Directors Of Central Intelligence And Leaders Of The U S Intelligence Community

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Directors of Central Intelligence as Leaders of the U.S. Intelligence Community, 1946û2005

Author : Douglas F. Garthoff
Publisher : Potomac Books Incorporated
ISBN 13 : 9781597971171
Total Pages : 364 pages
Book Rating : 4.9/5 (711 download)

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Book Synopsis Directors of Central Intelligence as Leaders of the U.S. Intelligence Community, 1946û2005 by : Douglas F. Garthoff

Download or read book Directors of Central Intelligence as Leaders of the U.S. Intelligence Community, 1946û2005 written by Douglas F. Garthoff and published by Potomac Books Incorporated. This book was released on 2007-10-31 with total page 364 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: President Harry Truman created the job of director of central intelligence (DCI) in 1946 so that he and other senior administration officials could turn to one person for foreign intelligence briefings. The DCI was the head of the Central Intelligence Group until 1947, when he became the director of the newly created Central Intelligence Agency. This book profiles each DCI and explains how they performed in their community role, that of enhancing cooperation among the many parts of the nationÆs intelligence community and reporting foreign intelligence to the president. The book also discusses the evolving expectations that U.S. presidents through George W. Bush placed on their foreign intelligence chiefs. Although head of the CIA, the DCI was never a true national intelligence chief with control over the governmentÆs many arms that collect and analyze foreign intelligence. This limitation conformed to President TrumanÆs wishes because he was wary of creating a powerful and all-knowing intelligence chief in a democratic society. After the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, Congress and President Bush decided to alter the position of DCI by creating a new director of national intelligence position with more oversight and coordination of the governmentÆs myriad programs. Thus this book ends with Porter Goss in 2005, the last DCI. Douglas GarthoffÆs book is a unique and important study of the nationÆs top intelligence official over a roughly fifty-year period. His work provides the detailed historical framework that is essential for all future studies of how the U.S. intelligence community has been and will be managed.

Directors of Central Intelligence and Leaders of the U. S. Intelligence Community

Author : Douglas Garthoff
Publisher : CreateSpace
ISBN 13 : 9781478362654
Total Pages : 360 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (626 download)

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Book Synopsis Directors of Central Intelligence and Leaders of the U. S. Intelligence Community by : Douglas Garthoff

Download or read book Directors of Central Intelligence and Leaders of the U. S. Intelligence Community written by Douglas Garthoff and published by CreateSpace. This book was released on 2012-08-01 with total page 360 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the wake of 11 September 2001, the issue of homeland security spawned a vibrant public discussion about the need to coordinate a wide range of federal governmental activities to achieve greater security for the United States. Congress enacted laws that established a new executive department, the Department of Homeland Security, and a new federal intelligence chief, the director of national intelligence. In both cases, the objective was to integrate activities of disparate organizations better in order to improve critical government functions. In fact, for more than half a century, there have been numerous efforts to enhance cooperation among the many parts of the nation's intelligence establishment under the leadership of a principal intelligence official, called the director of central intelligence. The story of this study is what the nation's leaders expected of directors of central intelligence in accomplishing this task, and how those who held the responsibility attempted to carry it out. The hope is that lessons drawn from that experience can inform today's ongoing debate about how best the new director of national intelligence can accomplish America's national intelligence mission. The study presents an unusual perspective. Examinations of past intelligence performance often focus on how intelligence has played a role in specific circumstances. Studies of directors of central intelligence have usually stressed how they led the Central Intelligence Agency, conducted their relationships with the president, or affected US policy. No study until this one has focused on how each director sought to fulfill his "community" role. This book was prepared under the auspices of the Center for the Study of Intelligence by Dr. Douglas F. Garthoff, a former CIA analyst and senior manager. It reflects the author's deep experience in Intelligence Community affairs as well as his extensive research and interviews. Dr. Garthoff's study represents a valuable contribution to our professional literature and a rich source of insights at a moment when the responsibilities and authorities of the Intelligence Community's senior leadership are again in the public spotlight.

