Book Launch | King of Spies: The Dark Reign of America’s Spymaster in Korea
New York Times bestselling author Blaine Harden joins the Wilson Center for a book launch discussion on his most recent book, King of Spies, The Dark Reign of America’s Spymaster in Korea.
Overview
The Woodrow Wilson Center’s History and Public Policy Program welcomes New York Times bestselling author Blaine Harden for a book launch discussion ofKing of Spies, The Dark Reign of America’s Spymaster in Korea, an untold story of one of the most powerful spies in American history, who’s hidden work was key to U.S. military engagement in the Korean War, and its historical legacy today.
King of Spies is the story of U.S. Air Force Major Donald Nichols, an intelligence agent who operated in Korea for 11 secret years with his own army of spies, his own base, and his own murderous rules. Though he lacked the pedigree of most U.S. spies—Nichols was a 7th grade dropout—he quickly became a black ops phenomenon. He insinuated himself into the affections of America’s chosen puppet in South Korea, President Syngman Rhee, and became a pivotal player in the Korean War, warning months in advance about the North Korean invasion, breaking enemy codes, and identifying most of the targets destroyed by American bombs in North Korea.
The groundbreaking work of narrative history sheds new and disturbing light on the U.S. role in the Korean War. More importantly, it explains—at a time when North Korea is threatening the U.S. with long-range nuclear missiles—the origins of an intractable foreign policy mess.
Books will be available onsite for purchase and signing.
Panelists
Blaine Harden
Patrick McEachern
Deputy Chief, Foreign Policy and Bilateral Affairs Unit, U.S. Embassy Tokyo - U.S. Embassy in Tokyo; Former North Korea Analyst, U.S. State Department's Bureau of Intelligence and Research
Hosted By
History and Public Policy Program
The History and Public Policy Program makes public the primary source record of 20th and 21st century international history from repositories around the world, facilitates scholarship based on those records, and uses these materials to provide context for classroom, public, and policy debates on global affairs. Read more
Asia Program
The Asia Program promotes policy debate and intellectual discussions on U.S. interests in the Asia-Pacific as well as political, economic, security, and social issues relating to the world’s most populous and economically dynamic region. Read more
Hyundai Motor-Korea Foundation Center for Korean History and Public Policy
The Center for Korean History and Public Policy was established in 2015 with the generous support of the Hyundai Motor Company and the Korea Foundation to provide a coherent, long-term platform for improving historical understanding of Korea and informing the public policy debate on the Korean peninsula in the United States and beyond. Read more
Cold War International History Project
The Cold War International History Project supports the full and prompt release of historical materials by governments on all sides of the Cold War. Through an award winning Digital Archive, the Project allows scholars, journalists, students, and the interested public to reassess the Cold War and its many contemporary legacies. It is part of the Wilson Center's History and Public Policy Program. Read more
North Korea International Documentation Project
The North Korea International Documentation Project serves as an informational clearinghouse on North Korea for the scholarly and policymaking communities, disseminating documents on the DPRK from its former communist allies that provide valuable insight into the actions and nature of the North Korean state. It is part of the Wilson Center's History and Public Policy Program. Read more
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