title: Tower of Basel: The Shadowy History of the Secret Bank that Runs the World
author:  Adam LeBor 
description: Despite a title that makes it sound like conspiracy-theory nonsense, this is a serious, well-documented story about a very real bank, the Bank for International Settlement (BIS), which predates both the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. Founded by the governors of the national banks of Britain, France, Italy, and the U.S. in 1930, the bank was created to oversee German reparations payments after WWI. Drawing on previously published sources, original research, and interviews with some of the key players in the story, the author introduces readers to this little-known but highly influential bank and charts its course into the twenty-first century. Its a story of financial intrigue, secrets and lies, rumor and truth. LeBor, a business journalist (hes also the author of several thrillers), knows how to make a true story about finance as thrilling as any spy novel. A highly entertaining and informative book about the most powerful bank youve probably never heard of. --David Pitt
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  Stephen Coonts - Jake Grafton 3 - The Minotaur
  
  You've heard the story-it's old, they say-how the queen of Crete took a bull
  for a lover and in her time delivered the Minotaur. Contriving to hide his
  shame, to banish the hideous man-bull from the sight of men, King Minos
  ordered Daedalus to construct a labyrinth. The artist set the stone, captured
  conflict in aisles and passages of confusion and deceit, devious ways that
  twisted the mind and eye of all who entered that prison of no escape, wherein
  was placed the Minotaur. Thus did Daedalus build his monument to the betrayal
  of the king.
  
  The means of destruction are approaching perfection with frightful rapidity.
  
  BARON ANTOINE HENRI JOMINI. 1838
  
  1
  
  Terry Franklin was a spy. This afternoon in February, in a small cubbyhole in
  the basement of the Pentagon, he was practicing his trade. It was tedious
  work.
  
  He adjusted the screen brightness on his computer monitor and tapped the
  secret access code of the user he was pr