Directors of Central Intelligence as Leaders of the U.S. Intelligence Community, 1946-2005

Author : Douglas F. Garthoff
Publisher : Central Intelligence Agency
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 364 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (121 download)

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Book Synopsis Directors of Central Intelligence as Leaders of the U.S. Intelligence Community, 1946-2005 by : Douglas F. Garthoff

Download or read book Directors of Central Intelligence as Leaders of the U.S. Intelligence Community, 1946-2005 written by Douglas F. Garthoff and published by Central Intelligence Agency. This book was released on 2005 with total page 364 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Author and former senior CIA official Dr. Douglas F. Garthoff explains how each Director of Central Intelligence or DCI sought to fulfill his "community" role, that of enhancing the cooperation among the many parts of the nation's intelligence community under his leadership. Explores that the nation's leaders expected of directors and how those holding the responsibility attempted to carry it out.The story first takes up the roots of the DCI's community role and then proceeds chronologically, describing the various approaches that successive DCIs have taken toward fulfilling their responsibilities in this regard from the launch of the CIA. At the end, it sums up the circumstances as of 2005 under the George W. Bush administration, when a new official--the Director of National Intelligence or DNI--replaced the DCI role, and some observations about these changes and looking to the future.

Directors of Central Intelligence as Leaders of the U.S. Intelligence Community, 1946-2005

Author : Douglas F. Garthoff
Publisher : Potomac Books, Inc.
ISBN 13 : 1612343651
Total Pages : 362 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (123 download)

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Book Synopsis Directors of Central Intelligence as Leaders of the U.S. Intelligence Community, 1946-2005 by : Douglas F. Garthoff

Download or read book Directors of Central Intelligence as Leaders of the U.S. Intelligence Community, 1946-2005 written by Douglas F. Garthoff and published by Potomac Books, Inc.. This book was released on 2007 with total page 362 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: President Harry Truman created the job of director of central intelligence (DCI) in 1946 so that he and other senior administration officials could turn to one person for foreign intelligence briefings. The DCI was the head of the Central Intelligence Group until 1947, when he became the director of the newly created Central Intelligence Agency. This book profiles each DCI and explains how they performed in their community role, that of enhancing cooperation among the many parts of the nation's intelligence community and reporting foreign intelligence to the president. The book also discusses the evolving expectations that U.S. presidents through George W. Bush placed on their foreign intelligence chiefs. Although head of the CIA, the DCI was never a true national intelligence chief with control over the government's many arms that collect and analyze foreign intelligence. This limitation conformed to President Truman's wishes because he was wary of creating a powerful and all-knowing intelligence chief in a democratic society. After the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, Congress and President Bush decided to alter the position of DCI by creating a new director of national intelligence position with more oversight and coordination of the government's myriad programs. Thus this book ends with Porter Goss in 2005, the last DCI. Douglas Garthoff's book is a unique and important study of the nation's top intelligence official over a roughly fifty-year period. His work provides the detailed historical framework that is essential for all future studies of how the U.S. intelligence community has been and will be managed.

Profiles in Leadership: Directors of the Central Intelligence Agency & Its Predecessors

Author : Central Intelligence Agency
Publisher : Independently Published
ISBN 13 : 9781090969835
Total Pages : 118 pages
Book Rating : 4.9/5 (698 download)

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Book Synopsis Profiles in Leadership: Directors of the Central Intelligence Agency & Its Predecessors by : Central Intelligence Agency

Download or read book Profiles in Leadership: Directors of the Central Intelligence Agency & Its Predecessors written by Central Intelligence Agency and published by Independently Published. This book was released on 2019-03-19 with total page 118 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The men who have held the highest office in the Central Intelligence Agency are an eclectic group. They include two Rhodes Scholars and a college dropout, captains of industry and career public servants, Agency veterans and newcomers to the field of intelligence. More than 65 years after the Agency was founded, there is still no established road to the top. This is just one of the many themes presented in this revealing look at the 23 leaders who have directed the CIA and its forerunners from 1941 to 2012. The publication opens with a profile of Major General William J. Donovan-the legendary intelligence chief who ran the Office of Strategic Services, a precursor of the CIA during World War II-and those of two other intelligence pioneers who, like Donovan, never served at the CIA but helped lay the groundwork for its foundation. The publication then traces the careers of my predecessors in the Director's office, who were known as Directors of Central Intelligence until that title was replaced in 2005 with Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, after the establishment of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. The profiles depict the 23 leaders in the context of their times, describing their triumphs and their setbacks not in isolation but as elements in a larger drama of domestic politics and foreign affairs. Their stories are inspiring, sometimes sobering, and always fascinating. They also feature, of course, the controversy that seems endemic to the sensitive and challenging work of intelligence. Taken together, these profiles offer an illuminating account drawn from the full unclassified record. It is written in broad strokes but with enough detail to spark the kind of informed debate that has always been a hallmark of the CIA. Since its inception, our Agency has been rooted in a culture of inquiry and constant self-examination. This work stands as a fine example of that honorable tradition.

