Someone Spying? So are the Teddy Bear and the Potted Plant

See the cuddly teddy bear over on the shelf? Well, it sees you too. “Right here in the camera, behind the left eye.” said Marvin Badler, the owner of The Spy Mart a Monmouth County company dedicated to the proposition that what you don’t know can hurt you and what you do know can protect you from being caught off guard.

“There’s a wireless camera transmitter in here.” Mr. Badler said, holding the teddy bear in his arms and pointing to it’s furry little head. ” It can send a signal up to 300 feet away , so you don’t even need a wire to attach it to a VCR.

Mr. Badler a licensed Private investigator since 1961 and former chief investigator for the New York City Department of Correction, was demonstrating some of the item he sells from The Spy Mart’s showroom.

“See that planter over there.” Mr. Badler said, pointing in the direction of an ordinary-looking potted plant. “There’s a camera in the pot. We build it last week. I was shopping with my wife, I saw the planter and came up with the idea.”

Mr. Badler’s business is answer to a challenge: how do you find out what someone is up to without his finding out what are you up to first?

“Most of my customers are law enforcement types.” Mr. Badler said, referring to police, private detectives and prosecutors investigators. Investigators who come to avail themselves of the latest in clandestine surveillance technology. But we also have a lot of private-sector people and businessman who come in because they want to record their own telephone conversation or because they’re afraid of their business are being bugged.”

Paramilitary Atmosphere

The Spy Mart, which Mr. Badler opened about two years ago, is on the second floor of an office building in Marlboro, New Jersey. Mr. Badler, a tall, burly man with a penchant for 10-gallon hats, also runs his private investigation and security business from the location. The atmosphere is decisively paramilitary, with a secretary and an assistant calling Mr. Badler “sir” in terse formal exchanges.

He instructed the secretary to call him on a telephone atop one of glass display cases that line the walls of the showroom. The phone rang , and Mr. Badler lifted the receiver. “This is a prototype.” he said, telling his assistant to pick up an extension in another room. A red light on the phone blinked on. “See? The phone went dead.” Mr. Badler said holding the receiver our for a visitor to verify that the phone was quite dead.” “What happened was, if I’m talking and somebody gets on the line with a listening device or comes in the room with a transmitter , the light goes on and the phone automatically disconnects the conversation.”

He intends to market the new telephone to other spy shop around the country. The price? About $750.00. Many of the devices in The Spy Mart showroom, including the phone that goes dead, are items Mr. Badler designed himself and then built out of components available at any well – stocked electronics store.

“This is a microphone in a button.” he said, holding out for inspection what appeared to be, well, a button with wire attached to it. “You can put it on a selves of your shirt and attached it to any tape recorder.” he said. “It’s battery powered, and you can change the actual button so it matches the buttons on your shirt.”

He then showed me a pen that, he said, has a tiny microphone inside. Even upon close inspection, nothing about the pen appeared unusual. “The microphone is behind that hole,” he said, indication a hold bout the size of a period at the end of this sentence. “It’s supersensitive, too.”he said, asserting that the tiny microphone is about 10 times more sensitive then the microphones built into microcassettee recorders now on the market.

“See the calculator?” he said, pointing to a credit-card-size calculator.

“That’s a transmitter. But it’s not for public use, only law enforcement. It’s not FCC approved”.

Mr. Badler’s clandestine eavesdropping devices fall into two general t for public use: hard-wired, like the shirt button microphone, which plugs into a microcassettee recorder, and wireless, like the calculator that transmits to an FM receiver some distance away.

Behind the Picture Frame

Some of the wireless transmitters, like the one that replaces an ordinary electric wall socket, can transmit up to a half mile away, drawing power from the house current. Others, which use tiny batteries for power and are about the same size as a sugar cube, transmit for a less distance but are handy for surreptitious placement in vases, behind picture frames and attached under tables and other furniture.

“Again,” Mr. Badler said, “these are for law enforcement, not for public use. It’s illegal to record audio unless you are a party to the conversation.”

But if that’s’ the case, who might use the teddy bear camera with a video camera for a brain? “Anybody,” Mr. Badler replied. It’s not illegal to videotape.”

