The Secret World of Espionage

The world of espionage is shrouded in mystery—even to those in it. But so much of what we think we know about spy craft is rooted in literature and film and drama. Think Ian Fleming’s James Bond and John LeCarre’s George Smiley. Fictional spies loom large over our conception of covert operations and how they get done. But even though the true nature of espionage is quite different, that doesn’t mean history’s real spies are any less heroic—or less fascinating.