The Oxford Handbook of National Security Intelligence

Author : Loch K. Johnson
Publisher : Oxford University Press
ISBN 13 : 0199888477
Total Pages : 903 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (998 download)

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Book Synopsis The Oxford Handbook of National Security Intelligence by : Loch K. Johnson

Download or read book The Oxford Handbook of National Security Intelligence written by Loch K. Johnson and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2010-03-12 with total page 903 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Oxford Handbook of National Security Intelligence is a state-of-the-art work on intelligence and national security. Edited by Loch Johnson, one of the world's leading authorities on the subject, the handbook examines the topic in full, beginning with an examination of the major theories of intelligence. It then shifts its focus to how intelligence agencies operate, how they collect information from around the world, the problems that come with transforming "raw" information into credible analysis, and the difficulties in disseminating intelligence to policymakers. It also considers the balance between secrecy and public accountability, and the ethical dilemmas that covert and counterintelligence operations routinely present to intelligence agencies. Throughout, contributors factor in broader historical and political contexts that are integral to understanding how intelligence agencies function in our information-dominated age.

Profiles in Leadership

Author : United States. Central Intelligence Agency
Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 133 pages
Book Rating : 4.:/5 (13 download)

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Book Synopsis Profiles in Leadership by : United States. Central Intelligence Agency

Download or read book Profiles in Leadership written by United States. Central Intelligence Agency and published by . This book was released on 2022 with total page 133 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Burn Before Reading

Author : Turner Stansfield
Publisher : Hachette Books
ISBN 13 : 1401383467
Total Pages : 238 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (13 download)

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Book Synopsis Burn Before Reading by : Turner Stansfield

Download or read book Burn Before Reading written by Turner Stansfield and published by Hachette Books. This book was released on 2005-10-01 with total page 238 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this "thoughtful, entertaining, and often insightful" book, a former CIA director explores the delicate give-and-take between the Oval Office and Langley. With the disastrous intelligence failures of the last few years still fresh in Americans minds--and to all appearances still continuing--there has never been a more urgent need for a book like this. In Burn Before Reading, Admiral Stansfield Turner, the CIA director under President Jimmy Carter, takes the reader inside the Beltway to examine the complicated, often strained relationships between presidents and their CIA chiefs. From FDR and "Wild Bill" Donovan to George W. Bush and George Tenet, twelve pairings are studied in these pages, and the results are eye-opening and provocative. Throughout, Turner offers a fascinating look into the machinery of intelligence gathering, revealing how personal and political issues often interfere with government business--and the nation's safety.

Directors of Central Intelligence (DCI) As Leaders of the U. S. Intelligence Community, 1946-2005, Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Report on Dulles, Helms, Colby, Bush, Casey, Webster, Gates, Tenet

Download Directors of Central Intelligence (DCI) As Leaders of the U. S. Intelligence Community, 1946-2005, Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Report on Dulles, Helms, Colby, Bush, Casey, Webster, Gates, Tenet PDF Online Free

Author : Center for the Study of Intelligence
Publisher :
ISBN 13 : 9781549883279
Total Pages : 245 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (832 download)

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Book Synopsis Directors of Central Intelligence (DCI) As Leaders of the U. S. Intelligence Community, 1946-2005, Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Report on Dulles, Helms, Colby, Bush, Casey, Webster, Gates, Tenet by : Center for the Study of Intelligence

