Illegals
Book Synopsis'Shaun Walker skilfully shows how Russia's modern-day election meddling is rooted in the subterfuge and trickery of the bad old days. This is a fascinating read.' Oliver Bullough'Sinister, clandestine and deadly - this is essential history, and it is happening now.' Simon Sebag Montefiore'A riveting spy thriller that doubles up as a secret history of Russia.' Peter PomerantsevIn 2010, two decades after the Cold War had ended, ten Russian spies were arrested in America, having hidden their true identities from their friends, neighbours and even their children. They were part of a spy programme that had begun nearly a century earlier, when the revolutionary Bolshevik government began sending Soviet citizens abroad to pose as foreign aristocrats, merchants and students. These deep-cover missions - some remarkable feats of espionage, others high-profile failures - could last for decades.Drawing on hundreds of hours of interviews, as well as newly discovered archival material, Shaun Walker brings this history to life in a page-turning tour de force that goes to the heart of what became the most ambitious espionage programme in history. As Moscow continues to infiltrate illegals across the globe, The Illegals shines new light on the long arc of the Soviet experiment and its messy aftermath - and on how that hidden history shaped Russia and the West.
£18.70
Penguin Books Ltd London Match
Book Synopsis''Spying at its most captivating and intricate'' The Times''Deighton has woven an intricate and satisfying plot, peopled it with convincing characters and even given a new twist to the spy story. But then he is a master of the form'' Washington PostLong-suffering spy Bernard Samson has, against all the odds, enticed a Soviet agent to defect to London - but this proves to be the start of something even bigger. For he learns that there is treachery within his own Service, and no one is free from suspicion. To discover who really controls the game of spies, he must attempt a desperate gamble. As the Game, Set and Match trilogy reaches its shattering finale, who will make the winning move?A BERNARD SAMSON NOVELTrade ReviewOnce again Deighton has woven an intricate and satisfying plot, peopled it with convincing characters and even managed to give a new twist or two to the spy story. But then he is a master of the form. * Washington Post *Len Deighton is the Flaubert of the contemporary thriller writers. -- Michael Howard * Times Literary Supplement *Deighton's outstanding achievement is the nine-volume series chronicling the life and times of Bernard Samson ... Deighton's Samson trilogies are as much about the elusiveness of human interactions as espionage. Spying is not a secret world sealed off from ordinary life but an extension of the world we all live in. -- John Gray * New Statesman *Len Deighton's spy novels are so good they make me sad the Cold War is over. -- Malcolm GladwellThe self-conscious cool of Deighton's writing has dated in the best way possible ... Stone-cold Cold War classic. -- Toby Litt * The Guardian *
£9.99
C Hurst & Co Publishers Ltd Comrades Beyond the Cold War
Book SynopsisNorth Korea was an important player in the decolonisation of Africa. Freedom fighters across the continent received vital assistance from Pyongyang, and almost all southern African independence leaders travelled to the North Korean capital at some point, in search of support. This alliance has continued into the twenty-first century, with African postcolonial governments throwing a lifeline to Pyongyang's increasing isolated economy by hiring North Korean companies, despite the United Nations sanctions seeking to isolate the country.Tycho van der Hoog examines the relations between victorious southern African liberation movements and North Korea, from the 1960s to the present. He explains why African presidents sang and danced at parties in Pyongyang, and why North Korean books were translated into Swahili and Afrikaans. He reveals how African soldiers were trained in guerrilla warfare by North Korean instructors, and how North Korean labourers construct monuments in Africa in the shape of AK-47s. And he explores the question of how revolutionary regimes, motivated by a need for survival, work together to defy the global order.Based on extensive research across four continentsincluding recently disclosed African liberation archives and Korean diplomatic cablesthis innovative study is the first book on AfricanNorth Korean relations.
£22.50
Penguin Books Ltd Berlin Game
Book Synopsis''Masterly ... dazzlingly intelligent and subtle'' Sunday Times''Deighton''s best novel to date - sharp, witty and sour, like Raymond Chandler adapted to British gloom and the multiple betrayals of the spy'' ObserverEmbattled agent Bernard Samson is used to being passed over for promotion as his younger, more ambitious colleagues - including his own wife Fiona - rise up the ranks of MI6. When a valued agent in East Berlin warns the British of a mole at the heart of the Service, Samson must return to the field and the city he loves to uncover the traitor''s identity. This is the first novel in Len Deighton''s acclaimed, Game, Set and Match trilogy.A BERNARD SAMSON NOVELTrade ReviewThe Berlin Game trilogy made lockdown possible. -- Olivia LaingDeighton's outstanding achievement is the nine-volume series chronicling the life and times of Bernard Samson ... Deighton's Samson trilogies are as much about the elusiveness of human interactions as espionage. Spying is not a secret world sealed off from ordinary life but an extension of the world we all live in. -- John Gray * New Statesman *Spying at its most captivating and intricate. -- Marcel Berlins * The Times *Deighton's best novel to date - sharp, witty and sour, like Raymond Chandler adapted to British gloom and the multiple betrayals of the private spy. * Observer *Virtuoso top level performance. * The Guardian *Sheer consistent rightness page after page after page. * The Times *A labyrinthine espionage epic lightened with laconic wit. -- Jeremy Duns * The Times *Deighton, as always, makes the familiar twists and turns of spy errantry new again, partly by his grip of narrative, partly by his grasp of character, and partly by his easy, sardonic tone. * New Yorker *Len Deighton's spy novels are so good they make me sad the Cold War is over. -- Malcolm Gladwell
£9.49
The History Press Ltd The Last Cambridge Spy
Book SynopsisThe first biography of John Cairncross, the fifth member of the Cambridge spy ring and colleague of Alan TuringTrade ReviewThe Last Cambridge Spy is not just a fascinating, well-placed book about an interesting individual, but is also invites us to re-appraise the very idea of the 'Cambridge spy ring' -- Sir Dermot TuringChris Smith offer us a remarkable account of John Cairncross...he has captured him at last - a riveting read -- Professor Richard Aldrich
£13.49
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC Tanks at the Iron Curtain 197590
Book SynopsisA comprehensive, illustrated account of the new generation of advanced tanks to emerge during the last 15 years of the Cold War, showcasing major improvements in armor protection, gunsights, and fire-control systems.Focusing on the technology of the period, author Steven J. Zaloga explains how the demands of a potential Cold War battlefield spurred the development of the 20th century's most advanced tanks. He considers the final versions of the Soviet T-72, T-64, and T-80 and assesses their strengths and weaknesses. He also explores how the failure of the US-German MBT-70 project led to America's development of the M1 Abrams tank, and to Germany's all-new Leopard II. The British development of the Challenger tank is also considered, as is the lesser-known Leclerc tank developed by France, the smallest and lightest of any of the western designs. Featuring superbly detailed new illustrations and many photos, this volume pinpoints the key technology of the era, incluTable of ContentsINTRODUCTION THE TANKS, DOCTRINE, AND ORGANIZATION Soviet Union United States Germany UK France TANKS IN BATTLE TECHNICAL ANALYSIS Protection Firepower Combat effectiveness FURTHER READING INDEX
£11.69
Pen & Sword Books Ltd NATO and Warsaw Pact Armoured Fighting Vehicles
