THE MOSSAD: AN ANNOTATED DIRECTORY OF ONLINE SOURCES AND PRINT ARTICLES
By Wesley Britton
Because the number of short news items, articles, booklets, and opinion pieces on the Mossad and Israeli intelligence are legion, the listings below are intended only as good starting points for researchers and general readers. Other links can be found in the companion directories at this website, including the annotated bibliography of non-fiction books and the filmography. All these resources are works in progress, and I welcome any additions you may wish to send.
As of September 2007, this directory includes the following annotated lists:
A. Online sources, general information
B. Online sources, operations and agents
C. Online sources, Eli Cohen
D. Print articles, Eli Cohen
E. Online Sources, Victor Ostrovsky
F. Selective Articles In Print Periodicals
G. Obits about Ashraf Marwan
Addendum will include new information when it becomes available.
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A. Online Sources, General information
As the Mossad is a subject of numerous conspiracy theories and rumors, there are countless postings ascribing all sorts of activities to the Mossad. Below are sites purporting to be objective and/or at least informative. Any Google search will result in hits on many other sites. In addition, there are sites where you can order MOSSAD Israeli Secret Intelligence Logo T-Shirts for $7.99, if you're so inclined.
Note: Other useful sites that include items on Israeli intelligence along with other areas of interest are listed in "SPY BLOGS AND ONLINE FILES: AN ANNOTATED DIRECTORY" also posted at this site.
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The official site by the Israeli government:
www.mossad.gov.il
"Israel - Overviews - A-Z" contains many brief reviews and summaries of books and articles on Israeli intelligence. Invaluable.
http://intellit.muskingum.edu/israel_folder/... - 14k -
A short overview of the Mossad including links to recruitment ads:
http://www.fas.org/irp/world/israel/mossad/ - 8k -
Note: One link is of special interest--"James Bond, No Big Deal": Technological Aspects of Mossad Operations by Dan Yakhin, Globes (Tel Aviv), April 19, 2001. This is an interview with ex-Mossad agent "Or and" Gil who describes recruitment changes over the past 20 years and adaptations in technology. Extremely informative.
A sample chapter from the book, Historical Dictionary of Israeli Inteligence, is posted at
http://chapters.scarecrowpress.com/08/108/081085581Xch1.pdf
There are many news articles on the Mossad collected at "Real History and Mossad, the Israeli Secret Service."
http://www.fpp.co.uk/BoD/Mossad/index.html - 23k -
A somewhat helpful Wikipedia summary of the history, structure, missions, and links to a number of articles:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mossad - 67k -
Note: As usual with most Wikipedia articles, not completely credible. For example, date of the Mossad's creation is not correct and it wasn't the KGB who captured Eli Cohen but rather the Syrians using equipment provided by the Russian GRU.
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B. Online sources, operations and agents
"Arab-Israeli War, 1967 - July 2002" is an extensive bibliography on the topic.
http://www.jfsc.ndu.edu/library/publications/... - 63k -
Baxter, Sarah. "Iranian nuclear scientist 'assassinated by Mossad.'" The Sunday TimesFebruary 04, 2007.
www.imra.org.il/story.php3?id=32855 - 7k - Feb 4, 2007 -
Britton, Wesley. "Before Munich: Black September on TV and Film." Summaries and analysis of TV documentaries, docu-dramas, and feature movies based on the 1972 massacre at the Munich Olympics and the aftermath."
Posted at this website.
"Champagne Spy, The." TIME.com. Nov. 23, 1970 -- Page 1. Summary of the career of and interview with Wolfgang Lotz.
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/... -
"CIA and Mossad are Behind the Hrant Dink Murder." January 24, 2007.
www.whatreallyhappened.com/archives/cat_assassination.html - 356k -
"Covert Option: Can sabotage and assassination stop Iran from going nuclear?"
www.theatlantic.com/doc/200512/nuclear-iran -
“Early Operations of Israeli Intelligence.” Department for Jewish Zionist Education. 1992. Retrieved, Aug. 2, 2007. Overview of pre-Mossad history.
www.jewishagency.org/.../Jewish+History/Service/Early+Operations+of+Israeli+Intellig
Geller, Doron. "Inside the Israeli Secret Service:A History of its Growth and Missions." Transcripts of lectures on:
1. Early Operations of Israeli Intelligence
2. The Lavon Affair
3. Stealing a Soviet MiG
4. Wolfgang Lotz
5. Israel Beer
6. The Capture of Adolf Eichmann
7. Israeli Intelligence in the 1967 War
8. The Israeli Commando Assault on Green Island
9. The Cherbourg Boats
10. Operation Spring of Youth
11. Israeli Intelligence and the Yom Kippur War of 1973
12. Eli Cohen
http://jafi.org/JewishAgency/English/Jewish+Education/Jewish+History/Service/Inside+the+Israeli+Secret+Service.htm
“Haganah, The.”The Pedagogic Center, The Department for Jewish Zionist Education, The Jewish Agency for Israel. 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000. Retrieved, Aug. 11, 2007. History of intelligence operations before 1948.
www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/History/haganah.html -
Hitron, Haggai. "The monster is in handcuffs. Adolf Eichmann's captors recount how they snatched Hitler's henchman." Last Update: 16/01/2007 01:42
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArtVty.jhtml?sw=
Hockstader, Lee. "In Word Only, Israeli Spy Resurfaces: Published Testimony Recalls Furor Over 1986 Nuclear Case." Washington Post, 25 Nov. 1999, A30.
http://www. washingtonpost.com
"IRAN: NUCLEAR SCIENTIST DIES UNDER MYSTERIOUS CIRCUMSTANCES." January 31, 2007. WhatReallyHappened.com: ASSASSINATIONArchives
www.whatreallyhappened.com/archives/cat_assassination.html - 356k -
“Jewish Armed Forces in the British Mandate.” PALESTINE FACTS. Retrieved, Aug. 2, 2007. Includes discussion of pre-independence cover operations.
www.palestinefacts.org/pf_mandate_jewish_forces.php - 36k -
Klein, Aaron. “Former Mossad chief: Assassinate Ahmadinejad." World Net Daily. February 14, 2007. Retrieved August 14, 2007. Meir Amit’s comments on taking out terrorist leader.
www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=54244 - 38k –
Lapidot, Yehuda. “THE 'HUNTING SEASON.’” ETZEL. Translated from Hebrew by Chaya Galai. Retrieved, July 27, 2007. Discussion of pre-independence covert operations in Egypt.
www.etzel.org.il/english/
“Lavon Affair - Israel and Terror in Egypt, The.” Middle East: MidEastWeb. August 22, 1999. Retrieved, Aug. 3, 2007.
www.mideastweb.org/lavon.htm - -
Leonhardt, Major Kent A., USMC. "Why Israel Was Surprised In October, 1973." (1990). An excellent overview and analysis of the intelligence failures.
http://www.globalsecurity.org/intell/library/... - 42k -
Lilienthal, Alfred M. "Zionist Connection II --Chapter 10 -- Terror: The Double Standard. Online Selections From: The Zionist Connection II: What Price Peace? (1983). Extremely well-researched if detailed and biased complaint that the Western media has a double-standard when treating news stories regarding Middle Eastern violence. Discusses coverage of spy stories from Eli Cohen's hanging to Black September and later. (Broken link as of 9/07)
http://www.alfredlilienthal.com/zionchap10.htm - 149k -
"MASTER LIST OF DEAD SCIENTISTS." (1/27/07) Claims "more than 310 Iraqi scientists are thought to have perished at the hands of Israeli secret agents in Iraq since fall of Baghdad."
http://dr-david-kelly.blogspot.com
McLeod, Eric. " The Plumbat affair; The story of how Israel got its nukes." Shunpiking Online Vo.3 No.9. Good short review of the incident.
http://www.shunpiking.com/ol0309/
"Mossad assassinating Iranian nucular scientists?" Feb 2, 07
http://www.julescrittenden.com/2007...two-way-street/
Navon, Amit. "'Dipped His Head in Blood.'" Ma'ariv (Sofshayu'a Supplement) in Hebrew], 11 Apr. 2003.
http://www.fas.org/irp/world/israel/shin_bet/specops.html
“Of Hate & Espionage.” Time. Friday, March 5, 1965. Retrieved online, July 23, 2007. News item regarding executed and captured Israeli spies in Syria including Eli Cohen.
www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,839300,00.html - -
"Preemptive Attack on Iran's Nuclear Facilities: Possible ..."
cns.miis.edu/pubs/week/040812.htm - 60k -
RABINOVICH , ABRAHAM. “Revealing 'the Source.'” The Jerusalem Post Internet Edition, Jul. 5, 2007
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1183459203408&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull
Robarge, David S. "Getting It Right: CIA Analysis of the 1967 Arab-Israeli War " Studies in Intelligence 49, no. 1 (2005), 1-7. [
https://www.cia.gov/csi/studies/vol49no1/html_files/index.html]
Shpiro, Shlomo. "Know Your Enemy: West German-Israeli Intelligence Evaluation of Soviet Weapon Systems." Journal of Intelligence History 4, no. 1 (Summer 2004).
http://www.intelligence-history.org/jih/journal.html
Syed, Bashir A. "How Israel Killed For The Atom Bomb -With Timeline." 11-22-6
www.rense.com/general74/howiz.htm - 51k -
Thomas, Gordon. “Mossad - The World's Most Efficient Killing Machine.” Rense.com. Dec. 9, 2002. Retrieved, Aug. 12, 2007. Includes comments by Meir Amit about Mossad.
www.rense.com/general32/ruth.htm - 38k -
Tuck, Benjamin F. "The Whistleblower of Dimona: Israel, Vanunu, and the Bomb (review)". The Journal of Military History - Volume 69, Number 2, April 2005, pp. 607-608.
http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/... -
"World War III has already begun, says Israeli spy chief." Israel News and views. (1/27/07) Interview with former Mossad chief Efraim Halevy.
http://menorahblog.typepad.com
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C. Online Sources, Eli Cohen
Discussions on Eli Cohen include his mission in the 1960s as well as ongoing attempts to get Syria to return his remains.
Britton, Wesley. "The Story of Israel's Most Famous Secret Agent: Behind the Scenes of The Impossible Spy." Based on interviews with film producer Harvey Chertok, this is how the Eli Cohen story was turned into the 1987 HBO/BBC production. (Radio interviews with Chertok and Wesley Britton on the film are also linked here.)
Posted at this website.
