Intelligence in War: Knowledge of the Enemy from Napoleon to Al-Qaeda

In fiction, the spy is a glamorous figure whose secrets make or break peace, but, historically, has intelligence really been a vital step to military victories? In this breakthrough study, the preeminent war historian John Keegan goes to the heart of a series of important conflicts to develop a powerful argument about military intelligence.

He brings to life the split-second decisions that went into waging war before the benefit of aerial surveillance and electronic communications.