In fact, he said, the teddy bear was designed for clients who wanted to be able to keep track of how a child’s nanny was treating the child when the parents weren’t home. The teddy bear was set on a high shelf in the chid’s room and connected to a video recorder locked in the parents room. The cost? “Around $1,000.00, not including the ,VCR.” Mr. Badler said. “And there are ways we can make them work in total darkness.” Mr. Badler pointed to what looked like a clock hung on a wall. He instructed his visitor to look at the a video monitor just underneath the clock. On the screen was an image of a confused reporter looking at himself looking at a video monitor. “Now watch this,” Mr. Badler said, switching off the office lights, The image on the video monitor dimmed slightly but remained clear and distinct. “All we do is introduce a small infrared light source – we can hide it anywhere in the room – and it will bounce around and illuminate the room like it was daylight.”

A regular customer of The Spy Mart, a private investigator who declined to give his name, described yet another product that make use on infrared light. “I bought infrared filters for the headlights on my car.” the investigator said, explaining that he used the filters while staking out errant spouses for divorce clients. “I sit in my car with a video camera , aim the headlights at the house or motel and wait. The infrared filters light up the place like it was daytime. I can see them, but they can’t see me.”

The investigator said The Spy Mart was more then a high-the toy store for real-life Sam Spades and amateur spies.

Marvin doesn’t just sell you things and send you out the door,” the man said. “He tells you how to use what you buy. He gives suggestions. You tell him what you want to do and he’ll figure out how to do it.”

And for those new to the business of espionage and counterespionage, Mr. Badler also offers a small library of arcane books with such titles as “How to Disappear Completely and Never be Found.” “Get Even: The Complete Book of Dirty Tricks,” “How the Underdog Gets Justice” and “Methods of Disguise.”

Though The Spy Mart caters to law enforcement officials, Mr. Badler said, a growing segment of his business involves executive and business manages concerned about employee theft and corporate espionage.

“We have a lot of small businesses installing hidden video systems,” he said, adding that it is illegal to install such equipment in areas where people are entitled to expect privacy, like dressing rooms and bathrooms.

Worries About Wiretapping

“We also sell lot of systems to people who think their businesses or home items he showed his offices are being bugged or wiretapped by the competition,” he said. “And we help people who want to record their telephone conversation. A lot of insurance brokers are now recording customer conversation, which is legal.”

Though the market for surveillance devices for law enforcement never seems to dry up, he said, the market among business customers tracks the economy.

“When things are bad out there for business, then business is good for me.” Mr. Badler said. “When the economy is bad, people are stealing more, and there are ad thins going on.”

One of the last items he showed his visitor was is personal favorite. “This is a bug detector,” he said, opening a case that contained a small electronic control panel. He took a small wand with a wire attached to it of the case and pointed the wand at the calculator, which really a hidden transmitter and was supposed to be virtually undetectable. The bug detector flashed and beeped and electronic warning.

“It’s one of my most popular items,”he said.

Badler is now on the web: http://www.thespymart.com & http://www.implexsecurityproducts.com

THE NEW YORK TIMES, JANUARY 30, 1994

Our society makes it way too easy for a man to look at porn. The Internet is the biggest threat, and the easiest way to access porn. It used to be that if someone wanted to look at porn on the Internet, he needed a computer. Not anymore! You can get all the porn you want on your iPhone, or dozens of other mobile devices. It can be overwhelming to a woman who wants to know if her loved one is viewing the garbage.

But now equipment is available to know if he is looking at porn on even his mobile devices. Let’s look at a couple of pieces of spy stuff that can help you in your hunt to verify faithfulness.

First off, there is the iPhone Spy. This piece of pro spy stuff is a recovery device that is made for the Apple iPhone. You can recover phone call history, contacts, and pictures, and see the texts, maps, and so much more that he has viewed. It takes 20 minutes to scan his phone to see what he has been up to.

If he uses another smart phone to view his porn, then the Cell Phone Recon is for you. It can view all his pictures, websites, texts, and calls, and you never have to plug it into his phone. Just get the phone model number and serial number, and plug the software into your computer. It will even track where his cell phone is currently! Incredible piece of spy stuff! Spy supply does not get any more advanced than the Cell Phone Recon’s technology.

And then there is the Porn Detection Stick. Just plug this flash drive into a computer and it will show you all the porn that has been viewed on the computer. You can even find deleted porn. And if that’s not enough, you can download it onto the Porn Detection Stick.

So don’t feel like you can’t know if he is lying to you about porn. You now have the tools to check him out.