Book SynopsisWhile tanks were the most recognised armoured vehicles during the Cold War, NATO and Warsaw Pact (WP) armies fielded a wide array of armoured fighting vehicles (AFVs). These included armoured cars, armoured personnel carriers (APCs), anti-aircraft vehicles and self propelled artillery. Over the Cold War years nations both progressively developed series of AFVs and introduced entirely new ranges.APCs, vital to all frontline units, evolved from machine gun-armed battlefield taxis such as the US M113 and Soviet BTR-60 series into sophisticated infantry fighting vehicles. The Soviet BMP-1, US Bradley M2/M3, West German Marder and British Warrior and CVR series were classic examples of the latter, with numerous variants.The Soviet BRDM-2 series was the most numerous armoured car. The British Army fielded the Saladin, Ferret and Fox and the German Army introduced the eight-wheeled Luchs and tracked SPZ11-2 Kurz.Early anti-aircraft vehicles, such as the American M42 with two 40mm Bofors, were
£28.00
Vintage Publishing Putin: The explosive and extraordinary new
Book Synopsis'A perfect mirror to its subject... should be compulsory reading' ObserverVladimir Putin is a pariah to the West.He has the power to reduce the West to nuclear ashes. He invades his neighbours, meddles in western elections and orders assassinations. His regime is autocratic and corrupt. Yet many Russians continue to support him. Under Putin's leadership, Russia has once again become a force to be reckoned with.Philip Short's magisterial biography explores in unprecedented depth the personality of Russia's leader and demolishes many of our preconceptions about Putin's Russia.To explain is not to justify. Putin's regime is dark. But on closer examination, much of what we think we know about him turns out to rest on half-truths. This book is as close as we will come to understanding Russia's ruler.'Short's pushback against lazy, convenient myth-making is refreshing' The Times'Elegantly written and pacy' Financial Times 'Extensively covers the dark moments of Putin's career.... The Putin of Short's book is not someone you would invite to dinner' New York TimesTrade ReviewMagisterial... based on access to a Who's Who of senior politicians, diplomats and intelligence sources. * Guardian *An exhaustive profile * Daily Telegraph, *Books of the Year* *Exceptional... unlikely to be matched as a study of the man... It is readable, judicious, critical but balanced and focused on Putin the person rather than on the Putin regime * The Irish Times *[A] revealing and compellingly granular biography * Times Literary Supplement *Anyone wanting to learn more about Putin's personality, ideas, power and the threat he has come to pose to world peace should read this outstanding biography -- Ian Kershaw
£15.29
Princeton University Press Global Development
Book SynopsisIn this sweeping and incisive work, Lorenzini provides a global history of development, drawing on a wealth of archival evidence to offer a panoramic and multifaceted portrait of a Cold War phenomenon that transformed the modern world.Trade Review"[Sara] Lorenzini . . . presents an in-depth analysis of the process of global development based on national and regional archives and published sources. . . . This well-researched and illuminating book is an essential contribution to the history of postwar global development."---D. A. Chekki, Choice"In this impressive history, Lorenzini traces the journey of development thinking from its nineteenth-century origins through its entanglements in the great geopolitical struggles of the twentieth century."---G. John Ikenberry, Foreign Affairs"As the best global intellectual and political history of development available, Lorenzini’s book should become the standard assignment in classes on the history of development. . . . It deserves wide readership."---Nils Gilman, H-Diplo"Lorenzini . . . not interested in praising or denouncing the development enterprise, but rather in historicizing it, considering its origins, how it has changed over time, and how scholars can go about studying it. That alone makes these volumes welcome and timely."---Artemy M. Kalinovsky, Journal of Contemporary History"[A] smart, concise survey of twentieth-century development ideology and practice."---Thomas C. Field Jr., The Middle Ground Journal"Through its ambitious exploration across time and space, Global Development has performed an extraordinary feat; it is a book that will be of value to scholars and nonspecialists alike."---Giuliana Chamedes, American Historical Review"Sara Lorenzini offers a lucid, well written and often insightful narrative on the main globaldevelopment concepts and policies between 1945 and 1989."---Iris Borowy, Cold War History"Global Development is a thorough and accessible account of a very complex and important topic. It is an essential reading that deserves a wide (both scholarly and general) readership and that should be on the shelves of everyone interested in the topic of international development specifically and of the Cold War more generally."---Bence Kocsev, Comparativ"[Global Development] provides an impressive new account of the history of international development. . . . An evocative book that, given its range and broad coverage of topics, may become the go-to introductory history of the twentieth-century history of development for some time to come.—Igor Logvinenko, Political Science Quarterly"
£21.25
Simon & Schuster Ltd Dead Drop: TheTrue Story of Oleg Penkovsky and
Book SynopsisThe astonishing true story of how the CIA, MI6 and a Soviet defector saved the world in 1962, as told in the new film, The Courier, starring Benedict Cumberbatch. In August 1960, a Soviet colonel called Oleg Penkovsky tried to make contact with the West. His first attempt was to approach two young American students in Moscow. He handed them a bulky envelope and pleaded with them to deliver it to the American embassy. MI6 and the CIA came to believe Penkovsky was genuine and so the two agencies decided to run the operation jointly. It ran right through the Berlin crisis - in an astonishing near-miss, Penkovsky learned that the Wall was going to be built four days before it happened but was unable to contact his handlers - and the Cuban Missile Crisis, in which rocket manuals Penkovsky had handed over were crucial in determining what President Khrushchev was doing, and helped President John F. Kennedy and his team end the crisis and avert a nuclear war. Penkovsky, codenamed HERO, is widely seen as the most important spy of the Cold War, and the CIA-MI6 joint operation to run him has never been bettered. But had the KGB already 'turned' Penkovsky and were the Russians making sure he saw the information they wanted him to see? If so, it may even have been possible that the whole Cuban Missile Crisis might have been a Russian deception operation.Thrilling, evocative and hugely controversial, Dead Drop blows apart some of the myths about one of the Cold War's most well-known operations as the world stood on the brink of nuclear destruction.
£8.09
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC TSR2
Book SynopsisThe TSR2 is one of the greatest what-if aircraft of the Cold War, whose cancellation still generates anger and controversy among aviation fans. It was a magnificent, cutting-edge aircraft, one of the most striking of the Cold War, but fell victim to cost overruns, overambitious requirements, and politics. Its scrapping marked the point when Britain''s aerospace industry could no longer build world-class aircraft independently. After the demise of TSR2 the RAF''s future jets would be modified US aircraft like the Phantom and pan-European collaborations like Tornado and Typhoon.In this book the eminent air power analyst and ex-Vulcan bomber pilot Andrew Brookes takes a fresh, hard-headed look at the TSR2 project, telling the story of its development, short career, and cancellation, and evaluating how it would have performed in Cold War strike roles as well as in the recent wars in the Middle East.Table of ContentsIntroduction Origins Political Backdrop Project Overview Avionics Flight Test Cancellation What if TSR2 Survived? Comparisons with F-111 and Tornado Further Reading Index
£14.39
Cornerstone One Minute To Midnight
