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Military Intelligence

    The best books on Covert Action, recommended by Rory Cormac

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    The best books on Covert Action - Covert Action: Central Intelligence Agency and the Limits of American Intervention in the Post-War World by Gregory Treverton

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    Covert Action: Central Intelligence Agency and the Limits of American Intervention in the Post-War World
    by Gregory Treverton

  • Read
    The best books on Covert Action - Executive Secrets: Covert Action and the Presidency by William J Daugherty

    2

    Executive Secrets: Covert Action and the Presidency
    by William J Daugherty

  • Read
    The best books on Covert Action - MI6: The History of the Secret Intelligence Service 1909-1949 by Keith Jeffery

    3

    MI6: The History of the Secret Intelligence Service 1909-1949
    by Keith Jeffery

  • Read
    The best books on Covert Action - The Mitrokhin Archive: The KGB in Europe and the West by Christopher Andrew & Vasili Mitrokhin

    4

    The Mitrokhin Archive: The KGB in Europe and the West
    by Christopher Andrew & Vasili Mitrokhin

  • Read
    The best books on Covert Action - Rise and Kill First: The Secret History of Israel's Targeted Assassinations by Ronen Bergman

    5

    Rise and Kill First: The Secret History of Israel's Targeted Assassinations
    by Ronen Bergman

The best books on Covert Action, recommended by Rory Cormac

Many of us live in democracies and believe in government transparency, but the truth is our leaders have considerable scope to engage in secret operations overseas. Rory Cormac talks us through five books on ‘covert action,’ and some of the countries that have embraced it as a policy tool.

    The best books on The US Intelligence Services, recommended by Tim Weiner

  • Read
    The best books on The US Intelligence Services - The Art of War by Sun Zi (also written in English as Sun Tzu)

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    The Art of War
    by Sun Zi (also written in English as Sun Tzu)

  • Read
    The best books on The US Intelligence Services - The Invisible Government by David Wise and Thomas B Ross

    2

    The Invisible Government
    by David Wise and Thomas B Ross

  • Read
    The best books on The US Intelligence Services - From the Shadows by Robert M Gates

    3

    From the Shadows
    by Robert M Gates

  • Read
    The best books on The US Intelligence Services - The March of Folly by Barbara W Tuchman

    4

    The March of Folly
    by Barbara W Tuchman

  • Read
    The best books on The US Intelligence Services - Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell

    5

    Nineteen Eighty-Four
    by George Orwell

The best books on The US Intelligence Services, recommended by Tim Weiner

The job of the intelligence services is to understand others and help leaders act more wisely, says the author of a new history of the FBI. There’s a balance to be struck between liberty and security but when the CIA and FBI do not harmonise their intelligence missions, people die.

    The best books on Pioneers of Intelligence Gathering, recommended by Michael Goodman

  • Read
    The best books on Pioneers of Intelligence Gathering - The Very Best Men by Evan Thomas

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    The Very Best Men
    by Evan Thomas

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    The best books on Pioneers of Intelligence Gathering - Wilderness of Mirrors by David C Martin

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    Wilderness of Mirrors
    by David C Martin

  • Read
    The best books on Pioneers of Intelligence Gathering - Flawed Patriot by Bayard Stockton

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    Flawed Patriot
    by Bayard Stockton

  • Read
    The best books on Pioneers of Intelligence Gathering - Most Secret War by R V Jones

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    Most Secret War
    by R V Jones

  • Read
    The best books on Pioneers of Intelligence Gathering - The Quest for C by Alan Judd

    5

    The Quest for C
    by Alan Judd

The best books on Pioneers of Intelligence Gathering, recommended by Michael Goodman

The senior lecturer in the Department of War Studies, King’s College London, chooses books on the real pioneers of British and American espionage – flawed men who saved lives and made a difference.

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We ask experts to recommend the five best books in their subject and explain their selection in an interview.

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