Intelligence During The Cold War

The Cold War was a battlefield of spies, espionage, and counter espionage. Information was the deadliest weapon and security and survival were at the center of the dispute. Both sides were mired in uncertainty, acting with the utmost care to avoid fatal missteps. They relied heavily on their espionage services to supply intelligence on the real intentions of the opposing side behind the public posturing. Nowhere in Europe was more heated than Berlin at this crucial time. Military forces of the Western Allies and the Soviet block squared off in this divided city for more than 40 years. Seemingly in this short span of time, crisis followed crisis as both sides sought to neutralize the other. In the plethora of work available on the history of intelligence during this time, the actions of the KGB and CIA have been analyzed by specialists and debated over by experts and novices alike.
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Within this period however, marks the closest instances of the Cold War almost becoming a hot one. The authors cover all the major historiographical themes from an intelligence perspective – the Berlin Blockade, the Berlin Uprising, and the construction of the Berlin Wall. From their unique perspective as leading intelligence operatives, Murphy and Kondrashev tell the complete story of the Berlin Tunnel. Despite it’s limited scope, the book offers new material and extensive documentation. Making use of previously classified Soviet and American intelligence archives for the first time, Battleground Berlin is able to paint a clearer picture of what was really occurring at the time. In addition, existing analysis is drawn upon and strength and weaknesses of each interpretation analyzed, often comparatively, to offer readers multiple perspectives and provide a more general understanding of