Odyssey of an Eavesdropper: My Life in Electronic Countermeasures and My Battle Against the FBI

by Martin Kaiser III, Robert S. Stokes

Martin Kaiser is a legend within the nation's covert electronic surveillance fraternity. With a hot-wired transmitter the size of a pea, Kaiser built devices that could bring down a government, prevent a terrorist attack, or provide blackmail for a government agency to smear a well-known American Civil Rights leader. Now, in Odyssey of an Eavesdropper, he steps from the shadows of national security to tell his own story-a journey from an abusive childhood in a Pennsylvania coal-mining town to icon status in the black ops world of U.S. spy operations as the premier producer of electronic surveillance gadgets and dirty tricks, and then his battle for professional and emotional survival with the FBI bent on his destruction. Kaiser's clients included the FBI, the CIA, DEA, Secret Service, Army, Navy and Air Force Intelligence, as well as foreign intelligence services. However, as a result of his testimony before the National Wiretap Commission in 1975, the FBI began a vendetta against Kaiser, nearly driving his business into bankruptcy and resulting in his eventual indictment on charge of illegal wiretapping, conspiracy and transporting an illegal eavesdropping device across state lines. Acquitted of all charges and having reinvented himself, Kaiser tells his tale.

Genres: Memoir

368 pages, Hardcover

First published December 18, 2005

Reviews

[Gary Maunder · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very readable book which details the author's legal battle with the FBI and CIA . Kaiser was a surveillance expert who in fact taught course in the subject for the FBI as well as the US military until he was summoned to testify to the Church Committee on Electronic Surveillance. His testimony (reputedly) embarrassed the FBI and resulted in a lengthy series of legal proceedings. The last 2 chapters include some wide-ranging observations, which, given the author's expertise in the field makes scary reading.

[Marsmannix · Rating 4 out of 5]

i LOVE reading about eccentric geniuses.