Book SynopsisOctober 27, 1962, a day dubbed Black Saturday in the Kennedy White House. The Cuban missile crisis is at its height, and the world is drawing ever closer to nuclear apocalypse.As the opposing Cold War leaders, John F. Kennedy and Nikita Khrushchev, mobilize their forces to fight a nuclear war on land, sea and air, the world watches in terror. In Bobby Kennedy''s words, ''There was a feeling that the noose was tightening on all of us, on Americans, on mankind, and that the bridges to escape were crumbling.''In One Minute to Midnight Michael Dobbs brings a fresh perspective to this crucial moment in twentieth-century history. Using a wealth of untapped archival material, he tells both the human and the political story of Black Saturday, taking the reader into the White House, the Kremlin and along the entire Cold War battlefront. Dobbs''s thrilling narrative features a cast of characters - including Soviet veterans never before interviewed by a western writer - with unique stories to tell, witnesses to one of the greatest mobilizations of men and equipment since the Second World War.Trade ReviewMesmerising stuff ... a riveting hour-by-hour account of one day that could have changed the history of humanity -- Joanna Bourke * The Times *[Dobbs] has made extensive use of untapped archive material to reveal the secrets of the cloak-and-dagger operations behind the nuclear stand-off in the Caribbean... Excellent -- John Crossland * Daily Mail *A book with sobering new information . . . as well as contemporary relevance . . . filled with insights that will change the views of experts -- Richard Holbrooke, former US ambassador to the UN * New York Times Book Review *Dobb's hour-by-hour overview is a worthy study of this much mythologised fortnight . . . Dobb's chronological approach not only provides a natural sense of pace, but also allows him to illustrate the near-fatal time lag in communication between the two sides * Time Out *In this compelling - and thrilling - new study by Michael Dobbs, there is much new material that forces us to revise our assumptions about the crisis... This is the first book about the crisis to tell the story of the tactical cruise missiles and the first to contain interviews with Soviet veterans. Dobbs adopts a cinematic style, cross-cutting between locations and time zones, and perfectly judges the acceleration of pace in the second half of the book which concentrates on Black Sunday. Unlike previous writers, Dobbs gives due prominence to the subplots, any one of which might have sparked mass destruction -- Christopher Silvester * Daily Express *
£10.44
Oxford University Press Oxford IB Diploma Programme The Cold War
Book SynopsisDrive critical, engaged learning and advanced skills development. Enabling comprehensive, rounded understanding, the student-centred approach actively develops the sophisticated skills key to performance in Paper 2. Developed directly with the IB for the 2015 syllabus, this Course Book fully supports the new comparative approach to learning.Cover the new syllabus in the right level of depth, with rich, thorough subject contentDeveloped directly with the IB, with the most comprehensive support for the new syllabus with complete support for the comparative approachTruly engage learners with topical, relevant material that convincingly connects learning with the modern, global worldStreamline your planning, with a clear and thorough structure helping you logically progress through the syllabusBuild the advanced-level skills learners need for Paper 2, with the student-led approach driving active skills development and strengthening exam performanceIntegrate approaches to learning with ATLs like thinking, communication, research and social skills built directly into learningHelp learners think critically about improving performance with extensive examiner insight and samples based on the latest exam formatBuild an advanced level, thematic understanding with fully integrated Global Contexts, Key Concepts and TOK Also available as an Online Course BookTable of Contents1. Growth and tension - the origins of the Cold War 1943-1949 ; 1.1 The formation of the grand alliance to 1943 ; 1.2 The wartime conferences 1943-1945 ; 1.3 The emergence of superpower rivalry in Europe 1945-1949 ; 1.4 Cold War crisis in Europe ; 1.5 The atom bomb ; 1.6 The roles of the USA and the Soviet Union in the origins of the Cold War ; 1.7 Case Study 1: Yugoslavia under Tito ; 2. Global spread of the Cold War 1945-1962 ; 2.1 Emergence of superpower rivalry in Asia 1945-1949 ; 2.2 Communist success in China and its relations with the USSR and the USA 1946-1949 ; 2.3 North Korean invasion of South Korea 1950 ; 2.4 Origins of the Non-Aligned Movement ; 2.5 old War crisis in Europe - the Hungarian uprising ; 2.6 The Suez Crisis ; 2.7 Congo Crisis 1960-1964 ; 2.85 Berlin Crisis and the Berlin Wall ; 2.9 Sino-Soviet tensions, the Taiwan Strait crises and the split ; 2.10 Cuban Missile Crisis ; 2.11 Case Study 2: Guatemala during the Cold War ; 3. Reconciliation and renewed conflict 1963-1979 ; 3.1 The invasion of Czechoslovakia ; 3.2 Arms race and detente ; 3.3 Sino-US agreements ; 3.4 The election, presidency and overthrow of Salvador Allende in Chile ; 3.5 Cold War crisis in Asia Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan 1979 ; 3.6 Case Study 3: Vietnam ; 4. The end of the Cold War ; 4.1 Eastern European dissent ; 4.2 Cold War crisis: The Able Archer crisis 1983 ; 4.3 Gorbachev's policies ; 4.4 The effect of Gorbachev's policies on Eastern Europe and the end of the Cold War ; 4.5 The end of the USSR 1989-1991
£35.99
Pan Macmillan 1946 The Making of the Modern World
Book SynopsisVictor Sebestyen was born in Budapest and was an infant when his family left Hungary as refugees. As a journalist, he was worked on numerous British newspapers, including The Times and the Daily Mail. He reported widely from Eastern Europe when Communism collapsed in 1989 and covered the war in former Yugoslavia. At the London Evening Standard he was foreign editor, media editor and chief leader writer. He is the author of the acclaimed Twelve Days, which documents the 1956 Hungarian Uprising, and Revolution 1989, an account of the fall of the Soviet empire.Trade ReviewThis is an exceptionally involving and horrifying book . . . heaven knows [Sebestyen] can tell a story. His short chapters are full of sharp judgements, apt and really colourful quotations and (I mean this as a compliment) grindingly awful detail. * Spectator *
£13.49
The University of Chicago Press How Reason Almost Lost Its Mind The Strange
Book SynopsisIn the United States at the height of the Cold War, roughly between the end of World War II and the early 1980s, a new project of redefining rationality commanded the attention of sharp minds, powerful politicians, wealthy foundations, and top military brass. Its home was the human sciencespsychology, sociology, political science, and economics, among othersand its participants enlisted in an intellectual campaign to figure out what rationality should mean and how it could be deployed. How Reason Almost Lost Its Mind brings to life the peopleHerbert Simon, Oskar Morgenstern, Herman Kahn, Anatol Rapoport, Thomas Schelling, and many othersand places, including the RAND Corporation, the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences, the Cowles Commission for Research and Economics, and the Council on Foreign Relations, that played a key role in putting forth a u201cCold War rationality.u201d Decision makers harnessed this picture of rationalityoptimizing, formal, algorithmic, and m
£19.00
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC The HAWK Air Defense Missile System
Book SynopsisThis is the first history of the legendary US Army''s HAWK missile system, the world''s first mobile air-defense missile system, which saw service and combat around the world.Designed to counteract the threat posed by advanced 1950s Soviet-built aircraft, the first HAWK unit became operational in 1959. At its peak, it saw frontline service in the Far East, Panama, Europe, and in the Middle East. Units were also used during the Cuban Missile Crisis, Vietnam War, and Persian Gulf War. In the hands of other nations, HAWK proved its efficacy in combat during the Arab-Israeli Wars, Iran-Iraq War, Chadian-Libyan War, and the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Credited with shooting down more than 100 aircraft during its combat career, the HAWK system was respected for its lethality. Such was Soviet concern, that the USSR developed electronic jammers, anti-radiation missiles, and other countermeasures specifically to degrade its effectiveness. The US retired its HAWK systems Trade ReviewMuch investigative work has gone into this little researched AA missile system -- John Ham * Tankette *As there is now a fine1/35 model of the HAWK missile unit on the market from AFV Club, I am sure many modellers will enjoy this new book and get plenty of ideas on how to set their model into a diorama scene. -- Robin Buckland * Military Model Scene *Table of ContentsINTRODUCTION DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT - Basic HAWK – the 1960s - Self-Propelled HAWK - the early 1970s - Improved HAWK – the 1970s - Product Improvement Program – the 1980s - Post-Cold War – the 1990s SYSTEM OPERATION - Unit organization - Operations OPERATIONAL HISTORY - Panama - Korea - Okinawa and the Far East - Florida and the Cuban Missile Crisis - Vietnam - Germany and Cold War Europe - Middle East and the Gulf War - US-based battalions LEGACY OF THE HAWK MISSILE SYSTEM BIBLIOGRAPHY INDEX
