Broker, Trader, Lawyer, Spy: The Secret World of Corporate Espionage

by Eamon Javers

Overview

“A remarkable book about the secret world of business warfare . . . that has the added pleasure of reading like a spy novel.” —David Grann, New York Times–bestselling author of The Lost City of Z

Award–winning reporter Eamon Javers’s Broker, Trader, Lawyer, Spy is a penetrating work of investigative and historical journalism about the evolution of corporate espionage, exploring the dangerous and combustible power spies hold over international business. From the birth of the Pinkertons to Howard Hughes, from presidents to Cold War spies, Broker, Trader, Lawyer, Spy is a first-rate political thriller that also just happens to be true.

“A fascinating explanation of the role of spies in today’s world economy with hundreds of firms globally in the corporate espionage business using as operatives alumni from the FBI, CIA, Secret Service, British MI5 and Russian KGB, and military intelligence officers . . . a must-read, excellent book.” —Booklist

“[An] engaging overview of the rise of corporate espionage . . . expertly explains how spies help clients sabotage corporate competitors or buy and sell stocks based on expected fluctuations in the price of corn.” —Publishers Weekly

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780061969386
Publisher:	HarperCollins Publishers
Publication date:	11/21/2023
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	324
Sales rank:	300,653
File size:	642 KB

About the Author

A Washington reporter for CNBC, Eamon Javers was previously a correspondent for Politico and a Washington correspondent for BusinessWeek. The recipient of an award from the Medill School of Journalism for his investigative reporting, Javers has appeared on CNN, FOX News, MSNBC, and the BBC. He lives in Silver Spring, Maryland, with his wife and two children.

Table of Contents

Prologue ix

Chapter 1 Code Name: Yucca 1

Part I From Bogus Island to Deep Chocolate

Chapter 2 A High and Honorable Calling 31

Chapter 3 For the Money 61

Chapter 4 The Man Is Gone 85

Chapter 5 Thug Busters 115

Chapter 6 The Chocolate War 137

Part II Techniques, Technologies, and Talent

Chapter 7 Tactical Behavior Assessment 173

Chapter 8 The Eddie Murphy Strategy 201

Chapter 9 Nick No-Name 221

Chapter 10 They're All Kind of Crazy 243

Chapter 11 Is This a Great Country, or What? 253

Epilogue In from the Cold 281

Acknowledgments 287

Notes 289

Index 295

What People are Saying About This

David Grann

“Eamon Javers has produced a remarkable book about the secret world of business warfare—a world filled with corporate spies and covert ops and skullduggery. This is an important book that has the added pleasure of reading like a spy novel.”

Tucker Carlson

“Turns out there are far more cloaks and quite a few more daggers in this country than most of us realized. That’s one of the many lessons of this terrific book. Eamon Javers is as talented a writer as he is a reporter. What a great read.”

Bill Moyers

“If only the mainstream press would follow Eamon Javers’ lead and expose the powerful saboteurs and predators of the corporate underworld, this would be a different country. But it’s not too late. Read this book and roll up your sleeves.”

John Stewart

“Stunning, revelatory.”

John F. Harris

“Eamon Javers is one of Washington’s best reporters. In Broker, Trader, Lawyer, Spy, he has told a wonderfully readable tale with great characters and high stakes, and the dubious practices by corporations and intelligence agents he exposes are going to ignite an important public debate.”

Editorial Reviews

The tools and tricks once used in the name of geopolitics have increasingly been applied to the private sector, according to this engaging overview of the rise of corporate espionage. With the end of the Cold War, spies on both sides of the Iron Curtain discovered there was money to be made renting out their skills to clients in such fields as pharmaceuticals, banking, and agriculture. Although the historical sections can drag in places, the book gathers steam every time Javers turns his focus to the technologies that have moved the field forward. From early wiretaps to the use of satellites, the author expertly explains how spies help clients sabotage corporate competitors or buy and sell stocks based on expected fluctuations in the price of corn. Generally more interested in strategy and gadgets than the ethical components of spying, the book flirts with painting a romantic picture of the profession before noting the less-than-glamorous occupations of corporate spies, including participating in the battle for supremacy in the pet food market.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Publishers Weekly

Eamon Javers has produced a remarkable book about the secret world of business warfare—a world filled with corporate spies and covert ops and skullduggery. This is an important book that has the added pleasure of reading like a spy novel.” — David Grann, author of The Lost City of Z

“Eamon Javers is one of Washington’s best reporters. In Broker, Trader, Lawyer, Spy, he has told a wonderfully readable tale with great characters and high stakes, and the dubious practices by corporations and intelligence agents he exposes are going to ignite an important public debate.” — John F. Harris, author of The Survivor

“If only the mainstream press would follow Eamon Javers’ lead and expose the powerful saboteurs and predators of the corporate underworld, this would be a different country. But it’s not too late. Read this book and roll up your sleeves.” — Bill Moyers

“Turns out there are far more cloaks and quite a few more daggers in this country than most of us realized. That’s one of the many lessons of this terrific book. Eamon Javers is as talented a writer as he is a reporter. What a great read.” — Tucker Carlson

“This is a must-read, excellent book.” — Booklist

“From early wiretaps to the use of satellites, the author expertly explains how spies help clients sabotage corporate competitors or buy and sell stocks based on expected fluctuations in the price of corn.” — Publishers Weekly

“Stunning, revelatory.” — John Stewart, The Daily Show

From the Publisher

Eamon Javers has produced a remarkable book about the secret world of business warfare—a world filled with corporate spies and covert ops and skullduggery. This is an important book that has the added pleasure of reading like a spy novel.

David Grann

Eamon Javers is one of Washington’s best reporters. In Broker, Trader, Lawyer, Spy, he has told a wonderfully readable tale with great characters and high stakes, and the dubious practices by corporations and intelligence agents he exposes are going to ignite an important public debate.

John F. Harris

Stunning, revelatory.

John Stewart

If only the mainstream press would follow Eamon Javers’ lead and expose the powerful saboteurs and predators of the corporate underworld, this would be a different country. But it’s not too late. Read this book and roll up your sleeves.

Bill Moyers

Turns out there are far more cloaks and quite a few more daggers in this country than most of us realized. That’s one of the many lessons of this terrific book. Eamon Javers is as talented a writer as he is a reporter. What a great read.

Tucker Carlson

This is a must-read, excellent book.

Booklist

This is a must-read, excellent book.

Booklist