The DGSE : a concise history of France's foreign intelligence service / Damien Van Puyvelde.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Van Puyvelde, Damien, Author.

Series:

Concise histories of intelligence

Concise histories of intelligence series

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

France. Direction générale de la sécurité extérieure--History.

France.

Intelligence service--France--History.

Intelligence service.

Physical Description:

xiii, 181 pages : illustrations ; 23 cm.

Place of Publication:

Washington, DC : Georgetown University Press, [2026]

Summary:

"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.

Contents:

Foundations

Organization

Leadership

Activities

International Partners

Cultural Representations

Legacy, Impact and Future.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 157-175) and index.

Other Format:

Online version Van Puyvelde, Damien DGSE

ISBN:

9781647127077

1647127076

9781647127084

1647127084

OCLC:

1540952662