Author(s): Blaine Harden

History/Politics

In 1946, master sergeant Donald Nichols was repairing jeeps on the sleepy island of Guam when he caught the eye of recruiters from the army's Counter Intelligence Corps. Though he lacked the pedigree of most U.S. spies-Nichols was a seventh-grade dropout-he quickly metamorphosed from army mechanic to black ops phenomenon and pivotal player in the war effort in Korea. But Nichols's triumphs had a dark side: he became a spymaster with his own secret base, his own covert army, and his own rules. Tracing Nichols's unlikely rise and tragic ruin, King of Spies is more than just the riveting story of one American spy. A groundbreaking work of narrative history-at a time when North Korea can threaten the United States with long-range nuclear missiles-it explains the origins of a seemingly intractable foreign policy mess. Book jacket.