Spies: The Epic Intelligence War Between East and West

Spies traces a century-long intelligence conflict between Russia and the West. The book examines how espionage, sabotage, and subversion served as tools for the Kremlin to counterbalance resource disparities before, during, and after the Cold War. Russian interference in the 2016 US presidential election is presented as a continuation of longstanding practices rather than a novel occurrence. Walton argues the Cold War began earlier than commonly dated, with the West responding after World War II through disinformation campaigns, intelligence networks, and technological innovation against the Soviet Union. The narrative spans from St. Petersburg in 1917 through Normandy, coups across continents, and contemporary Moscow, covering troll farms, synthetic bots, and cyber-attacks. The book draws on previously secret archives in multiple languages to demonstrate that the Cold War persisted beyond the Soviet Union's 1991 collapse. Walton contends that Britain and America's clandestine struggle with the Soviet government offers lessons applicable to current competition with China, positioning the book as relevant to understanding both Cold War history and contemporary great power dynamics.