Spies: The Secret Agents Who Changed the Course of History - Softcover

Volkman, Ernest

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0471154032 ISBN 13: 9780471154037

Publisher: John Wiley & Sons, 1996

Synopsis

"Highly entertaining." Publishers Weekly

"An intriguing text." Booklist

Acclaimed author Ernest Volkman strips away the myths and Hollywood hype to reveal the human drama behind "the world′s second oldest profession" espionage. Here are the men and women whose daring feats of subterfuge have, for better or worse, irrevocably altered the course of history:

• "Counterfeit Traitor" Eric Erickson, the American businessman who, posing as a Swedish Nazi, helped stanch the flow of oil to Hitler′s war machine and end the war in Europe.
• Fritz Kauders, the Viennese Jew who went from being a small–time confidence trickster to being one of Germany′s most valued spies and a Soviet double agent.
• Amy Thorpe, the gorgeous American debutante turned superspy.
• British agent 17F, Ian Fleming, author of some of the most outrageous (and effective) "dirty tricks" in the annals of espionage.
• Dutch housewife–turned–burlesque–dancer–turned–secret–agent Margareta Zelle, a.k.a. Mata Hari, who, contrary to popular belief, was neither beautiful nor a very good spy
• Brilliant Soviet superspy Richard Sorge, whose intelligence–gathering operation in Japan balked Nazi Germany′s attempt to seize Moscow.

About this title

About the Author

ERNEST VOLKMAN, formerly a prize–winning national correspondent for Newsday, has been a journalist for more than thirty–five years. He specializes in the dark world of espionage, a subject about which he has written hundreds of articles and several books, including Secret Intelligence and Warriors of the Night. Mr. Volkman has served as consultant for several foreign–produced documentaries dealing with espionage, including works for Great Britain′s ITV and BBC, and he has appeared on various American news programs, including Nightline and Today.

Synopsis

This is an in-depth look at the exploits of the men and women whose espionage feats changed the course of 20th century history. It encompasses the stories of dupes, moles and amateurs - the American debutante who became a super-spy, the Jew who was Nazi Germany's greatest spy, the Dutch housewife who was the real Mata Hari, the Pope who worked for American intelligence - along with numerous other stories.

About this edition

• Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
• Publication date: 1996
• ISBN 10: 0471154032
• ISBN 13: 9780471154037
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 288