Author Description

Covert and Overt explores the historical relationships between overt intelligence work and information/computer science. Skillfully edited by Robert V. Williams and Ben-Ami Lipetz, the book features contributions by intelligence professionals and technologists from a range of U.S. and British agencies and armed services. The book begins by examining the pivotal strides to utilize technology in the gathering and dissemination of government/military intelligence during World War II. Next, it traces the evolution of the relationship between spymasters, computers, and systems developers through the years of the Cold War-a period notable for the parallel development of high-tech spyware and powerful new systems for encoding, decoding, storing, and manipulating intelligence data. This scholarly work will be welcomed by any researcher, historian, or intelligence professional interested in the vital conjunction of information technology and covert intelligence.