The Secret War

School Library Journal

Gr 7 Up-- Rogers presents his well-supported thesis that the British and Americans were more successful at espionage, counterespionage, and deception than either the Germans or the Japanese. It was the breaking of codes, he states, that helped Allied commanders appear to be more perceptive and clever than they really were. He also gives accounts of such participants as Admiral Canaris of the Abwehr ; Ogawa and Yoshikawa of Section 5 of the 3rd Bureau of the Naval General Staff of Japan; ``Wild Bill'' Donovan of America's first centralized intelligence service, the O. S. S.; and William ``Intrepid'' Stephenson. This work may encourage readers to seek out Francis Russell's older and more profusely illustrated The Secret War (Time-Life, 1980; o.p.). Periodic black-and-white photos and a suggested reading list complete the coverage of Rogers's outstanding work. --David A. Lindsey, Lakewood Junior/Senior High School, WA