" Cohen, Eli (1924-1965)." Short and questionable biography. It claims Cohen was captured by accident.
www.jajz-ed.org.il/100/people/bios/ecohen.html
Cohen, Maurice (as told to Carla Stockton). "Am I My Brother's Keeper?"
Poignant article in which former Mossad cryptographer Maurice Cohen describes how he discovered his brother, Eli Cohen, was Mossad's "Our Man in Damascus" and his feelings about being unable to stop Eli's eventual capture and execution.
Posted at this website.
“Counterintelligence News for the week of: February 1-7, 2004.” The Centre for
Counterintelligence and Security Studies (CI Centre), Alexandria, VA. Retrieved Aug. 2, 2007. News stories about campaign to get Syria to return Cohen’s body.
WWW.intelligencespeakers.com/CI_NEWS/2004_CI_News_Archive/NEWS_2004_Feb_1_to_7
"Eli Cohen: Israel's Most Famous Spy." Very brief bio from JewishGates.Com - The Definitive Source for Talmudic Learning.
www.jewishgates.com/file.asp?File_ID=292
Fine, Arnold. " Eli Cohen: Israel’s Master Spy." Detailed two part biography published by The Jewish Press Magazine June 22, 2001.
www.ourjerusalem.com/history/story/history20010701.html
Florsheinm, Ella and Avi Shilon. "The Handler." Based on an interview with Meir Amit, who had been head of the Mossad during the Eli Cohen affair. Provides insights not known previously about Cohen's capture and personality.
http://www.azure.org.il/magazine/magazine.asp?id=284
"Friends of Eli Cohen" website, established by Maurice and Belle Cohen, contains basic facts, links, and a petition seeking the return of Eli's body.
http://www.elicohen.org
Geller, Doran. " Lecture 12--Eli Cohen." Transcript of a lecture for Geller's "Inside the Israeli Secret Service" course. Posted at Israeli Intelligence Week 12. Excellent biography of Cohen including contexts of problems with Syria.
http://www.jajz-ed.org.il/juice/service/week12.html
Hockstader, Lee. “Could a Dead Israeli Spy Influence the Talks?” Washington Post Foreign Service Tuesday, January 4, 2000; Page A11. Retrieved online, July 29, 2007.
http://washingtonpost.com./wp-srv/WPlate/2000-01/04/042l-010400-idx.html
The Impossible Spy webside. Producer Harvey Chertok's site promoting the 1987 HBO/BBC film biography of Eli Cohen now available on a DVD "Special Edition."
www.tvshowbiz.com/pages/spy.html
Lieber, Joel. “In Arab Hands.” The Nation, Oct. 19, 1964. Retrieved online, July 29, 2007.
http://www.thenation.com/archive/detail/13231324
Nahmias, Roee. “Spy: Eli Cohen died because of failure.” Ynetnews. May 11, 2006, 17:51. Retrieved, Aug. 29, 2007.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3249853,00.html
Nahmias, Roee. “Syrian official: Israeli spy's grave located under neighborhood.” Ynetnews. May 14, 2007, 14:03. Retrieved, Aug. 29, 2007.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3399709,00.html
"PM's Speech at the Ceremony Marking 40 Years Since the Death of Eli Cohen." 27/06/2005
Includes photo of PM Sharon and Eli Cohen's widow, Nadia.
http://www.pmo.gov.il/PMOEng/Archive/Speeches/2005/... - 51k -
Sanua, Victor. "THE HISTORY OF ELIE COHEN : AN EGYPTIAN BORN JEW WHO BECAME ISRAEL'S GREATEST SPY." Short (and poorly edited) biography. One interesting citation: "Maurice Mizrahi, the author of «l'Egypte et ses Juifs». «Le temps révolu (19-20e siècles)», reports on the fact that Elie
Cohen worked in his business. Mizrahi noticed that Elie took a long time to carry out his duties outside the business."
www.sefarad.org/publication/lm/043/10.html
Simon, Roger L. “Is There a New Eli Cohen?” September 26, 2004. Retrieved, Aug. 4, 2007. Looking a new espionage in Syria, speculates a new Cohen-like agent is active in Syria.
www.rogerlsimon.com/mt-archives/2004/09/the_is_there_a.php - 28k -
Sofer, Ronny. “MK gives Assad letter from spy's wife.” Ynetnews. Nov. 9, 2005, 16:53. Retrieved, Aug. 29, 2007. Article about Nadia Cohen’s attempt to communicate with Syrian president.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3166634,00.html
Sofer, Ronny. “Olmert hopes for Turkey breakthrough on Eli Cohen.” Ynetnews. Feb. 14, 2007, 16:19. Retrieved, Aug. 29, 2007. Discussions on more attempts to communicate with Syrian leadership.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3365187,00.html
“Two Can Play: Issues in the News.” wrmea.com. Dec. 1988. Retrieved, Sept. 2, 2007.
http://www.wrmea.com/backissues/1288/8812039.htm
Weinstein, Jamie. “Bomb the eucalyptus trees!” Cornell Daily Sun. January 26, 2005. Retrieved, Aug. 29, 2007.
www.renewamerica.us/columns/jweinstein/050126 - 39k -
“WUJS to Assad: Repatriate Eli Cohen.” Ynetnews Dec. 22, 2006, 01:20. Retrieved, Aug. 29, 2007.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3343187,00.html
Yarid, Hani. “Eli Cohen: Spy Within Parts I & II.” Culture of Arabia Online. Retrieved July 27, 2007.
www.qchillel.org/news/011999. -
THE ZUNDELSITE. "Israeli Aggression, Militarism, and Terror." Compiling a list of published quotes demonstrating Israeli crimes, quotes a short passage from Eli Ben-Hanan's Our Man in Damascus which doesn't mention Cohen but rather underground operations in Egypt.
www.zundelsite.org/english/israeli_terror/
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D. Print Articles, Eli Cohen
Compiled by Belle Cohen.
Antler, Ronit. "Allow me to visit My Brother’s Grave." Yediot Achronot, April 8,
1987.
Aizban, Shmuel. "Eli Cohen Velcher Iz Geshtorben Oif der Tlieh in Damasek."
Der Tog Morgen Journal, June 14 , 1970.
Barr - Zohar, Michael. Damasek Koret le Tel-Aviv. (Damascus Callingg Tel-Aviv),
Ha’aretz (Weekly supplement), Nos: 51, 52, and 53, September 8, 15, and 22,
1967 ( reprinted in Midstream, Vol. 14, 9 November 1968.
"Eli Cohen 1924-1965- Eli You Will Never Be Forgotten."(Booklet). pub the Amuta, Chairman Efraim Chiram. (1996).
"Eli Cohen- A Lonely Hero in Damascus." (booklet) The Israeli Ministry of Education,
Culture and Sport, The Department of Educational Programs. (1998).
"Eli Cohen Hung in Damascus." Haolam Hazeh, May 19 1965
"Eli Cohen Lives." The Jerusalem Post, November 12, 1971.
"Eli Cohen Was Intimate of Syrian Leaders." The Jerusalem Post, May 19, 1965
"Fear On An Extreme Outcome From The Arab Summit." Davar, May 22, 1995.
"I Am No Better Than Anyone Else." Ma’ariv, May 19 1965
"Israeli Martyrs On Stamps." The Jerusalem Post, December 23 ??
"My Brother Eli Cohen." Bamachaneh, May 25, 1965
ROULEAU, Eric. "The Double Life of Eli Cohen." Atlas, 10 (July 1965), pp. 10-12.
(reprint of Rouleau, Eric. "La Vie Double d’Eli Cohen." Le Monde, May 23, 1965 and The Jewish Digest, December, 1965.)
Saab, Edward H. "Kamel Tabet’s s’appelait Elie Cohen." June Afrique, No 223,
March 14, 1965.
"She Mourns The Man She Barely Knew, interview with Nadia Cohen." The
Jerusalem Post, May 19, 1995.
"Syria Hangs Eli Cohen In Public Square As A Spy." The Jerusalem Post, May 19, 1965.
"The Israeli Spy, Eli Cohen Was Hung In The Morning In Damascus." Yediot
Achronot, May 18, 1965.
"The Israeli Spy Eli Cohen Was Hung In The Morning In Damascus." Ma’ariv 18,
1965.
PLAYS
Eli Cohen, a play written and directed by Gad Tsadaka 1998 Untitled by
Paul Darman
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E. Online Sources, Victor Ostrovsky
While his role in espionage history should not be overstated, Ostrovsky is the subject of a number of articles on the web. Readers can weigh the credibility on their own.
1. A promotional site for Ostrovsky's Fine Art work. From the site: "Today, Victor's insight and knowledge of the intelligence community facilitates his writing of fictional novels and screenplays, and serves as a basis for his enigmatic
and cryptic paintings. His canvases offer tantalizing images, evoking a mystical and otherworldly reaction from viewers. Hats, gloves, scarves and umbrellas
hide the identities of his inscrutable figures, provoking and teasing our imaginations with visual portrayals of adventure and intrigue. The activities
of his figures and the titles of the work reflect the enterprise and language of the international intelligence community, bringing several layers of meaning
to his paintings while creating stories for the viewer."
www.victorostrovsky.com
2. Making the reputation of Ostrovsky murkier, the "Free Encyclopedia" provides the briefest of biographies followed by a series of claims with frequent (citation needed) notations after them. One cited source: "Some critics, such as historian
Benny Morris and author David Wise have charged that the book [By Way of Deception] is essentially a novel written by a professional novelist, and that a junior employee would never have learned so many operational secrets." The rest of this compilation of uncredited notes isn't especially useful.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victor_Ostrovsky - 26k -
3. Peter Myers, October 18, 2001; update December 3, 2006, provides many direct quotes from Ostrovsky books with inserted comments.
http://users.cyberone.com.au/myers/ostrovsky.html - 77k -
4. Alongside many Mossad related articles, this site post this piece including a transcript of a CTV interview on Oct. 21, 1995 where an Israeli journalist called for someone to kill Victor Ostrovsky. Ostrovsky responded with shock that the media didn't follow-up on this call and accused the media of a double-standard for not coming to his defense.
http://www.the7thfire.com/new_world_order/zionism/... - 77k -
5. "Victor Ostrovsky: How Mossad got America to bomb Libya and fight Iraq" is a reprint of the section from The Other Side of Deception where Ostrovsky describes the "Trojan Dick Trick" summarized in the book review of this title in a separate file at this website.
http://freemasonrywatch.org/libya.html - 34k -
6. Both these sites contain the same extracts from an article in the Washington Report on Middle East Affairs (October/November 1997) in which Ostrovsky wrote: "I am the target of a broad collusion between elements of the Israeli government and their gofers, mostly in the American Jewish community."
http://www.radioislam.org/islam/english/terror/... - 27k -
http://www.fpp.co.uk/BoD/Mossad/Ostrovsky.html - 17k -
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F. SELECTIVE ARTICLES IN PRINT PERIODICALS
Note: Here, I make no attempt to list every item I've run across, but rather include those from the most useful of journals for serious researchers. Most abstracts and annotations have been omitted when they are readily available elsewhere. Many of the journals require subscriptions to access online versions.
