* Our summary is short, simple and pragmatic. It allows you to have the essential ideas of a big book in less than 30 minutes. As you read this summary, you will learn that espionage is an art that is practiced in different ways depending on the place and time, even if there are undeniable constants. You will also learn that : the American authorities knew that the Japanese were preparing to attack Pearl Harbor; the U.S. government had also been warned of the imminence of Al Qaeda's attacks in time before September 11th ; intoxication operations in the field of espionage are not new; the assassination of Sarajevo in 1914 was only made possible by a prior espionage mission; in its early days, the Soviet Union relied heavily on espionage to ensure its survival; fidel Castro's regime owed its salvation in 1961 to Soviet espionage. Why do we spy? Essentially, to gain and retain power, as well as to win armed conflicts. If espionage has certain constants, invariable in time and place, this discipline is no stranger to change. The same is true of the techniques used, which differ from one time and place to another, but which, overall, are only marginally modified. Brian Stewart, a high-flying British spy who served for a long time in Asia, discusses all aspects of espionage in full knowledge of the facts, bringing us into a world from which laymen are mostly excluded. *Buy now the summary of this book for the modest price of a cup of coffee!

With practical experience both of field work and of the intelligence bureaucracy at home and abroad, Stewart examines successes and failures via case studies, considers the limitations and usefulness of the intelligence product, and warns against the tendency to abuse or ignore it when its conclusions do not fit with preconceived ideas.