The Cold War and the Modern Spy

3 units

This course studies the Cold War through the lens of modern espionage. We begin by studying how technology developed in World War I, such as the use of codes and code-breaking machines, enabled the growth of intelligence organizations with the goal of collecting information against the Germans. World War II spawned a new age of electronic surveillance, spies and counterspies, as tensions increased between democratic and communist allies. We will examine the creation of the CIA and KGB; NATO and the Warsaw Pact; the use of secret tunnels; aerial and satellite reconnaissance; embedded spies and moles; the 'Atomic Spy'; and the use of military intelligence in government covert activities.