Even more listings can be found at "Mossad-Bibliography" at:
http://users.skynet.be/terrorism/html/... - 36k -
Bar-Joseph, Uri. "State-Intelligence Relations in Israel: 1948-1996." Journal of Conflict Studies 17, no. 2 (Fall 1997): 133-156.
Beres, Louis René. "The Iranian Threat to Israel: Capabilities and Intentions." International Journal of Intelligence and Counterintelligence 9, no. 1
(Spring 1996): 51-61.
Doron, Gideon. "Israeli Intelligence: Tactics, Strategy, and Prediction." International Journal of Intelligence and Counterintelligence 2, no. 3 (Fall 1988): 305-319.
Doron, Gideon. "The Vagaries of Intelligence Sharing: The Political Imbalance." International Journal of Intelligence and Counterintelligence 6, no. 2 (Summer 1993):
135-146.
Doron, Gideon And Gad Barzilai. "The Middle East Power Balance: Israel's Attempts to Understand Changes in Soviet-Arab Relations." International Journal of Intelligence
and Counterintelligence 5, no. 1 (Spring 1991): 35-47.
Doron, Gideon And Reuven Pedatzur. "Israeli Intelligence: Utility and Cost-Effectiveness in Policy Formation." International Journal of Intelligence and Counterintelligence 3, no. 3 (1989): 347-361.
Doron, Gideon And Boaz Shapira. "Accountability for Secret Operations in Israel." International Journal of Intelligence and Counterintelligence 4, no. 3 (Fall 1990):
371-382.
Gazit, Shlomo. "Estimates and Fortune-Telling in Intelligence Work." International Security 4, no. 4 (Spring 1980): 36-56.
Gazit, Shlomo. "Intelligence Estimates and the Decision-Maker." Intelligence and National Security 3, no. 3 (Jul. 1988): 261-287.
Gazit, Shlomo. "Intelligence and the Peace Process in Israel." Intelligence and National Security 12, no. 3 (Jul. 1997): 35-66.
Indinopulos, Thomas. "Shin Bet's Blind Side." International Journal of Intelligence and Counterintelligence 10, no. 1 (Spring 1997): 91-96.
Jones, Clive. "'A Reach Greater than the Grasp': Israeli Intelligence and the Conflict in South Lebanon, 1990-2000." Intelligence and National Security
16, no. 3 (Autumn 2001): 1-26.
Kahana, Ephraim. "Reorganizing Israel's Intelligence Community." International Journal of Intelligence and Counterintelligence 15, no. 3 (Fall 2002): 415-428.
Caplan, Neil. "Ben-Gurion's Spy: The Story of the Political Scandal that Shaped Modern Israel. by Shabtai Teveth." Journal of Palestine Studies, Vol. 26, No. 2 (Winter, 1997), pp. 106-107
Katz, Yaron. "Global Media Influence on the Operational Codes of Israel's Intelligence Services." International Journal of Intelligence and Counterintelligence
19, no. 2 (Summer 2006): 316-334.
McAllister, David H. [LT/USN] "Assessing Israeli Intelligence in Action." Naval Intelligence Professionals Quarterly 13, no. 4 (Oct. 1997): 1-5.
Melman, Yossi, and Dan Raviv. "The Journalist's Connections: How Israel Got Russia's Biggest Pre-Glasnost Secret." International Journal of Intelligence
and Counterintelligence 4, no. 2 (Summer 1990): 219-225.
“Murder of Mehdi Ben Barka, The.” Time, Monday, Dec. 29, 1975. From the article: “Also involved in the case was Israel's CIA equivalent, known as Mossad. Although Morocco later supported Arab confrontation states in the Middle East wars,
it had excellent relations with Israel after it became independent in 1956. For example, Morocco arranged, through the French, to have Mossad train its
own fledgling secret service. Mossad's chief Moroccan contact was [Mohammed] Oufkir. At one point after the Moroccans had decided to get rid of Ben Barka, Oufkir
asked Mossad to obtain some poison for him. The agency declined, but later agreed to help tail Ben Barka, who was then living in Geneva.”
Shpiro, Shlomo. "The Media Strategies of Intelligence Services." International
--
For related articles, see
WWW.WesleyBritton.com
Journal of Intelligence and Counterintelligence 14, no. 4 (Winter 2001-2002):
485-502.
G. Obits about Ashraf Marwan
Blum, Howard. “Who Killed Ashraf Marwan?” New York Times, July 13, 2007
Egyptian billionaire ‘who spied for Mossad’ found dead - Times Online
www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/crime/article1996680.ece
Egyptian chronicles: Ashraf Marwan ,the groom dies in London
egyptianchronicles.blogspot.com/2007/06/ashraf-marwan-groom-dies-in-london.html –
Obituaries: Ashraf Marwan, 62, the controversial son-in-law of Egypt's late President ......
www.latimes.com/news/obituaries/ - 80k - Jul 11, 2007 -
Who killed Egyptian billionaire Ashraf Marwan?- Topix
www.topix.net/news/blogs/2007/06/who-killed-egyptian-billionaire-ashraf-marwan - 45k
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
The Mossad and Israeli Intelligence On Screen: A Filmography
THE MOSSAD AND ISRAELI INTELLIGENCE ON SCREEN: A FILMOGRAPHY
By Wesley Britton
"It had been six months since he had been pulled from retirement and given a simple mission. Rebuild morale in an intelligence service badly damaged by a series of highly-publicized operational blunders and personnel scandals. Restore the esprit d'corps that had characterized the office in the old days. Shamron had managed to stem the bleeding. There had been no more humiliations . . . But there had been no stunning successes either. Shamron knew better than anyone that the office had not earned its fearsome reputation by playing it safe. In the old days, it had stolen MIGs, planted spies in the palaces of its friends and its enemies, rained terror on those who dared to terrorize the people of Israel . . . he wanted to leave behind an office that could reach out and strike at will, an office that could make the other services of the world shake their heads in wonder."
(Daniel Silva, Kill Artist, 2000)
Unlike the more formal bibliographies of books and articles on Israeli intelligence posted at this website, this directory includes films and TV projects that touch on or incorporate Jewish characters in espionage plots whether directly connected to the Mossad or not. It is in three parts:
Part I lists feature films employing Israeli or Jewish characters involved in espionage.
Part II lists documentaries.
Part III discusses and analyzes television movies and episodes from series related to Israeli intelligence.
For analysis of these films, especially the changing trends of Israeli agents from Nazi hunters to counter-terrorist operatives, see my Onscreen and Undercover: The Ultimate Book of Movie Espionage (Westport, CT: Praeger Pub., 2006).
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Part I: Feature Films
Ambassador, The. (1984). Robert Mitchum as an idealistic, if inattentive husband, working for peace between Israel and Arab interests. Rock Hudson was the security officer bailing Mitchum out of violence his plans result in. As his wife (Ellen Burstyn) is having an affair with a PLO leader, the Israelis have means to blackmail the ambassador and erode his credibility with various factions.
Assignment, The. (1997). Donald Sutherland was Jack Shaw/Henry Fields, A CIA agent tracking Carlos "The Jackal" (Aidan Quinn). Originally titled The Carlos Project, the movie featured Ben Kingsley as an Israeli Mossad agent, connecting worries of the Middle East with Western concerns. For some critics, this was a mere retread; for others, the film was a success as its third act didn't disintegrate into a special-effects explosion fest .
Black Sunday (1977). While no overt connections to Israel are in this violent film, clear references to the "Black September" group featured in films like Sword of Gideon and Munich are central to the script. Robert Shaw and Bruce Dern were graphic in this story about Palestinian terrorists plotting to blow up Americans at the Super Bowl. A radio promo for the film summed up the situation: "A `Black September' broadcast in Beirut. A secret intelligence meeting in Washington. A Coast Guard alert in California. An FBI stakeout in Miami. It all comes together on--Black Sunday . . . It could be tomorrow." While the box-office was disappointing, noted director John Frankenheimer was lauded for his atmospheric location shots.
Boys From Brazil, The. (1987). Back in 1968, Borman was an odd Italian movie with CIA agent Bob Gordon (Robert Kent) going to South America to find out if ex-Nazi Martin Borman is being cloned. In 1978, The Boys From Brazil, based on the Ira Levin novel, took the concept more seriously with an all-star cast distinguishing this production including Gregory Peck, Lawrence Olivier, James Mason and Lili Palmer. Playing against his usual type, Peck was ex-Nazi Joseph Mengala plotting a comeback with 90 Hitler clones. Oliver tracks him down, but isn't an agent of any government but rather an independent Nazi hunter.
Death Merchants, The. (1975). Based on Jack Stackburg’s novel, Double Agent, many issues explored in this movie were ahead of their time. An Arab terrorist organization seeks a non-existent agent code-named Herzog" in Germany. But they go after the wrong man (Jason Robards) who's a Jew who has a love affair with one of the terrorists. The film has its moments, as when Robards and his Palestinian girlfriend debate the horrors of German atrocities vs. the Israeli occupation of Palestine. But the inserted narrations that explain points that could have been incorporated into the dialogue broke the flow in a well-intentioned effort.
Eye Witness (1981). A film with quasi-espionage motifs. Connecting news stories about Jewish dissidents in Russia with tried and true romance, William Hurt played a janitor in love with a reporter (Sigourney Weaver). To interest her, Hurt pretended to know more about a murder than he really does. They ran across a rich Jew who paid a former spy to get fellow Jews out of Russia but was murdered after being blackmailed by the evil Christopher Plummer.
Firefox (1982). Director, producer, and actor Clint Eastwood
cast himself as a reluctant Vietnam War vet pulled out of retirement by a Jewish dissident spy group to save U.S. from the "Firefox," the new Soviet airplane with special radar technology. Considered as another bad example of the Red bashing Hollywood fare during the Reagan era.
