This book is a bit dated now, but is a great primer on the espionage business. Copeland relates his experiences and those of other spies - both on our side and the other side(s) - in a matter of fact, this-is-how-it's-done style. If you like either fiction or non-fiction accounts of espionage, this is the book to get so that you understand just what the heck those "spooks" are doing.

This is one of my two required readings for any aspiring intelligence officer or student of intelligence. An absolute gem across the board, providing insights into both capabilities and culture. The description on pages 41-42 (of the original hard-cover version) of how "Mother" concocted an entire network and got the head of Secret Intelligence to agree its production was worth $100,000 a year (big money in 1946), only to reveal that his source was actually five issues of The New York Times "demonstrated not only the naiveté of our nation's only existing group of espionage specialists but the value of ordinary New York Times reporting on matters regarded as being of high-priority intelligence interest." Nothing has changed in 50 years.

Mr. Copeland is a very seasoned operative. He writes with the straight-forward attitude because he doesn't care anymore. He tells about the many misguided U.S. policies without anger or prejudice. He doesn't try to draw grand moral lessons, but shows how intentions and hopes of U.S. leaders ignored the realities and possibilities of their Arab counterparts.