Download or read book Directors of Central Intelligence (DCI) As Leaders of the U. S. Intelligence Community, 1946-2005, Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Report on Dulles, Helms, Colby, Bush, Casey, Webster, Gates, Tenet written by Center for the Study of Intelligence and published by . This book was released on 2017-10-02 with total page 245 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From the foreword: In the wake of 11 September 2001, the issue of homeland security spawned a vibrant public discussion about the need to coordinate a wide range of federal governmental activities to achieve greater security for the United States. Congress enacted laws that established a new executive department, the Department of Homeland Security, and a new federal intelligence chief, the director of national intelligence. In both cases, the objective was to integrate activities of disparate organizations better in order to improve critical government functions. In fact, for more than half a century, there have been numerous efforts to enhance cooperation among the many parts of the nation's intelligence establishment under the leadership of a principal intelligence official, called the director of central intelligence. The story of this study is what the nation's leaders expected of directors of central intelligence in accomplishing this task, and how those who held the responsibility attempted to carry it out. The hope is that lessons drawn from that experience can inform today's ongoing debate about how best the new director of national intelligence can accomplish America's national intelligence mission. The study presents an unusual perspective. Examinations of past intelligence performance often focus on how intelligence has played a role in specific circumstances. Studies of directors of central intelligence have usually stressed how they led the Central Intelligence Agency, conducted their relationships with the president, or affected US policy. No study until this one has focused on how each director sought to fulfill his "community" role. This book was prepared under the auspices of the Center for the Study of Intelligence by Dr. Douglas F. Garthoff, a former CIA analyst and senior manager. It reflects the author's deep experience in Intelligence Community affairs as well as his extensive research and interviews. Dr. Garthoff's study represents a valuable contribution to our professional literature and a rich source of insights at a moment when the responsibilities and authorities of the Intelligence Community's senior leadership are again in the public spotlight. Contents: First Four DCIs: Gaining a Foothold * Allen Dulles: Reluctant Manager * John Mccone and William Raborn: New Kind Of DCI * Richard Helms: Corralling The Beast * James Schlesinger: New Direction * William Colby: Positive Efforts Amid Turmoil * George Bush: Calm Between Storms * Stansfield Turner: Ambition Denied * William Casey: Back To Basics * William Webster: Transition To Post-Cold War Era * Robert Gates: Preemptive Reform * R. James Woolsey: Uncompromising Defender * John Deutch: Beyond The Community * George Tenet: Deputizing Integration * Porter Goss: The Last DCI

Directors of Central Intelligence as Leaders of the U.s. Intelligence

Author : Douglas F. Garthoff
Publisher :
ISBN 13 : 9781304137876
Total Pages : pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (378 download)

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Book Synopsis Directors of Central Intelligence as Leaders of the U.s. Intelligence by : Douglas F. Garthoff

Download or read book Directors of Central Intelligence as Leaders of the U.s. Intelligence written by Douglas F. Garthoff and published by . This book was released on 2013 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Directors of the Central Intelligence as Leaders of the United States Intelligence Community, 1946-2005

Author : Douglas F. Garthorf
Publisher : www.Militarybookshop.CompanyUK
ISBN 13 : 9781780392882
Total Pages : 362 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (928 download)

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Book Synopsis Directors of the Central Intelligence as Leaders of the United States Intelligence Community, 1946-2005 by : Douglas F. Garthorf

Download or read book Directors of the Central Intelligence as Leaders of the United States Intelligence Community, 1946-2005 written by Douglas F. Garthorf and published by www.Militarybookshop.CompanyUK. This book was released on 2011 with total page 362 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Explains how each director of Central Intelligence sought to fulfill his "community" role, that of enhancing the cooperation among the many parts of the nation's intelligence community under his leadership. Explores that the nation's leaders expected of directors and how those holding the responsibility attempted to carry it out. First published in 2005. Illustrated.

