The Secrets of Modern Espionage
And how spycraft has changed over the centuries.
With Season 4 of FP’s podcast I Spy in full swing, we thought it was time to revisit some of our best reads on the art of espionage.
In this collection of stories, we dive into the history of spycraft, from the theft of trade secrets in 500 B.C. to first U.S. Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton advocating for stealing European technical knowledge in 18th-century America, and explore how espionage has been revolutionized—and fictionalized—in the modern era.—Chloe Hadavas
The Spycraft Revolution
Changes in technology, politics, and business are all transforming espionage. Intelligence agencies must adapt—or risk irrelevance, Edward Lucas writes.
With Season 4 of FP’s podcast I Spy in full swing, we thought it was time to revisit some of our best reads on the art of espionage.
In this collection of stories, we dive into the history of spycraft, from the theft of trade secrets in 500 B.C. to first U.S. Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton advocating for stealing European technical knowledge in 18th-century America, and explore how espionage has been revolutionized—and fictionalized—in the modern era.—Chloe Hadavas
ILLUSTRATION BY DELCAN & COMPANY
The Spycraft Revolution
Changes in technology, politics, and business are all transforming espionage. Intelligence agencies must adapt—or risk irrelevance, Edward Lucas writes.
ILLUSTRATION BY VALERIO PELLEGRINI
The Oldest Game
The very long history of industrial espionage, according to Mara Hvistendahl.
A Navy aerial photo of Naval Air Station Key West’s Fleming Key, left, Sigsbee Park, top, and Trumbo Point Annexes, right. Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Cody R. Babin/U.S. Navy
Were They Lost Students or Inept Spies for China?
Two roommates traveling in Florida found themselves caught in the teeth of espionage fears, Eric Fish writes.
British writer John Le Carre attends a sreeening of “The Night Manager” at the 66th Berlinale Film Festival in Berlin on Feb. 18, 2016. JOHN MACDOUGALL/AFP via Getty Images
What Spies Really Think About John le Carré
The British novelist didn’t just write about the world of intelligence. He changed it forever, Calder Walton and Christopher Andrew write.
The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) logo is displayed in the lobby of CIA Headquarters in Langley, Virginia, on August 14, 2008.Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images
How to Take Care of an Ex-Spy
Former intelligence officers need compassion—or they can turn sour, Philip Caruso writes.
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At a time of global conflict, world powers showed that cooperation can actually work.
Only an Absolute Bureaucracy Can Save Us
The West will only restore its stability when civil servants are again devoted to the public rather than themselves.
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