Alistair Horne
By Strength Alone?
Intelligence In War: Knowledge Of The Enemy From Napoleon To Al-Qaeda
By John Keegan
Hutchinson 480pp £25 order from our bookshop
THIS EXCELLENT, AND highly readable, book is vintage Keegan - though perhaps not quite premier cru. Much of Intelligence in War harks back to the author's favourite battles (notably Midway, 1942), about which he has written memorably. His many fans, though they may disagree with his conclusions, will not be disappointed.
Keegan's main theme - which he reiterates, with force - is that, in war, it is force and not foreknowledge (ie intelligence) tl1at counts. With his usual engaging candour he admits his prejudice against spookery, declaring in the very first line: 'I have tried to steer clear of the intelligence
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