Intel history

The successes and dysfunctions of World War II intelligence operations

In his ambitious new book, “The Secret War,” veteran historian Max Hastings delves into the intelligence operations of the competiting powers of World War II: the United States, Britain, Russia, Germany and Japan. Hastings does not set out to be exhaustive but rather to deliver “a study of both sides’ secret war machines and some of the characters who influenced them.” The true value-added of the book is that it provides warnings about the ambiguous role of clandestine activities that remain relevant today.

While Hastings finds faults with the U.S. and British intelligence services, he shows that they were able to overcome rivalries and biases to produce accurate and honest assessments that influenced key decision-makers.