Customer Reviews

By Way Of Deception: The Making And Unmaking Of A Mossad Officer

5 star:		(45)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

One thing you should know about this book is that in the sequel, The Other Side of Deception, Ostrovsky admits that some of the info in By Way of Deception was deliberately inaccurate and meant to serve as a message to the Mossad that they want to leave him alone or he will reveal the real info. The Other Side of Deception also reveals his true reasons for writing an expose, not so much idealism as it was self-preservation (if he weren't Machiavellian, do you think they would have made him a case worker?).

To address another reviewer's doubts: he was given protection by the Canadian government. And he acted quickly to make sure he had a lot of publicity so any sudden death would be carefully investigated with the Mossad being the obvious suspect.

This is a fantastic book if you are looking for an operational manual on intelligence training. Most of the book focuses on how the mossad pick and train their agents, along with the author's experience with the training methods. It also touches upon the politics and foreign relationships within the intelligence community.
The last part of the book details several missions of the Mossad from an insider's perspective. This gave real insight into details often missed when reading newspapers (often manipulated by the intelligence community).

Buy the book, you will not be disappointed. This is a must have for any intelligence library.

Ostrovsky's book is a must for people who want to understand the secret services. Initially, you are shocked by the revelations, recognizing that it may compromise Israeli national security and its agents. Then you are awed by the training, the logistics and coordination of information gathering. You then become worried, that such a complex and effective organization has no real accountability. Perhaps, the real worry is that Ostrovsky describes a mode of conduct whereby Mossad redefines right and wrong (redefining it in terms of "what's good for Israel and especially Mossad is good, the hell with the rest"), and acts on that basis. And finally, you reconcile your emotions with the knowledge that this couragous book can only force a re-evaluation of Mossad practices. Today's Israeli leaders cannot ignore the claims made by this book, and because of it, there is a little more accountability in the world. I enjoyed the book thoroughly.

This book is best read along with its followup, The Other Side of Deception. The author is/was a true patriot who was honored to serve his country. He reveals many thrilling tales of derring-do, the grinding routine of spycraft and his shock and disillusionment with the personal corruption and immorality of many fellow agents.

According to the author, the Mossad nominally answers only to the Prime Minister but often acts on its own agenda and in many cases against the interests of Israel and any prospects for peace. The assassination arm conducts killings authorized by secret Star Chamber-like hearings. Illegal arms sales to unsavory regimes fund operations. A tiny staff conducts worldwide operations with the assistance of local Jews. He refers to staff by their first names only which made it amusing when "Ephraim" wrote his own book, reviewed and panned by Ostrovsky.

This is a great book written by a man who put his life on the line inorder to let the world know how terrible the Mossad really is. He eloquently summarizes his life story, growing up as an ardent Zionist, climbing high in the Israeli military ranks, and finally becoming disillusioned after achieving the dream of many Israelis: joining the Mossad. He explains in great detail many of the ways, training techniques, and past operations of this ultra-secret "intelligence agency" that he was a part of for four years. If, as some people say, this book is not factual, why is it that most of the events are actually recorded in old newspapers, magazines, T.V. news, etc.? All you have to do is spend enough time and you can find for yourself the articles on Yehia Meshad, Jonathan Pollard, Sabra and Shatilla, the Fallashas, and so on. Offcourse the major difference is that Ostrovsky, as an insider, ties things together and goes into the details that we could never find in the news. Furthermore, why would the Israeli govt. and Jewish groups in the U.S. try to prevent this book from being published in the first place? Finally, I just heard that this book is out of print and banned in the U.S. now. If this is true, it is a shame. It just goes to show that Ostrovsky is right.

This book and its sequel should be essential reading for every American, especially now with American sons and daughters coming home in body bags from Iraq.

The sequel to this book, The Other Side of Deception, was published over 10 years ago. What it reveals is stunning when compared to current events. And deeply disturbing.

However, you must read the first book first to fully appreciate the second book.

I wouldn't be surprised if the majority of negative reviews of this book were not the work of some of his former colleagues, or 'ordinary' citizens engaged to write for them. Any astute and extraordinarily well-read person can determine that the facts Ostrovsky states about various operations in his book have the definite ring of truth about them. They can be verified with contemporaneous news accounts, available now on microfiche at any large American library that houses world newspapers.

I lived in NYC while most of the events he describes were going on, and kept up daily with a broad variety of news sources worldwide. I was front and center when these stories broke. Ostrovsky's account fills in the nagging questions the various accounts presented at the time, and confirm what I was hearing under the table as suspicions from our intelligence sources.

This is a book about how one man became a Mossad agent in the Israeli foreign intelligence agency. He details his joining and ascent in the ranks. The main focus of the book is the description of the training he and others under went, and then descriptions of some operations he was involved in. I had always heard that the Mossad was one of the better intelligence organizations out there - in the class of the CIA, KGB, MI5, but the detail described about training and information gathering makes one really appreciated how good they are. All this with a substantially smaller force then the other groups have, it makes for an organizations that man for man is probably the best.

The book really brings out the determination of the recruits and the dedication the members of the Mossad have. The author does a good job with this book. He is economical with his words and you do not ever get bogged down in dry information. The fact that he brings emotions to the reasons he joined and what he went through give the book more punch then just a telling by an investigative reporter. If you are interested in the world or espionage then this is a great book to read.

Who's to say the book isn't a deception as well? It has been 'confirmed' the author's life has been threatened. But he lives in Arizona, is an artist and has a website promoting his art, his books and his address! How threatened can he be? Yes, the book is good but keep in mind the training this man went through. Deception is the very act of convincing people what they are being told is true. As I always say, question everything especially that which is told to you by the masters of deception.

There is a reason Israel does not want this book out and it isn't because it is lies. Newsstories, facts, other authors and stats back it up 100% and many of the situations from the 1970's through the 1980's that didn't appear completely legit, now make sense. This book will leave you with the question: why does anyone work with Israel given their entire stance is superiority and using others? Like the current US government's relationship with Israel, it's take, take, take and never give anything of value back.
Most angering issue reading this book is that Israeli Intellegence could have saved the lives of the American Soldiers killed in Lebannon. The tactics used and how well they keep track of all "black" or Arab agents, leaves no doubt Israel knew about 9-11 ahead of time. But since the disaster would be good for US/Israeli realtionships, like Lebannon, they likely gave vague warnings without specifics. The only Israeli citizen killed in 9-11 was a Mossad agent on one of the planes. This book will clarify many questions and open your eyes up to what is real and what is done by way of deception. Absolutely incredible. You will not be able to put it down.

I've long acknowledged the Mossad as one of the best, if not the best, intelligence agencies in the world. They have a reputation as being both ruthless and resourceful. Even more unusual is that they have achieved this status with a relatively small organization, compared with, say, the CIA. Ostrovsky explains how this is possible, and details the recruitment and training of prospective agents at great length.

The most disturbing element of the book is the way it conveys the omnipresent yet totally autonomous organization that is the Mossad. Highlighted in this book is the way in which the Mossad operates primarily for its own goals and agendas, and not necessarily in Israel's best interests. Indeed, some of its actions have run against that of Israel's interests, including the jeopardization of the peace process. While many might say he wrote this with Claire Hoy purely for financial gain, I'm convinced that Victor did it out of concern for what he was seeing. It's like that old saying goes "absolute power corrupts absolutely".

In truth, I'm not a great fan of non-fiction, but I made an exception for this book based on the subject matter, and was not disappointed. I would recommend this book.