Spymaster's Prism

Reviews / Votes

"An important perspective on US intelligence as well as its Russian adversary. A very worthwhile contribution."-Hayden Peake, Studies in Intelligence "Devine applies the lessons of the Cold War to today's great power struggles as only an insider, spymaster practitioner could do. Policymakers should act on Devine's message: The threat is clear, the challenge unrelenting, and the resolve to counter it is paramount."-Jami Miscik, vice chairman of Kissinger Associates "Just in time, a splendid intelligence perspective on thug Putin's determination to get even with us for the Russian loss of the Cold War. . . . The spy history included here is necessary to illustrate that Russian leadership still employs nasty means, from murder to manipulation, to undermine democracy. Only the naIve and inept will fail to heed this message."-Tom Twetten, former CIA deputy director of operations and chief of the Near East division "Spymaster's Prism is a must-read, and the title says it all. The Cold War is not over. The actors may have changed, but the goal remains the same. Jack Devine is a real spymaster, beginning his career as a young CIA operations officer who rose to the highest ranks of the CIA. This book belongs on everyone's shelf."-Sandra Grimes, CIA Russian operations specialist and coauthor of Circle of Treason: CIA Traitor Aldrich Ames and the Men He Betrayed "Jack Devine's comprehensive history of Russian intelligence efforts against the United States and the West could not be more timely. As amply noted in the book, election meddling, disinformation, and assassination attempts are all modern descendants of a long Russian tradition of espionage and subversion that has been renewed with a vengeance today. Devine's highly readable style and insider experience in intelligence make this must-read study a persuasive warning to implement the measures he suggests to thwart this threat to our national security."-Michael Sulick, former director of the U.S. National Clandestine Service "Told with the immediacy of an eyewitness, Devine is a keen observer of the events and personalities that have shaped U.S. intelligence-from the treachery of spies such as Aldrich Ames and Robert Hanssen to the CIA's Cold War covert operations in Afghanistan. It is a remarkable volume, told by one of America's great spymasters, that will appeal to both the intelligence professional and the armchair operative alike."-Rollie Burans, president of the Foreign Policy Research Institute and former CIA senior executive official "Devine's extraordinary career rising to master spy gives the reader multiple glimpses across geographic boundaries into intelligence operations from the optic of a practitioner. From the armchair student of foreign policy to the professional spy wannabe, Devine's narrative of Russia's obsession with the West and the United States should be mandatory reading."-David R. Shedd, thirty-three-year CIA career case officer and former acting director of the Defense Intelligence Agency