Murphy, David E., Sergei A. Kondrashev, and George Bailey. Battleground Berlin: CIA
vs. KGB in the Cold War. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 1997. Murphy, David E., Sergei A. Kondrashev, and George Bailey. Battleground Berlin: CIA
vs. KGB in the Cold War. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 1997.
Clark comment: Murphy is a former chief of the CIA Berlin Base and later headed Soviet operations at CIA Headquarters. Kondrashev is a retired KGB lieutenant general and headed the KGB's German Department. Bailey is a journalist and former director of Radio Liberty.
Is this the final word on the Cold War as fought over, around, and in Berlin? Probably not, but we are unlikely to get a view from a more intimate standpoint. There are 57 pages of notes that bear out a conclusion that these are more than the meanderings of two old Cold Warriors.
From the "Preface": "Our goal has ... been ambitious: to provide never-before-seen documentary evidence of what each side knew during the crises, and to give readers a sense of what it was like to face off with an intelligence foe in Cold War Berlin."
Cohen, FA 76.6, notes that Battleground Berlin "covers primarily the grim glory days of the Cold War in Berlin -- the period up to the building of the Berlin Wall." Although this "is a major contribution to the intelligence history of the Cold War," the book has a number of gaps; and "Bailey's efforts to reconcile his coauthors' views of reality do not always succeed."
McGehee, in cloaks-and-daggers@maelstrom.stjohns.edu, says that "the book is laden with details that are difficult to follow as they swing from the CIA operational stories to the KGBers focus on political intelligence about postwar Germany. The authors unsuccessfully juxtaposition their stories, adding to the difficulties in comprehension and interest." In addition, the claims advanced as to the value of the Berlin Tunnel "seem overblown but a definitive appraisal is impossible."
The Publishers Weekly, 21 Jul. 1997, reviewer calls the book "a crucial addition to filling an important gap in our understanding of the Cold War. The book is not only authoritative, it is also well written and possesses the qualities of a very engaging espionage novel." In the same vein, Friend, History 26.3, calls Battleground Berlin "sober, authoritative, unsensational, documented, and revelatory."
For Bates, NIPQ, 14.3, a downside of the book "is the massive amount of detail." Nevertheless, the narrative fleshes out the history of the Cold War in Berlin "with a mass of heretofore-untold facts.... Another plus for Battleground Berlin is the detailed discussion of CIA and KGB tradecraft." Adams, IJI&C 12.1, sees this as "an unusual and very important volume ... [that] is illuminating on a number of levels."
The review by Jeffreys-Jones, I&NS 13.4, reads a bit haughty for my taste. Although he grants that they provide "balanced accounts of some significant episodes,... some interesting details ... [and l]ittle glimpses ... of characters," the reviewer takes the authors to task for being "historical amateurs." He finds particular fault with the absence in the book of "historical context" for the events they are relating. Welcome to the real world, Jeffreys-Jones.
Powers, NYRB (23 Oct. 1997) and Intelligence Wars (2004), 141-158, sees Battleground Berlin as "a fascinating and important account of the opening campaigns of the secret cold war waged by the CIA and the KGB.... Anyone interested in just how complex a counterintelligence case can become should read the fourteen pages in which Battleground Berlin lays out the intricate web of what was known to whom, through which channels," as the KGB closed in on Col. Pyotr Popov.
See also, William Drozdiak, "Rival Spies Relive Thrills of Cold War," Washington Post, 21 Oct. 1997, A16.
Ranelagh, John. C.I.A. London: BBC Books, 1992.
Surveillant 2:4: This is a "compact, slightly changed edition" of author's 1987 book The Agency. It contains new photos and new material on some CIA figures. The book "tracks a BBC series on CIA."
Sorley, Lewis. The Central Intelligence Agency: An Overview. Intelligence Profession Series. McLean, VA: Association of Former Intelligence Officers, 1990.
Stockwell, John. After the Cold War: The CIA and the National Security State. Boston: South End Press, 1990.
Is this the same book noted in an advertisement? The Praetorian Guard: The U.S. Role in the New World Order (Boston: South End Press). From advertisement: "Ex-CIA agent John Stockwell analyzes the CIA and other institutional forces shaping U.S. domestic and foreign policy. Includes a selected bibliography on the national security state."
Thomas, Stafford T. "A Political Theory of the CIA." International Journal of Intelligence and Counterintelligence 11, no. 1 (Spring 1998): 57-72.
The author presents a theoretical framework for analysis of the CIA built around three areas of analysis: "the international political arena, the political world of Washington, and the bureaucratic level."
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