NEED TO KNOW

WORLD WAR II AND THE RISE OF AMERICAN INTELLIGENCE

A FASCINATING INSIGHT INTO HOW THE UNITED STATES DEVELOPED ITS CODEBREAKING AND SURVEILLANCE OPERATIONS DURING THE GLOBAL CONFLICT

Author: Nicholas Reynolds Publisher: Mariner Books Price: £22

In this book’s introduction, author Nicholas Reynolds states that this history about the birth of US intelligence is intended to show “the view from 30,000ft rather than from… a foxhole”. It’s a curious proposition, but as you delve deeper into the narrative you can see why he’s chosen to write from this perspective. It’s such an intricate story that had he zoomed in any closer on its various elements, he’d have found himself (probably still) writing a multi-volume account.

Not that this book lacks detail. On the contrary, it’s a well-researched work that does a fine job of leading you through a labyrinthine subject. Following events chronologically, Reynolds begins with the outbreak of WWII when, hard as it is to imagine, the US had no real military intelligence services. The attack on Pearl Harbor changed that, although initial efforts were discombobulated, to say the least. Various agencies within the army and navy were set up to tackle codebreaking and surveillance but there was little cooperation between them. Learning from their British allies, however, US defence chiefs soon saw the value of a coordinating agency. The Office of Strategic Service – the famed OSS and forerunner to the CIA – was born and the rest, as they say, is history.

As the overview it’s intended to be, Need to

Know is a success. By focusing on the strategies as well as the often exceptional individuals responsible for creating US Intelligence, Reynolds has delivered a highly readable account of a fascinating and complex history.