Spymaster's Prism: The Fight against Russian Aggression

by Jack Devine

An important perspective on US intelligence as well as its Russian adversary. A very worthwhile contribution. —Hayden Peake,  Studies in Intelligence Spymaster’s Prism is a prescient study of our unending struggle with Russia and its intelligence agencies’ relentless effort to undermine our national security. Replete with the most salient spy stories, covert actions, and counterintelligence investigations from the beginning of the Cold War up until the eve of Putin’s misguided march on Kiev, legendary spymaster Jack Devine builds a vivid and complex mosaic that illustrates how Russia has employed intelligence activities to undermine our democracy throughout modern history and lay the groundwork for this invasion.

Devine tells this story through the gimlet-eyed perspective of a seasoned CIA professional who served his country for more than three decades, some at the highest levels of the agency, offering objective and candid analysis that will bring new insight into Russia’s invasion. Devine offers key lessons from our intelligence successes and failures over the past seventy-five years that illuminate how best to address our current strategic shortfalls, emerge ahead in the war, and be prepared for what’s to come from any adversary. This cogent study illuminates why intelligence has been such a key driver in the war and how it will be a critical lever in order to prevail. 

Genres: Espionage, Nonfiction, Russia, War

304 pages, Hardcover

Published March 1, 2021

Reviews

[Marren · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Fresh analysis on the US national security with a focus on Russia, with Devine looking at US-Soviet history. Being a CIA veteran, he focuses on intelligence gathering and assets and points out a number of mistakes hampering US policy today. While i appreciated the recent perspective that also took into account long-term history, and that this wasn't another ridiculous, hysterical, and fear-mongering book about Russia taking over everything, the author danced around issues such as his role in the Iran Contra affair (along the lines of "i thought it was a bad idea, but i assumed higher ups would fix it before it became a problem"). He also didn't provide any critical analysis of the CIA's intelligence failures such as 9/11 or the WMDs which could really have strengthened this book if he had offered suggestions to improve these gaps.

I wasn't sure if i should laugh cynically or cry when he discussed intelligence failures learned from the Vietnam pull out and that these surely wouldn't be repeated in Afghanistan. Yeah, it wasn't repeated, it's worse.

Overall, definitely recommend for US national security/Russia enthusiasts. There wasn't any new declassified info in this, but some fresher perspective on recent events that haven't been examined much yet.

[Louis Frillman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Terrific but sobering read of our opposition by a CIA insider. Russia has a long history of exploiting weakness, and Putin was a part of the old system. Which survived. Written just before the invasion of Ukraine; all the described methods hold true.

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

Devine paints a fairly ugly picture of how the US is not up to the human intelligence needs of the post Cold-War period with Putin's Russia.

[Michael Hester · Rating 3 out of 5]

Struggles a bit with structure, but ultimately an interesting assessment by a former insider just before the invasion of Ukraine.

[Lee · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting if flawed work on a man’s career in the CIA, often dealing with the Russians.

The book offers many interesting stories about dealing with Russian perfidy. This book is definitely worth the read, but it is not without problems. First, the book is strangely organized. The book mostly talks about dealing with the Russians, and the subtitle might better replace the title.

But then again, there are some parts of this book that have little to do with the Russians, they really just seem like bits of memoir chucked in there because…why not?

In writing about Russia, he is overly pessimistic. Throughout much of the book, he writes off as pollyannish the idea of ever working with Russia (though to be fair, at one point, he gestures towards improving relations with Russia as a possibility) and instead argues that the US must work with its allies, the British, to fight the Russians, who are never going to change. He traces an image of a fierce Russian spying machine all the way into Tsarist times.

Of course, he is paving over the history that does not fit within his framework. Almost two centuries before, the Russians were allied with the Americans against who? The British and French. During the Crimean War, the US was highly critical of British colonialism in the Black Sea, and Tsarist Russia was happy enough with it to give the US a good price on some territory near Canada that Russia had not been doing much with. That is not to mention the two world wars in which the US and Russia worked together as allies.

Is Russia America’s enemy now, seeking to subvert its democracy? Absolutely.

Is this inevitable or the choice of leaders (mostly one particular Russian leader)? He suggests it is the former, but, of course, it is the latter. He would make this kind of mistake. To a hammer, everything is a nail; to a counterintelligence officer who fought the Cold War against the Russians, every Russian is a threat.

Despite these flaws, the book is still worth the read.