Secret Intelligence in the Twentieth Century edited by Heike Bungert, Jan Heitmann, and Michael Wala. Frank Cass Publishers (http://www.frank cass.com), 5824 NE Hassalo Street, Portland, Oregon 97213-3644, 2003, 200 pages, $84.95 (hardcover).
Since the fall of the Berlin Wall and the opening of archives in the former East Germany, a torrent of information has appeared in the popular press. The scholastic approach of Secret Intelligence in the Twentieth Century examines German intelligence structures and policy as well as the attempts of other powers to gather intelligence about German states. Some of the early essays in the book cover issues already known to most intelligence researchers, but one also finds real gems dealt with for the first time in print. An account of the attempted use of ethnic Germans during World War II makes for interesting reading, for example. What makes this book unique, however, are the post–World War II pieces, such as the one that addresses the ability of Gen Reinhard Gehlen of Fremde Heere Ost, one of the intelligence arms of the German High Command, to foresee the demise of the World War II–era Anglo-Soviet bond and Germany’s emergence as a vital part of the Western defense alliance. Not only does one find details concerning Gehlen’s influence on German national-security making and policy development, but also information about his ties to the CIA and the US Army’s G-2 in Heidelberg. A KGB officer’s viewpoint of KGB and East German penetration of the Gehlen organization and its successor, the BND (German Intelligence), makes the whole period come alive. The establishment of East German security services and their role in the East-West spy game show that the Soviets were intimidated by Gehlen’s successes but that the KGB also lacked the skills to be successful in a Western-oriented Germany.
For Air Force readers, the essay on the Wringer Project is the first entry in what undoubtedly will become a new subfield in East-West Cold War history: the use of German former prisoners of war and detainees to build an intelligence and target database on the closed Soviet Union. Run by the Air Force to gather target data, Wringer showed the feasibility and indispensablity of the mass exploitation of human intelligence sources. The inability of the United States to obtain a good intelligence picture of events inside East Germany, especially during the 1953 revolt, may have led to policy decisions in Washington that ultimately caused the uprising to fail. West Berlin, the island inside East German territory, proved a valuable listening and observation point for the CIA in the early years of the Cold War. The book includes accounts of the experiences and successes of former agents in charge there.
Because of the scarcity of intelligence texts, any contribution to the field is welcome, especially one that covers Germany and the early Cold War. Secret Intelligence in the Twentieth Century contains much of interest to both Air Force historians and intelligence historians.
Capt Gilles Van Nederveen, USAF, Retired
Fairfax, Virginia
Disclaimer
The conclusions and opinions expressed in this document are those of the author cultivated in the freedom of expression, academic environment of Air University. They do not reflect the official position of the U.S. Government, Department of Defense, the United States Air Force or the Air University.
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