Deception

by Edward Jay Epstein

Investigative reporter Edward Jay Epstein defines the seldom seen universe of intelligence and counterintelligence.Set in the era of the Cold War, it explores the ultimate art of Winning without fighting, or, in a single word, deception. It concerns, as James Jesus Angleton described it to the author, " a state of mind —and the mind of the state." With a new Preface (2014) Praise For Edward Jay Epstein “Epstein delves deep into the wheels-within-wheels of superpower intelligence and counterintelligence, showing ways in which the CIA and the KGB have been "provoked, seduced, lured into false trails, blinded, and turned into unwitting agents." Readers will find new information here on a multitude of programs involving CIA-written books published under defectors' names; the story of Yuri Nosenko, a KGB officer who defected in 1963 and was "at the heart of everything that happened at the CIA for a decade"; and the theories of James Angleton, the former CIA chief of counterintelligence, on the hidden motives of KGB super-mole Kim Philby. The book concludes with an ominously plausible argument that Gorbachev's glasnost is merely the sixth phase in a grand strategy of Soviet deception conceived soon after the Bolshevik Revolution. Highly recommended.” ---Publishers Weekly "Epstein's account of the world of intelligence is fascinating, instructive, and, in parts, sensational." —Irving Kristol American Enterprise Institute "This is an important book that reflects an epoch in United States counterintelligence operations and philosophy." —William R. Harris The RAND Corporation "A brilliant investigator examines the fascinating history of glasnost and the unseen motives and machinery of the Soviet state." —Lou Dobbs, CNN

Genres: History, Espionage, Nonfiction, War

400 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1989

About the author

Edward Jay Epstein (born 1935) was an American investigative journalist and a former political science professor at Harvard, UCLA, and MIT. While a graduate student at Cornell University in 1966, he published the book Inquest, an influential critique of the Warren Commission probe into the John F. Kennedy assassination. Epstein wrote two other books about the Kennedy assassination, eventually collected in The Assassination Chronicles: Inquest, Counterplot, and Legend (1992). His books Legend (1978) and Deception (1989) drew on interviews with retired CIA Counterintelligence Chief James Jesus Angleton, and his 1982 book The Rise and Fall of Diamonds was an expose of the diamond industry and its economic impact in southern Africa.

Reviews

[Buzz Andersen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve read a lot of books about Angleton at this point, but this is one of the only ones where he feels like an actual human character rather than some shadowy background figure.

As far as the subject matter goes, this really is a truly fascinating history of deception as a warfare tactic. The conclusions about the danger of trusting Gorbachev’s Glasnost maybe haven’t aged well (unlike Epstein, we know today that the USSR’s collapse was indeed imminent at the time the boom was published), but on the other hand maybe they’re more relevant than ever in a time when Putin, an old KGB hand, is attempting to reconstitute the Soviet Empire.

[Matthew Dambro · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting book about Angleton of the CIA and the Cold War. It was written just before the collapse of the USSR. The main thesis of the book is the deception of the US by the KGB and its associates. Some of the conclusions are dated now but the thesis remains valid. Now Russia is run by a former KGB operative almost as a feudal monarchy.

[Mamoon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book. Remarkable effort from Mr.Epstein.
The best part is describing how deception has been carried out in real life. For example, TRUST, WiN, NEP. Absolute delight to read.

[Stanley Dashevsky]

excellent book

[Anthony · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Deception" is a fascinating look into espionage and counterintelligence during the Cold War. Epstein writes in an engaging style and does a good job of explaining esoteric terms and relating a coherent narrative, while sticking to the sources he has on subjects where the truth is inherently difficult to ascertain. The book also has philosophical and psychological bent; it makes one realize how much of spycraft relies on simple personal relationships and the manipulation of them—trust turning to blind faith, confidence becoming blackmail, little whites lies becoming treason. By this paradigm , the deceived is an active participant in their own deception.

The story is a fascinating one that I was only dimly aware of. The book is very much seen through the eyes of Epstein's key source, CIA counterintelligence chief James Jesus Angleton, who fervently believed that the KGB had deceived, misled, and outfoxed the CIA in throughout the 1960s and up to the present day (in this case, the mid-1980s). All the evidence presented and a bit of common sense leads one to believe that he was right, though hubris led the CIA to believe it could not be deceived. There are several vignettes of Soviet defectors and moles that make compelling reading and support the thesis.

Some of the chapters in the second half of the book expose how hollow the intelligence community's claims that new technology like spy satellites and radio interception made it impossible for them to be tricked by the Soviets—sobering thoughts given the more recent revelations about how the US conducts its electronic surveillance today. The later chapters, which are more forward-looking, have not aged as well, written as they were from the perspective of someone in 1988 who assumed who believed Gorbachev's glasnost and perestroika were merely the latest in a perpetual disinformation campaign by a still-formidable USSR. On the other hand, a quarter-century later, Russia is ruled autocratically by a former KGB officer.

I would recommend the book to anyone with a nostalgic hankering for some Cold War spy intrigue.

[Evil Space Waffle · Rating 4 out of 5]

After finishing this I had no idea the people involved were who inspired the screenplay ‘The Good Shepherd’ written and directed by Robert De Niro. I knew there was a reason I loved that film.

[Satyajeet · Rating 4 out of 5]

A real eye opener. They say that truth is stranger than fiction, well I say fiction is no way near as this truth.. A fantastic read for all those who really want a sneak peak in the real world of espionage..