Spies

The Epic Intelligence War Between East and West

By: Calder Walton

Narrated by: Dugald Bruce-Lockhart

Foreign Policy Best Book of 2023
Foreign Affairs Best Book of 2023

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.

©2023 Calder Walton (P)2023 Simon & Schuster Audio

Dry but fascinating

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

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.

Great little know history

Really interesting and memorable history of east west spying. A lot of fascinating details of episodes and names that I knew a little about - Cambridge 5, Richard Hanson, Berlin, USSR spying on WW2 allies, a tunnel under Berlin, the Cuban Missile crisis ETC.

A lot of audible reviews are upset about the author’s reporting on trump and Russia. But if the book is credible about other Russian spying, why isn’t it about Russia and Trump?

At the end, the book does drift away from its core subject and into some unsupported speculation - quantum computing, the fourth Industrial Revolution etc.

But the discussion of Chinese spy craft and comparisons to the USSR was interesting.

It’s good book

It’s a good book. This book is both worth the read and worth your time. Very informative.

Historical perspective

Found the historical context eliminating.
The 50/50 chance of our democracy surviving scary to say the least.

Fascinating

Amy of material overwhelming
Amazing we did as well as we did
Luckily opponents were often less competent

a war by other means with consequences

Lots of detail and examples much confirmed by other sources. He does not use the term, but it is the "Great Game" of nations we have known throughout history that continues. Cold or hot it goes on and on. Think open society vs authoritarian describes the struggle better than "liberal democracy" vs authoritarian. He points out the not level playing field when Russia, China and others are police states make defending our open societies difficult.

Detailed overview of cold war espionage

This book was a great overview of Cold War espionage. I docked a star for inserting his own political beliefs at times.

History was spot on

Author goes of the rails at the end
In light of what has been revealed concerning recent history in the last 6 months with new information still be made available he should have avoided making rash conclusions about recent events that are still being unraveled

Incredible view of the intelligence battle between the U.S. and Russia

Well written and narrated. Must read for those with an interest in 20th century rise of Russian/Soviet and U.S./Britain intelligence