Bob de Graaff has published extensively on the history of intelligence sinsce 1985. He worked at several universities and academic research institutes in The Netherlands before being retired in 2022. He held chairs for reconstruction after conflict at the University of Utrecht (2005-2010), terrorism and counterterrorism at the University of Leiden (2007-2009) and intelligence and security studies both at the Netherlands Defense Academy (2010-2017) and the University of Utrecht (2010-2022). He was co-founder of the Netherlands Intelligence Studies Association in 1991 and of the European Chapter of the International Association for Intelligence Education (IAFIE) in 2015.

• Foreword by the director of the MIVDIntroduction and AcknowledgementsAbbreviations1912-1940: Neutrality under threatThe Venlo incident: Neutrality discreditedThe Second World War: The hard lesson of dependenceThe first years after the war: A new startA suspicious death in Zurich1950-1968: Fixated on hardwareNew Guinea: The Vlakke Hoek incident1968-1987: Hot and cold temperatures during the Cold WarCounterintelligence: Unwelcome interest from the Warsaw PactSpy magnet AFCENTThe work of military attachés, with a focus on PolandIJsbrand Smit and the “natural ally”A break-in with consequences: The Utrecht burglary by Onkruit and anti-militarism1987-2000: A difficult new beginningSrebrenica: Waiting for the shot to be firedRight-wing extremism and misconductThe twenty-first century: The professionalization of the serviceCooperation with the domestic sister service: “It’s a bit like Ajax vs. Feyenoord”High-level HUMINT operationsCooperation with the special forces: AfghanistanJust calling The Hague: A Lynx in Libya, or how to educate the clientThe OPCW: Caught red-handedConclusionAppendicesOverview of sources and literature consultedIndex of personsNotes