£11.39
Oxford University Press Born in the GDR
Book SynopsisThe changes that followed the fall of the Berlin Wall in November 1989 were particularly dramatic for East Germans. With the German Democratic Republic effectively taken over by West Germany in the reunification process, nothing in their lives was immune from change and upheaval: from the way they voted, the newspapers they read, to the brand of butter they bought. But what was it really like to go from living under communism one minute, to capitalism the next? What did the East Germans make of capitalism? And how do they remember the GDR today? Are their memories dominated by fear and loathing of the Stasi state, or do they look back with a measure of fondness and regret on a world of guaranteed employment and a relatively low cost of living? This is the story of eight citizens of the former German Democratic Republic, and how these dramatic changes affected them. All of the people in the book were born in East Germany after the Berlin Wall was put up in August 1961, so they knew nothing other than living in a socialist system when the GDR fell apart. Their stories provide a fascinating insight not only into everyday life in East Germany, but about how this now-vanished state is remembered today, a quarter of a century after the fall of the Wall.Trade ReviewShe has delivered a fascinating glimpse into the lives of others. * Daily Mail *Hester Vaizey's is the sort of scholarship I relish: detailed, plentiful new material to satisfy historians and sociologists, but respectful too of a more general readership. * Rebecca K Morrison, Independent *Above all, her honesty, both regarding her methodology and her reactions to the interviewees' stories, is refreshing. * The Writer's Drawer *A carefully-researched exploration of a disappeared society and the complexities of transition from one set of social and economic expectations to another. This is a thorough and sympathetic account of Germany's Unification generation. * Anne McElvoy, The Economist, and author of The Saddled Cow: East Germany's Life and Legacy *Born in the GDR is a helpful contribution to an understanding of the complexities of life then and its consequences now. * Ulrike Zitzlsperger, Times Higher Education *Table of ContentsPreface Glossary Introduction 1: Petra ~ Shaping the Change 2: Carola ~ Seeing the Contradictions 3: Lisa ~ Accepting the Circumstances 4: Mario ~ Feeling the Regime's Wrath 5: Katharina ~ Believing in God under Pressure 6: Robert ~ Supporting the Idea of Socialism 7: Mirko ~ Rejecting the Party Line 8: Peggy ~ Feeling Safe and Secure 9: Interpreting the End of East Germany Bibliography Index
£13.49
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC Spetsnaz
Book SynopsisWhen the shadowy, notorious Spetsnaz were first formed, they drew on a long Soviet tradition of elite, behind-the-lines commando forces from World War II and even earlier. Throughout the 1960s-70s they were instrumental both in projecting Soviet power in the Third World and in suppressing resistance within the Warsaw pact. As a powerful, but mysterious tool of a world superpower, the Spetsnaz have inevitably become the focus of many ''tall tales'' in the West. In this book, a peerless authority on Russia''s military Special Forces debunks several of these myths, uncovering truths that are often even more remarkable. Now, since the chaotic dissolution of the USSR and the two Chechen Wars, Russian forces have seen increasing modernization, involving them ever more in power-projection, counter-insurgency and anti-terrorism and the Spetsnaz have been deployed as a spearhead in virtually all of these operations. This book offers a unique, absorbing guide to the secrets of the Spetsnaz, theiTable of ContentsIntroduction: overview; background in Russian history and culture The Spetsnaz Tradition: special units of the Bolshevik Red Guard, and behind-the-lines NKVD operations in World War II /Cold Warriors: foundation by GRU, 1950 Operations 1960s–70s: Angola, Czechoslovakia, etc, and order-of-battle 1980 Operations in Afghanistan, and order-of-battle Spetsnaz after the USSR: the turmoil of the 1990s Tajikistan and Moldova, imitation units in post-Soviet states Operations in Chechnya, the Chechen Spetsnaz Modern Spetsnaz: increasing strength and importance Naval Spetsnaz, and order-of-battle 2013 Special Weapons Index
£13.49
University of Illinois Press Cold War on the Airwaves
Book SynopsisFounded as a counterweight to the Communist broadcasters in East Germany, Radio in the American Sector (RIAS) became one of the most successful public information operations conducted against the Soviet Bloc. Cold War on the Airwaves examines the Berlin-based organization's history and influence on the political worldview of the people--and government--on the other side of the Iron Curtain. Nicholas J. Schlosser draws on broadcast transcripts, internal memoranda, listener letters, and surveys by the U.S. Information Agency to profile RIAS. Its mission: to undermine the German Democratic Republic with propaganda that, ironically, gained in potency by obeying the rules of objective journalism. Throughout, Schlosser examines the friction inherent in such a contradictory project and propaganda's role in shaping political culture. He also portrays how RIAS's primarily German staff influenced its outlook and how the organization both competed against its rivals in the GDR and pushed communisTrade Review"Extensively annotated and superbly researched. . . . Schlosser has made an important contribution to the field of radio study by creating a tremendous "first stop" for researchers with an interest in the topic."--American Journalism "This is the type of study propaganda historians have been waiting for. Schlosser writes a compelling narrative of one of the Cold War's most influential broadcasting stations. With a big budget, a large staff of experienced journalists, and a huge audience, Radio in the American Sector, located in Berlin, lay at the epicenter of the ideological war between East and West. By carefully assessing the impact, content, context, and meaning of the influential Radio in the American Sector, Schlosser provides analytical precision and rich documentary evidence to support his contention that RIAS was a key political actor in East and West Germany alike. Situating the RIAS story in the maelstrom of postwar German politics, Schlosser connects his story to some of the most important--and dangerous--developments of the Cold War. Scholars and general readers interested in German history, journalism, propaganda, and international relations will find this book rewarding and provocative."--Kenneth Osgood, author of Total Cold War: Eisenhower's Secret Propaganda Battle at Home and Abroad"There is much to learn and possibly relearn in this new addition to the literature of Cold War-era propaganda studies…This intriguing case study, a microhistory of the Cold War tensions that plagued Berlin, reminds readers that this fractured city remained the epicenter of an enduring global conflict that lasted for decades. Highly recommended"--Choice"Schlosser's ability to examine the propaganda wars of the Cold War as a three-way conversation between RIAS, the East German regime, and its people represents an impressive achievement in the study of political culture and public diplomacy."--H-Net"This book is a little gem. With meticulous research, Nicholas Schlosser has recreated a fascinating slice of Cold War history: the struggle for the airwaves of Berlin undertaken by the American-funded station known as Radio in the American Sector. Key episodes include the Berlin Airlift, the role of the station in the East German Rising of 1953, and its coverage of the building of the Berlin Wall. This is a valuable addition to modern German history, U.S. propaganda history, international broadcasting studies, and the scholarship of the Cold War."--Nicholas J. Cull, author of The Cold War and the United States Information Agency, 1945–1989
£35.10
Christoph Links Verlag The Berlin Wall Story: Biography of a Monument
Book SynopsisWhere did the Berlin Wall actually stand? Why was it built? How did people keep managing to escape across it? And how many died in the attempt? Why did it come down in the end? Numerous previously unknown photographs document the construction of this barrier system of barbed wire, alarm fences and concrete. Spectacular escape stories and shocking deaths are chronicled here in words and images, as are the dramatic events surrounding the construction and the fall of the Wall. A stunning survey of the Berlin Wall - the central symbol of the Cold War.
