cover image War by Other Means: Economic Espionage in America

War by Other Means: Economic Espionage in America

John Fialka. W. W. Norton & Company, $25 (0pp) ISBN 978-0-393-04014-2

In this well-researched, often shocking report, Fialka, who has covered industrial espionage as a Wall Street Journal reporter, unreels a series of episodes that make it read like a spy thriller, detailing how foreign competitors are stealing America's technology. According to the author, Moscow's ""Operation Farewell"" spent $1.4 billion a year in salaries and bribes to obtain secret details of thousands of NATO weapon systems; Russia's space shuttle was created by following documents taken from NASA. China has flooded the U.S. with spies, enabling that country to modernize its military with weapon systems that could bring it up to superpower status. Japan's efficient spy network has tapped U.S. universities, companies and research institutions, channeling a steady flow of proprietary documents, economic intelligence and biotechnology secrets to Tokyo. Agents from France, Germany, Israel, Taiwan and South Korea are also harvesting information and blueprints in the U.S., reports Fialka, who recommends a government-coordinated offensive to protect our secrets, gather intelligence abroad and safeguard U.S. competitiveness. A revealing book that we ignore at our peril. (Jan.)