Based in part on author Felix"s personal experiences as a political agent in Hungary in the decades after World War II, this work explains what the rules are for secret operations, why the U. S. needs them, and how good a job our government and others are doing in practice. Chapters cover the political and social systems that a spy must rely on, the personal dilemmas an agent faces, and the tricks to keeping one"s cover. A new afterword features revelations on Raoul Wallenberg"s fate, British turncoat Kim Philby, and more.