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After working on my clandestine RPG for a while, I've read a lot of books on the subject, but I haven't read them all.

I've read most of the generic "you must read this!" internet fare, what I'm looking for is anything that could add to my knowledge base and add to the backstory. If you know of any book that I should read feel free to tell me, and I'll go hunt it down.

This is what I have (please ignore the horrid layout, it's just copy pasted from a layout page):


1. General Covert Operations and Espionage

- *Disrupt and Deny: Spies, Special Forces, and the Secret Pursuit of British Foreign Policy* by Rory Cormac
- *Special Forces Berlin: Clandestine Cold War Operations of the US Army's Elite 1956-1990* by James Stejskal
- *Spycraft: The Secret History of the CIA's Spytechs from Communism to Al-Qaeda* by Robert Wallace and H. Keith Melton
- *Spycraft Secrets: An Espionage A-Z* by Nigel West
- *The Third Option: Covert Action and American Foreign Policy* by Loch K. Johnson
- *Surprise, Kill, Vanish: The Secret History of CIA Paramilitary Armies, Operators, and Assassins* by Annie Jacobsen

2. Biographies and First-Person Accounts

- *Sea Stories: My Life in Special Operations* by Admiral William H. McRaven [Ret.]
- *Full Battle Rattle: My Story as the Longest-Serving Special Forces A-Team Soldier in American History* by Changiz Lahidji and Ralph Pezzullo
- *Good Hunting* by Jack Devine
- *Confessions of a Spy: The Real Story of Aldrich Ames* by Pete Earley
- *Stalin's Romeo Spy* by Emil Draitser

3. Cold War and NATO Contexts

- *Defense of the West: NATO, the European Union and the Transatlantic Bargain* by Stanley R. Sloan
- *Operation Gladio* by Paul L. Williams
- *NATO’s Secret Armies: Operation Gladio and Terrorism in Western Europe* by Daniele Ganser
- *Deterring Armageddon: A Biography of NATO* by Peter Apps
- *Charter of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization* edited by Ian Shapiro and Adam Tooze

4. Espionage History and Key Events

- *The Spy and the Traitor: The Greatest Espionage Story of the Cold War* by Ben MacIntyre
- *The Siege: A Six Day Hostage Crisis and the Daring Special Forces Operation That Shocked the World* by Ben MacIntyre

5. Recognition Guides and Special Forces Analysis

- *Jane’s Special Forces Recognition Guide* by Ewen Southby-Tailyour
- *Shadow Warriors: Inside the Special Forces* by Tom Clancy, General Carl Steiner, and Tony Koltz


Thanks!

The problem with spying in real life is that it's largely quite boring. The LAST thing a spy wants is a) to be world-famous, and b) be getting into gunfights and high-speed chases with the government - those are DANGEROUS!

The perfect spy mission is one where the entity being spied upon never even notices they were spied on.

But that makes for rather boring gameplay, so...

 Vulcan wrote:
The problem with spying in real life is that it's largely quite boring. The LAST thing a spy wants is a) to be world-famous, and b) be getting into gunfights and high-speed chases with the government - those are DANGEROUS!

The perfect spy mission is one where the entity being spied upon never even notices they were spied on.

But that makes for rather boring gameplay, so...

That's why I'm borrowing the concept of Firemen from the Brits.

From the Introduction to Disavowed

You Are Not a Spy.

You are a fireman. A covert operative. Your job is simple: you operate in the shadows, where official channels are either compromised or irrelevant. When NATO requires action but cannot afford exposure, you’re the one called in.

Your missions are classified, and your presence must remain invisible. Whether retrieving sensitive material or ensuring a covert operation proceeds without detection, you will leave no trace—no sign that NATO ever existed in the area.

As a NOC (Non-Official Cover), you are completely off the books. There will be no official recognition if you’re caught. No embassy to protect you. No apologies. You are expendable, and there will be no one to come to your aid if you fail.

If your actions threaten to expose NATO, you will be disavowed. We’ve learned the consequences of rogue operations the hard way, as demonstrated by the disaster in Italy during Operation Gladio. The costs of failure are too high, and NATO will cut its ties to you without hesitation.

Remember: This is the life you chose. It’s not about glory or recognition. It’s about doing the job—no matter the consequences.

Good luck. You’ll need it.

In real life the firemen were typically debadged SAS. I'm twisting reality to include NATO personnel.

And make the players hyperaware of the scrutiny they are under because Operation Gladio was brought to light in the 1980s.

Gladio was a Stay Behind Network. SBNs existed in most European countries including Switzerland.

The idea was you wanted saboteurs and agents in place in case of Soviet incursions. The problem was you had deep undercover saboteurs who were left in place for 20 years. And some went rogue.

Inside Delta Force by former member Eric L. Haney covers the early years of the unit. IIRC, it covers selection, initial training, the gun house, jungle training, 'combat' driving instruction, some spycraft bits with a CIA trainer, and then the unit's early missions.

Immediate Action by former SAS member Andy McNab (pen name). Starts with his early career in the Royal Green Jackets.

Both cover late 70s-80s timeframe.

trexmeyer wrote:
Inside Delta Force by former member Eric L. Haney covers the early years of the unit. IIRC, it covers selection, initial training, the gun house, jungle training, 'combat' driving instruction, some spycraft bits with a CIA trainer, and then the unit's early missions.

Immediate Action by former SAS member Andy McNab (pen name). Starts with his early career in the Royal Green Jackets.

Both cover late 70s-80s timeframe.

Both those sound great, thanks!