A good spy supply shop will have every tool you can imagine. I do caution you about buying spy equipment from overseas, or from an auction site. You have little or no recourse if you want to return it. If you buy from a USA vendor, you can rest assured you are buying top-notch spy stuff, and you can pick up the phone and get live help if you have any questions. And if you have problems you will know that you will have warranties that will be honored by reputable companies. I have a friend who bought a spy camera flashlight from China. I told him I could get him one. But he wanted to save money. Twelve weeks later he got it. It lasted two days and broke. He just threw it away because he knew that returning it would be nearly impossible.

So ladies, that’s your technology lesson for today. Please check out my link below to see all the cool spy stuff I mentioned above, and much more.

The Silver Skull is book one in a new series – Swords of Albion. Author Mark Chadbourn gets things off to a smashing start with a swashbuckling hero who battles the Faerie Realm in an alternate Elizabethan England. Chadbourn, has won the British Fantasy Award twice. A former journalist, he’s written eleven novels as well as non-fiction. This is the first book of his that I’ve read. It won’t be the last. I thoroughly enjoyed this entertaining historical fantasy adventure.

Will Swyfte is the greatest of Lord Francis Walsingham’s spies and there are those who wonder why a spy would want to be so well known. But it’s only a facade so the people will have a hero to look up to and Will can cover up his real duty and the true purpose of the spy network. But now England is threatened by a supernatural force that intends to eradicate the human race. Beneath the Thames a procession of lights moves toward the impregnable Tower of London where a special prisoner and a powerful artifact have been kept for twenty years. The building is breached, the guards killed and the prisoner, a powerful doomsday weapon, is released. Now England’s greatest spy must fight the darkness before the nation is destroyed. He’s vowed to protect his Queen and country from a secret enemy, the Fae, who are consorting with Spain. He has another reason for hating the forces of Faerie. When he was younger they stole his one true love and he can’t forget her. If Will can’t stop the enemy from acquiring three magical artifacts, the Skull, the Key and the Shield then England will fall.

The historical detail in this book sets a believable backdrop for a spy who could pass for a fantastical James Bond. Will Swifte, adventurer, swordsman, rake and the greatest spy is a larger than life character. James Bond has his Q and Will has Dr. John Dee, a member of the secret service. He provides the incredible gadgets for Will and the other spies. I thought all the characters were well developed and sympathetic. Tension abounds and the scare factor is high as they are pitted against supernatural threats and a bit of horror in a late sixteenth century paranormal England. Chadbourn sets a fast pace with plenty of twists and turns. Nothing is as it seems. It’s an excellent read. I’m looking forward to the next in the series.

Publisher: Pyr (November 24, 2009)

ISBN: 978-1-59102-783-6

Paperback: 425 Pages

Price: $16.00

In only a couple of years we computer users have learned a lot about online threats. There is no need to explain what “spyware” means — we all know it. Or do we?

If software collects information without users’ knowledge and transmits it, such a program is usually automatically labeled “spyware” no matter how valuable this information is. It can be either relatively innocuous code for gathering users’ browsing habits — or extremely dangerous software created specially for unsolicited monitoring and committing cybercrime like identity theft, or espionage.

In the classification from SpyAudit they the latter are called System Monitors. Here belong such programs as keyloggers and more advanced keylogger-based programs, which can intercept not only keystrokes, but also capture text from application windows and clipboard contents, make screenshots – in other words, everything you do. This is particular kind of software specially created for stealing valuable information.

“There has been a recent wave of system monitoring tools disguised as email attachments or free software products.”, experts warn. (see http://www.earthlink.net/spyaudit/press/) Keyloggers can be hidden in viruses or even slip into a PC while a user visits some website.

We users have become smarter and try to protect our data. Loads of programs are created to counteract spy software. Why data stealing is flourishing then? Unfortunately, the “means of defense” are, as it often happens, half a step behind “means of offense”.

Generally speaking, most anti-spyware works like that: it scans the operating system in search for suspicious bits of code. Should the program find any, it compares these suspicious pieces with bits of code (they are called signatures), which belong to already detected and “caught” spy programs. Signatures are kept in so-called signature base — the inseparable part of any anti-spy program. The more signatures it contains, the more spyware such program will detect, so your PC will be protected more effectively. As long as you update your anti-spy software regularly and the system doesn’t come across some unknown spyware product, everything is going to be all right.

The problem is that some keyloggers are written to be used only once. These “tailor-made”, or should we say, “custom-made”, keyloggers are extremely dangerous, because they will never be detected with existing anti-spy software which uses signature bases.

