Reviews
"These annals read like fiction, which plays into Sulick's statement that, due to our unique geographical location and emphasis on individual liberties, Americans possess a disbelief that the threat of espionage exists within our borders yet as Sulick proves with this broad work, foreign attempts at espionage have existed since the country's inception and will surely continue."—Publishers Weekly, reviewing a previous edition or volume
"Reading Michael Sulick on the subject [of espionage] is akin to taking a tour of London with the queen of England as your personal guide. The author comes with blue-ribbon credentials: he served in the CIA as an operations officer for 28 years, in positions including chief of counterintelligence and director of the National Clandestine Service."—Joseph C. Goulden, The Washington Times, review of Spying in America
"What is most interesting are the motivations of citizens to betray their own country in contrast to those sent here to spy on us. . . . The author certainly knows the subject inside and out. This is an easy-to-read introduction for interested laypersons or those taking beginning courses on the history of intelligence operations."—Library Journal, reviewing a previous edition or volume
"Mr. Sulick's timely and valuable book, Spying in America: Espionage from the Revolutionary War to the Dawn of the Cold War, should have been required reading before those ladies and gentlemen [of the US House of Representatives Judiciary Committee] ever sought national office, because in its succinct, well-written chapters, the author lays out a history few Americans know and some barely even suspect Mr. Sulick's equally painstaking abilities as a historian have allowed him produce a book that is unfailingly succinct but richly illustrated and well documented. He also brings his practical experience as an intelligence operator to a thought provoking concluding chapter."—Kenneth Allard, New York Journal of Books, review of Spying in America
"As a bibliophile who devours several lineal feet of books on espionage and intelligence each month, both for review and for pleasure, I find it delightful to encounter a volume written by a professional who has walked the ground about which he writes . . . . Albeit scholarly, it brims with details of spying that make for enjoyable reading."—The Intelligencer: Journal of US Intelligence Studies
"The book is very readable; it is a history of espionage played out on American shores. The stories are long enough to be detailed but short enough to hold attention. While reading I kept hoping someone would find out about them and stop the leakage of secrets but usually they were able to spy for years undetected. I very much recommend this book as a caution to our current times."—San Francisco Book Review
"In addition to being an interesting, well-researched, and well-written book, ‘American Spies’ is a thought-provoking . . . analysis of the security and counterintelligence problems the United States faces today and in the future. It should be read by anyone who has a professional or personal interest in these areas."—Proceedings
"Sulick blends the historical record with his own intelligence expertise to create a nonfiction espionage thriller on par with the best of Ian Fleming and John Le Carre."—Choice
"Makes real-life spy history come alive, and is highly recommended especially for public and college library American History shelves."—Midwest Book Review
"I find it delightful to encounter a volume written by a professional who has walked the ground about which he writes. A must-read."—The Washington Times
"As director of CIA, I found my regular counterintelligence briefings to be depressing affairs: how could seemingly loyal, normal Americans stoop to (at best) ill-advised and (too frequently) disloyal and illegal behavior. If only I had had the chance to read Mike Sulick's American Spies, I might have known and better understood. Sulick's readable style and obvious espionage expertise translate into an expert's view of what has motivated betrayal by Americans in the modern era. His narrative reads like a fictional page-turner but with a practitioner's understanding of a real world where betrayal has become far too common. This is a must-read if one hopes to understand what it will take to keep America's secrets secret."—Michael Hayden, General USAF (Retired), former director of CIA, former director of NSA
"This and Sulick’s first volume describe some of the most damaging spies in our history with gripping accounts of their motives, espionage, and the temper of the times. The detailed, often compelling accounts fascinate. But more importantly, they sound a loud warning buzzer to once again challenge our near chronic disbelief—even today—about the extent of spying directed against America and the perennial readiness of some to betray it."—Peter Earnest, executive director, International Spy Museum
"In this, his second volume of Spying in America, retired intelligence officer and historian Michael Sulick presents vividly to readers how America, as a primary intelligence target of foreign countries and groups, protects against these attacks within the competing democratic challenges of national security and civil liberties. Sulick’s extensive research gives a professional’s up-to-date analysis of Russian, Chinese, and Cuban successes, and introduces us to the newer threats from terrorist organizations and cyber espionage."—Burton Gerber, retired CIA senior operations officer
"Drawing on a long career in the CIA’s clandestine service, Michael Sulick’s survey of espionage in America during and after the Cold War presents balanced analytical comparative case summaries that emphasize the most significant operations that challenged American intelligence agencies. Fascinating stories, well written, and a much needed contribution to the literature. For a basic understanding of America’s contemporary espionage history—read this book!"—Hayden Peake, intelligence bibliographer, Curator of CIA Historical Intelligence Collection
"With the current presidency of Donald J. Trump and his seemingly inexplicable deference to Vladimir Putin and the Russian military establishment's espionage activities and interference with the American political election process, American Spies: Espionage against the United States from the Cold War to the Present is an urgently important and unreservedly recommended addition to personal, professional, community, college, university, and governmental library collections on Espionage, Political Intelligence, National and International Security."—Midwest Book Review
