Spy Sites Of Washington Dc

Washington, DC, stands at the epicenter of world espionage. Mapping this history from the halls of government to tranquil suburban neighborhoods reveals scoresof dead drops, covert meeting places, and secret facilities—a constellation ofclandestine sites unknown to even the most avid history buffs. Until now. Spy Sites of Washington, DC traces more than two centuries of secret history from the Mount Vernon study of spymaster George Washington to the Cleveland Park apartment of the “Queen of Cuba.” In 220 main entries as well as listings for dozens more spy sites, intelligence historians Robert Wallace and H. Keith Melton weave incredible true stories of derring-do and double-crosses that put even the best spy fiction to shame. Maps and more than three hundred photos allow readers to follow in the winding footsteps of moles and sleuths, trace the covert operations that influenced wars hot and cold, and understand the tradecraft traitors and spies alike used in the do-or-die chess games that have changed the course of history. Informing and entertaining, Spy Sites of Washington, DC is the comprehensive guidebook to the shadow history of our nation’s capital.

Step into the life of a spy! Follow some of history's most infamous espionage agents in their travels and exploits in and around our Nation's Capital.

Throughout its history, Philadelphia has been home to international intrigue and some of America’s most celebrated spies. This illustrated guidebook reveals the places and people of Philadelphia’s hidden history, inviting the reader to explore over 150 spy sites in Philadelphia and its neighboring towns and counties.

An unprecedented history of the CIA's secret and amazing gadgetry behind the art of espionage In this look at the CIA’s most secretive operations and the devices that made them possible, Spycraft tells gripping life-and-death stories about a group of spytechs—much of it never previously revealed and with images never before seen by the public. The CIA’s Office of Technical Service is the ultrasecret department that grappled with challenges such as: What does it take to build a quiet helicopter? How does one embed a listening device in a cat? What is an invisible photo used for? These amazingly inventive devices were created and employed against a backdrop of geopolitical tensions—including the Cold War, the Cuban Missile Crisis, and continuing terrorist threats. Written by Robert Wallace, the former director of the Office of Technical Service, and internationally renowned intelligence historian Keith Melton, Spycraft is both a fantastic encyclopedia of gadgetry and a revealing primer on the fundamentals of high-tech espionage. “The first comprehensive look at the technical achievements of American espionage from the 1940s to the present.”—Wired “Reveals more concrete information about CIA tradecraft than any book.”—The Washington Times “This is a story I thought could never be told.”—JAMES M. OLSON, former chief of CIA counterintelligence

Georgetown has long been home to the most affluent and influential residents of the capital--but it has also played host to its fair share of high-end misdeeds and wickedly amusing scandals. Culprits range from Confederate spies to the prankster students who stole the clock hands of Georgetown University's Healy Hall, while crime scenes include murder on the C&O Canal and floating brothels on the Potomac. Navigating her way through Cold War-era intrigues and the true-ish story of an exorcism, author Canden Schwantes guides readers through the tawdry and downright devilish side of Georgetown.

Washington, DC, gleams with stately columns and neoclassical temples, a pulsing hub of political power and prowess. But for decades it was one of the worst excuses for a capital city the world had ever seen. Before America became a world power in the twentieth century, Washington City was an eyesore at best and a disgrace at worst. Unfilled swamps, filthy canals, and rutted horse trails littered its landscape. Political bosses hired hooligans and thugs to conduct the nation's affairs. Legendary madams entertained clients from all stations of society and politicians of every party. The police served and protected with the aid of bribes and protection money. Beneath pestilential air, the city’s muddy roads led to a stumpy, half-finished obelisk to Washington here, a domeless Capitol Building there. Lining the streets stood boarding houses, tanneries, and slums. Deadly horse races gouged dusty streets, and opposing factions of volunteer firefighters battled one another like violent gangs rather than life-saving heroes. The city’s turbulent history set a precedent for the dishonesty, corruption, and mismanagement that have led generations to look suspiciously on the various sin--both real and imagined--of Washington politicians. Empire of Mud unearths and untangles the roots of our capital’s story and explores how the city was tainted from the outset, nearly stifled from becoming the proud citadel of the republic that George Washington and Pierre L'Enfant envisioned more than two centuries ago.

Rebel surfer-turned-field ops specialist Sydney finds herself in hot water while undercover on a marine research vessel, while her City Spies teammates investigate a suspected mole.

From Indigenous quarries through superpower competition to conspiracy theories like #pizzagate, Washington DC's Tenleytown has offered a microcosm of the nation's history. Mozart's connection with Masonry and a young Lutheran's flight from Latin school setting him on a path to becoming a Revolutionary War hero figure into the neighborhood that gave a home to both Henry Kissinger and Kermit the Frog. Oliver Wendell Holmes and Charles Dickens wrote about the town long before its streets and corridors were thick with spies. The city's history of racial and gender discrimination is increasingly relevant to 21st Century struggles for equality.Exploring 70 sites, Spies, Bombs, and Beyond walks readers through the neighborhood, connecting the local to the global and the past to the present. Mark Fitzpatrick examines how diplomacy works and how espionage (sometimes) fails by exploring nearby embassies and the residences of ambassadors and traitors. Consider John F. Kennedy's 1963 American University commencement speech presaging the current push for a comprehensive end to nuclear testing - even today, the residue of chemical weapons disposed near the campus stands as a powerful testament to the need to ban such weapons.