Books with author J. Michael Smith

For the first time ever, the explosive truth behind the world's most secret Special Operations organizationA top-secret U.S. Army Special Operations unit has been running covert missions all over the world, from leading death squads to the hideout of drug baron Pablo Escobar to capturing Saddam Hussein and, in one of the greatest special operations missions of all time, helping to track down al-Qa'eda leader Osama bin Laden. "The Activity," as it became known to insiders, has achieved near-mythical status, even among the world's Special Operations elite. Hidden from the politicians and the government bean counters, the Activity has been carrying out deniable operations, preparing the way for Delta and SEAL Team Six.Now journalist Michael Smith gets inside this clandestine military team to expose their explosive history and secrets. Smith has spoken to many former members of the Activity and reveals the incredible truth behind the world's most secret Special Operations organization, a unit that is at the forefront of the War on Terror.“An extensively researched and crisply written exposé . . . An important primer for anyone hoping to understand the successes and failures of U.S. intelligence in the last twenty-five years.” ―Publishers Weekly“Well written and authoritatively sourced, Killer Elite is the first detailed account of a Special Operations unit that Smith regards as America's most effective.” ―Sunday Telegraph (UK)About the Author:Michael Smith writes on defense for the Sunday Times of London. A former member of the British Army's Intelligence Corps, Smith covered the wars in the Balkans, Afghanistan, and Iraq and has broken a number of important stories. He is the award-winning author of numerous bestselling books, including MI6: The Real James Bonds.

For the first time ever, the explosive truth behind the world's most secret Special Operations organizationA top-secret U.S. Army Special Operations unit has been running covert missions all over the world, from leading death squads to the hideout of drug baron Pablo Escobar to capturing Saddam Hussein and, in one of the greatest special operations missions of all time, helping to track down al-Qa'eda leader Osama bin Laden. "The Activity," as it became known to insiders, has achieved near-mythical status, even among the world's Special Operations elite. Hidden from the politicians and the government bean counters, the Activity has been carrying out deniable operations, preparing the way for Delta and SEAL Team Six. Now journalist Michael Smith gets inside this clandestine military team to expose their explosive history and secrets. Smith has spoken to many former members of the Activity and reveals the incredible truth behind the world's most secret Special Operations organization, a unit that is at the forefront of the War on Terror.

The story of the remarkable Tom Crean who ran away to sea aged 15 and played a memorable role in Antarctic exploration. He spent more time in the unexplored Antarctic than Scott or Shackleton, and outlived both. Among the last to see Scott alive, Crean was in the search party that found the frozen body. An unforgettable story of triumph over unparalleled hardship and deprivation.

The extraordinary wartime exploits of the British codebreakers based at Bletchley Park continue to fascinate and amaze. In The Emperor's Codes Michael Smith tells the story of how Japan's wartime codes were broken, and the consequences for the Second World War. He describes how the Japanese ciphers were broken and the effect on the lives of the codebreakers themselves. Using material from recently declassified British files, privileged access to Australian secret official histories and interviews with British, American and Australian codebreakers, this is the first full account of the critical role played by Bletchley Park and its main outposts around the world.

In this gripping, previously untold story from World War II, Michael Smith examines how code breakers cracked Japan’s secret codes and won the war in the Pacific. He also takes the reader step by step through the process, explaining exactly how the code breakers went about their daunting task—made even more difficult by the vast linguistic differences between Japanese and English.The Emperor’s Codes moves across the world from Bletchley Park to Pearl Harbor, from Singapore to Colombo, and from Mombasa to Melbourne. It tells the stories of John Tiltman, the British soldier turned code breaker who made many of the early breaks in Japanese diplomatic and military codes; Commander Joe Rochedort, the leading expert on Japanese in U.S. naval intelligence; Eric Nave, the Australian sailor who pioneered breakthroughs in deciphering Japanese naval codes; and Oshima Hiroshi, the hard-drinking Japanese ambassador to Berlin whose candid, often verbose reports to Tokyo of his conversations with Hitler and other high-ranking Nazis were a major source of intelligence in the war against Germany. Without the dedication demonstrated by these relatively unsung heroes, the outcome of World War II might have been very different.

