An often overlooked aspect of the Cold War was the extent of diplomatic espionage that went on in the countries behind the Iron Curtain. Every Western diplomat stationed in the Soviet bloc was targeted as a spy by the security apparatus in these countries. Now with the opening of archives in Eastern Europe, the extent of this diplomatic espionage is revealed for the first time.   Ernest H. Latham, Jr. was a career Foreign Service Officer who served the United States in various posts in the Middle East and Central Europe. From 1983 to 1987, he was the cultural attachÉ at the American Embassy in Bucharest. During his time in Romania, Dr. Latham was targeted as a spy by the brutal Communist dictatorship of Nicolae Ceausescu and subjected to constant, intrusive surveillance by his dreaded and dreadful secret police, the Securitate.    This book is a collection of surveillance reports that Dr. Latham obtained from the Romanian archives following the collapse of the Communist regime. They reveal the extent of the surveillance to which Western diplomats were subjected and, more importantly, they reveal a great deal about the system and society that conducted it. Latham’s introduction provides the context of his work and Romanian conditions at that time.  This book is essential reading for students of the Cold War as well as anyone interested in the mindset and methods of totalitarian regimes. The esteemed professor of Romanian history and editor of this English edition, Dennis Deletant, has called it “a notable event� representing “a rare case of such a file – of a foreigner....  Latham’s role as the US cultural attachÉ between 1983 and 1987 marks him out in body as an outsider,� but “in spirit, an insider, sympathetic to the ambivalences and ambiguities of Romania's past....  His file reminds the reader of the intrusiveness of the Communist regime into the lives of citizens, be they Romanian or otherwise.�

Originally published in 1933, Romania by Kurt Hielscher is an astonishing volume of photographs depicting the life of Romanian people in the interwar era. In 1931 he was invited by the Romanian government to visit the country. "As time went on," he said "every day, every week I loved the country more." It was a love that grew throughout 1931 and 1932 and resulted in over 5000 photographs of which 304 were finally selected for this album. Unfortunately in 1944, an Allied bombing destroyed his life's work after hitting his workshop in Poland. He lost over 40,000 photographs and negatives. This photo album is a recreation of Hielscher's work and brings an homage to the love and appreciation he showed for Romania. Featuring over 300 black and white and sepia photographs, a colorized cover, a preface from Octavian Goga, and an introduction by Ernest H. Latham, Jr., it's a one-of-a-kind collection for anyone interested in the history of Romania.