The World Factbook 2003

Author : United States. Central Intelligence Agency
Publisher : Potomac Books
ISBN 13 : 9781574886412
Total Pages : 712 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (864 download)

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Book Synopsis The World Factbook 2003 by : United States. Central Intelligence Agency

Download or read book The World Factbook 2003 written by United States. Central Intelligence Agency and published by Potomac Books. This book was released on 2003 with total page 712 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: By intelligence officials for intelligent people

Profiles in Leadership

Author : Department of Defense
Publisher :
ISBN 13 : 9781521271933
Total Pages : 98 pages
Book Rating : 4.2/5 (719 download)

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Book Synopsis Profiles in Leadership by : Department of Defense

Download or read book Profiles in Leadership written by Department of Defense and published by . This book was released on 2017-05-11 with total page 98 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The men who have held the highest office in the Central Intelligence Agency are an eclectic group. They include two Rhodes Scholars and a college dropout, captains of industry and career public servants, Agency veterans and newcomers to the field of intelligence. More than 65 years after the Agency was founded, there is still no established road to the top. This is just one of the many themes presented in this revealing look at the 23 leaders who have directed the CIA and its forerunners from 1941 to 2012. The publication opens with a profile of Major General William J. Donovan-the legendary intelligence chief who ran the Office of Strategic Services, a precursor of the CIA during World War II-and those of two other intelligence pioneers who, like Donovan, never served at the CIA but helped lay the groundwork for its foundation. The publication then traces the careers of my predecessors in the Director's office, who were known as Directors of Central Intelligence until that title was replaced in 2005 with Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, after the establishment of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. The profiles depict the 23 leaders in the context of their times, describing their triumphs and their setbacks not in isolation but as elements in a larger drama of domestic politics and foreign affairs. Their stories are inspiring, sometimes sobering, and always fascinating. They also feature, of course, the controversy that seems endemic to the sensitive and challenging work of intelligence. Taken together, these profiles offer an illuminating account drawn from the full unclassified record. It is written in broad strokes but with enough detail to spark the kind of informed debate that has always been a hallmark of the CIA. Since its inception, our Agency has been rooted in a culture of inquiry and constant self-examination. This work stands as a fine example of that honorable tradition. Topics and subjects covered include: World War II, Cold War, Korean War, Vietnam War, U-2, NRO, Watergate, Seymour Hersh, Family Jewels, Iran Hostage Crisis, Persian Gulf War, Iran-Contra, 9/11, Iraq War. William J. Donovan * Sidney W. Souers * Hoyt S. Vandenberg * Roscoe H. Hillenkoetter * Walter Bedell Smith * Allen W. Dulles * John A. McCone * William F. Raborn Jr. * Richard M. Helms * James R. Schlesinger * William E. Colby * George H.W. Bush * Stansfield Turner * William J. Casey * William H. Webster * Robert M. Gates * R. James Woolsey * John M. Deutch * George J. Tenet * Porter J. Goss * Michael V. Hayden * Leon E. Panetta * David H. Petraeus * John O. Brennan

The Creation of the Intelligence Community

Author : Center for the Study of Intelligence (U.S.)
Publisher :
ISBN 13 : 9780160909375
Total Pages : 38 pages
Book Rating : 4.9/5 (93 download)

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Book Synopsis The Creation of the Intelligence Community by : Center for the Study of Intelligence (U.S.)

Download or read book The Creation of the Intelligence Community written by Center for the Study of Intelligence (U.S.) and published by . This book was released on 2007 with total page 38 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: President Truman shuttered the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) as an unneeded, wartime-only special operations/quasi-intelligence agency. The State Department, the Navy, and the War Department quickly recognized that a secret information vacuum loomed and urged the creation of something to replace OSS. These previously declassified and released documents present the thoughtful albeit tortuous and contentious creation of CIA, culminating in the National Security Act of 1947. The declassified historic material dissects the twists and turns and displays the considerable political and legal finesse required to assess the many plans, suggestions, maneuvers and actions that ultimately led to the establishment of the Central Intelligence Agency and other national security entities, which included the incorporation of special safeguards to protect civil liberties. Copies of selected intelligence documents and a timeline of miliestones in the creation of the US Intelligence Community from 1941 through 1964 are included in this resource.