Keylogging software is relatively simple and not too difficult to compile. Even an average computer programmer can write a simple keylogger in a couple of days. More sophisticated one will take longer to make, of course, but not too long. Hackers often compile source code of several keyloggers (it’s easy to find them in the Web–for those who know where to look for) — and get a brand-new one with an unknown signature even faster. If a keylogger can be installed remotely without the victim’s knowledge, it gives the hacker great possibility to steal any information he pleases.

However, now most anti-virus and anti-spyware vendors proclaim that along with signature bases they apply heuristic algorithms for detecting spyware. It means that their products now can catch more “spies” than their signature bases contain. To verify it experts from Information Security Center Ltd recently carried out a simple test.

The testing simulated a situation when a thief applies a custom-made keylogger compiled from source code freely available (!) from the Internet. The testers did what a thief with a bit of programming skills can easily do: they took source code from the Internet and compiled 9 keyloggers. Then these “test spies” were used for checking whether world-known anti-spyware will detect anything. The results turned out to be shocking: 28 out of 44 anti-virus and anti-spy software products couldn’t do anything — they detected none. 10 products managed only 1 spy out of 9; 5 programs caught only 2 out of 9. The only product that blocked all the 9 spies was a dedicated anti-keylogging solution based solely on heuristic algorithms with no signature base.

To read more about this testing visit [http://bezpeka.com/en/lib/antispy/art2869.html]

Not to use signature base analysis at all is a relatively new trend in software development. This approach is rather promising; it means that such a dedicated anti-keylogging product –it already exists–can counteract even custom-made spies.

If you suspect your cell phone has spy software on it, the first thing you should do is have it removed. After it is removed, there are some precautions you can take to protect your privacy and make it difficult to reinstall the spyware.

Removing Spy Software

Spy software is easy to remove, simply go to your service provider and have them erase the phone’s memory and restore the factory defaults. Some providers will even walk you through the procedure over the phone. Make sure you have a hard copy of any information you need to keep.

Protecting Your Phone

Spy software is easy to remove and it is just as easy for someone to reinstall – if you are not very careful. Some of the things you should do to protect your phone:

• Lock your keypad with a password. This will prevent anyone who does not know the password from installing the software.
• Use antivirus software on your phone to detect and remove spyware and viruses.
• Do not give your cell number to anyone you would not share all your information with. Some very sophisticated software can be installed from a remote location using only the phone number and sometimes the IMEI code (International Mobile Equipment Identity number). The IMEI code is not confidential. It is possible to find it in 3 different places
  
  1. From the phone contract. It was on my iPhone 4 contract.
  2. From the battery case. It was in my iPhone 4 battery case.
  3. By simply dialing #06# on your phone. This worked on my iPhone 4.

It is chilling to think that all a spy needs is the IMEI code and the phone number to start spying

Remember that the spyware is not easy to detect and it may have been reinstalled without your knowledge. If you are in a confidential meeting – be aware that nearby conversations can be recorded even if the phone is off. Consider removing the battery for the duration of the meeting.

Unless you know what to look for, the software is undetectable. Privacy laws and their enforcement have not caught up with what is happening in the marketplace today. This means that each person should be aware that anyone could be spying on his or her phone for any reason. The technology is not going to go away and the best protection is information. There are many ways to deal with this problem. Three that are manageable are:

1. Be careful what you text and say on a mobile phone. You may not have spyware on your phone, but the person who you are communicating with may have it on theirs.
2. Be aware that if your phone has this software, the spy may be able to hear your nearby conversations even when you are not speaking on the phone. If you are in a confidential business meeting you might want to take steps to ensure that it is not being recorded covertly.
3. Protect access to your cell phone as if it is the key to your life – it is!

If you are interested in beginning to invest and start your journey into CFDs (Contracts for Difference) it is imperative that you make a clear cut strategy prior to jumping in. The strategy for one should be to come into this after having done enough research and analysis to feel confident in your dealings. One should first understand the differences between trading types. It goes without really needing to be said, but you want to minimize any and all losses, so the more you know is always best.

The CFD trading market is similar to the trading in the futures market; the one main difference is that they do not expire. To analyze this market it has to be charted directly, but as their profit and loss is directly related to their underlying market, it is preferable to chart the underlying market while making trades on the CFD market.

