Seduced by secrets : inside the Stasi's spy-tech world
More fascinating than fiction, Seduced by Secrets takes the reader inside the real world of one of the most effective and feared spy agencies in history. The book reveals the secret technical methods and sources of the Stasi (East German Ministry for State Security) as it stole secrets from abroad and developed gadgets at home. Seduced by Secrets draws on secret files from the Stasi archives to demonstrate that the Stasi overestimated the power of secrets to solve problems and created an insular spy culture more intent on securing its power than protecting national security. It recreates the Stasi's secret world of technology through biographies of agents, defectors, and officers and by visualizing James Bond-like techniques and gadgets. In this highly original book, Kristie Macrakis adds a new dimension to our understanding of the Stasi by bringing the topic into the realm of espionage history and exiting the political domain
1 online resource (xix, 370 pages) : illustrations
9780511511899, 9780511388453, 9780511387463, 0511511892, 0511388454, 0511387466
227123459
pt. I. High tech. Agent Gorbachev
Stealing secrets
Hero, traitor, playboy, spy
The crown jewels
"Kid" and "Paul"
The computer fiasco
pt. II. Spy-tech. James Bond, communist-style
Communicating secrets
Secret writing revealed
Eye spy
Big ears
Smell science
Spy dust