The Secret History of the CIA

Rating:
Summary: Conspiracy Theories Ad Nauseum
Review: A disappointing book, so convoluted even the most devoted conspiracy theorist could not follow all the twists, turns, and double-crosses. This would be fine if this was a novel, but it is portrayed as fact.
In addition to a host of Agency officers that the author accuses of being Soviet spies (all conveniently dead, making a lawsuit for libel unlikely), the author claims that a string of Soviet defectors were all in fact directed and controlled by the Soviets in a plot of such deviousness that even the author does not seem to understand it - and the reader certainly cannot. Oleg Penkovsky, the best Western penetration of the Soviet Union during the entire Cold War, is described (with no proof offered for the claim) as being directed by the Soviets as part of a bizarre effort, never adequately explained, to bring about Khruschev?s downfall.
The author?s accusations rely primarily on ?secret? Russian intelligence files, although he never says how he got them nor provides any proof that they even exist, and the suspicions of James Jesus Angleton, whose information and assessments were, according to the author, so consistently wrong the reader is left wondering how the author can then turn around and rely on Angleton and his disciples so completely. As for the author?s own level of ?expertise? on the CIA, an indication of the depth of his knowledge can be found on Page 192, when the author, attempting to demonstrate the extraordinary level of secrecy surrounding a newly approved assassination program directed by the famous William Harvey, writes:
?The CIA was never mentioned by name in any ZR/RIFLE documents or oral communications; instead, Harvey mandated that the Agency be referred to as KUBARK.?
That sentence alone would be enough to induce hysterical laughter in any Agency veteran. Among the author?s credits is employment as an ?investigative reporter? for Penthouse magazine. It shows.
Readers interested in this subject would be better advised to read ?Molehunt,? ?Wilderness of Mirrors,? or even ?Blonde Ghost.?

Rating:
Summary: Conspiracy Theories Ad Nauseum
Review: A disappointing book, so convoluted even the most devoted conspiracy theorist could not follow all the twists, turns, and double-crosses. This would be fine if this was a novel, but it is portrayed as fact.
In addition to a host of Agency officers that the author accuses of being Soviet spies (all conveniently dead, making a lawsuit for libel unlikely), the author claims that a string of Soviet defectors were all in fact directed and controlled by the Soviets in a plot of such deviousness that even the author does not seem to understand it - and the reader certainly cannot. Oleg Penkovsky, the best Western penetration of the Soviet Union during the entire Cold War, is described (with no proof offered for the claim) as being directed by the Soviets as part of a bizarre effort, never adequately explained, to bring about Khruschev's downfall.
The author's accusations rely primarily on "secret" Russian intelligence files, although he never says how he got them nor provides any proof that they even exist, and the suspicions of James Jesus Angleton, whose information and assessments were, according to the author, so consistently wrong the reader is left wondering how the author can then turn around and rely on Angleton and his disciples so completely. As for the author's own level of "expertise" on the CIA, an indication of the depth of his knowledge can be found on Page 192, when the author, attempting to demonstrate the extraordinary level of secrecy surrounding a newly approved assassination program directed by the famous William Harvey, writes:
"The CIA was never mentioned by name in any ZR/RIFLE documents or oral communications; instead, Harvey mandated that the Agency be referred to as KUBARK."
That sentence alone would be enough to induce hysterical laughter in any Agency veteran. Among the author's credits is employment as an "investigative reporter" for Penthouse magazine. It shows.
Readers interested in this subject would be better advised to read "Molehunt," "Wilderness of Mirrors," or even "Blonde Ghost."

Rating:
Summary: An Amazing History Lesson--with some interesting revelations
Review: Don't buy this book if you are looking for information about the CIA's structure or policies. This is a "National Enquirer" style set of revelations about the CIA's mistakes in judgement and super-tricky Soviet agents' abilities.

The book is written in rough chronological sequence--but, the overlap of some of the stories requires a little backward and forward storytelling. It starts with the pre-CIA origins and moves well into the '90s.

Initial impressions, from early chapters, are that the CIA is foolish; the left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing; and the reader is blinded by 20/20 hindsight. As the book progresses, and the reader is carried through the discovery of moles and double/triple agents, the reader begins to understand how hard the discernment of "the truth" can be. In the end, one is left with a mix of sympathy, amazement, and admiration.

Be sure to read each chapter's footnotes for more interesting tidbits!