£7.85
Manchester University Press The United States, the Soviet Union and the
Book SynopsisThe Arab-Israeli conflict cannot be properly understood without considering the larger context of the Cold War. This book provides a comprehensive analysis of Israel's relationships with the United States and the Soviet Union from 1948 to 1967, showing how the fledgling state had to manoeuvre between the two superpowers in order to survive. Collating information from hundreds of sources, many of them unavailable to the general public, it will be of great interest to students and scholars in international relations and political history, but also to the general reader, providing as it does a wide perspective of both Israel and the Arab countries and their interaction with the superpowers.Trade Review‘Joseph Heller is the doyen of historians of Zionist diplomacy. This book represents the crowning achievement of a lifetime devoted to study of the subject. It is the best-informed, most up-to-date, most thoroughly researched and most cogently argued analysis of Israel's relations with the superpowers between 1948 and 1967. Drawing on newly available Soviet, American, and Israeli archival sources, it sheds light on the Cold War framework within which Israeli foreign policy was perforce conducted. It will be essential reading for all those who seek to understand the basic underpinnings of the Arab-Israeli conflict in its formative phase.’Bernard Wasserstein, University of Chicago‘Joseph Heller’s latest work has delved deeply into Israeli archives to uncover hitherto unpublished diplomatic correspondence which illuminates the evolution of Israeli policy during the maelstrom of superpower rivalry in the Middle East. The complexity of Israel’s position was accentuated by its desire to secure the emigration of Soviet Jews – and Professor Heller describes the tortuous balancing acts that were performed between national interests and ideological necessity. This is an interesting work of detailed research and casts new light and different interpretations on the triangular relationship of Israel, the US and the USSR.’Colin Shindler, SOAS, University of London'Using Russian and Hebrew as well as European sources, Joseph Heller argues persuasively that Israeli leaders saw themselves "trapped" between the Soviet Union and the United States. The Soviets were a ferocious enemy, believing Israel to be an American puppet while apprehensive that Zionism might create a Jewish nationalist awakening in the Soviet Union itself. The Americans provided indispensable economic support yet kept an insufferable hand on the Israeli collar, fearing that Israel could further alienate the Arab states from the West. Building to the climax of the 1967 war, this is an indispensable book.' Wm. Roger Louis, University of Texas -- .Table of ContentsIntroduction1 The Soviet Union and Israel: from the Gromyko declaration to the death of Stalin (1947–53)2 The United States and the Cold War: from Truman to Eisenhower (1948–53)3 Israel and the Soviet Union prior to the Suez Crisis (1953–56)4 Sharett versus Eisenhower and Dulles (1953–56)5 Israel and the United States on the road to war (November 1955–November 1956)6 The Eisenhower Doctrine and Israel (November 1956–January 1958)7 Soviet– Israeli relations after the Suez War (1956–61)8 How the Middle East crises affected US policy toward Israel (1958–60)9 Kennedy, Israel and the Cold War before the Cuban Missile Crisis (1961–62)10 Was Kennedy the ‘father’ of the US– Israeli alliance? (1962–63)11 Khrushchev, Israel and Soviet Jewry (1961–64)12 Was Johnson the ‘father’ of the US– Israeli alliance?: the Memorandum of Understanding (1964–65)13 Johnson, Israel and the Cold War: testing the Memorandum of Understanding (1965–67)14 The Soviet Union, Israel and Soviet Jewry (1964–67)15 The United States and the crisis of the Six Day War (May 14–June 5, 1967)16 The Soviet Union and the Six Day War (May 14–June 5, 1967)ConclusionsIndex
£21.00
Penguin Books Ltd The Honourable Schoolboy
Book SynopsisIn the second part of John le Carré''s Karla Trilogy, the battle of wits between spymaster George Smiley and his Russian adversary takes on an even more dangerous dimension.George Smiley, now acting head of the Circus, must rebuild its shattered reputation after one of the biggest betrayals in its history. Using the talents of journalist and occasional spy Jerry Westerby, Smiley launches a risky operation uncovering a Russian money-laundering scheme in the Far East. His aim: revenge on Karla, head of Moscow Centre and the architect of all his troubles. ''Energy, compassion, rich and overwhelming sweep of character and action'' The Times''A remarkable sequel ... the achievement is in the characters, major and minor ... all burned on the brain of the reader'' The New York TimesTHE SIXTH GEORGE SMILEY NOVEL
£9.49
Casemate Publishers Special Forces Berlin: Clandestine Cold War
Book SynopsisIt is a little-known fact that during the Cold War, two U.S. Army Special Forces detachments were stationed far behind the Iron Curtain in West Berlin. The existence and missions of the two detachments were highly classified secrets.The massive armies of the Soviet Union and its Warsaw Pact allies posed a huge threat to the nations of Western Europe. US military planners decided they needed a plan to slow the juggernaut they expected when and if a war began. The plan was Special Forces Berlin. The first 40 men who came to Berlin in mid-1956 were soon reinforced by 60 more and these 100 soldiers (and their successors) would stand ready to go to war at only two hours’ notice, in a hostile area occupied by nearly one million Warsaw Pact forces, until 1990.Their mission should hostilities commence was to wreak havoc behind enemy lines, and buy time for vastly outnumbered NATO forces to conduct a breakout from the city. In reality it was an ambitious and extremely dangerous mission, even suicidal. Highly trained and fluent in German, each man was allocated a specific area. They were skilled in clandestine operations, sabotage, intelligence tradecraft and able to act if necessary as independent operators, blending into the local population and working unseen in a city awash with spies looking for information on their every move.Special Forces Berlin was a one of a kind unit that had no parallel. It left a legacy of a new type of soldier expert in unconventional warfare, one that was sought after for other deployments including the attempted rescue of American hostages from Tehran in 1979. With the U.S. government officially acknowledging their existence in 2014, their incredible story can now be told.Trade ReviewThe reader learns not only the history, but also the individual soldier’s motivations and way of thinking. The work leaves nothing to be desired and closes gaps in the history of the Cold War…I recommend this book highly. * Colonel Friedrich Jeschonnek (German Army Retired), Editor, Hardthöhenkurier *The Cold War in Europe is an often overlooked part of American military history because it stayed cold. But as this book shows, for the men serving on the front lines next to the Iron Curtain, conflict was always a real possibility that could happen at any time. Their sacrifice and service helped ensure the eventual collapse of communism in Eastern Europe and the peaceful reunification of Germany. * New York Journal of Books *More akin to a spy thriller...Truly a fascinating time, which this intriguing book examines from an entirely fresh perspective. * History of War Magazine *A fascinating look inside special ops in the Cold War period. * The Armourer *This study is rewarding for anyone interested in the Cold War, Special Forces, or Berlin. In fact, this is a considerable achievement, a contribution to history that gives the reader a micro-view of the realities of military life. * Dr Jonathan House, Professor Emeritus at USACGSC *This book is excellent and it is well written. One characteristic the Directorate of Operations and the Directorate of Intelligence at CIA had in common: understandable diction. Every sentence and every word is understandable. * International Journal of Intelligence and Counterintelligence *Special Forces Berlin is a must-read for military historians and should be mandatory reading for future generations of professional military leaders. In addition to adding to the body of knowledge of the Cold War years, the author—himself a former Green Beret—has lifted the veil of secrecy surrounding an elite Special Forces organization. * Association of the United States Army *I strongly recommend this book...this is one of the best examples of applied unconventional warfare in special operations history. * Small Wars Journal.com *Reads like a thriller for much of the time - a small, select force ready for action should the Soviets escalate their activities in Western Europe - nothing much has changed in the last sixty years or so! * Books Monthly *
£21.25
MP-MPP University Press of Mississippi Silent Warriors Incredible Courage The
Book SynopsisThe outbreak of the Korean War in June 1950 took the American military by surprise. Rushing to respond, the US and its allies developed a selective overflight program to gather intelligence. This book offers a history of the Cold War overflights of the Soviet Union and China, based on extensive interviews with dozens of pilots.
£23.96
University of Massachusetts Press Hanoi Jane: War, Sex and Fantasies of Betrayal
Book SynopsisFrom Aristophanes' Lysistrata to the notorious Mata Hari and the legendary Tokyo Rose, stories of female betrayal during wartime have recurred throughout human history. The myth of Hanoi Jane, Jerry Lembcke argues, is simply the latest variation on this enduring theme. Like most of the iconic femmes fatales who came before, it is based on a real person, Jane Fonda. And also like its predecessors, it combines traces of fact with heavy doses of fiction to create a potent symbol of feminine perfidy--part erotic warrior-woman Barbarella, part savvy anti-war activist, and part powerful entrepreneur. Hanoi Jane, the book, deconstructs Hanoi Jane, the myth, to locate its origins in the need of Americans to explain defeat in Vietnam through fantasies of home-front betrayal and the masculation of the national will-to-war. Lembcke shows that the expression "Hanoi Jane" did not reach the eyes and ears of most Americans until five or six years after the end of the war in Vietnam. By then, anxieties about America's declining global status and deteriorating economy were fuelling a populist reaction that pointed to the loss of the war as the taproot of those problems. Blaming the anti-war movement for undermining the military's resolve, many found in the imaginary Hanoi Jane the personification of their stab-in-the back theories. Ground zero of the myth was the city of Hanoi itself, which Jane Fonda had visited as a peace activist in July 1972. Rumours surrounding Fonda's visits with U.S. POWs and radio broadcasts to troops combined to conjure allegations of treason that had cost American lives. That such tales were more imagined than real did not prevent them from insinuating themselves into public memory, where they have continued to infect American politics and culture. Hanoi Jane is a book about the making of Hanoi Jane by those who saw a formidable threat in the Jane Fonda who supported soldiers and veterans opposed to the war they fought, in the postcolonial struggle of the Vietnamese people to make their own future, and in the movements of women everywhere for gender equality.
