Every Spy a Prince: The Complete History of Israel's Intelligence Community

The Israeli secret service's exalted reputation declined in 1973 with Mossad's failure to foresee the Yom Kippur War, setting off bitter and demoralizing feuds among the country's intelligence agencies, such as Shin Bet and Aman, and was further complicated by a succession of scandals in the 1980s that included the Jonathan Pollard and Mordechai Vananu arrests. Basing their work on interviews with former operatives and on declassified documents, CBS news correspondent Raviv and Israeli journalist Melman here produce a revealing critical history of the rise and decline of Israel's vaunted security and intelligence arm, from the idealistic pioneering days to the current disarray in the face of the Palestinian intifada and the shocking vulnerability of the intelligence community to material corruption. In today's Israel, claim the authors of this controversial book, ``making money has become a Golden Calf, before which much of society--including its intelligence and military circles--kneels.'' Photos. (Aug.)