Rating:
Summary: An Amazing History Lesson--with some interesting revelations
Review: Don't buy this book if you are looking for information about the CIA's structure or policies. This is a "National Enquirer" style set of revelations about the CIA's mistakes in judgement and super-tricky Soviet agents' abilities.

The book is written in rough chronological sequence--but, the overlap of some of the stories requires a little backward and forward storytelling. It starts with the pre-CIA origins and moves well into the '90s.

Initial impressions, from early chapters, are that the CIA is foolish; the left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing; and the reader is blinded by 20/20 hindsight. As the book progresses, and the reader is carried through the discovery of moles and double/triple agents, the reader begins to understand how hard the discernment of "the truth" can be. In the end, one is left with a mix of sympathy, amazement, and admiration.

Be sure to read each chapter's footnotes for more interesting tidbits!

Rating:
Summary: You have to read this book!
Review: I could not put this book down. I kept reading it as if it was a fictional thriller, and kept having to remind myself that everything in this book--double agents/triple agents, moles, bribes, murder--is absolutely true and a part of the history of the CIA/FBI. I read this book well before the events of September 11, but it now seems particularly compelling (yet frightening) as the CIA and FBI try to rebuild themselves. If you want to be an informed American--or just want a riveting read--get this book! See for yourself what this book is about!

Rating:
Summary: Repetitive and boring
Review: The first 200 pages are boring and are basically the same story over and over with different names. Just as in the editers review you get sick of the word "brillant." He calls people brilliant and later in the chapter tells how inept they are. The word "and" is used to a great degree, sometime he begins sentences with it, for those of you who care about grammer. No real cool espionage stuff in here. According to the author the CIA has never done anything good in their entire existance.

Rating:
Summary: The Dangers of No Accountability for Human Intelligence
Review: The Secret History of the CIA will shake whatever faith you have in undercover intelligence activities by the United States. From the beginning of the Cold War, the CIA (and its predecessors) and the FBI were riddled with double agents for the Soviet Union, Israel, and Cuba among others. But don?t give the foreign intelligence agencies too much credit. U.S. operations were conducted with undue haste, laxness, inattention to detail, and questionable loyalty to ?people with backgrounds like ours.? Key intelligence leaders and operatives are described as typically being drunks, morally corrupt, inept, and callous about others.

In many ways, this history is a good parallel to The Sword and the Shield, which draws on the KGB?s own secret history files. The books reinforce the fundamental message that the Western vulnerability to KGB efforts had its basis in many basic weaknesses within British and U.S. intelligence operations.

The primary sources for this book are retired CIA intelligence and counter-intelligence operatives, many of whom insisted on either anonymity or having their stories told after their deaths. I can certainly see why they were reticent to make these horrible stories public while they were alive.

The mistakes began with wide-open recruiting of former Nazis and their collaborators, which opened the door to long-time Soviet agents like Igor Orlov who appeared to have operated successfully until his death over 35 years later. Later, ?migr? groups were treated the same way, letting more double agents into U.S. intelligence. Counter-intelligence had its hands tied from the beginning because those who had recruited the former Nazis did not want their roles uncovered.

If you are like me, you will be amazed at how those who bungled operations in Berlin from the beginning went on to head up important operations like Cuba, Vietnam, and Laos where they brought new disasters to the United States. One of the most appalling aspects of these stories is the way that hundreds of agents were lost, one right after another, due to leaks within the CIA?s operations. In some cases, many died for information that wasn?t even needed, because no one bothered to check. It was easier to let two hundred people go to prison or to their deaths.

The book also details the many times that private citizens and political figures ran their own illegal intelligence operations, both in the United States and in the Soviet Union.

The story about Lee Harvey Oswald?s connection to the Soviet Union and to Cuba will fascinate you. The book argues that the assassination of John F. Kennedy had Soviet sponsorship, and was part of internal efforts to take power in the Soviet Union.

The book is filled with U.S.-led efforts that manipulated elections, tried to keep leaders from office, attempted and performed political assassinations, and helped establish dictators. You will also learn about deals with the Mafia, opium smuggling, and routinely lying to Congress.

But the biggest shocks for you will probably be how badly the CIA?s ?intelligence? misled U.S. policy makers about Soviet circumstances and intentions. Hundreds of billions of Cold War expenditures were probably needless, and Eastern Europe could possibly have been freed much sooner than occurred.