Funeral In Berlin (1966). Second Michael Caine vehicle as Len Deighton's Harry
Palmer. Includes a beautiful Israeli agent (Eva Renzi) seeking money from an
ex-Nazi who'd stolen it During World War II. (See “From Harry Palmer to Austin
Powers: A Spy-ography of Michael Caine” also posted at this website.)
Half Moon Street (1986). Sigourney Weaver played Dr. Slaughter, an expert in Arab affairs doubling as a paid escort. She becomes involved with a lonely diplomat (Michael Caine) negotiating top priority matters between the Arabs and Israelis. Some felt the film deserved Oscar nominations but lackluster audience response trumped critical favor.
House on Garibaldi Street, The. (1979). Well-done quasi-documentary starring Israeli actor Topol in the story of how the Israelis captured and kidnapped former Nazi Adolf Eichmann in 1959. (See Man Who Captured Eichmann, The below.)
Jerusalem File, The (1972). set during the Arab-Israeli Six Day War, an archeologist (Bruce Davison) got caught in the cross-fire. Israeli guerillas wanted him to work for them but allowed him to work for his girlfriend (Nicole Williamson) and an Arab group hoping he'll lead them to an Arab leader.
Judas (1965). Set before the formation of Israel, Sophia Loren played the wife of a Nazi who sent her to a concentration camp. There, she joins the Jewish underground and, after the war, seeks her husband out when he becomes an advisor for Arab states.
Little Drummer Girl, The. (1982). One of the lowest regarded adaptations of a John Le Carre' book. Diane Keaton starred as a young, politically naive actress recruited by Israeli Intelligence and sent to infiltrate a Palestinian terrorist organization. Directed By George Roy Hill, the cast included Yorgo Voyagis and a cameo by novelist Le Carre'.
Mossad. (1997). Director Jonathan Tammuz's arty love story between an Mossad agent and a poetic young girl. The conflict between his work and the destruction it brings to his lover is demonstrated in paintings and music. Starred Mili Avital, Dan Turgeman, and Christine Jones.
Munich (2005). Described in detail in "Before Munich: Black September on TV and Film" article at this website.
Operation Thunderbolt (1977). While this historical event doesn't directly relate to the Mossad, most overviews of Israeli intelligence pay homage to the July 1976 IDF rescue of hijacked hostages from an Air France flight forced to land in Entebbe, Uganda. 100 Jewish hostages were saved by a force of less than 500 Israeli commandos in one of the most successful military operations in history.
Two 1977 films attempted to depict the daring mission with realism and accuracy: Operation Thunderbolt was an Israeli project starring Yehoram Gaon As Col. Yonatan Netanyahu, the only Israeli casualty of the raid. He was the older brother of Benjamin Netanyahu, the future Israeli prime minister. Reviews note the most famous of the actors, Klaus Kinski and Sybil Danning, didn't have much to do, but due to the cooperation of the Israeli military and governmental figures, details were indeed accurate if the political point-of-view was clear and blatant. It should be noted the movie was very much a product of its cinematic times, so modern viewers may see some of the camerawork as out-dated. (See Raid on Entebbebe below.)
Point Men, The. (2001). Stars Christopher Lambert as Israeli agent Tony, a hit man who thinks his team killed the wrong man and then finds terrorists are killing them off in revenge. (A take on the actual Lilihamer debacle?) An action fest but a notable step down for Bond director John Glen. Plodding--not recommended.
Prisoner in the Middle (1974, A.K.A. Warhead). Low budget fare with David Jansen and Bond girl Karin Dor looking for a stolen atomic bomb that threatens Arab/Israeli relations. Not released theatrically, the movie was possibly cobbled together from two films. The final version was released on home video in the 1980s.
Requiem for a Secret Agent (1966). In this violent and sadistic tale, a British agent (Stewart Granger) worked for his government when not moonlighting as a double-agent or adventurer. Uncovering a neo-Nazi secret organization in Morocco, he worked with Israeli intelligence and killed off the duplicitous bad girl, played by former Bond girl, Daniela Bianchi.
Walk On Water--A Film by Eytan Fox. (2004). Lior Ashkenazi stars as a Mossad hit man given the mission to track down the very old Alfred Himmelman, an ex Nazi officer. Family relationships complicate life and the mission in Israel and Germany.
---
Part II: Documentaries
Archives of the Mossad: Israel's Secret Hunt for Nazi War Criminals. (Direct Cinema Limited - Educational. Filmmaker: Chanoch Zeevi and Dan Setton. VHS 1998) Includes the following four titles:
• Angels of Vengeance
• The Disappearance of Martin Bormann
• The Hunt for Adolf Eichmann
• Josef Mengele: The Final Account
Archives of the Mossad: Israel's Secret Hunt for Terrorists. (For grades 7 and up.) In the same series, this 1998 two-hour boxed set includes:
• Shaheed: The Making of a Suicide Bomber
• Mikdad: Into the Mind of a Terrorist
For more information, see:
http://www.directcinema.com/dcl/
Champagne Spy, The. (2007) Documentary written and directed by Nadav Schirman in English, Hebrew, and German. For the full story including an interview with the director, see “The Bigamist Bond: The Behind-The-Scenes Story Of The Champagne Spy” also posted at this website.
Spies: Undercover Spies. (1991). Spies is a video series dedicated to the secret wars that have raged through the past decades. Through archival footage, interviews, and excerpts from unpublished memoirs and recently declassified sources, this series attempts to put a human face on the missions of secret agents from various agencies. Material from the archives of the CIA, FBI, KGB, and Mossad are used extensively. “Undercover in Damascus” profiles Elie Cohen, an Israeli spy who infiltrated and compromised the Syrian high command with disastrous results for Syria during the 1967 Six Day War. See:
WWW.Spies: Undercover Spies - Trailer - Showtimes - Cast - Movies - New York Times
Spying Game--Mossad, The. (May 09, 2005). 45 minute documentary on the history of the Mossad. On DVD.
---
Part III: Television Movies and Episodes
Danger Man (U.S. title, Secret Agent). “Judgment Day.” First Aired: November 11, 1965. British agent John Drake (Patrick McGoohan) is sent to an Arab country to retrieve a “package.” This turns out to be an ex-Nazi scientist who’s been discovered by an outlawed band of Israeli vigilantes out to avenge the scientist’s atrocities during World War II. Stranded on an abandoned airfield, the rogue group holds a kangaroo court where Drake tries to claim the Nazi was insane and therefore not eligible for the death penalty. But when the group learns Drake has had a message sent out for a rescue, they murder the Nazi and flee across the border back into Israel.
Typical of many Danger Man scripts, this episode explores the ethics and morality of violence in the name of a greater good. During the mock trial, Drake is caught with the dilemma of knowing his country wants the scientist for their own ends while recognizing the Nazi is a “moral imbecile,” unable to distinguish right from wrong. But he also accuses the Jews of being no better for not following legal procedures. In the end, Drake has to admit he has no answer to the problem.
Impossible Spy, The. (1987). HBO/BBC TV movie about life of Eli Cohen. Background to the film is detailed in "The Story of Israel's Most Famous Secret Agent: Behind the Scenes of The Impossible Spy" at this website.
I Spy, "CHILD OUT OF TIME." First broadcast on Jan. 11, 1967, written by Morton Fine & David Friedkin. This well-regarded episode may be of special historical interest for its early, perhaps first, use of Israeli agents on American network television.
The story was set in Madrid, Spain, revolving around a ten-year-old daughter of a former Nazi collaborator who becomes a pawn in her mother's plot to sell the names of war criminals to the highest bidder. Because of the child’s phenomenal memory, she has all the names in her head and Kelly Robinson (Robert Culp) and Alexander Scott (Bill Cosby) have to protect her as agents from both sides are on the trail. According to an e-mail from I Spy expert Marc Cushman, “The two Israeli agents are seen throughout the episode, and broke into Kelly and Scott's room and stuck guns in their ribs in an effort to get to the Nazi first. It was a race between the Israelis and the Americans, who were not working together, but were sympathetic to one another's agendas.” In the closing moments, after the Israeli assassins kill the mother, Kelly places a gun to the back of the child’s head and threatens to blow her brains out if the Israeli agents don't lower their weapons.
Several aspects of this drama are of special interest. First, in the years before Mossad agents became known for tracking down Arab terrorists, uses of such agents on film usually dealt with tracking down ex-Nazis, but network television normally had its stars uncovering the old Nazis either plotting comebacks or trying to resurrect the frozen body of Adolph Hitler (The Man From U.N.C.L.E., The New Avengers.) I Spy uniquely brought in Israeli agents and dealt with the theme of the cost of revenge, a concern not yet common in either film or small-screen broadcast. (For one exception, see Danger Man description above.)
In addition, another plot point of the hour worried both the network and viewers. One memo from NBC Broadcast Standards and Practices read: "The Broadcast Standards objection to Scott and Kelly sharing information on the locations of surviving Nazi death-camp officials with Israeli agents was based on the belief that our government would not place itself into the position of assisting another government that has used extralegal methods of bringing war criminals to justice. As discussed, I agreed that if you provide us with verification that our government would indeed permit the sharing of information under like circumstances, our objection would be withdrawn." Don R. Bay, Broadcast Standards.
A letter from one viewer read: "Dear Sirs: I am writing to protest the latest episode of your program, where two agents, presumably American, hand over information to agents of a foreign power. Such a program condones an action which is basically immoral; the agents are working to supply information to the agency that hires them, not to a foreign power. Even more basic, they are Americans, not Israeli agents. The more subtle issue of the propaganda value of the program, I will not question. Let me state, however, that this particular episode of I Spy, I found extremely offensive." Mrs. A.J.A., North Hollywood, California.
Ironically, these notes were written six months before the Six Days War, and a number of books have since claimed the CIA indeed provided Israel with information assisting their June 1967 success. While this claim remains debatable, the idea that the U.S. would share Intell to an ally being questionable prefigures these discussions by decades.
(Information for this item came from Marc Cushman and Linda J. LaRosa’s I Spy: A History and Episode Guide, 1965-1968. Jefferson, NC: Mcfareland and Co. 2007, pps. 230-231.)
Man Who Captured Eichmann, The. (1996). TV movie starring Robert Duvall and Jeffrey Tambor following the same line as The House on Garabaldi St. (See above.)