£21.80
John Murray Press Checkmate in Berlin: The First Battle of the Cold
Book Synopsis'Brilliantly written and completely absorbing, this is Milton's masterpiece' ANTHONY HOROWITZBERLIN'S FATE WAS SEALED AT THE 1945 YALTA CONFERENCE.The city was to be carved up between the victorious powers - British, American, French and Soviet - with four all-powerful commandants ruling over their sectors. On paper, it seemed a pragmatic solution; in reality, it marked the start of a ferocious battle of wits. As relations between east and west broke down, these rival commandants fought a desperate battle for control. In doing so, they fired the starting gun for the Cold War. From America's explosive Frank 'Howlin' Mad' Howley, a sharp-tongued colonel with a loathing for Russians, to his nemesis, Russia's charmingly deceptive General Alexander Kotikov, CHECKMATE IN BERLIN tells the exhilarating, high-stakes story of kidnap, skullduggery, sabotage, murder and the greatest aerial operation in history. This is the epic story of the first battle of the Cold War and how it shaped the modern world.'An excellent storyteller' ANDREW ROBERTS 'A book full of heroes' THE TIMESTrade ReviewPRAISE FOR GILES MILTON:The master of narrative history * Sunday Times *A compulsive storyteller * Daily Express *A first-rate storyteller * Wall Street Journal *A meticulous researcher and masterful storyteller * USA Today *PRAISE FOR CHECKMATE IN BERLIN:Brilliantly recapturing the febrile atmosphere of Berlin in the first four years after the Second World War, Giles Milton reminds us what an excellent story-teller he is, and how often and easily the Cold War could have grown red hot. From the major decision-makers in the four Allied Governments who ran the former Nazi capital, right the way down to the spooks, soldiers, crooks and civilians at street level, he has an unerring sense for the revealing incident and hitherto-untold story. * Andrew Roberts, author of 'Churchill: Walking with Destiny' *From the Yalta Conference to the birth of NATO, Checkmate in Berlin balances the sweep of history against a group of truly extraordinary personalities. Brilliantly written and completely absorbing, this is Milton's masterpiece. * Anthony Horowitz *Giles Milton never disappoints. The man who helped to turn narrative history into one of the most popular genres in modern publishing, this latest is up there with his best. Milton paints characters so vividly, and his writing has the momentum of a novel, only better, because it's all true. * Dan Snow *A wonderfully clear and digestible account. . . The devastation wrought on Berlin by the Russians is vividly described by the British historian Giles Milton in a series of sharp vignettes. . . as gripping as any thriller. * Craig Brown, Mail on Sunday *'A sparkling, Le Carré-esque history ... Anyone who has read Milton's previous works of narrative history will know how good he is with set pieces, and at making familiar figures grab the attention afresh...But although Milton has great fun with the big players, the triumph of the book is its depiction of the men who ran things on the ground in Berlin, who in Milton's hands turn out to be figures hardly less compelling than Churchill and Stalin... Thoroughly entertaining.' ***** Daily TelegraphThe sharp-eyed narrative historian Giles Milton charts the transition from the Yalta conference in February 1945 to the breaking of the Soviet blockade of West Berlin in May 1949... The Soviet blockade of Berlin between 1948 and 1949 is expertly told by Milton...This is a book full of heroes. * The Times *Giles Milton is a skillful storyteller. His latest book, vivid and pacy, chronicles the first four years of the Berlin occupation through the first-hand accounts of the individuals involved. * The Spectator *Masterful storytelling... Accessible, engaging and very entertaining, this is a superb read for anyone who wants to know more about the drama, atmosphere, politics and personalities of post-war Berlin. * Literary Review *
£11.69
John Murray Press Betrayal in Berlin
Book SynopsisA true Cold War espionage thriller set in the ultra-secret Berlin Tunnel - where British officer George Blake must run a high-stakes double cross to maintain his cover.Trade ReviewA spy thriller that kept me up all night. Magnificent story-telling, always clear, every episode meticulously researched. It's also a fascinating commentary on the height of the Cold War with Eisenhower, Kennedy and Khrushchev intimately involved in the skulduggery in Berlin -- Peter SnowA super book, beautifully told and compelling throughout. Vogel sketches George Blake perfectly as a diffident traitor who combines high intellect with ruthlessness -- Luke Harding, author of 'Collusion'A crackling Cold War espionage story, Betrayal in Berlin takes you to the peaks of spying ambition and the depths of betrayal * The Billion Dollar Spy *One of the most dramatic spy stories of the Cold War, superbly told by a real authority on the subject * One Minute to Midnight *Through fresh interviews with principal participants and extensive archival research, Steve Vogel has made the story of the Berlin Tunnel new again. I was riveted to the narrative from start to finish * A Brotherhood of Spies *Steve Vogel is a talented and gifted writer who brings the personalities and idiosyncrasies of every participant in this operation to life...truly one of those rare books you can't put down * Circle of Treason *Praise for Steve Vogel:Probably the best piece of military history that I have read or reviewed in the past five years. . . . This well-researched and superbly written history has all the trappings of a good novel * The Washington Times *[A] fine study . . . Steve Vogel does a superb job of bringing this woeful tale to life * The Washington Post *
£11.69
Central European University Press Hungary in the Cold War, 1945-1956: Between the
Book SynopsisBased on new archival evidence, examines Soviet Empire building in Hungary and the American response to it. Hungary was not important enough to resist the Soviets, its democratic opposition failed to win American sympathy, the US simply had no leverage over the Soviets, who sacrificed cooperation with the West for a closed sphere in Eastern Europe. The imposition of a Stalinist regime assured Hungary's unconditional loyalty to Soviet imperial needs. Unlike the GDR, Eastern Europe was never considered a bargaining chip for bettering relations with the West. The book analyzes why, given all its idealism and power, the US failed even in its minimal aims concerning the states of Eastern Europe. Eventually both powers pursued power politics: the Soviets in a naked form, the US subtly, but both with little regard for the fate of Hungarians.Trade Review"This monograph is a study of Hungary's political and economic history during the first decade of Soviet domination, which ended in the revolution of 23 October 1956. László Borhi perceives this era as bounded by acts of western perfidy... Borhi describes and analyzes this period expertly and his book is a valuable addition to Hungarian historiography." * Slavic Review *"Borhi opens the Hungarian archives for English readers and tells from a Hungarian perspective the familiar stories of the end of World War II, the imposition of the Soviet model on Eastern Europe, and the explosion of 1956. Not only does this yield new detail that considerably complicates the stark narrative of the Cold War years, but it also puts motivations and events in a new light." * Foreign Affairs *"... a major contribution, as the author has explored very thoroughly not only the Hungarian but also the US, Russian, and French archives and nearly all the available sources... The main focus is the beginning, the period immediately following World War II... a good approach, for country studies based on cholarly sources are still quite scarce. Borhi is the first scholar to have provided a full, 360-degree picture of the ruinous consequences of the Soviet occupation on the Hungarian economy... an illuminating and insightful exploration of what Soviet rule in Eastern Europe was really about." * American Historical Review *Table of ContentsAcknowledgements Introduction CHAPTER I We Do Not Wish to Move a Finger CHAPTER II The Myth of Democracy CHAPTER III The Communists Take Over CHAPTER IV The Merchants of the Kremlin CHAPTER V Empire by Coercion CHAPTER VI Containment, Rollback, Liberation or Inaction? Conclusion Bibliography Index
£62.05
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC US Navy Gun Destroyers 194588
Book SynopsisAn illustrated history of the long Cold War careers of the US Navy''s last gun destroyers, from the modernized World War II-era Fletcher-class to the Forrest Sherman-class. The finest American destroyers of World War II had surprisingly long careers into the Cold War and the missile age. The 175-strong Fletcher-class was the largest class of US Navy destroyers ever built, and most received some modernization after World War II. A handful were converted into ASW (Anti-Submarine Warfare) escorts and one was even converted into the US Navy's first guided missile destroyer. Many Sumner-class destroyers were also kept in service, with the last decommissioned in 1973. The Gearing class was the classic US Navy wartime destroyer to have a second Cold War career, some being modified into picket ships and others into ASW escorts. Ninety-five were extensively modernized under the Fleet Modernization and Rehabilitation (FRAM) program which allowed them to serve until 1980. The majority ofTable of ContentsINTRODUCTION USN COLD WAR DESTROYER DESIGNS USN COLD WAR DESTROYER WEAPONS Guns Missiles Torpedoes ASW weapons USN COLD WAR DESTROYER SENSORS Radars ASW sensors COLD WAR GUN DESTROYERS AT WAR AND IN PEACE THE DESTROYER CLASSES The Fletcher class Sumner class Gearing class Norfolk class Mitscher class Forrest Sherman class ANALYSIS AND CONCLUSION FURTHER READING INDEX
