Technophilic Hubris and Espionage Styles during the Cold War

摘要

During the Cold War the United States developed an espionage style that reflected its loveaffair with technology (technophilia) whereas the Soviet Union and the East Bloc con-tinued a tradition of using humans to collect intelligence. This essay places the origins anddevelopment of these espionage styles during the Cold War in historical and socialcontext, and assesses their strengths and weaknesses by drawing on examples fromparticular cases. While the United States won the Cold War, the East Bloc won the spywars because of a more effective espionage style. I conclude with some reflections on theuses of history for future policy, and suggest areas for further study.