NCIS. (CBS). Beginning with the first episode of the 2005 season, Mossad Liaison Officer Ziva David joined the cast, played by Chilean born actress Cote de Pablo. In her first hour, David was assigned to the NCIS following the murder of Special Agent Caitlin Todd by a rogue Mossad operative. Soon after her assignment to NCIS, she killed a native Israeli named Ari Haswari in order to save Jethro Gibbs (Mark Harmon) and it is revealed afterwards that she is Ari's half-sister.
In the show, David is an expert marksman and carries two Firearms and a knife with her at all times. She frequently brags of her abilities as a Mossad agent but is annoyed to learn in the 2006-2007 season the Israelis have her under surveillance.
In a May 22, 2007 Chicago Tribune Watcher item, Pablo described her first visit to Israel, invited to come when their tourist center became aware of her role. She met “with a former Mossad agent -- one of the men who captured Nazi official Adolf Eichmann in Argentina and brought him to Israel for a trial. `How they did everything without technology -- I mean, how they smuggled Eichmann out of the country without any of that -- that's what intrigued me the most,’ she said.”
Raid on Entebbebe. (1977) American TV movie directed by Irvin Kershner, the film earned a Golden Globe. The all-star cast included Peter Finch (his last movie) as Yitzhak Rabin and Charles Bronson as Brig. Gen. Dan Shomron, leader of the commandos. (See Operation Thunderbolt for details about the historical mission re-created in this film.)
Return of the Saint, The. “Black September.” First aired on British ITV onSunday October 1, 1978. Simon Templar (Ian Ogilvy) joined forces with an Israeli agent, Captain Leila Sabin (Prunella Gee), to track down and capture an Arab terrorist on the loose in London. For more on the group that inspired this episode, see “Before Munich: Black September on TV and Film” also posted at this website.
Sword of Gideon, The. (1986). HBO production based on the George Jonas
book, Vengeance. Described in detail in "Before Munich: Black September on TV
and Film" article at this website.
---
For related articles, see
WWW.WesleyBritton.com
By Wesley Britton
"It had been six months since he had been pulled from retirement and given a simple mission. Rebuild morale in an intelligence service badly damaged by a series of highly-publicized operational blunders and personnel scandals. Restore the esprit d'corps that had characterized the office in the old days. Shamron had managed to stem the bleeding. There had been no more humiliations . . . But there had been no stunning successes either. Shamron knew better than anyone that the office had not earned its fearsome reputation by playing it safe. In the old days, it had stolen MIGs, planted spies in the palaces of its friends and its enemies, rained terror on those who dared to terrorize the people of Israel . . . he wanted to leave behind an office that could reach out and strike at will, an office that could make the other services of the world shake their heads in wonder."
(Daniel Silva, Kill Artist, 2000)
Unlike the more formal bibliographies of books and articles on Israeli intelligence posted at this website, this directory includes films and TV projects that touch on or incorporate Jewish characters in espionage plots whether directly connected to the Mossad or not. It is in three parts:
Part I lists feature films employing Israeli or Jewish characters involved in espionage.
Part II lists documentaries.
Part III discusses and analyzes television movies and episodes from series related to Israeli intelligence.
For analysis of these films, especially the changing trends of Israeli agents from Nazi hunters to counter-terrorist operatives, see my Onscreen and Undercover: The Ultimate Book of Movie Espionage (Westport, CT: Praeger Pub., 2006).
---
Part I: Feature Films
Ambassador, The. (1984). Robert Mitchum as an idealistic, if inattentive husband, working for peace between Israel and Arab interests. Rock Hudson was the security officer bailing Mitchum out of violence his plans result in. As his wife (Ellen Burstyn) is having an affair with a PLO leader, the Israelis have means to blackmail the ambassador and erode his credibility with various factions.
Assignment, The. (1997). Donald Sutherland was Jack Shaw/Henry Fields, A CIA agent tracking Carlos "The Jackal" (Aidan Quinn). Originally titled The Carlos Project, the movie featured Ben Kingsley as an Israeli Mossad agent, connecting worries of the Middle East with Western concerns. For some critics, this was a mere retread; for others, the film was a success as its third act didn't disintegrate into a special-effects explosion fest .
Black Sunday (1977). While no overt connections to Israel are in this violent film, clear references to the "Black September" group featured in films like Sword of Gideon and Munich are central to the script. Robert Shaw and Bruce Dern were graphic in this story about Palestinian terrorists plotting to blow up Americans at the Super Bowl. A radio promo for the film summed up the situation: "A `Black September' broadcast in Beirut. A secret intelligence meeting in Washington. A Coast Guard alert in California. An FBI stakeout in Miami. It all comes together on--Black Sunday . . . It could be tomorrow." While the box-office was disappointing, noted director John Frankenheimer was lauded for his atmospheric location shots.
Boys From Brazil, The. (1987). Back in 1968, Borman was an odd Italian movie with CIA agent Bob Gordon (Robert Kent) going to South America to find out if ex-Nazi Martin Borman is being cloned. In 1978, The Boys From Brazil, based on the Ira Levin novel, took the concept more seriously with an all-star cast distinguishing this production including Gregory Peck, Lawrence Olivier, James Mason and Lili Palmer. Playing against his usual type, Peck was ex-Nazi Joseph Mengala plotting a comeback with 90 Hitler clones. Oliver tracks him down, but isn't an agent of any government but rather an independent Nazi hunter.
Death Merchants, The. (1975). Based on Jack Stackburg’s novel, Double Agent, many issues explored in this movie were ahead of their time. An Arab terrorist organization seeks a non-existent agent code-named Herzog" in Germany. But they go after the wrong man (Jason Robards) who's a Jew who has a love affair with one of the terrorists. The film has its moments, as when Robards and his Palestinian girlfriend debate the horrors of German atrocities vs. the Israeli occupation of Palestine. But the inserted narrations that explain points that could have been incorporated into the dialogue broke the flow in a well-intentioned effort.
Eye Witness (1981). A film with quasi-espionage motifs. Connecting news stories about Jewish dissidents in Russia with tried and true romance, William Hurt played a janitor in love with a reporter (Sigourney Weaver). To interest her, Hurt pretended to know more about a murder than he really does. They ran across a rich Jew who paid a former spy to get fellow Jews out of Russia but was murdered after being blackmailed by the evil Christopher Plummer.
Firefox (1982). Director, producer, and actor Clint Eastwood
cast himself as a reluctant Vietnam War vet pulled out of retirement by a Jewish dissident spy group to save U.S. from the "Firefox," the new Soviet airplane with special radar technology. Considered as another bad example of the Red bashing Hollywood fare during the Reagan era.
Funeral In Berlin (1966). Second Michael Caine vehicle as Len Deighton's Harry
Palmer. Includes a beautiful Israeli agent (Eva Renzi) seeking money from an
ex-Nazi who'd stolen it During World War II. (See “From Harry Palmer to Austin
Powers: A Spy-ography of Michael Caine” also posted at this website.)
Half Moon Street (1986). Sigourney Weaver played Dr. Slaughter, an expert in Arab affairs doubling as a paid escort. She becomes involved with a lonely diplomat (Michael Caine) negotiating top priority matters between the Arabs and Israelis. Some felt the film deserved Oscar nominations but lackluster audience response trumped critical favor.
House on Garibaldi Street, The. (1979). Well-done quasi-documentary starring Israeli actor Topol in the story of how the Israelis captured and kidnapped former Nazi Adolf Eichmann in 1959. (See Man Who Captured Eichmann, The below.)
Jerusalem File, The (1972). set during the Arab-Israeli Six Day War, an archeologist (Bruce Davison) got caught in the cross-fire. Israeli guerillas wanted him to work for them but allowed him to work for his girlfriend (Nicole Williamson) and an Arab group hoping he'll lead them to an Arab leader.
Judas (1965). Set before the formation of Israel, Sophia Loren played the wife of a Nazi who sent her to a concentration camp. There, she joins the Jewish underground and, after the war, seeks her husband out when he becomes an advisor for Arab states.
Little Drummer Girl, The. (1982). One of the lowest regarded adaptations of a John Le Carre' book. Diane Keaton starred as a young, politically naive actress recruited by Israeli Intelligence and sent to infiltrate a Palestinian terrorist organization. Directed By George Roy Hill, the cast included Yorgo Voyagis and a cameo by novelist Le Carre'.
Mossad. (1997). Director Jonathan Tammuz's arty love story between an Mossad agent and a poetic young girl. The conflict between his work and the destruction it brings to his lover is demonstrated in paintings and music. Starred Mili Avital, Dan Turgeman, and Christine Jones.
Munich (2005). Described in detail in "Before Munich: Black September on TV and Film" article at this website.
Operation Thunderbolt (1977). While this historical event doesn't directly relate to the Mossad, most overviews of Israeli intelligence pay homage to the July 1976 IDF rescue of hijacked hostages from an Air France flight forced to land in Entebbe, Uganda. 100 Jewish hostages were saved by a force of less than 500 Israeli commandos in one of the most successful military operations in history.
Two 1977 films attempted to depict the daring mission with realism and accuracy: Operation Thunderbolt was an Israeli project starring Yehoram Gaon As Col. Yonatan Netanyahu, the only Israeli casualty of the raid. He was the older brother of Benjamin Netanyahu, the future Israeli prime minister. Reviews note the most famous of the actors, Klaus Kinski and Sybil Danning, didn't have much to do, but due to the cooperation of the Israeli military and governmental figures, details were indeed accurate if the political point-of-view was clear and blatant. It should be noted the movie was very much a product of its cinematic times, so modern viewers may see some of the camerawork as out-dated. (See Raid on Entebbebe below.)
Point Men, The. (2001). Stars Christopher Lambert as Israeli agent Tony, a hit man who thinks his team killed the wrong man and then finds terrorists are killing them off in revenge. (A take on the actual Lilihamer debacle?) An action fest but a notable step down for Bond director John Glen. Plodding--not recommended.
Prisoner in the Middle (1974, A.K.A. Warhead). Low budget fare with David Jansen and Bond girl Karin Dor looking for a stolen atomic bomb that threatens Arab/Israeli relations. Not released theatrically, the movie was possibly cobbled together from two films. The final version was released on home video in the 1980s.
Requiem for a Secret Agent (1966). In this violent and sadistic tale, a British agent (Stewart Granger) worked for his government when not moonlighting as a double-agent or adventurer. Uncovering a neo-Nazi secret organization in Morocco, he worked with Israeli intelligence and killed off the duplicitous bad girl, played by former Bond girl, Daniela Bianchi.