Encyclopedia of the Central Intelligence Agency

Author : W. Thomas Smith
Publisher : Infobase Publishing
ISBN 13 : 143813018X
Total Pages : 289 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (381 download)

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Book Synopsis Encyclopedia of the Central Intelligence Agency by : W. Thomas Smith

Download or read book Encyclopedia of the Central Intelligence Agency written by W. Thomas Smith and published by Infobase Publishing. This book was released on 2003 with total page 289 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) is one of the most fascinating yet least understood intelligence gathering organizations in the world

The Spymasters

Author : Chris Whipple
Publisher : Simon and Schuster
ISBN 13 : 1982106417
Total Pages : 416 pages
Book Rating : 4.9/5 (821 download)

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Book Synopsis The Spymasters by : Chris Whipple

Download or read book The Spymasters written by Chris Whipple and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2021-10-26 with total page 416 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Only eleven men and one woman are alive today who have made the life-and-death decisions that come with running the world's most powerful and influential intelligence service. With unprecedented, deep access to nearly all these individuals plus several of their predecessors, Chris Whipple tells the story of an agency that answers to the United States president alone, but whose activities--spying, espionage, and covert action--take place on every continent. At pivotal moments, the CIA acts as a brake on rogue presidents, starting in the mid-seventies with DCI Richard Helms's refusal to conceal Richard Nixon's criminality and continuing to the present as the actions of a CIA whistleblower have ignited impeachment proceedings against Donald Trump. Since its inception in 1947, the Central Intelligence Agency has been a powerful player on the world stage, operating largely in the shadows to protect American interests. For The Spymasters, Whipple conducted extensive, exclusive interviews with nearly every living CIA director, pulling back the curtain on the world's elite spy agencies and showing how the CIA partners--or clashes--with counterparts in Britain, France, Germany, Israel, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and Russia. Topics covered in the book include attempts by presidents to use the agency for their own ends; simmering problems in the Middle East and Asia; rogue nuclear threats; and cyberwarfare"--

Playing to the Edge

Author : Michael V. Hayden
Publisher : Penguin
ISBN 13 : 0143109987
Total Pages : 466 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (431 download)

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Book Synopsis Playing to the Edge by : Michael V. Hayden

Download or read book Playing to the Edge written by Michael V. Hayden and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2017-02-21 with total page 466 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From the bestselling author of The Assault on Intelligence, an unprecedented high-level master narrative of America's intelligence wars, demonstrating in a time of new threats that espionage and the search for facts are essential to our democracy For General Michael Hayden, playing to the edge means playing so close to the line that you get chalk dust on your cleats. Otherwise, by playing back, you may protect yourself, but you will be less successful in protecting America. "Play to the edge" was Hayden's guiding principle when he ran the National Security Agency, and it remained so when he ran CIA. In his view, many shortsighted and uninformed people are quick to criticize, and this book will give them much to chew on but little easy comfort; it is an unapologetic insider's look told from the perspective of the people who faced awesome responsibilities head on, in the moment. How did American intelligence respond to terrorism, a major war and the most sweeping technological revolution in the last 500 years? What was NSA before 9/11 and how did it change in its aftermath? Why did NSA begin the controversial terrorist surveillance program that included the acquisition of domestic phone records? What else was set in motion during this period that formed the backdrop for the infamous Snowden revelations in 2013? As Director of CIA in the last three years of the Bush administration, Hayden had to deal with the rendition, detention and interrogation program as bequeathed to him by his predecessors. He also had to ramp up the agency to support its role in the targeted killing program that began to dramatically increase in July 2008. This was a time of great crisis at CIA, and some agency veterans have credited Hayden with actually saving the agency. He himself won't go that far, but he freely acknowledges that CIA helped turn the American security establishment into the most effective killing machine in the history of armed conflict. For 10 years, then, General Michael Hayden was a participant in some of the most telling events in the annals of American national security. General Hayden's goals are in writing this book are simple and unwavering: No apologies. No excuses. Just what happened. And why. As he writes, "There is a story here that deserves to be told, without varnish and without spin. My view is my view, and others will certainly have different perspectives, but this view deserves to be told to create as complete a history as possible of these turbulent times. I bear no grudges, or at least not many, but I do want this to be a straightforward and readable history for that slice of the American population who depend on and appreciate intelligence, but who do not have the time to master its many obscure characteristics."