Books - A Brotherhood of Spies

A Brotherhood of Spies: The U-2 and the CIA's Secret War by Monte Reel

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A terrific, informative, enjoyable read.

While I've always enjoyed reading about history, much of my reading has been focused on Constitutional era United States history. As such, I've read very little on 20th century U.S. history, so while I was aware of the general topics of this book - the U-2 spy plane development, Francis Gary Powers being shot down in the Soviety Union while flying, the Bay of Pigs, Cuban Missile Crisis - I didn't have the detail that this book provided. Reel focuses and structures the book by primarily detailing the role of four primary individuals in the development and usage of the U-2 plane - Richard Bissell (who worked with the CIA); Edwin Land (founder of Polaroid who pushes for synergizing efforts between the government and science/technology); Kelly Johnson (the primary engineer with Lockheed responsible for designing the plan); and Frank Powers (the pilot of the plane).

Through these four individuals, Reel relays the story of the decision making to begin using technology for spying on other nations, the development of the technology, and the debates over its usage by these individuals and the various decisions makers in the Eisenhower and then Kennedy administrations. In addition, as the CIA was still a fledgling agency at the time these efforts were beginning, Reel shares anecdotes of naivete that are almost incredulous to think about today, but provided moments of humor while reading.

However, Reel's book makes clear how quickly the CIA become so indispensable to administrations and foreign policy discussions. Truly, it is amazing to consider how many felt no need for the agency in the post-WWII era, and then within 15 years after the war, it was knee-deep in tensions between the Soviet Union and the United States, as well as involved in various schemes/plots/fiascos in Latin America as a result of the escalating Cold War.

Reel's writing is strong; as a reader you can't help but notice the humanity of the individuals involved, and you get a true sense of their struggles, their conflicts, their dilemmas. This is most evident in Frank Powers, who endured much in the name of a government who didn't quite know how to acknowledge and accept the spying it was doing, let alone a public that seemed tethered between outright fear of nuclear war and a moral righteousness.

There is much to unpack in Reel's work, and his writing is accessible and very readable, making the book read almost as a mystery novel, while still providing much information and historical context. A fantastic read, one of the better books I've read this year.



View all my reviews