Need to Know: Eastern and Western Perspectives. (Studies in Intelligence and Security)

If the aim of intelligence services is to enable decision makers to take enlightened decisions, it might also be said that the objective of Intelligence Studies is to enable the general public to understand the intelligence process. For many years, however, scholars in the field could not select their sources or record footnotes, and, in Europe, intelligence services did their best to control what the public was told when it came to intelligence and security matters. After 1989, this all changed. The Iron Curtain fell and citizens in Central and Eastern Europe forced open the archives of the former intelligence and security services. Gradually, even Western European countries followed suit. As a consequence, Intelligence Studies in Europe experienced a new dawn. This is the first publication originating from the "Need to Know" conference series (founded in 2011) and it gives the reader insights into a range of topics: from the Abu Nidal Organization in Poland and the Canadian embassy in Havana to Danish historiography and the presence of Czechoslovak agents in London. The book and the "Need to Know" conferences have embarked on a journey to understand intelligence better and promote cooperation between international Intelligence Studies scholars. Towards this end, it represents an exciting first step. (Series: Studies in Intelligence and Security) [Subject: Intelligence Studies, Security Studies, European Studies]