Walk On Water--A Film by Eytan Fox. (2004). Lior Ashkenazi stars as a Mossad hit man given the mission to track down the very old Alfred Himmelman, an ex Nazi officer. Family relationships complicate life and the mission in Israel and Germany.
---
Part II: Documentaries
Archives of the Mossad: Israel's Secret Hunt for Nazi War Criminals. (Direct Cinema Limited - Educational. Filmmaker: Chanoch Zeevi and Dan Setton. VHS 1998) Includes the following four titles:
• Angels of Vengeance
• The Disappearance of Martin Bormann
• The Hunt for Adolf Eichmann
• Josef Mengele: The Final Account
Archives of the Mossad: Israel's Secret Hunt for Terrorists. (For grades 7 and up.) In the same series, this 1998 two-hour boxed set includes:
• Shaheed: The Making of a Suicide Bomber
• Mikdad: Into the Mind of a Terrorist
For more information, see:
http://www.directcinema.com/dcl/
Champagne Spy, The. (2007) Documentary written and directed by Nadav Schirman in English, Hebrew, and German. For the full story including an interview with the director, see “The Bigamist Bond: The Behind-The-Scenes Story Of The Champagne Spy” also posted at this website.
Spies: Undercover Spies. (1991). Spies is a video series dedicated to the secret wars that have raged through the past decades. Through archival footage, interviews, and excerpts from unpublished memoirs and recently declassified sources, this series attempts to put a human face on the missions of secret agents from various agencies. Material from the archives of the CIA, FBI, KGB, and Mossad are used extensively. “Undercover in Damascus” profiles Elie Cohen, an Israeli spy who infiltrated and compromised the Syrian high command with disastrous results for Syria during the 1967 Six Day War. See:
WWW.Spies: Undercover Spies - Trailer - Showtimes - Cast - Movies - New York Times
Spying Game--Mossad, The. (May 09, 2005). 45 minute documentary on the history of the Mossad. On DVD.
---
Part III: Television Movies and Episodes
Danger Man (U.S. title, Secret Agent). “Judgment Day.” First Aired: November 11, 1965. British agent John Drake (Patrick McGoohan) is sent to an Arab country to retrieve a “package.” This turns out to be an ex-Nazi scientist who’s been discovered by an outlawed band of Israeli vigilantes out to avenge the scientist’s atrocities during World War II. Stranded on an abandoned airfield, the rogue group holds a kangaroo court where Drake tries to claim the Nazi was insane and therefore not eligible for the death penalty. But when the group learns Drake has had a message sent out for a rescue, they murder the Nazi and flee across the border back into Israel.
Typical of many Danger Man scripts, this episode explores the ethics and morality of violence in the name of a greater good. During the mock trial, Drake is caught with the dilemma of knowing his country wants the scientist for their own ends while recognizing the Nazi is a “moral imbecile,” unable to distinguish right from wrong. But he also accuses the Jews of being no better for not following legal procedures. In the end, Drake has to admit he has no answer to the problem.
Impossible Spy, The. (1987). HBO/BBC TV movie about life of Eli Cohen. Background to the film is detailed in "The Story of Israel's Most Famous Secret Agent: Behind the Scenes of The Impossible Spy" at this website.
I Spy, "CHILD OUT OF TIME." First broadcast on Jan. 11, 1967, written by Morton Fine & David Friedkin. This well-regarded episode may be of special historical interest for its early, perhaps first, use of Israeli agents on American network television.
The story was set in Madrid, Spain, revolving around a ten-year-old daughter of a former Nazi collaborator who becomes a pawn in her mother's plot to sell the names of war criminals to the highest bidder. Because of the child’s phenomenal memory, she has all the names in her head and Kelly Robinson (Robert Culp) and Alexander Scott (Bill Cosby) have to protect her as agents from both sides are on the trail. According to an e-mail from I Spy expert Marc Cushman, “The two Israeli agents are seen throughout the episode, and broke into Kelly and Scott's room and stuck guns in their ribs in an effort to get to the Nazi first. It was a race between the Israelis and the Americans, who were not working together, but were sympathetic to one another's agendas.” In the closing moments, after the Israeli assassins kill the mother, Kelly places a gun to the back of the child’s head and threatens to blow her brains out if the Israeli agents don't lower their weapons.
Several aspects of this drama are of special interest. First, in the years before Mossad agents became known for tracking down Arab terrorists, uses of such agents on film usually dealt with tracking down ex-Nazis, but network television normally had its stars uncovering the old Nazis either plotting comebacks or trying to resurrect the frozen body of Adolph Hitler (The Man From U.N.C.L.E., The New Avengers.) I Spy uniquely brought in Israeli agents and dealt with the theme of the cost of revenge, a concern not yet common in either film or small-screen broadcast. (For one exception, see Danger Man description above.)
In addition, another plot point of the hour worried both the network and viewers. One memo from NBC Broadcast Standards and Practices read: "The Broadcast Standards objection to Scott and Kelly sharing information on the locations of surviving Nazi death-camp officials with Israeli agents was based on the belief that our government would not place itself into the position of assisting another government that has used extralegal methods of bringing war criminals to justice. As discussed, I agreed that if you provide us with verification that our government would indeed permit the sharing of information under like circumstances, our objection would be withdrawn." Don R. Bay, Broadcast Standards.
A letter from one viewer read: "Dear Sirs: I am writing to protest the latest episode of your program, where two agents, presumably American, hand over information to agents of a foreign power. Such a program condones an action which is basically immoral; the agents are working to supply information to the agency that hires them, not to a foreign power. Even more basic, they are Americans, not Israeli agents. The more subtle issue of the propaganda value of the program, I will not question. Let me state, however, that this particular episode of I Spy, I found extremely offensive." Mrs. A.J.A., North Hollywood, California.
Ironically, these notes were written six months before the Six Days War, and a number of books have since claimed the CIA indeed provided Israel with information assisting their June 1967 success. While this claim remains debatable, the idea that the U.S. would share Intell to an ally being questionable prefigures these discussions by decades.
(Information for this item came from Marc Cushman and Linda J. LaRosa’s I Spy: A History and Episode Guide, 1965-1968. Jefferson, NC: Mcfareland and Co. 2007, pps. 230-231.)
Man Who Captured Eichmann, The. (1996). TV movie starring Robert Duvall and Jeffrey Tambor following the same line as The House on Garabaldi St. (See above.)
NCIS. (CBS). Beginning with the first episode of the 2005 season, Mossad Liaison Officer Ziva David joined the cast, played by Chilean born actress Cote de Pablo. In her first hour, David was assigned to the NCIS following the murder of Special Agent Caitlin Todd by a rogue Mossad operative. Soon after her assignment to NCIS, she killed a native Israeli named Ari Haswari in order to save Jethro Gibbs (Mark Harmon) and it is revealed afterwards that she is Ari's half-sister.
In the show, David is an expert marksman and carries two Firearms and a knife with her at all times. She frequently brags of her abilities as a Mossad agent but is annoyed to learn in the 2006-2007 season the Israelis have her under surveillance.
In a May 22, 2007 Chicago Tribune Watcher item, Pablo described her first visit to Israel, invited to come when their tourist center became aware of her role. She met “with a former Mossad agent -- one of the men who captured Nazi official Adolf Eichmann in Argentina and brought him to Israel for a trial. `How they did everything without technology -- I mean, how they smuggled Eichmann out of the country without any of that -- that's what intrigued me the most,’ she said.”
Raid on Entebbebe. (1977) American TV movie directed by Irvin Kershner, the film earned a Golden Globe. The all-star cast included Peter Finch (his last movie) as Yitzhak Rabin and Charles Bronson as Brig. Gen. Dan Shomron, leader of the commandos. (See Operation Thunderbolt for details about the historical mission re-created in this film.)
Return of the Saint, The. “Black September.” First aired on British ITV onSunday October 1, 1978. Simon Templar (Ian Ogilvy) joined forces with an Israeli agent, Captain Leila Sabin (Prunella Gee), to track down and capture an Arab terrorist on the loose in London. For more on the group that inspired this episode, see “Before Munich: Black September on TV and Film” also posted at this website.
Sword of Gideon, The. (1986). HBO production based on the George Jonas
book, Vengeance. Described in detail in "Before Munich: Black September on TV
and Film" article at this website.
---
For related articles, see
WWW.WesleyBritton.com
Sunday, July 15, 2007
The Movie Spy's Bookshelf: A Selective Bibliography
THE MOVIE SPY'S BOOKSHELF: A SELECTIVE BIBLIOGRAPHY
By Wesley Britton
This annotated directory is intended to help general readers and researchers find the best full-length books with material related to espionage-oriented films. There's one major difference between the "TV Spy's Bookshelf" also posted at this site and this list. Books geared towards TV spies are a rather small family. Film studies are a bottomless pit from biographies, autobiographies, genre studies, to collections of reviews by noted critics. books on James Bond alone make for lengthy reading. So this list is "selective" in several ways:
1. Only books I've read or know enough about to intelligently comment on are included.
2. Few encyclopedias or reference works that talk about or list films in general are listed. If a work doesn't have considerable information about spy films, whether about one actor, director, character, etc., I didn't include it here.
This list is organic. So expect updates and expansions as time goes on. Please let me know of books you think should be included here. Write me at:
spywise@verizon.net
----
Amis, Kingsley. The James Bond Dossier. New York: New American Library. 1965. A classic study of the Fleming books, Amis has little to say about the films as the series was only 3 entries strong at the time of publication. Still, contains invaluable insights into who Bond was in the early '60s and his place in social consciousness.
Barson, Michael and Steven Heller. Red Scared: The Commie Menace In Propaganda and Popular Culture. San Francisco: Chronicle Books. 2001. This overview of anti-Communist propaganda during the '50s is a detailed, annotated survey of pamphlets, comic books, TV and radio shows, as well as movies of the period. Very useful resource about the era.
Biederman, Danny. The Incredible World of Spy-Fi: Wild and Crazy Spy Gadgets, Props and Artifacts, From TV and the Movies. San Francisco: Chronicle Books,
2004. Enjoyable coffee-table picture show of Biederman's collection. Has more TV related material, but discusses Austin Powers and B-movies of the '60s.
Black, Jeremy. The Politics of James Bond: From Fleming’s Novels to the Big Screen. Westport, CT: Praeger Pub. 2001. As the title implies, Black looks at both the books and films featuring 007 showing how they reflected political climates from 1953 to the publication date. For those interested in contexts and public responses to the films, not what went into their creation.
