States have been interested in gaining knowledge about their neighbors' military potential since time immemorial. But it was only in the last third of the nineteenth century that they began creating organizations that worked in secret, gaining intelligence on an ongoing basis, analyzing it, and making it available to decision-makers. This book examines the founding history of military intelligence services between 1871 and 1914.

Markus Pöhlmann, Scientific Director at the Zentrum für Militärgeschichte und Sozialwissenschaften der Bundeswehr, Potsdam, Germany.