Irishman Francis Crozier was a major figure in nineteenth-century polar exploration. His voyages with Parry, Ross and Franklin lifted the veil from the frozen wastes of the Arctic and Antarctic, paving the way for Amundsen, Scott and Shackleton. The Antarctic cape named after him was immortalised in Apsley Cherry-Garrard's The Worst Journey in the World. A failed romance drove him back to the ice one fatal last time with Franklin's North West Passage expedition in 1845. All 129 men perished. Crozier took command after Franklin's death and led the courageous battle to survive in the Arctic wilderness. In the bitter life-or-death struggle, which lasted for years, some even resorted to cannibalism. But, according to legend, Crozier was the last to die – the last man standing. • Also available: An Unsung Hero: Tom Crean

Tom Crean was the indestructible farmer’s son from Kerry who sailed on three major expeditions to the unknown Antarctic a century ago. He was among the few men who served with both Captain Robert Scott and Sir Ernest Shackleton. He spent longer on the ice than either and outlived them both. Everest conqueror, Sir Edmund Hillary said he was a 'great man of immense strength and endurance and afraid of very little'.Crean was among the last to see Scott alive a few miles from the Pole in 1912. His astonishing 56km trek to save the life of Lt Evans is the finest act of individual heroism in the history of exploration. He returned to the ice months later to bury Scott. Crean was at the heart of historic events on Shackleton’s epic Endurance expedition, which featured the 1,200km open boat journey and the desperate march across the mountains and glaciers of South Georgia to rescue marooned comrades.But Tom Crean returned to Ireland during the War of Independence and would never speak about his exploits, taking his incredible story to the grave – until publication of An Unsung Hero, the biography that unearthed his story and saw him rightfully placed among the annals of the great explorers. This newly illustrated edition of the bestselling classic is a must for anyone with a taste for adventure.

A top-secret U.S. Army Special Operations unit has been running covert missions all over the world, from leading death squads to the hideout of drug baron Pablo Escobar to assassinating key al Qaeda members, including Iraqi leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, and, in one of their greatest missions, capturing Saddam Hussein. 'The Activity,” as it became known to insiders, has achieved near-mythical status, even among the world's Special Operations elite. Hidden from the politicians and the government bean counters, The Activity has been carrying out deniable operations, preparing the way for Delta and SEAL Team Six.Now journalist Michael Smith gets inside this clandestine military team to expose their explosive history and secrets. Smith has spoken to many former members of the Activity and reveals the incredible truth behind the world's most secret Special Operations organization, a unit that is at the forefront of the War on Terror.

Rylek cherishes his hometown of Calm. It is there that he, his twin sister, and their twin best friends were born under mysterious circumstances amid whispers of fulfilled ancient prophecies. However, Rylek and the other children are not told of these prophecies as they are raised within the seemingly idyllic borders of Calm, secluded from The Outside. Now on the eve of their fifteenth birthday, they must soon set out on a ritualistic journey known as The Finding. But once Rylek is entrusted with highly confidential information that could jeopardize all he has come to believe about his life, he finds himself torn between trusting in prophecies and keeping faith with those whom he cares for most. Through perilous adventures and the discoveries of long-forgotten civilizations, will their friendships be torn apart by secrets they each possess? Only through the decoding of the prophecies and his own willingness to sacrifice all he loves will Rylek hope to uncover the staggering truth.

A top-secret U.S. Army Special Operations unit has been running covert missions all over the world, from leading death squads to the hideout of drug baron Pablo Escobar to assassinating key al Qaeda members, including Iraqi leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, and, in one of their greatest missions, capturing Saddam Hussein. 'The Activity," as it became known to insiders, has achieved near-mythical status, even among the world's Special Operations elite. Now journalist Michael Smith gets inside this clandestine military team to expose their explosive history and secrets. The Activity's story begins with the abortive attempt to rescue the American hostages from Iran in 1980. One of the main reasons Operation Eagle Claw failed was a chronic lack of intel on the ground, so in January 1981, U.S. military chiefs set up the "Intelligence Support Activity," a cover name for a secret army surveillance team that could operate undercover anywhere in the world. Hidden from the politicians and the government bean counters, it would carry out deniable operations preparing the way for Delta and SEAL Team Six. Michael Smith has spoken to many former members of the Activity, and we follow them on operations from the war on the drug barons that led Colombian "death squads" to the hideouts of Pablo Escobar and his men. We learn of more recent missions, including snatching war criminals from their safe houses in the Balkans (at one time disguising themselves as French soldiers to lull a Serb warlord into a false sense of security), and operations in Iraq, Afghanistan, and the Horn of Africa. Killer Elite reveals the incredible truth behind the world's most secret Special Operations organization, a unit that is at the forefront of the War on Terror.