EPICS OF ESPIONAGE

Episodes, you might say, rather than epics, which show certain developments in this profession and include incidents which have had decisive to far-reaching effects in the pattern of war and peace. From the broad outline of espionage from Byzantine times on, this settles down to certain exponents; Napoleon's Karl Schulmeister, master spy, and Wilhelm Stieber, Bismarck's spy master. There are the women, in most cases overglamorized and overrated- save for the efficient Lady Doctor; the counterspies, censor spies, saboteurs, mercenaries, spy catchers; and more recently, the Canadian spy case, Alger Hiss and Dr. Fuchs...All in all, a spider web of operatives and techniques, and the matter of fact approach to the material subdues the sensationalism and to a certain extent- the inherent drama.