CFD trading is mainly used by private traders and investors; simply for the fact that they offer these traders the ability to trade short and long, and allows them to use leverage for their trading as well as offering the ability to hedge their positions. This all comes at a much lower cost than the traditional market.

Here are a few steps you should try to follow in the beginning until you get your own strategy mapped out that works for you. This should help a bit to stay on track, and not lose all your investment. One thing we suggest when you are first getting your feet wet, is to only start out by making small trade risks at fewer than 3% of your trading capital. This will give you time to get used to how CFD trading works.

* Start with a small investment of $5000

* Make your own trading profile

* Decide and set your entry and exists.

* Be sure you have decided on what percentage of risk you wish to utilize.

We all have dreams of breaking millions; however, you do not want to let the hopes of wealth get in the way of reality. Take your time, make sure you realize that everyone that invests in CFDs as well as other trading, is going to have highs and lows, gains and losses, but if you develop the right strategies, and stick to them, you can prosper. Do your research, start slow, and build your wealth.

Cloaking is one of the spy’s abilities that make it easy for him to move among the enemy without being seen especially through choke points. You will be completely invisible to the enemy when fully cloaked but your teammates can see an outline in your team’s color.  

You, on the other hand, will see a translucent replica of your character. You cannot use your weapons or reload your revolver when cloaking or ending the process.  

If you’re cloaked when taking on a disguise you will not risk the enemy seeing the smoke that is produced when going into a disguise.     

However, there will be some smoke produced if you quickly cloak or end the cloaking process by holding down the cloak button.     

• It takes one second to cloak and another to end the process allowing you eight full seconds of being completely invisible.
• When de-cloaking you will flash your teams color so be careful during this time to avoid being seen.

Keep in mind that when cloaked everyone can see a semi-transparent outline that is filled in with your team color if you bump into an enemy player or if you become damaged in any way. This effect is temporary but it may last long enough for you to be discovered, so be careful.    

You must also wait one second after de-cloaking to attack an enemy player or to re-cloak after an attack. You can be vulnerable during this time so, keep an eye out for the enemy.    

Bumping into objects will not make you glow with the outline of your team colors but if you are being healed by an enemy dispenser while cloaked, your position can be given away. You will also be visible if you’re hit by a flamethrower and you will leave a trail of bubbles when swimming while cloaked and drip water briefly when emerging from the water.    

Once you learn all aspects of the cloak and all the little secrets of using it, you will be one step closer to mastering the class of a spy. Cloak and de-cloak in areas where you can’t be seen to avoid being detected.  

The spy pen is no longer a gadget existing in fiction and in the movies, it has now become an everyday usable item used by ordinary people all over the real world. Some people even have the creativity to have a lot of fun with them. An example of this is university / college students. A simple device like this can allow them to capture their entire lecture on film whilst taking notes, giving them the advantage to play back their lectures at a later date allowing them the opportunity to fully understand it and review any missed topics.

Their use however is not limited, surely you would find it no shock to discover that spy pens are used by the government, private detectives and businesses of all walks of life. It was recently recorded that a store manager issued one of these pens to all his staff recording there activities for the day, this enabled to store to effectively identify unsavory characters around the shop and went a long way in preventing thefts by robbers and shoplifters. These concepts and ideas are slowly catching on in not only the businesses world but in the day to day lives of the public and people personal lives.

Spy pens record the data by either transmitting to locally placed receivers or in the more common modern method, by recording the information they capture on a built in, internal memory device. Some models even contain easy to remove memory cards for easy viewing. Be warned, such is the high level of technology these days that these memory cards are some of the smallest available. Having to fit into such a small space, they are very easily misplaced and lost.

The more these pens advance the more reliable and the longer they are lasting. The latest batch of pens come with rechargeable batteries that can be charged by connecting a common AA battery for a short period of time, giving you the opportunity the charge them on the movie without having to find local electricity point or constantly buy expensive new batteries.

Bring yourself into this modern era. Use technology to improve on everyday items such as that trusty pen you use day in day out. Who knows when the situation will come up when you have the need to record your surroundings. Whether your a business or and individual out for some fun. A spy pen is definitely the next gadget for you. A day to day item with technology built in.

