Research Catalog

King of spies : the dark reign of America's spymaster in Korea / Blaine Harden.

Title: King of spies : the dark reign of America's spymaster in Korea / Blaine Harden.
Author: Harden, Blaine
Publication: New York, New York : Viking, [2017]

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Status	Format	Access	Call Number	Item Location
Request for On-site Use Request Scan How do I pick up this item and when will it be ready?	Text	Request in advance	DS921.5.S8 N534 2017	Off-site

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Details

Description

viii, 260 pages, 16 pages of plates : illustrations; 24 cm

Summary

"The New York Times bestselling author of Escape from Camp 14 returns with the untold story of one of the most powerful spies in American history, shedding new light on the U.S. role in the Korean War, and its legacy In 1946, master sergeant Donald Nichols was stationed on the sleepy island of Guam when he caught the eye of recruiters from the Army's Counter Intelligence Corps. After just three months' training, he was sent to Korea, then a backwater largely beneath the radar of MacArthur's Pacific Command. Though he lacked the education and pedigree of most spies, Nichols quickly metamorphosed from army mechanic to black ops phenomenon. He insinuated himself into the affections of South Korea's first president, Syngman Rhee, and became a key player in the American war effort, warning months in advance about the North Korean invasion, breaking enemy codes, and identifying most of the bombing targets used throughout the war. But Nichols's accomplishments had a dark side: he ran his own base and played by his own rules. He recruited agents from refugee camps and prisons, sending many to their deaths on reckless missions. And his proximity to Rhee meant that he witnessed - and did nothing to stop - the slaughter of thousands of South Korean civilians in anticommunist purges"--

Subject

Genre/Form

collective biographies.
Biographies
Biographies.

Bibliography (note)

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Processing Action (note)

committed to retain

Contents

Introduction: The spy who came in from the motor pool -- Part I. Most valuable spy -- Nichols of Korea -- Rhee and son -- Muzzling Mr. Nichols -- Part II. War spy -- Dark star -- Code break bully -- Any means necessary -- Empire of islands -- Famous in Pyongyang -- Part III. Ruined spy -- Sacked -- Shocked -- Adrift and accused -- Nolo contendere -- A spy's grave.

ISBN

9780525429937
052542993X

LCCN

^^2017025386

OCLC

1005057272
SCSB-10769074

Owning Institutions

Harvard Library