The Fourth World War: Diplomacy and Espionage in the Age of Terrorism

Alexandre de Marenches, head of the French secret service during the presidencies of Pompidou and Giscard d'Estaing, has much to say about the attenuated state of U.S. intelligence in recent years. His argument that the Carter administration nearly dismantled our HUMINT (human intelligence) capability comes as no surprise, but readers may be caught off guard by his fervent praise for onetime CIA director George Bush. With coauthor Andleman, de Marenches discusses the more colorful operations during his tenure as secret service chief, and recalls tidbits of advice that he offered various heads of state (``Your Majesty,'' he told the Shah of Iran, ``your image is terrible,'' and then sent for advertising ace David Ogilvy to tutor the monarch). All this is related in a haughty Gallic style and is highly entertaining if rarely enlightening. The latter part of the book deals with the current state of terrorist-counterterrorist activities around the world, which de Marenches calls the Fourth World War. His gratuitous warning is that Americans have lived a charmed and sheltered existence and will eventually have to deal with terrorism at home. (Sept.)