Spycatcher
by Peter Wright, Paul Greengrass
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Book Summary Information
Author: Paul Greengrass, Peter WrightEdition: Mass Market Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 1988-07-01
ISBN: 0440201322
Number of pages: 496
Publisher: Dell
Book Reviews of Spycatcher
Book Review: A Lot of Process, Not Much Insight
Summary: 3 Stars
SPYCATCHER is a methodical, but often intriguing read that details Peter Wright's tenure with the British Intelligence Service, M15--similar to the FBI in the United States. I found it a useful book in that it helped me to begin to understand the way that the "Great Game" of espionage was played during the heyday of spy activities. It describes in excruiating detail the sorts of efforts put forth by British intelligence, and what they believed their Soviet counterparts were accomplishing, and there are a number of rather amusing stories toward the beginning of the book that outline efforts to bug buildings, covertly tail diplomats, and do other types of Bond-esque intelligence work. The final two thirds of the book concern Wright's effort to uncover a Soviet agent that he believes has penetrated the highest echealons of M15. This section, while often fascinating, does not have the same sort of flair that the earlier stories have.
There are a couple of major drawbacks to the work, however: Wright's authorial voice (modified by his co-writer, Paul Greengrass) is often pompous to the point where I would become incredulous. According to himself, he is the only person in British intelligence who has the vision or the capacity to get even the most basic assignments right. That's not exactly a fair summation, but it's often pretty close. He certainly has a knack for determining other's faults, but only rarely notices any that he may have. Secondly, and more importantly, Wright never takes a step backward from his work to examine any of the consequences of the spy game. He never asks what the appropriate role for a domestic spy agency is in a democracy; he never wonders if his life's work has had any sort of negative repercussions in international affairs; he seems incapable of feeling remorse even for the innocents whose life he has (or has helped to become) crippled. I guess I was hoping for at least some philosophical justifications from this man who saw, up close and personal, what exactly were the stakes in these information wars. Instead, I received a "just the facts, ma'am" report.
Still, the book is useful for it's description of process, and to begin to see the scope of the unseen battles fought in the Cold War. Informative, but not illuminating.
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