£11.69
Harvard University Press The Frontline
Book SynopsisThe Frontline collects essays in a companion volume to Plokhy’s The Gates of Europe and Chernobyl. The essays present further analysis of key events in Ukrainian history, including Ukraine’s relations with Russia and the West, the Holodomor and World War II, the impact of Chernobyl, and Ukraine’s contribution to the collapse of the Soviet Union.Trade ReviewExceptionally illuminating for the current moment…What emerges from some of these essays…is a powerful sense that Putin’s wantonly destructive delusions and machinations have had the unintended effect of helping to consolidate Ukraine as the unified and distinctive nation whose existence he flatly denies. -- Larry Wolff * Times Literary Supplement *This collection is an excellent overview of some of the historical undercurrents which diffused the Ukrainian narrative—from west to east—across Ukraine’s Russified central and southeast oblasts over the past twenty years. Most importantly, these essays shed light on why the overwhelming majority of Ukraine’s citizens adopted this narrative and why they still defiantly resist returning to Russia’s colonial orbit. -- George O. Liber * Russian Review *
£15.26
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC Chobham Armour
Book SynopsisA comprehensive overview of the work of the Military Vehicles Research and Development Establishment on Chobham Common, which provided armoured vehicles for the British Army from 1945 to its close in 2004.Through much of World War II British tanks and armoured vehicles were outmatched by the German tanks they encountered and this led to the British Army placing much emphasis on ensuring that the same situation would not arise again if the Cold War turned hot. The task of developing the Main Battle Tanks and supporting armoured vehicles to out-range and quickly destroy the Soviet threat fell to the scientists and engineers at the Fighting Vehicle Research and Development Establishment on Chobham Common near to Chertsey. It was the design authority for all British Military vehicles for most of the period.Military vehicle and equipment expert William Suttie draws extensively on official MOD reports to tell the story of the development of the British Cold War armoTrade ReviewBy its nature, the book is fairly technical, but explained clearly and with fine supporting photos and diagrams. Of particular interest to wargamers will be the tables giving ‘hit’ and ‘kill’ probabilities for NATO and Soviet anti-tank weaponry against main battle tanks, based on official systems that reflected target size, armour, ranges, etc, with some comparisons that may surprise you. A quality publication. -- Chris Jarvis * Miniature Wargames *The author has spent around 45 years working in the field of military vehicle/equipment research and development and that experience shines through in this book. -- Robin Buckland * Military Model Scene *An excellant resource for those interested in Cold War British Armour -- Duncan Evans * The Armourer Magazine *As one would expect the book is lavishly illustrated, with photographs of those vehicles that were actually constructed and plans for most of those that weren’t. Well written and lavishly illustrated, this is an excellent guide to the mainly successful military vehicles designed at Chobham. -- John Rickard * Historyofwar.org *Table of Contents(Subject to confirmation) Part 1. Main Battle Tank Development Centurion FV215 Conqueror Countering the Soviet Tank Threat FV4201 Chieftain Chieftain Variants Novel Concept Studies UK/German Future Main Battle Tank MBT80 and the 4030 Programme Challenger 1 Challenger 1 Variants Challenger 2 Future Concept Studies Part 2. Medium and Light Tracked AFV Development Light Tanks and Combat Vehicle Reconnaissance Tracked 93 Carriers and Armoured Personal Carriers Warrior AFV of the 80s Stage 1 Other Light and Medium Tracks Concept Studies Part 3. Wheeled AFV Concepts and Development Saladin and Saracen Ferret and Fox Part 4. Other Vehicles Associated with Chertsey 1 Ton Armoured 4x4 Humber FV180 Combat Engineer Tractor SP70: 155mm Self Propelled Howitzer Annex A: List of FV Numbers Annex B: Centurion Data Annex C. Chieftain Data Annex D: Challenger 1 Data Annex E: CVR(T) Data Annex F: FV430 Series Data Annex G: Warrior Data Annex H: Saladin Data Annex J: Saracen Data Annex J: Ferret Data Annex K: FV721 Fox Data Index
£28.00
Harvard University Press Ukraines Nuclear Disarmament
Book SynopsisBased on original and previously unavailable documents, Yuri Kostenko’s account of the negotiations surrounding the Budapest Memorandum agreement between Ukraine, Russia, and the US reveals for the first time the internal debates of the Ukrainian government, as well as the pressure exerted upon it by its international partners.Trade ReviewA really, really interesting story, almost unknown in the West…Nuclear weapons were Ukraine’s security, and they gave it up because the US and Russia were working together…What has happened to Ukraine since it was disarmed has and will have a negative impact on the global story of denuclearization. Countries are going to think twice next time someone comes along proposing to give them a piece of paper in exchange for their nuclear weapons. -- Serhii Plokhy * Five Books *An interesting and timely document that will be of great interest not only to Ukraine scholars but also to the scholars of national security and global nuclear politics. -- Eglė Rindzevičiūtė * Slavic Review *An absorbing read, providing historical insights on the demise of the Soviet Union, the emergence of independent Ukraine, the management of its relations with Moscow and the West, and challenges and pitfalls of diplomacy from a position of weakness. It contains important lessons for the management of today’s proliferation challenges in North East Asia and the Middle East. -- John Tilemann * Australian Outlook *A story of David (new-born Ukraine) versus Goliath (Russia), with a fierce domestic debate in the political sphere in Ukraine—less so in the societal sphere—between actors with different beliefs and interests…Crucial in light of the current happenings, already at the beginning of the 1990s one could discern indications that it was extremely important to Russia that Ukraine would remain within its sphere of influence. -- Tom Sauer * Canadian Slavonic Papers *Revealing…Drawing on the parliamentary and executive government portfolios that Kostenko held during the 1990s, the book lays out a picture of the intense domestic and international political struggles that prompted Kiev to give up the bomb that some Ukrainians today wistfully believe could have deterred Russia from gobbling up Crimea while fomenting separatism in the country’s east. -- Bennett Ramberg * Political Science Quarterly *Yuri Kostenko has written a superb book explaining why Ukraine gave up its nuclear weapons in the mid-1990s, leaving itself without a deterrent against Russia. He shows in fascinating detail that pressure from Moscow and Washington left Ukraine with little choice but to surrender its nuclear arsenal. Kostenko directly ties that fateful decision to the war that broke out between Russia and Ukraine in 2014, in which Ukraine was largely defenseless and the United States, which had promised to defend Ukraine’s sovereignty, sat on the sidelines. The implicit message of Ukraine’s Nuclear Disarmament is clear: there is no substitute for a nuclear deterrent when you live in a dangerous neighborhood. -- John J. Mearsheimer, R. Wendell Harrison Distinguished Service Professor of Political Science, University of Chicago, and author of Great Delusion: Liberal Dreams and International RealitiesYuri Kostenko’s rich, cogent, and well-sourced insider account of Ukraine giving up the world’s third largest nuclear arsenal in the 1990s shows how power asymmetries and state-building affect international political outcomes in nontrivial and counterintuitive ways—with the security dilemma engendering hasty unilateral disarmament; costly commitments demanded from weaker rather than stronger states; and democratic peace falling short of its promises even with the endorsement of the world’s most powerful democracies. A must-read for students of international politics, the book explains how authoritarian adversaries can leverage America’s security concerns of the day to subvert fledgling democracies and why support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and integration with the West is in America’s vital long-term national interest. -- Mikhail Alexseev, Professor in the Department of Political Science, San Diego State University, and author of Without Warning: Threat Assessment, Intelligence, and Global StruggleUkraine’s Nuclear Disarmament is the definitive account of the fateful decision to unilaterally dismantle the world’s third largest nuclear arsenal. Yuri Kostenko was the consummate insider, with privileged access to the actors and arguments that led to a decision whose legacy continues to haunt Ukraine’s future. Not only does he produce a wealth of new material, some previously classified; he disposes of the myth that the opponents of this decision wished to maintain Ukraine’s nuclear status. Until now, the straw man of ‘nuclear-armed Ukraine’ has impeded critical thought about whether more could have been done to ensure ‘effective disarmament.’ Kostenko’s detailed and engrossing account will enlighten and disquiet in equal measure. -- James Sherr, Senior Fellow, Estonian Foreign Policy Institute at the International Centre for Defence and Security, and Associate Fellow, Chatham House Russia and Eurasia ProgrammeEven readers who believe that Ukraine never had a realistic chance—technically or politically—of emerging as a full-fledged nuclear weapons state in the 1990s will find Yuri Kostenko’s book extremely illuminating. Having served as Ukraine’s minister of environmental protection and a member of the Ukrainian parliament during the protracted debates on the nuclear issue, Kostenko provides a richly detailed insider’s account that underscores the importance of political divisions within Ukraine in shaping the outcome. These divisions, he contends, gave greater leverage to external actors and prevented Ukraine from pursuing the kind of deal he favored: a deal that would have given Ukraine more robust security guarantees and greater financial compensation in exchange for relinquishing all the nuclear missiles left on its territory after the demise of the Soviet Union. -- Mark Kramer, Director of Cold War Studies, Harvard University
£22.46
Octopus Publishing Group The Fourth Man: The Hunt for the KGB’s CIA Mole
Book Synopsis***'Reads like Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy' -James Risen, The Intercept'A compelling account of the ongoing search for the Fourth Man... a gripping and mind-bending read' - Dr. Mark Stout, The Daily Beast For the first time ever, New York Times bestselling author and former CIA operative Robert Baer tells the explosive story of how insiders believe a KGB mole rose to the highest ranks of the CIA.In the aftermath of the Cold War, US intelligence caught three high-profile Russian spies. However, these arrests left major questions unanswered, and rumours have long swirled of another mole, often referred to as the Fourth Man. Three pioneering female veterans of counterintelligence were tasked with unearthing him. With steadfast determination and expertise, they came to a shocking conclusion, one which had, and continues to harbour, dramatic consequences for American security.In this gripping insider account, Baer tells a thrilling story of Russian espionage and American intelligence. With profound implications for the rise of Vladimir Putin and international relations with Russia, The Fourth Man is a real-life spy thriller with echoes of John Le Carré.Trade ReviewReads like Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy * James Risen, The Intercept *A compelling account of the ongoing search for the Fourth Man... a gripping and mind-bending read * Dr. Mark Stout, The Daily Beast *If you want a good thriller to read, here it is: The Fourth Man by Bob Baer * Erica Hill, CNN New Day *Fascinating stuff from one of the best experts on this in the business. * Jim Acosta, CNN *
£18.00
MIT Press Think Tank Aesthetics Midcentury Modernism the
Book SynopsisHow the approaches and methods of think tanks—including systems theory, operational research, and cybernetics—paved the way for a peculiar genre of midcentury modernism.In Think Tank Aesthetics, Pamela Lee traces the complex encounters between Cold War think tanks and the art of that era. Lee shows how the approaches and methods of think tanks—including systems theory, operations research, and cybernetics—paved the way for a peculiar genre of midcentury modernism and set the terms for contemporary neoliberalism. Lee casts these shadowy institutions as sites of radical creativity and interdisciplinary practice in the service of defense strategy. Describing the distinctive aesthetics that emerged from such institutions as the RAND Corporation, she maps the multiple and overlapping networks that connected nuclear strategists, mathematicians, economists, anthropologists, artists, designers, and art historians.Lee recounts, among other things,
£28.80
Oneworld Publications The Man with the Poison Gun: A Cold War Spy Story
Book Synopsis1961. The height of the Cold War. Just hours before work begins on the Berlin Wall, a KGB assassin and his young wife flee for the West before the Iron Curtain comes down and traps them in the East forever. This gripping story of real-life espionage and intrigue began when the Soviets invented a special weapon that killed without leaving a trace and put it in the hands of Bogdan Stashinsky. It is a tale of exploding parcels, fake identities, forbidden love and a man who knew the truth about the USSR’s most classified programme. By the time Stashinsky had his day in court, the whole world was watching.Trade Review‘Remarkable…moves nimbly from midnight shenanigans in Berlin to the bigger picture of superpowers arguing over captive nations.’ * The Times *‘With tensions once again rising…this book makes fascinating reading.’ * Spectator *‘Imaginative…insightful…alarmingly resonant.’ * New Statesman *‘Brims with skulduggery…balances its cloak-and-dagger element with historical insight.’ * Telegraph *‘Gripping.' * GQ *‘One of the greatest espionage stories of all time. Plokhy’s riveting tale of how a KGB assassin came in from the cold reads like a thriller because it is a thriller and all the more powerful because every word is true.’ -- Michael Smith, author of Foley: The Spy Who Saved 10,000 Jews‘This is a remarkable story about one Soviet agent’s attempt to free himself from the overweening and terrifying grip of the KGB at the height of the Cold War. Serhii Plokhy superbly captures the tense mood of the late 1950s and early 1960s in the USSR...thrilling.’ -- Roger Hermiston, author of The Greatest Traitor: The Secret Lives of Agent George Blake‘Evoking classic spy thrillers, Serhii Plokhy – one of the foremost experts on Russian and Cold War history alive today – masterfully tells the stranger than fiction tale of soviet spy Bogdan Stashinsky and the most publicized assassination case of the Cold War.’ -- Anne Applebaum, author of Gulag: A History and Iron Curtain‘The Man with the Poison Gun is the classic old-school Cold War spy tale. It’s all here—the trench coats, the cigarette smoke, the high stakes, the special weapons—deeply documented and smoothly told by Professor Plokhy. In the literature on 20th-century espionage, this book belongs on the top shelf.’ -- Mark Riebling, author of Church of Spies‘This book often reads like an Ian Fleming spy novel, but it is actually about real events that occurred during the tensest phase of the Cold War in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Serhii Plokhy provides a riveting account of the exploits of a Soviet assassin who used poison gas to kill exiled opponents of the Soviet regime amid East-West preparations for all-out war. Plokhy’s meticulously researched book sheds valuable light on the Soviet regime’s continued use of political assassinations in foreign countries long after the death of Joseph Stalin. A wonderful read for scholars and spy novel fans alike.’ -- Mark Kramer, director of Cold War Studies, Harvard University‘A gripping portrait of an assassin and his journey from recruitment to mission to defection, The Man with the Poison Gun exhumes one of the Cold War’s stranger episodes—the KGB’s murder of Ukrainian émigrés with a spray gun that squirted poison. Author Serhii Plokhy tells an evocative and informative tale, based on original archival research, that immerses us in the tradecraft of Soviet spies operating in Western Europe.’ -- Peter Finn, co-author of The Zhivago Affair: The Kremlin, the CIA, and the Battle Over a Forbidden Book‘Serhii Plokhy, one of the most brilliant historians of our era, has retraced the steps of a murderer and this gripping book is the result. The Man with the Poison Gun will appeal equally to students of history and lovers of spy thrillers.’ -- Mary Elise Sarotte, author of The Collapse: The Accidental Opening of the Berlin Wall‘Serhii Plokhy has alighted upon a fascinating episode in the history of Soviet intelligence…Plokhy, a leading Harvard professor, details the story in startling clarity and pinpoint accuracy from an impressive array of sources, German, Russian, Ukrainian and American. Yet he carries his learning lightly, which makes for a very readable story that could as well have emerged from the pen of a spy thriller writer.’ -- Jonathan Haslam, George F. Kennan Professor, School of Historical Studies, Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton, and author of Near and Distant Neighbours: A New History of Soviet Intelligence‘An extraordinary story told with verve and scholarship.’ -- Andrew Lownie, author of Stalin’s Englishman: The Lives of Guy Burgess
£10.79