Intelligence History

From their birth in World War II as combat swimmers clearing the beaches of Normandy to their evolution into fighting men who could operate anywhere in the world by sea, air, or land, the intrepid story of the United States Navy SEALs is one of courage, sacrifice, and world-renowned toughness that echoes of other great military units of history - the Spartans, the Roman legions, or the samurai. Take a look inside to find out what makes the SEALs America's deadliest warriors.

This historic mission of this remarkable but little-known organization, the US National Intelligence Council (NIC), now 40 years old, is strategic intelligence assessment in service of senior American foreign policymakers. Its signature inside products, National Intelligence Estimates, are now accompanied by the NIC's every-four-years Global Trends. Unclassified, Global Trends has become a noted NIC brand, its release awaited by officials, academics, and private sector managers around the world.

All Brain and No Soul? Real Humanity in an AI Age explores the profound shifts in human identity and understanding in the context of historical, scientific, and technological revolutions, particularly the rise of artificial intelligence. Beginning with the author's personal reflections on chaos and order in a changing world, it delves into humanity's displacement from the cosmic center through the Copernican Revolution, the evolution of modern science, and the redefining of intelligence and sentience.

Operation Desert Storm chronicles perhaps the most incredible story of the Gulf War that has never been told. It describes two young soldiers from the intelligence section of 1-327 Infantry, 101st Airborne Division, Captain Jose Delgado and Sergeant Jesus Gonzalez, who unlocked an intelligence puzzle none of their higher headquarters recognized. This pivotal discovery occurred after the finalization of the 101st Airborne’s plans for attacking into Iraq and altered the direction of Desert Storm.

In Enemies Within Matt Apuzzo and Adam Goldman lay bare the complex and often contradictory state of counterterrorism and intelligence in America through the pursuit of Najibullah Zazi, a terrorist bomber who trained under one of bin Laden's most trusted deputies. Zazi and his coconspirators represented America's greatest fear: a terrorist cell operating inside America. Apuzzo and Goldman lift the veil of secrecy to reveal the strengths and weaknesses of our counterterrorism measures.

Though it might be hard to believe, the Americans did not have a covert operations organization when they joined the war, and like the British, it took them some time to realize it could be a powerful tool. As a result, the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) was not established until June 13, 1942, six months after the attack on Pearl Harbor. And of course, it would all chart a path for the early days of America’s most famous intelligence agency, the CIA.

Are plants intelligent? Can they solve problems, communicate, and navigate their surroundings? Or are they passive, incapable of independent action or social behavior? Philosophers and scientists have pondered these questions since ancient Greece, most often concluding that plants are unthinking and inert: they are too silent, too sedentary - just too different from us. Yet discoveries over the past 50 years have challenged these ideas, shedding new light on the extraordinary capabilities and complex interior lives of plants.

Every president has had a unique and complicated relationship with the intelligence community. While some have been coolly distant, even adversarial, others have found their intelligence agencies to be among the most valuable instruments of policy and power. Since John F. Kennedy's presidency, this relationship has been distilled into a personalized daily report: a short summary of what the intelligence apparatus considers the most crucial information for the president to know that day about global threats and opportunities.

A riveting exposé of the attack on the Nord Stream pipelines, the largest act of sabotage in modern history, told through unprecedented access and deep investigative reporting—part geopolitical thriller, part true-crime detective story, part gritty war chronicle In September 2022...

It’s reshaping jobs, classrooms, and even how we see ourselves, and we’re all still trying to make sense of it in real time. I’m a Little Worried About Artificial Intelligence explores what’s really happening with clarity, humor, and just the right amount of concern. For the past few years, I’ve been immersed in the world of AI strategy and training. I’ve helped clients, students, coworkers, and even family understand the impressive capabilities of this seemingly magical technology.

This book presents a timely and significant addition to the ongoing discourse around the ethical implications of AI in general, as well as the new and disruptive AI technologies, such as generative AI platforms like ChatGPT.

The notion of robots gaining consciousness is beginning to become a reality, but the future of human happiness is dependent on our ability to teach machines what we value the most today. Featuring pragmatic solutions drawing on economics, emerging technologies, and positive psychology, Heartificial Intelligence provides a road map to help listeners embrace the present and better define their future.

Declassified is a raw, thought-provoking conversation that dives straight into the questions shaping our future: intelligence and the limits of the Turing Test, ethics by design, surveillance capitalism, social media’s paradoxes, the future of work, AI-powered warfare, climate risk, love in the age of algorithms, the uncanny valley, the road to AGI, and the futures we might build... or fear.

Liquid Computing envisions a future beyond apps and interfaces—a world where artificial intelligence is ambient, adaptive, and seamlessly embedded in daily life. In this era, we don’t “use” computers; we live inside intelligent flows that span devices, contexts, and interactions. The book traces the evolution from hardware to cloud to AI as a responsive, invisible operating medium—always learning, assisting, and co-creating with us. It introduces the Liquid Interface, where interaction is natural, multimodal, and emotionally aware. Instead of commands, we converse.

Mein Spy gives a firsthand documentation of German espionage and sabotage in the U.S. in the lead-ups to both World War I and World War II. These activities, some only plotted, some carried out, defeated their own purpose. Instead of keeping America from intervening on behalf of the Allies, German disinformation and sabotage inflamed an American public opinion that up to that point had mostly been neutral.

In Nazis in the New World, Aaron Gillette presents vivid narratives and personal accounts to reveal the unknown history of Nazi German exchange students sent to America in the 1930s. After receiving the Gestapo's stamp of approval, they were instructed to use their charm and charisma to promote the Third Reich. Some also served Hitler as covert operatives against the United States.

All is fair in love and war. At least, the Nazis thought so. They deployed sex like any other weapon in the service of the Third Reich. Al Camino examines many shocking cases, where brothels were hotbeds of bugging and blackmail, and pillow talk could topple nations.

In The Paradox of Progress, Dr. Michael M. Karch delves into the ethical complexities of AI’s rapid evolution. Drawing from a career spanning three decades in robotics, orthopedic surgery, and international disaster response, Dr. Karch investigates AI’s far-reaching impact and initiates critical discussion about its duality. This is a compelling exploration through historical precedents of progress and AI’s challenges today, including fears of data bias, deep fakes, technological hegemony, and job displacement.

From technical wizardly that goes disastrously wrong, to underwater warfare with a sting in its tail, this new book by Tony Matthews delves into a wide range of top-secret stories, including black propaganda missions, calamitous Resistance operations and accounts of espionage activities at the very highest level. Spies, Saboteurs and Secret Missions of World War II is a fascinating insight into some of the most astonishing clandestine activities of the Second World War.

Drawing on a wide range of previously unpublished British, French, German, Danish, and Czech archival sources, Spying on the Reich tells the story of Germany and its rearmament in the 1920s and 1930s; its relations with foreign governments and their intelligence services; and the relations and rivalries between Western governments, seen through the prism of the cooperation, or lack of it, between their spy agencies.