They have to be saved from the problems like viruses and spy wares. Spy ware detection is something very important. Actually first we should discuss what spy ware detection is and what is the technology which is called as spy ware. Spy wares are basically soft wares. These soft wares are written by people and are complete programs. These soft wares are produced by people who want to spy on others. This software is capable of noting the behavior of a person when he or she uses the internet. The history is recorded by this soft ware and is communicated. This is some thing people who use internet frequently do not like. No body likes to be checked upon all the time. This is the reason that people generally try to keep their computer systems safe from spy wares.

Spy wares are irritating as they keep a track of what you are doing while you are searching the internet. This is a big problem for many. Above all, the privacy of your life is dear to every one. Spy wares intrude in one’s personal life. Thus spy ware detection becomes important. There are many companies which are producing spy ware detection techniques and soft wares. Some of the spy ware detection soft wares are good while others are not very effective.

Detecting a spy ware is not very easy. Spy ware detection can only be done if you have special soft wares which are made for the sole purpose of spy ware detection in the computer systems. If the spy ware detection soft wares are not there it may be very difficult for people to judge if there is any spy ware installed in your computer ort not. It may be a bit technical and difficult but spy ware detection is very important. If the spy ware detection is not done properly it can be a big problem. Those who use internet may not want to share all they are doing with the rest of the world. Spy ware detection can help one to protect the privacy. In the light of above mentioned facts spy ware detection becomes very important. It can be a big trouble for many if spy ware is not removed.

There are certain companies in the market which can provide you the stuff to remove the spy ware technology from the computer systems. The spy ware programs may be very annoying for many. Thus every one wants to keep a check and to remove the spy ware soft wares in case some body has installed it on their system. Special techniques are used to remove spy wares from the computer systems. It is unethical and illegal to cross the limits of privacy of other people. Every one should learn to respect that limit.

One of the many problems with The Spy And The Traitor by Ben McIntyre is that it’s a long book, comprising in the region of 150,000 words. Half of these could be cut without changing the factual content or significance of the work. In theory, it deals with the biography, career and significance of Oleg Gordievsky, and is described on the cover as The Greatest Espionage Story Of The Cold War.

Oleg Gordievsky was a spy, working for the KGB in the Soviet Union. But he wasn’t. He was in fact a double agent working for MI6 in Britain, who did not share his identity and apparently much of what he revealed to their allies in the CIA. Gordievsky has also been described as a triple agent. That means he was in fact working for the KGB all along. Perhaps… In fact…

It is this last phrase that really poses problems for Ben McIntyre’s book. No doubt it is heavily and well researched. No doubt his sources are impeccable. But the reader notices straightaway how the author is never content to describe what is actually happening. Throughout, Ben McIntyre puts words into people’s mouths and thoughts into their heads. He seems to know, verbatim, what was going through someone’s mind 30 years ago on a Thursday at 3:30, although usually he won’t tell us who is thinking, since their names are still secret.

These intelligence types are also taken at face value, without ever really proving they possess that quality that forms part of the label. How about, for instance, an escape plan that involves a rendezvous on the upper floor of Saint Basil’s Cathedral, where the contact will be recognized by his grey hat? Fine, until we learn that the wearing of hats is forbidden inside the church. One wonders when the practice was introduced! And whether it might have been researched… The contact is also to be recognized by wearing something grey. One wonders what percentage of Muscovites wear something grey every day. One might just bet on a large number. And just to add insult to injury when the plan was effected the upper floor of Saint Basil’s Cathedral was closed for a decoration. Now that’s what I call intelligence. But it would probably not pass for competence.

When Gordievsky takes over as head in London, his predecessor presents him with his briefs in a sealed box. When opened the box is empty. The author has numerous explanations for this, but ignores the obvious one, that the new incumbent had already been rumbled and was being humoured.

But by far the most egregious detail of this disappointing book is the repetition of allegations against the British politician Michael Foot. Just once in the text the author does point out that he never passed on any secret, never committed anything that might even be considered as a crime and gave away nothing that was sensitive. Just once the author mentions that Michael Foot sued the Sunday Times for repeating the allegation and won. So, the KGB had a file on Foot. No doubt they had files on Margaret Thatcher and The Queen as well. One must draw one’s own conclusions.

Throughout we follow Gordievsky, his family his colleagues and in forensic detail we learn which windows they sat in, what foods they eat whilst reading classic novels and other sensational revelations. What is lacking – actually it hardly ever appears – is any significant analysis of what information the spy was passing and exactly how it might have contributed to events that probably would have happened the same way without such revelations. One is left in no doubt that these people take themselves seriously. The book, on the other hand, deserves something quite different.