Britton, Wesley. Beyond Bond: Spies in Fiction and Film. Westport, CT: Praeger Pub. 2005. Discusses spy films in the context of their release, comparing espionage movies with historical incidents and spy literature through succeeding decades.
Britton, Wesley. Onscreen and Undercover: The Ultimate Book of Movie Espionage. Westport, CT.: Praeger Pub. 2006. History of the genre from silent releases through the publication date. Chapters are devoted to specific trends as in battling Nazis, the Cold War, exploitation films, and the roles of women.
Caine, Michael. What's It All About? An Autobiography of Michael Caine. Stokes Films Ltd. 1992. Detailed memories of the creation of the original "Harry Palmer" films as well as Caine's insights into other spy films he worked on including The Black Windmill and The Holcroft Covenant. Readable and enlightening. (See the "Spy-ography" of Caine posted at this website.)
D'Abo, Maryam and John Cork. Bond Girls Are Forever: The Women of James Bond. New York: Harry N. Abrams Pub. 2003. In 2002, D'Abo, who'd played Kara in The Living Daylights, hosted the notable television documentary with this title and co-wrote the companion volume for it. It was the first official Bond book to be authored by a James Bond actress. Includes short biographies of a number of Bond girls with their thoughts on how their 007 roles affected their careers.
Donovan, Paul. Roger Moore: A Biography. London: W. H. Allen. 1983. Most in-depth biography of the third theatrical James Bond. At the time of publication, Moore was still the reigning 007 (Octopussy came out in '83, A View to A Kill had yet to be scripted), so the book could use an update.
Giblin, Gary. James Bond's London: A Reference Guide to the Birthplace of 007 and His Creator. Dunllen, NJ: Daleon Enterprises. 2001. Photos and history of 007 in London pointing to locations used in both the books and films. A sequel, James Bond's England, is reportedly in the works.
Higham, Charles and Joel Greenberg. Hollywood in the Forties. New York: Paperback Library. 1968. Contains one chapter on spy films from the decade which is useful but not comprehensive. (Higham also wrote Errol Flynn: The Untold Story. New York: Doubleday. 1980. It contains much interesting but completely unreliable material about the actor's real-life role as a Nazi spy.)
Kiel, Richard. Making It Big in the Movies: The Autobiography of Richard "Jaws" Kiel. Kew Gardens: Reynolds and Hearn Ltd. 2002. Autobiography of "Jaws" from the Bond films. Besides discussing this role, Kiel talks about working in TV and movies in a very personable style.
Langman, Larry and David Ebner. Encyclopedia of American Spy Films. New York: Garland Pub. 1990. Alongside Mavis and Britton, an indispensable reference book. Offers different insights from Mavis for many films.
Leab, Daniel G. I was a Communist for the FBI: The Unhappy Life of Matt Cvedic. University Park: Pennsylvania Univ. Press. 2000. Detailed exploration about the life and uses by the media of the career of FBI informant, Matt Cvedic. Most thorough analysis and history of the film, I Was A Communist for the FBI, in print. Includes brief discussions of related Hollywood projects.
Lindner, Christoph. The James Bond Phenomenon: A Critical Reader.
Manchester: Manchester UP. 2003. Perhaps the most useful book on James Bond beyond coffee-table looks into the movies. A collection of essays by a number of authors, this one is indispensable reading.
Lisanti, Tom and Louis Paul. Film Fatales: Women in Espionage Films and Television, 1962-1973. Jefferson, NC: McFarland and Co. 2001. At first glance, one might think this is an elaborate pin-up book of beautiful actresses who starred in both major and obscure spy films. A careful reading reveals many details about television episodes and Euro-films not readily available in other sources. Indispensable.
Lycett, Andrew. Ian Fleming: The Man Behind James Bond. Atlanta: Turner Pub. Inc. 1995. Outstanding and lengthy biography of Fleming. Has much content on how 007 came to be filmed and the conflict between Fleming and apparent S.P.E.C.T.R.E. creator, Kevin McClory.
McGilligan, Patrick. Fritz Lang: The Nature of the Beast. New York: St. Martins. 1997. Outstanding biography of the director with considerable background into Lang's spy films from Doktor Mabuse to Cloak and Dagger. (See "Spy-ography of Fritz Lang" posted at this website.)
Mavis, Paul. Espionage Filmography: United States Releases, 1898-1999. Jefferson City: McFarland. 2001. This one is the Big Khona, in terms of American films and British-made movies released in the States. Contains complete cast lists and very good plot summaries. A hefty tome, it's indispensable and the center of any spy library. (Compare with Langman above.)
Miller, Toby. Spy Screen: Espionage on Film and TV from the 1930s to the 1960s. Oxford, NY: Oxford UP. 2003. While largely a textual and cultural study for students of film, general readers should find passages of interest in between long sections designed for theorists and scholars. For example, the first chapter contains historical notes not
frequently discussed in other sources, including concepts about early spy
novels. Miller has fresh insights into the Bond films, especially Live and Let Die, although his history of imperialism seems to stretch the page count and not add to the obvious--Bond represented the British Empire. Miller adds some interesting notes on fandoms for The Avengers, the subject of an earlier Miller study. (See review at my "TV
Spies Bookshelf" file at this website.) This one is better for
those interested in important films like Gilda, The 39 Steps, The Third Man
and cultural benchmarks like Honey West and Modesty Blaise. For library
shelves.
Mulay, James et al, editors. Spies and Sleuths: Mystery, Spy, and Suspense Films on Video Cassette. Evanston, ILL: Cinebooks. 1998. An invaluable guide on movies from detective dramas to spy films, this reference book has obvious limitations. Much has happened since 1998 and the editor's scope was limited to films then available on VHS. Perhaps 1/3 of the listed movies are spy-oriented, but for those included, there's a complete cast list and better synopses than in most reference books or the IMDB. If you can pick up a used copy, it's a keeper.
Pearson, John. The Life of Ian Fleming. New York: Macgraw-Hill. 1966. While this biography has been superceded (see Lycet, Andrew above), It still contains insights into how Fleming's character came to television and film.
Pfeiffer, Lee and Dave Worrall. The Essential Bond: An Authorized Guide to the World of 007. Boxtree Publishers, England; Harper Collins, USA. First printed
in 1998; Many different printings. 2002 edition titled The Essential James Bond: An Authorized Guide to the World of 007. Two words point to the strengths of this work-in-progress--"Essential" and "authorized." Straightforward writing with insights from the participants who've created the film series. Of course, newer editions are where to start--indispensable for any movie fan's bookshelf.
Pfeiffer, Lee and Philip Lisa. Incredible World of 007, The. Boxtree Publishers, England: Citadel Press, U.S. First printed in 1991; updated
edition printed 1995. The Lee Pfeiffer books benefit from his extensive knowledge of the Bond universe, the collaborators he's worked with, and the support of EON Productions who've granted him access to photo stocks and personal interviews not available to other authors. As noted above, later printings include discussions of films not in earlier editions. This one has been superceded by his The Essential Bond, but it's still an attractive photo-fest with anecdotes and opinion.
Rubenstein, Leonard. The Great Spy Films: A Pictorial History. Secaucus: The Citadel Press, 1979. One of the most readable and insightful studies of the genre. Rubenstein groups some 50 spy films into various categories and provides plot synopsis's and contexts to demonstrate themes and characteristics of sub-genres. Indispensable.
Shaw, Tony. British Cinema and the Cold War: The State, propaganda, and Consensus. New York: St. Martins. 2001. Detailed exploration of British-made films (and the influence of Hollywood) throughout the Cold War. Focuses on censorship and the role of the British government in shaping the course of many productions.
Solomon, ED et al. Men in Black: The Script and the Story Behind the Film. New York: New Market Press. 1997. For those who are interested in this delightful film.
Spoto, Donald. The Dark Side of Genius: The Life of Alfred Hitchcock. New York: Ballentine Books. 1983. Contains many insights into Hitchcock spy films, including some never made. Key resource for anyone interested in this director.
Strada, Michael and Harold Troper. Friend or Foe: Russians in American Film and Foreign Policy (1933-1991). Lanhan, MD: Scarecrow Press. 1997. Extremely useful overview of films during the years indicated that dealt with Russian characters, themes, and duels with Western governments and spy agencies.
Truffaut, Francois with the collaboration of Helen G. Scott. Hitchcock. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1967. A collection of interviews with the venerable director, there are many quotations from Hitchcock regarding his feelings about espionage and the creative process behind his spy-oriented films.
Wark, Wesley, ed. Spy Fiction, Spy Films, and Real Intelligence. London:
Frank Cass and Co. Ltd. 1991. This Collection of essays by various authors
was first published in the Journal of Intelligence and National Security (1990). It's one of the most insightful books on espionage fiction from an academic standpoint I've ever encountered. There's considerable detail regarding literature and history, but movies are usually included only in short passing references. David R. Booth's article on the history of spy films serves as an adequate introduction to the topic, but is a mere survey
of selective titles and not on the same level as other offerings in the
collection.
Wood, Robin. Hitchcock's Films Revisited. New York: Columbia UP. 1989. Feminist critique of the Hitchcock legacy including his spy films.
Youngkin, Stephen, James Bigwood, and Raymond Cabana, Jr. The Films of Peter Lorre. Citadel Press, NJ, 1982. Contains important background on the spy films that featured Peter Lorre from the "Mr. Moto" films, Lorre's work with Hitchcock, and his final years.
For related articles and resources, see
WWW.WesleyBritton.com
By Wesley Britton
This annotated directory is intended to help general readers and researchers find the best full-length books with material related to espionage-oriented films. There's one major difference between the "TV Spy's Bookshelf" also posted at this site and this list. Books geared towards TV spies are a rather small family. Film studies are a bottomless pit from biographies, autobiographies, genre studies, to collections of reviews by noted critics. books on James Bond alone make for lengthy reading. So this list is "selective" in several ways:
1. Only books I've read or know enough about to intelligently comment on are included.
2. Few encyclopedias or reference works that talk about or list films in general are listed. If a work doesn't have considerable information about spy films, whether about one actor, director, character, etc., I didn't include it here.
This list is organic. So expect updates and expansions as time goes on. Please let me know of books you think should be included here. Write me at:
spywise@verizon.net
----
Amis, Kingsley. The James Bond Dossier. New York: New American Library. 1965. A classic study of the Fleming books, Amis has little to say about the films as the series was only 3 entries strong at the time of publication. Still, contains invaluable insights into who Bond was in the early '60s and his place in social consciousness.
