The Secret State

December 19, 2016
Hughes-Wilson (A Brief History of the Cold War), a leading British authority on intelligence matters, defines and describes the “intelligence cycle”—direction, collection, collation, interpretation, and dissemination—while delivering a thematically organized account of intelligence in contemporary contexts. He begins with human intelligence (HUMINT). Spies, Hughes-Wilson argues, are produced by money, ideology, coercion, ego, and
grievance. Their effectiveness is correspondingly random. Signal intelligence (SIGINT), which includes electronic and photographic means, is specific. “Nothing is secret from the eye in the sky”—which enhances the difficulties of collation, interpretation, and dissemination, as illustrated by the Tet Offensive, the Yom Kippur War, Operation Barbarossa, and the attack on Pearl Harbor. Providing timely, accurate information to those who need to know involves security, “the handmaiden of intelligence.” When personnel security is lax or breached, “espionage, sabotage, and subversion” are predictable consequences. In the electronic dimension, WikiLeaks and Edward Snowden exemplify the “fine line between the crime of spying” and the public service of monitoring the modern surveillance state, which largely arose as a response to terrorism. To underscore his points, he includes examples of intelligence fiascos. In an emerging era of cyberwar, Hughes-Wilson concludes that “for good or ill, intelligence will remain at the heart of the world’s affairs.”

December 1, 2016
A nuts-and-bolts look at the history and uses of intelligence.Veering off from his earlier Military Intelligence Blunders (1999), this more technical manual by British military historian Hughes-Wilson gives a solid overview of the importance of secret intelligence and case studies of successful and failed spying, from the earliest times to leaks by Edward Snowden and Al Jazeera. First, the author gives a quick survey of the history of intelligence, specifically in war, with an eye toward Machiavelli's canny statement: "Never attempt to win by force what can be won by deception." Secrecy and surprise are tantamount to making good decisions, and Hughes-Wilson asserts, "military defeats are almost invariably associated with intelligence defeats." He cites Hitler's foolhardy attack of the Soviet Union without grasping Stalin's ability to muster nearly 600 divisions against the Nazi onslaught. The author delineates the process of intelligence gathering (the "intelligence cycle") and the difference between HUMINT (human intelligence) and SIGINT (signals intelligence). The former entails the motivations of the spy himself: money, ideology, coercion, ego, or grievance. Hughes-Wilson offers famous examples of each, such as the stunning identity of a Soviet spy "at the very top of the Nazi war machine," code-named "Werther," whose intelligence was crucial in defeating the Nazis on the eastern front: the personal secretary to Hitler, Martin Bormann. SIGINT includes code-breaking, such as the work of the fabled Room 40 in the Old Admiralty Building in London during World War II and the U.S. Navy's cryptological breakthroughs in the summer of 1942, which allowed it to trap the Japanese fleet off of Midway Island. Surveillance (e.g., the Cuban missile crisis) and deception (D-Day) garner their own chapters, followed by the famous cases in which interpretation and dissemination of vital intelligence was ignored--most famously in the attack on Pearl Harbor. As the author rightly notes, technological leaks (e.g., Wikileaks), terror, and cyberwar present new intelligence challenges. A vigorous survey with specific case studies and a useful bibliography for further study.

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Starred review from January 1, 2017

The fusion of Internet, mass-media distortion, and profit-driven news reportage has created an environment light on--if not tacitly hostile toward--facts. Hughes-Wilson's (A Brief History of the Cold War) history of intelligence and espionage is weighty in two regards: detail and daring. One of Britain's top military historians, he chronicles and analyzes the traditional intelligence cycle of Direction, Collection, Collation, Interpretation, and Dissemination, revealing its failings and triumphs, and warning against bureaucratic bloat. The uncluttered text is augmented by maps and charts, appearing precisely where needed, showing patterns and illustrating protocols. The assessment of global intelligence ranges from ancient Egypt and Rome through early photographic technology in World War I, the Cold War electronic revolution (with Joseph Stalin among the first to ignore crucial intelligence), the catastrophic horrors--and U.S. intelligence failures--of 9/11, into today's cyberwar battle space. Noteworthy is the absence of celebratory hype that sometimes colors this field, but the author gives credit where due and frankly describes the spy's life as a jarring mix of boredom and extreme danger. VERDICT The balance of history, critical analyses, and insider's perspective on often chilling realities will appeal to any reader interested in learning how global intelligence agencies function.--William Grabowski, McMechen, WV

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