Daily Deals: Secrets of the Cold War, Three Little Kittens and Birds On A Wire

Today Amazon offers Secrets of the Cold War: US Army Europe’s Intelligence & Counterintelligence Activities Against the Soviets During the Cold War by Leland C. McCaslin just for $1.99.

Secrets of the Cold War focuses on a dark period of a silent war and offers a new perspective on the struggle between the superpowers of the world told in the words of those who were there. The author, formerly an expert in counterintelligence in US Army Europe, weaves together exciting true accounts of allies collecting enemy information in the East and fighting spies and terrorists in the West.

Amassing Soviet military information by Allied agents in the East is at the forefront! Learn the bizarre method a British agent uses to obtain the muzzle size of a Russian tank as he risks his life jumping on a moving train in East Germany. A French officer drives into a Soviet tank column and escapes undiscovered by cunning methods. In West Germany, terrorist attacks and spies are rampant. Communists shoot a rocket propelled grenade into a General’s occupied limo and terrorists kidnap another General. From the espionage files, an American soldier is nearly recruited in a downtown bar to be a spy and a First Sergeant is lured by sex to be an unknowing participant in spying.

Behind-the-lines images are historic and intriguing. See photographs of a French officer and a Soviet officer relaxing in the East German woods in a temporary unofficial peace; ‘James Bond’ type cars with their light tricks and their ability to leave their Stasi shadows ‘wheel spinning’ in the snow will amaze readers.

A Russian translator for the presidential hotline recounts a story about having to lock his doors in the Pentagon, separating himself and his sergeant from the Pentagon Generals when a message comes in from the Soviets. When he called the White House to relay the message to the President and stood by for a possible reply to the Soviet Chairman, he stopped working for the Generals and started working solely for the President.

In another riveting account, a US Berlin tank unit goes on red alert when the Soviets stop a US convoy on the autobahn between West Germany and Berlin. The Berlin Command orders the tanks to rescue them, “If anything gets in your way, either run over it or blow it away!” Young US Berlin train commanders recount their encounters with their Soviet counterparts aboard the Berlin Duty Train. In an unusual train incident, one male Soviet Officer places a love note in a young US female Train Commander’s pocket, touching her leg. The note is in the book.

Containing a host of first-person accounts that lift the lid on previously untold clandestine activities, this is a major contribution to Cold War history, and exciting reading for all those who have an interest in the real-life world of military intelligence, counterintelligence and espionage.

Some words about the Author

Leland, his brother, father and mother (nurse) were all Army Officers. Leland graduated from Mississippi State University in 1969 where he majored in communications, studied Military Science (and received airborne training) and obtained his Army commission as a Second Lieutenant in the Intelligence Corps. On active duty in 1969, he attended the combat arms tanker’s Armored Officers’ Basic Course; the Counterintelligence Special Agent’s Course and served at various locations in the US. Upon his ETS (estimated time of separation), he joined the US Civil Service and began working for the military in various intelligence jobs, starting as a GS-9 in 1973. He served at Military Headquarters, The Pentagon from 1973 to 1976. In 1979, he arrived in Heidelberg, Germany, and served 16 years at US Army Europe where he actively participated in the Cold War. To thwart espionage, he appeared on several live and recorded segments of the European Armed Forces Network TV and Radio to discuss counterespionage strategies, both past and present. He then retired as a GM-14 in 1995. At that time, he was the most senior Security Specialist in Europe. While overseas, he acquired a M. Ed. from Boston University. After he retired from civil service, he taught speech at several local colleges. With his background in Security and Intelligence, he worked as a contract investigator for ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) with 9/11 related duties. He is now fully retired and resides with his wife, Charlotte, and greyhound, Keener, in Alabama.

Three Little Kittens is a book for kids written by Paul Galdone for $1.99.

PreSchool-Grade 1 Galdone lends new life and sense to the verse in this exuberant retelling of the Mother Goose rhyme with four delightful feline characters. The large type is readable and inviting, with only one or two lines of text per page. Double-page spreads are filled with vibrant watercolor washes over ink sketches. While the expressions of the cats will be the focus of children’s attention, there are countless details for them to discover for themselves, such as the animal-influenced decor of the cats’ home, the spice cabinet filled with different varieties of catnip, and cat ancestor portraits. Children will relate to the kittens’ deserved punishment for carelessness, their theatrical displays of sorrow, and their earnest efforts to get into both their mother’s good graces and that delicious looking pie. This refreshingly hearty version of the nonsense verse will be as much a favorite of adult storytellers as it will be of toddler listeners. — Yvonne A. Frey, Peoria Public Library, Ill. Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Some words about the Author

Paul Galdone was born in Budapest, Hungary in 1907 and emigrated to the United States in 1928. After finishing his studies at the Art Student League and the New York School of Industrial Design, Mr. Galdone worked in the art department of a major publishing house. There he was introduced to the process of bookmaking, an activity that was soon to become his lifelong career. Before his death in 1986, Mr. Galdone illustrated almost three hundred books, many of which he himself wrote or retold. He is fondly remembered for his contemporary style, bright earthy humor, and action-filled illustrations, which will continue to delight for generations to come.

Birds On A Wire is a game for your Kindle Fire. Today only it is free for you.