When the CIA commissioned a top secret undercover operation in 1953, against the backdrop of the Cold War, they enlisted the help of famous magician John Mulholland to write two manuals on sleight of hand and undercover communication. In 1973 all documents related to the mission were destroyed, Mulholland's magic manuals were thought to be lost, until recently a single copy of each document was found... This is the first publication to reconstruct John Mulholland's manual from the original pages. With chapter headings such as Handling of Powders, Surreptitious Removal of Objects and Special Aspects of Deception for Women, working examples and detailed, hand-drawn illustrations, The Official CIA Manual of Trickery and Deception is a fascinating read into a world of wizardry and spycraft. For example, do you know how to use cars for transporting bodies, cigarette papers for surreptitious notes, fake coins to hide poisonous powder? Read on and become an accessory to espionage!

本書の真の魅力は、冷戦下という極限状態で「奇術」が国家機密の「技術」へ昇華された歴史的矛盾にあります。単なる手法の解説を超え、人間の認知の隙を突く心理学的な洞察が全編に横たわっています。それは目に見える現実の裏側に潜む「もう一つの真実」を暴き出す、一級のスリラーのような緊迫感を孕んでいます。 提示されるのは、冷徹な合理性と生存への執念が結晶化した「知の兵器」です。乾いた文体から滲むのは、影に怯えつつ技術を磨き続けた諜報員たちの孤独な矜持。読者はこのマニュアルを通じ、日常がいかに脆く緻密な虚構の上に成り立つかを痛感させられるでしょう。その戦慄こそが、本書を唯一無二の文学的ドキュメントへと押し上げているのです。