The main weaknesses of this book are in making claims without listing the arguments against those claims, tending to wallow a bit too much in the personal dirt of sexual misconduct, and failing to be precise about the exact claims being made. Mr. Trento writes in a way that will get your attention, but you will find it hard to tell the differences between one person and another except for the main subjects (like Kim Philby, Jim Angleton, Igor Orlov, Bill Harvey, J. Edgar Hoover, Robert Kennedy, David Murphy, and George Weisz).

As we begin the new efforts to counter terrorism, how can we avoid repeating the horrible mistakes that this book documents? Certainly, we should be very skeptical of claims that there should be no efforts to ensure accountability.

Be sure to act consistently with the highest ideals of the United States, whatever your role is!

Rating:
Summary: The Dangers of No Accountability for Human Intelligence
Review: The Secret History of the CIA will shake whatever faith you have in undercover intelligence activities by the United States. From the beginning of the Cold War, the CIA (and its predecessors) and the FBI were riddled with double agents for the Soviet Union, Israel, and Cuba among others. But don't give the foreign intelligence agencies too much credit. U.S. operations were conducted with undue haste, laxness, inattention to detail, and questionable loyalty to "people with backgrounds like ours." Key intelligence leaders and operatives are described as typically being drunks, morally corrupt, inept, and callous about others.

In many ways, this history is a good parallel to The Sword and the Shield, which draws on the KGB's own secret history files. The books reinforce the fundamental message that the Western vulnerability to KGB efforts had its basis in many basic weaknesses within British and U.S. intelligence operations.

The primary sources for this book are retired CIA intelligence and counter-intelligence operatives, many of whom insisted on either anonymity or having their stories told after their deaths. I can certainly see why they were reticent to make these horrible stories public while they were alive.

The mistakes began with wide-open recruiting of former Nazis and their collaborators, which opened the door to long-time Soviet agents like Igor Orlov who appeared to have operated successfully until his death over 35 years later. Later, émigré groups were treated the same way, letting more double agents into U.S. intelligence. Counter-intelligence had its hands tied from the beginning because those who had recruited the former Nazis did not want their roles uncovered.

If you are like me, you will be amazed at how those who bungled operations in Berlin from the beginning went on to head up important operations like Cuba, Vietnam, and Laos where they brought new disasters to the United States. One of the most appalling aspects of these stories is the way that hundreds of agents were lost, one right after another, due to leaks within the CIA's operations. In some cases, many died for information that wasn't even needed, because no one bothered to check. It was easier to let two hundred people go to prison or to their deaths.

The book also details the many times that private citizens and political figures ran their own illegal intelligence operations, both in the United States and in the Soviet Union.

The story about Lee Harvey Oswald's connection to the Soviet Union and to Cuba will fascinate you. The book argues that the assassination of John F. Kennedy had Soviet sponsorship, and was part of internal efforts to take power in the Soviet Union.

The book is filled with U.S.-led efforts that manipulated elections, tried to keep leaders from office, attempted and performed political assassinations, and helped establish dictators. You will also learn about deals with the Mafia, opium smuggling, and routinely lying to Congress.

But the biggest shocks for you will probably be how badly the CIA's "intelligence" misled U.S. policy makers about Soviet circumstances and intentions. Hundreds of billions of Cold War expenditures were probably needless, and Eastern Europe could possibly have been freed much sooner than occurred.

The main weaknesses of this book are in making claims without listing the arguments against those claims, tending to wallow a bit too much in the personal dirt of sexual misconduct, and failing to be precise about the exact claims being made. Mr. Trento writes in a way that will get your attention, but you will find it hard to tell the differences between one person and another except for the main subjects (like Kim Philby, Jim Angleton, Igor Orlov, Bill Harvey, J. Edgar Hoover, Robert Kennedy, David Murphy, and George Weisz).

As we begin the new efforts to counter terrorism, how can we avoid repeating the horrible mistakes that this book documents? Certainly, we should be very skeptical of claims that there should be no efforts to ensure accountability.

Be sure to act consistently with the highest ideals of the United States, whatever your role is!

Rating:
Summary: Fascinating and eye-opening
Review: There's a wealth of previously unavailable information here. This history explains a lot about our current relations with other countries. A must read for anyone interested in history and the truth.

Rating:
Summary: Fascinating and eye-opening
Review: There's a wealth of previously unavailable information here. This history explains a lot about our current relations with other countries. A must read for anyone interested in history and the truth.