Blaine Harden’s King of Spies tells the remarkable, often overlooked, true story of Donald Nichols, an American intelligence officer who became a leading U.S. spymaster in Korea for over ten years. Born into modest circumstances, Nichols was a seventh-grade dropout who initially began his career by fixing jeeps in the military, showcasing both his hands-on skills and his strong work ethic. In 1946, his life took a dramatic turn when he was recruited into the Counter Intelligence Corps and sent to Korea, a country rife with political tensions and the aftermath of war. His impressive ability to make connections and build relationships allowed him to quickly ingratiate himself with powerful figures in the region, including South Korean President Syngman Rhee, who trusted him implicitly. This unique relationship bestowed upon Nichols significant power and influence, enabling him to navigate the complexities of military and governmental protocols with ease. As a result, he was able to circumvent traditional military procedures, ultimately creating his own clandestine operations group known as “NICK,” which operated outside the regular military command structure. Nichols’ legacy would leave an indelible mark on U.S. intelligence operations in Korea and beyond, illustrating the intricate web of espionage and political maneuvering during a pivotal time in history.

​Nichols’s intelligence operation was immensely successful, particularly during the Korean War. He was among the few U.S. officials who accurately predicted the North Korean invasion in 1950. During the conflict, his unit became invaluable, excelling at code-breaking, identifying targets for American bombers, and supplying critical real-time intelligence to U.S. forces. The U.S. military publicly lauded him, decorating him with the Distinguished Service Cross and other honors for his valor and resourcefulness. However, the book illuminates the darker, more brutal reality of his clandestine reign. Nichols operated without moral or legal restraint, running a world immersed in torture, executions, and extreme violence. He recruited agents from refugee camps and prisons, often sending them on reckless, fatal missions into the North. Moreover, his close ties to Rhee meant he was a knowing—and complicit—witness to the mass slaughter of tens of thousands of South Korean civilians in anti-communist purges.

Nichols’s remarkable career, marked by significant achievements and battles, came to an abrupt and shocking end in 1957. Despite his impressive accomplishments in combat, his increasingly odd, reckless, and sometimes cruel behavior ultimately became intolerable to his superiors, who struggled to understand the transformation he underwent. The U.S. military made the difficult decision to forcibly remove him from Korea and transfer him to psychiatric hospitals, first in Japan and subsequently in Florida, as they sought to address his troubling conduct. There, he was diagnosed with “deteriorating schizophrenia” and, against his will, subjected to months of electroshock therapy—an experience he believed was a deliberate attempt by the U.S. government to erase his memories and identity. Harden’s book, meticulously researched and based on newly declassified records and psychiatric notes, not only reveals the shocking tale of one man’s tragic downfall but also serves as a critical piece of narrative history, offering a disturbing and profound insight into the complex web of foreign policy issues that continue to plague the Korean Peninsula today, echoing the impact of past decisions on contemporary geopolitical challenges.

An excellent if not disturbing account of a period of history that is often ignored. Worth picking up cheaply secondhand.