Spies, Calder Walton

 

Concentrating on espionage between the former Soviet Union and later Russia and its Western Contemporaries this book could never be a seen as a complete history of those activities for that would be impossible due to the nature of the subject. But this book does deliver as much information as it can and there are some revelations to be found between its pages. 

Early in this book the author asks us a question, when did the Cold War start ? A simple question, wouldn’t you agree ? You might answer yourself and say when Winston Churchill made his speech “An iron curtain has descended across Europe” and the allies of World War Two split between ideology’s, that was my answer too by the way. But you would really have to go a lot further back 1934 when a young Kim Philby was recruited by Soviet intelligence at Cambridge university. 

Calder Walton takes you on a journey from this early days when the impressionable university alumni where recruited right up to the modern day*. The successful tactics of the KGB and other Soviet forces to recruit spies in the west for ideological reason or just plain mercenary reasons. Through age of atomic enlightenment and it’s use of scientists in the Manhattan program to build its own nuclear weapon and into the latter stages of the Cold War when it could supplement the incomes of agents deep with in the CIA and FBI. 

Of course it wasn’t all one way traffic and the west too had its espionage network and you’ll hear about those agents and the high risks they took to deliver information to the west. Also the use of technology to gain information the use of wire taps and intercepting transmissions of data or signals intercepts. 

It’s a great insight into the Cold War from both sides out lining some of the events and the intelligence that led to decisions at the highest levels. How did the U.S know there were missiles on Cuba and how the world nearly ended because of a NATO exercise in the early 80’s and the miss understanding that only just got resolved. 

It’s a brilliant book that’s a surprising easy read considering the subject can be heavy at times if you have an interest in the Cold War or spy craft then you should add this to your collection.

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Have fun stay safe 👍🏼

* modern day at time of writing March 2025 and this book covers the early stages of the war in Ukraine which is still on going at this time !