In King of Spies, Blaine Harden, prize-winning journalist and bestselling author of Escape From Camp 14, reveals one of the most astonishing -- and previously untold -- spy stories of the twentieth century.Donald Nichols was a one man war, according to his commanding general. He won the Distinguished Service Cross, along with a chest full of other medals for valor and initiative in the Korean War. His commanders described Nichols as the bravest, most resourceful and effective spymaster of that forgotten war. He led suicidal raids inside North Korea, coming under fire, and bringing home enemy tanks, aircraft and prisoners. The government of South Korea depended on his insight and made him an honorary colonel. Nichols worked in Air Force intelligence. Indeed, he was Air Force intelligence in Korea - before, during and after the war. But there is far more to Donald Nichols story than first meets the eye . . .Based on long-classified government records, interviews, and his own writings, all of which Blaine Harden has gained unique access to, King of Spies tells the story of the reign of a spy who lost touch with morality, legality, and sanity as his personal power increased. A man who created his own black-ops empire, commanding an army of hand-selected spies, deploying his own navy, and ruling over it all like an unhinged king, with absolute power over life and death. His superiors gave him an unlimited budget for intelligence operations and, he claimed, a legal license to murder.ż He was involved in torture, beheadings, mass executions, and prostitution operations - none of which have become known to the public. Until now . . .King of Spies looks to answer the question of how an uneducated, non-trained, non-experienced man could end up as the number one US spy-master in South Korea. And why his US commanders let him get away with it for so long . . .