Barson, Michael and Steven Heller. Red Scared: The Commie Menace In Propaganda and Popular Culture. San Francisco: Chronicle Books. 2001. This overview of anti-Communist propaganda during the '50s is a detailed, annotated survey of pamphlets, comic books, TV and radio shows, as well as movies of the period. Very useful resource about the era.
Biederman, Danny. The Incredible World of Spy-Fi: Wild and Crazy Spy Gadgets, Props and Artifacts, From TV and the Movies. San Francisco: Chronicle Books,
2004. Enjoyable coffee-table picture show of Biederman's collection. Has more TV related material, but discusses Austin Powers and B-movies of the '60s.
Black, Jeremy. The Politics of James Bond: From Fleming’s Novels to the Big Screen. Westport, CT: Praeger Pub. 2001. As the title implies, Black looks at both the books and films featuring 007 showing how they reflected political climates from 1953 to the publication date. For those interested in contexts and public responses to the films, not what went into their creation.
Britton, Wesley. Beyond Bond: Spies in Fiction and Film. Westport, CT: Praeger Pub. 2005. Discusses spy films in the context of their release, comparing espionage movies with historical incidents and spy literature through succeeding decades.
Britton, Wesley. Onscreen and Undercover: The Ultimate Book of Movie Espionage. Westport, CT.: Praeger Pub. 2006. History of the genre from silent releases through the publication date. Chapters are devoted to specific trends as in battling Nazis, the Cold War, exploitation films, and the roles of women.
Caine, Michael. What's It All About? An Autobiography of Michael Caine. Stokes Films Ltd. 1992. Detailed memories of the creation of the original "Harry Palmer" films as well as Caine's insights into other spy films he worked on including The Black Windmill and The Holcroft Covenant. Readable and enlightening. (See the "Spy-ography" of Caine posted at this website.)
D'Abo, Maryam and John Cork. Bond Girls Are Forever: The Women of James Bond. New York: Harry N. Abrams Pub. 2003. In 2002, D'Abo, who'd played Kara in The Living Daylights, hosted the notable television documentary with this title and co-wrote the companion volume for it. It was the first official Bond book to be authored by a James Bond actress. Includes short biographies of a number of Bond girls with their thoughts on how their 007 roles affected their careers.
Donovan, Paul. Roger Moore: A Biography. London: W. H. Allen. 1983. Most in-depth biography of the third theatrical James Bond. At the time of publication, Moore was still the reigning 007 (Octopussy came out in '83, A View to A Kill had yet to be scripted), so the book could use an update.
Giblin, Gary. James Bond's London: A Reference Guide to the Birthplace of 007 and His Creator. Dunllen, NJ: Daleon Enterprises. 2001. Photos and history of 007 in London pointing to locations used in both the books and films. A sequel, James Bond's England, is reportedly in the works.
Higham, Charles and Joel Greenberg. Hollywood in the Forties. New York: Paperback Library. 1968. Contains one chapter on spy films from the decade which is useful but not comprehensive. (Higham also wrote Errol Flynn: The Untold Story. New York: Doubleday. 1980. It contains much interesting but completely unreliable material about the actor's real-life role as a Nazi spy.)
Kiel, Richard. Making It Big in the Movies: The Autobiography of Richard "Jaws" Kiel. Kew Gardens: Reynolds and Hearn Ltd. 2002. Autobiography of "Jaws" from the Bond films. Besides discussing this role, Kiel talks about working in TV and movies in a very personable style.
Langman, Larry and David Ebner. Encyclopedia of American Spy Films. New York: Garland Pub. 1990. Alongside Mavis and Britton, an indispensable reference book. Offers different insights from Mavis for many films.
Leab, Daniel G. I was a Communist for the FBI: The Unhappy Life of Matt Cvedic. University Park: Pennsylvania Univ. Press. 2000. Detailed exploration about the life and uses by the media of the career of FBI informant, Matt Cvedic. Most thorough analysis and history of the film, I Was A Communist for the FBI, in print. Includes brief discussions of related Hollywood projects.
Lindner, Christoph. The James Bond Phenomenon: A Critical Reader.
Manchester: Manchester UP. 2003. Perhaps the most useful book on James Bond beyond coffee-table looks into the movies. A collection of essays by a number of authors, this one is indispensable reading.
Lisanti, Tom and Louis Paul. Film Fatales: Women in Espionage Films and Television, 1962-1973. Jefferson, NC: McFarland and Co. 2001. At first glance, one might think this is an elaborate pin-up book of beautiful actresses who starred in both major and obscure spy films. A careful reading reveals many details about television episodes and Euro-films not readily available in other sources. Indispensable.
Lycett, Andrew. Ian Fleming: The Man Behind James Bond. Atlanta: Turner Pub. Inc. 1995. Outstanding and lengthy biography of Fleming. Has much content on how 007 came to be filmed and the conflict between Fleming and apparent S.P.E.C.T.R.E. creator, Kevin McClory.
McGilligan, Patrick. Fritz Lang: The Nature of the Beast. New York: St. Martins. 1997. Outstanding biography of the director with considerable background into Lang's spy films from Doktor Mabuse to Cloak and Dagger. (See "Spy-ography of Fritz Lang" posted at this website.)
Mavis, Paul. Espionage Filmography: United States Releases, 1898-1999. Jefferson City: McFarland. 2001. This one is the Big Khona, in terms of American films and British-made movies released in the States. Contains complete cast lists and very good plot summaries. A hefty tome, it's indispensable and the center of any spy library. (Compare with Langman above.)
Miller, Toby. Spy Screen: Espionage on Film and TV from the 1930s to the 1960s. Oxford, NY: Oxford UP. 2003. While largely a textual and cultural study for students of film, general readers should find passages of interest in between long sections designed for theorists and scholars. For example, the first chapter contains historical notes not
frequently discussed in other sources, including concepts about early spy
novels. Miller has fresh insights into the Bond films, especially Live and Let Die, although his history of imperialism seems to stretch the page count and not add to the obvious--Bond represented the British Empire. Miller adds some interesting notes on fandoms for The Avengers, the subject of an earlier Miller study. (See review at my "TV
Spies Bookshelf" file at this website.) This one is better for
those interested in important films like Gilda, The 39 Steps, The Third Man
and cultural benchmarks like Honey West and Modesty Blaise. For library
shelves.
Mulay, James et al, editors. Spies and Sleuths: Mystery, Spy, and Suspense Films on Video Cassette. Evanston, ILL: Cinebooks. 1998. An invaluable guide on movies from detective dramas to spy films, this reference book has obvious limitations. Much has happened since 1998 and the editor's scope was limited to films then available on VHS. Perhaps 1/3 of the listed movies are spy-oriented, but for those included, there's a complete cast list and better synopses than in most reference books or the IMDB. If you can pick up a used copy, it's a keeper.
Pearson, John. The Life of Ian Fleming. New York: Macgraw-Hill. 1966. While this biography has been superceded (see Lycet, Andrew above), It still contains insights into how Fleming's character came to television and film.
Pfeiffer, Lee and Dave Worrall. The Essential Bond: An Authorized Guide to the World of 007. Boxtree Publishers, England; Harper Collins, USA. First printed
in 1998; Many different printings. 2002 edition titled The Essential James Bond: An Authorized Guide to the World of 007. Two words point to the strengths of this work-in-progress--"Essential" and "authorized." Straightforward writing with insights from the participants who've created the film series. Of course, newer editions are where to start--indispensable for any movie fan's bookshelf.
Pfeiffer, Lee and Philip Lisa. Incredible World of 007, The. Boxtree Publishers, England: Citadel Press, U.S. First printed in 1991; updated
edition printed 1995. The Lee Pfeiffer books benefit from his extensive knowledge of the Bond universe, the collaborators he's worked with, and the support of EON Productions who've granted him access to photo stocks and personal interviews not available to other authors. As noted above, later printings include discussions of films not in earlier editions. This one has been superceded by his The Essential Bond, but it's still an attractive photo-fest with anecdotes and opinion.
Rubenstein, Leonard. The Great Spy Films: A Pictorial History. Secaucus: The Citadel Press, 1979. One of the most readable and insightful studies of the genre. Rubenstein groups some 50 spy films into various categories and provides plot synopsis's and contexts to demonstrate themes and characteristics of sub-genres. Indispensable.
Shaw, Tony. British Cinema and the Cold War: The State, propaganda, and Consensus. New York: St. Martins. 2001. Detailed exploration of British-made films (and the influence of Hollywood) throughout the Cold War. Focuses on censorship and the role of the British government in shaping the course of many productions.
Solomon, ED et al. Men in Black: The Script and the Story Behind the Film. New York: New Market Press. 1997. For those who are interested in this delightful film.
Spoto, Donald. The Dark Side of Genius: The Life of Alfred Hitchcock. New York: Ballentine Books. 1983. Contains many insights into Hitchcock spy films, including some never made. Key resource for anyone interested in this director.
Strada, Michael and Harold Troper. Friend or Foe: Russians in American Film and Foreign Policy (1933-1991). Lanhan, MD: Scarecrow Press. 1997. Extremely useful overview of films during the years indicated that dealt with Russian characters, themes, and duels with Western governments and spy agencies.
Truffaut, Francois with the collaboration of Helen G. Scott. Hitchcock. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1967. A collection of interviews with the venerable director, there are many quotations from Hitchcock regarding his feelings about espionage and the creative process behind his spy-oriented films.
Wark, Wesley, ed. Spy Fiction, Spy Films, and Real Intelligence. London:
Frank Cass and Co. Ltd. 1991. This Collection of essays by various authors
was first published in the Journal of Intelligence and National Security (1990). It's one of the most insightful books on espionage fiction from an academic standpoint I've ever encountered. There's considerable detail regarding literature and history, but movies are usually included only in short passing references. David R. Booth's article on the history of spy films serves as an adequate introduction to the topic, but is a mere survey
of selective titles and not on the same level as other offerings in the
collection.
Wood, Robin. Hitchcock's Films Revisited. New York: Columbia UP. 1989. Feminist critique of the Hitchcock legacy including his spy films.
Youngkin, Stephen, James Bigwood, and Raymond Cabana, Jr. The Films of Peter Lorre. Citadel Press, NJ, 1982. Contains important background on the spy films that featured Peter Lorre from the "Mr. Moto" films, Lorre's work with Hitchcock, and his final years.
For related articles and resources, see
WWW.WesleyBritton.com
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