The DGSE : a concise history of France's foreign intelligence service / Damien Van Puyvelde.
| Author/creator | Van Puyvelde, Damien author. |
| Format | Book |
| Publication | Washington, DC : Georgetown University Press, [2026] |
| Description | xiii, 183 pages : illustrations ; 23 cm. |
| Subjects |
| Physical medium | illustration |
| Series | Concise histories of intelligence series Concise histories of intelligence. |
| Contents | Foundations -- Organization -- Leadership -- Activities -- International Partners -- Cultural Representations -- Legacy, Impact and Future. |
| Abstract | "France is a leading intelligence power, but we know very little about its premier intelligence agency: the Direction Générale de la Sécurité Extérieure (DGSE). This book will examine France's foreign intelligence service from its rebranding as the DGSE in 1982 to today. The legacies of the Second World War, decolonization and the Cold War shaped the organization, workforce, and public perceptions of intelligence in France. The emergence of the DGSE, following the election of socialist President Mitterrand, opened an era of change, marked by a series of reorganizations and new threats over the horizon. Some readers will recall the Rainbow Warrior fiasco, when DGSE operators sank Greenpeace's flagship, causing the death of a photographer in 1985. Others will be more familiar with the popular TV show The Bureau, which portrays the lives of non-official cover DGSE officers operating in contemporary hotspots. These vignettes, just like much of the media coverage, paint a misleading portrait of the DGSE as a group of dedicated but reckless officers. Van Puyvelde shows how France's leading intelligence agency has successfully adapted to political and security requirements from the late Cold War to today's international security threats"-- Provided by publisher. |
| Bibliography note | Includes bibliographical references (pages 157-175) and index. |
| Issued in other form | Online version http://id.loc.gov/entities/relationships/onlineversion Van Puyvelde, Damien DGSE Washington, DC : Georgetown University Press, [2026] 9781647127091 |
| LCCN | 2025026144 |
| ISBN | 9781647127084 |
| ISBN | 9781647127077 hardcover |
| ISBN | 1647127076 |
| ISBN | 1647127084 |
| ISBN | ebook |
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