Fought under the cover of elaborate deceptions and ruthless lies, the deadly intelligence operations of World War II produced victories and defeats that were often as important as any reached on the battlefield.

A behind-the-scenes history of the war, this book offers an exciting picture of the whole range of clandestine activities, the various forms of intelligence, espionage and sabotage, subversion and counter-espionage— the entire secret war conducted apart from conventional warfare.

The major exploits of the O.S.S., M.I.5, Abwehr, and the Deuxieme Bureau are described in colorful detail by an author considered one of the foremost civilian experts on intelligence during the war. Ladislas Farago’s account of Allied and Axis spymasters at work offers compelling reading about real traitors and heroes in cloak-and-
dagger-dom.

The late Ladislas Farago, a former chief of research and planning in the U.S. Navy’s Special Warfare Branch, is the author of several books on espionage.