About the Book
Students and enthusiasts of American history are familiar with the Revolutionary War spies Nathan Hale and Benedict Arnold, but few studies have closely examined the wider intelligence efforts that enabled the colonies to gain their independence. Spies, Patriots, and Traitors provides readers with a fascinating, well-documented, and highly readable account of American intelligence activities during the era of the Revolutionary War, from 1765 to 1783, while describing the intelligence sources and methods used and how our Founding Fathers learned and practiced their intelligence role.
The author, a retired CIA officer, provides insights into these events from an intelligence professional’s perspective, highlighting the tradecraft of intelligence collection, counterintelligence, and covert actions and relating how many of the principles of the era’s intelligence practice are still relevant today. Kenneth A. Daigler reveals the intelligence activities of famous personalities such as Samuel Adams, George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, Nathan Hale, John Jay, and Benedict Arnold, as well as many less well-known figures. He examines the important role of intelligence in key theaters of military operations, such as Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and in General Nathanael Greene’s campaign in South Carolina; the role of African Americans in the era’s intelligence activities; undertakings of networks such as the Culper Ring; and intelligence efforts and paramilitary actions conducted abroad.
Spies, Patriots, and Traitors adds a new dimension to our understanding of the American Revolution. The book’s scrutiny of the tradecraft and management of Revolutionary War intelligence activities will be of interest to students, scholars, intelligence professionals, and anyone who wants to learn more about this fascinating era of American history.
Table of Contents:
Preface
1. George Washington Learns the Intelligence Trade2. The United Front Campaign That Led to the American Revolution3. The Intelligence War Begins4. Covert Action in Europe Leading to the French Alliance5. Nathan Hale and the British Occupation of New York City 6. John Jay’s Efforts at Counterintelligence7. Washington Establishes His Intelligence Capabilities8. Benedict Arnold: Hero Turned Traitor9. American Intelligence Activities Reach Maturity10. Nathanael Greene and Intelligence in the Southern Campaign11. Yorktown and the Endgame12. The African American Role in American Intelligence Activities13. Conclusion
Appendix: Timeline of Revolution Era EventsNotesGlossary of Tradecraft TermsBibliographyIndex
About the Author :
Kenneth A. Daigler is a retired career CIA operations officer. He has a BA in history from Centre College of Kentucky and an MA in history from the Maxwell School at Syracuse University and has served in the US Marine Corps. He has written articles about intelligence for the CIA Historical Division’s journal Studies in Intelligence, the Association of Former Intelligence Officers’ Intelligencer, and other publications.
Kenneth A. Daigler is a retired career CIA operations officer. He has a BA in history from Centre College of Kentucky and an MA in history from the Maxwell School at Syracuse University and has served in the US Marine Corps. He has written articles about intelligence for the CIA Historical Division’s journal Studies in Intelligence, the Association of Former Intelligence Officers’ Intelligencer, and other publications.
Review :
An interesting history and useful textbook. As a history, it is impressive in both scholarship and readability.
Even those familiar with the broad outlines of his story will find professional insights beyond the knowledge of academic historians . . . perhaps the best you are going to find on the birth of American intelligence.
Impressively and meticulously weaves together information from over 170 sources, including works by John Bakeless, Carl Van Doren, John Nagy, and other eminent historians, to create an exceptionally broad, inclusive, and thoroughly-researched volume on American intelligence . . . . With hard-hitting conclusions, the book is always interesting and often gripping – there is no shortage of exciting spy stories here. Not only did I learn from the book, I enjoyed reading it.
Lively, engaging narrative covers intelligence gathering in practically every theater of the conflict.
There have been a few books on this subject in recent decades but none have the breadth and scope of this one. And none are as well documented and written. Daigler reaches across the panoply of espionage activity and paints the big picture while diving deep in areas that are bound to fascinate the reader. . . . One of the many things that sets this work apart from others like it is the author's personal experience in the trade of espionage. He draws from that to analyze many of the cases and he explains the aspects of espionage that have remained eternal: planning, security and communications.
