From School Library Journal Grade 6-10-- In clear， easily understood language， international secret police organizations are identified and their tactics explored. The agencies of Romania， East Germany， Israel， Iran， El Salvador， Honduras， the former Soviet Union， and the U. S. are examined， and their repressive and sometimes brutal techniques are disclosed. Using examples of why and how the secret police pick their criminals/victims， Landau gives a lucid account of how frightened governments can be of their populace and what lengths they will go to to protect themselves. One jarring note is the insertion of three paragraphs on the Tiananmen Square massacre in the middle of the chapter on the former Soviet Union's KGB activities and the inclusion of a photograph of a poster in Chinese about the execution of two teenagers. No other mention is made of China or the countries of the Far East. The grainy， poorly reproduced black-and-white photographs scattered throughout do not add much information， but do serve to break up the text. Extensively indexed， this will be useful for reports. The bibliography is current as are the books for further reading. A list of organizations concerned with human rights is appended. A well-put together effort that should appeal to spy-novel readers. --Kathryn Havris， Mesa Public Library， AZCopyright 1992 Reed Business Information， Inc. From Kirkus Reviews A fair， well-balanced account of abuses of human rights through covert action by government agencies， presenting stories from Eastern Europe， Central America， the Middle East， and the US， and incorporating just enough historical background for basic understanding， including some international involvement (e.g.， US training of Central American torturers and Israeli training of the Iranian Savak). Few grisly details of torture， but the political atmosphere that's created is well conveyed. Landau is careful to balance legitimate security needs of governments with the rights of citizens--e.g.， ``Under the circumstances， some Israelis believe that the Shin Bet's tactics are acceptable. But others insist that any nation is seriously undermined whenever such actions are justified in its defense.'' The author recommends support for nongovernment human rights organizations like Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International and appends a list of their addresses. B&w photos; notes; further reading; index. (Nonfiction. 12+) -- Copyright ©1992， Kirkus Associates， LP. All rights reserved. See all Editorial Reviews