Declassified: The Inside Story of American Espionage Activities

The usual high technical qualities of The History Channel productions can't save this 4-part look at the American espionage activities of the C.I.A., U.S. Army Intelligence, F.B.I. and O.S.S. that is about as revealing as an issue of People magazine. Unless someone has been living in a bomb shelter for the past fifty years, there is little that is new, startling, or even interesting in any of the four videos, with Volume 3, "The F.B.I. Spy Files," for example, reminding this viewer of the old Coronet Films of the 1950s, sporting dramatic music, staged dialogue, and an almost reverent treatment of J. Edgar Hoover. Although the set is attractively priced and The History Channel videos are usually fast-moving items on most library shelves, Declassified ends up promising a lot more than it delivers. An optional purchase, at best. Aud: P. (J. Carlson)