Stephen Budiansky
author • historian • journalist
The author of the definitive history of codebreaking in World War II—Battle of Wits—returns to the shadow world of cryptology to continue the story of NSA and America’s codebreakers through the decades-long Cold War struggle against the Soviet Union.
“an exciting account of the National Security Agency’s efforts to discover the Soviet Union’s secrets” — Wall Street Journal
“makes it real with detailed explanations of how cryptography works . . . fascinating and clear” — Washington Post
“[a] history thriller” — Ft. Worth Star-Telegram
“a balanced, authoritative portrait of an institution in which brilliant innovation in mathematics, computing and technology has coexisted with gross invasions of societal privacy” — Nature
“Budiansky is lucid in describing the science and art of breaking complex ciphers . . . [he] leavens the history and technology with colorful profiles of cryptographers and spies; the result is a lively account of how today’s information controversies emerged . . . engrossing history” — Publishers Weekly