Provides a good review of intelligence in the Revolutionary War as viewed by a professional.
Mr. Daigler has pulled together much information from many sources, and illustrates why their actual stories are better than the vague memories most of us have carried away from primary school . . . this well-written book makes learning about this important part of our history a pleasure.
We are just beginning to appreciate how patterns of digital data can be mined to yield a great deal of intelligence about our enemies—and about us, too. We accordingly should seek to uncover what lessons we can from historical precedent about how best to navigate this brave new world of intelligence, and Kenneth Daigler's Spies, Patriots, and Traitors allows us to begin at our nation's start, when the desire for independence pulled us headlong into the game of spies.
A great read on the American Revolution, particularly if, like me, you are not well versed in its details, as well as its geographic and political sweep. And for those of us in CI, it serves as a source of object lessons in how to do things well, and what mistakes to avoid.
Provides insights . . . from an intelligence professional's perspective, highlighting the tradecraft of intelligence collection, counterintelligence, and covert actions and relating how many of the principles of the era's intelligence practice are still relevant today.
A wonderful read from two perspectives: first, as a look at American intelligence in our own Revolution, and second, as a compressed walk through the history of that Revolution.
A highly readable account of American intelligence activities during the Revolutionary War, from 1765 to 1783, describing the intelligence sources and methods used and how our Founding Fathers learned and practiced their intelligence role. The author, a retired CIA officer, provides insights into these events from an intelligence professional’s perspective.
An interesting history and useful textbook. As a history, it is impressive in both scholarship and readability.
Even those familiar with the broad outlines of his story will find professional insights beyond the knowledge of academic historians . . . perhaps the best you are going to find on the birth of American intelligence.
Impressively and meticulously weaves together information from over 170 sources, including works by John Bakeless, Carl Van Doren, John Nagy, and other eminent historians, to create an exceptionally broad, inclusive, and thoroughly-researched volume on American intelligence . . . . With hard-hitting conclusions, the book is always interesting and often gripping – there is no shortage of exciting spy stories here. Not only did I learn from the book, I enjoyed reading it.
Lively, engaging narrative covers intelligence gathering in practically every theater of the conflict.
There have been a few books on this subject in recent decades but none have the breadth and scope of this one. And none are as well documented and written. Daigler reaches across the panoply of espionage activity and paints the big picture while diving deep in areas that are bound to fascinate the reader. . . . One of the many things that sets this work apart from others like it is the author's personal experience in the trade of espionage. He draws from that to analyze many of the cases and he explains the aspects of espionage that have remained eternal: planning, security and communications.
Provides a good review of intelligence in the Revolutionary War as viewed by a professional.
Mr. Daigler has pulled together much information from many sources, and illustrates why their actual stories are better than the vague memories most of us have carried away from primary school . . . this well-written book makes learning about this important part of our history a pleasure.
We are just beginning to appreciate how patterns of digital data can be mined to yield a great deal of intelligence about our enemies—and about us, too. We accordingly should seek to uncover what lessons we can from historical precedent about how best to navigate this brave new world of intelligence, and Kenneth Daigler's Spies, Patriots, and Traitors allows us to begin at our nation's start, when the desire for independence pulled us headlong into the game of spies.
A great read on the American Revolution, particularly if, like me, you are not well versed in its details, as well as its geographic and political sweep. And for those of us in CI, it serves as a source of object lessons in how to do things well, and what mistakes to avoid.
Provides insights . . . from an intelligence professional's perspective, highlighting the tradecraft of intelligence collection, counterintelligence, and covert actions and relating how many of the principles of the era's intelligence practice are still relevant today.
A wonderful read from two perspectives: first, as a look at American intelligence in our own Revolution, and second, as a compressed walk through the history of that Revolution.
A highly readable account of American intelligence activities during the Revolutionary War, from 1765 to 1783, describing the intelligence sources and methods used and how our Founding Fathers learned and practiced their intelligence role. The author, a retired CIA officer, provides insights into these events from an intelligence professional’s perspective.
