"Drawing upon the views of an international group of academics, journalists, and former intelligence officials, the editors present 13 papers that reflect on the nature of secret intelligence and its role in domestic and international politics. The papers are presented with the goal of furthering the study of intelligence as a separate field of academic inquiry and in terms of its place in the broader field of international relations. Topics addressed include intelligence and international relations theory; the state of German intelligence history; forms and contexts of surveillance; intelligence failure, conspiracy theories, and September 11th; the extent of British intelligence knowledge of the Holocaust; literary treatments of espionage; critique of US intelligence strategy; the relationships between secret intelligence, covert action, and clandestine diplomacy; and ethics and intelligence." --Reference & Research Book News