Kidnap City : Cold War Berlin (Contributions to the Study of World History)
Editorial Reviews
Review
“Smith, author of seven previous books on some of the most stirring issues in German history from the 1930s to the 1950s, has contributed another well-researched and highly readable book that makes an important aspect of the Cold War come alive....the facts of the most famous Berlin espionage and abduction cases have come to light only since the opening of the East German archives and limited access to former Soviet records. This book is the first to bring all the most notable stories, their backgrounds, and the context of the broader international entanglements together....Recommended. All levels and collections.”–
“Arthur L. Smith's well-written monograph covering Berlin in the 1945-1961 era is an interesting contribution to this ongoing process....[S]hould find a ready audience among scholars and students who seek a better understanding of American, Soviet, and East German intelligence agency activities in a city divided by fear and suspicion.”–
“Smith does a good job of describing the chilling effects of the kidnapping phenomenon and the troubled efforts of the British, American and West German authorities to control it....Smith's account of this phenomenon is clear, well researched and congent.”–
Book Description
After more than 50 years, some of the secrets behind the post-war kidnappings in Berlin remain classified. Following the Second World War, West Berlin residents found themselves as prime targets for kidnapping by communist agents. Lurid press accounts of these abductions left Berliners frightened and intimidated. The central connection of American intelligence agencies (CIC, CIA) to most of these cases, however, was not well known at the time. Delving into these various kidnapping cases, Smith discovers a distinct profile for the abductees. Almost all were former residents of East Germany and, as such, had an intelligence value for the Americans. This connection in turn made them prime targets for Soviet and East German intelligence units.
Kidnap City : Cold War Berlin (Contributions to the Study of World History)
Kidnap City: Cold War Berlin (Contributions to the Study of World History),Arthur L. Smith,Greenwood Press,0313323615,1945-1990,20th century,Berlin,Berlin (Germany),Espionage,Europe - Germany,Germany,Germany (East),History,History - General History,History: World,Kidnapping,Secret service,World - General,Espionage & secret services,European history: postwar, from c 1945 -,History / Europe / General,Political imprisonment,Postwar period, 1945 to c 2000,West Germany,World history: postwar, from c 1945 -
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