Secret Revolution: Memoirs of a Spy Boss

This fascinating memoir is authored by Dr. Niel Barnard, the last director of the National Intelligence Agency of the Apartheid State of South Africa. It is an insider's account of the delicate and clandestine negotiations that took place between the secretive cabal/inner circles of former South African presidents P.W. Botha and his successor, F.W. de Klerk, and the world's most celebrated prisoner, anti-apartheid revolutionary, and human rights activist,Nelson Mandela. These secret talks culminated in the largely non-violent transition of power from South Africa's white political class to the Black majority,led by the African National Congress (ANC) in 1994. The book has 25 chapters in total, complimented by "Nelson Mandela's Political Testimony, Addressed to P.W. Botha" as well as end notes. The book is presented in language that is simple and straight forward, as it avoids academic jargon, which can easily put off readers who simply wish to find out how the delicate talks between the White South African government and Nelson Mandela were conducted. Barnard's book also shows the global ramifications of South Africa's transition from pariah state to the "rainbow nation" that emerged after the ANC's assumption of political power following the 1994 elections. Barnard explains how South Africa's National Security Service engaged with the security services of Eastern bloc states, notably the former Soviet Union, Cuba, and East Germany. He also provides information on South Africa's interactions with the United States' Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), the Israeli Mossad, British Secret Intelligence Services, and the French and German intelligence services.The book also offers riveting revelations about a wide network of contacts South Africa's secret service established with counterpart entities in Black-ruled Africa, notably Zambia, which offered sanctuary to the then 'terrorist' African National Congress (ANC), and French speaking states like Togo, Cote d 'Ivoire, and Zaire.