Agency-securities Books

As an intelligence professional, I found this article so worthwhile and compelling that I responded to it, and the Senator in turn provided a gracious and serious counter-response.

I completely endorse Amazon's move toward articles, eventually I hope that Amazon will become the "hub" for all structured knowledge, it is vastly better than Google at pointing toward serious material.

This article is among my top 100 for the year.

It is not John Perkins' goal to describe his participation in some US governmental conspiracy. Rather Perkins tremendously gives the reader insightful information in something he calls "corporatocracy." Corporatocracy is made up of banks, corporations, and governments that each play a part in creating an American empire based on manipulation and deceit.

An economic hit man, according to Perkins, is someone who travels to less developed countries and entices them to receive World Bank loans to develop their infrastructure (such as roads, airports, electrical grids, water purification systems, dams, etc.) The catch is, the loans given to the country must be handed to the US Treasury, who in return, will disburse it among US construction companies who stand to make an enormous sum of money. If the game is played correctly, the country will not be able to pay the loan back. The US will then forgive some of the loans in exchange for a military base or a chance to drill for oil. The real winner of all of this is of course the US.

I believe Confessions gives us a look at what we all believe is going on behind the curtain, but do not know the specifics. Perkins gives these specifics and so much more. I highly recommend this book.

The subject of Confessions of an Economic Hit Man is something that to much of the world outside of the USA is common knowledge but is hidden from the view of those living within its borders. It is an essential read for any American who has ever asked the question: "Why does the rest of the world hate us so much?" It is an essential read for those hoping to understand the state of current world affairs and the spread of globalization. At the very least, it will either prompt you to empathise with the state of those enslaved by the system, or to reject what you have just read as utter foolishness. In either case, at least you will understand the very real mindset of people around the world.

This is an excellent book that will raise your awareness of solutions to corporate greed.

the reason I bought the book was to answer few question marks I had observed,me growing up in the middle east.
the book is a hard truth about how the word's been running post WW2,
the only think that I might disagree with the author is ,for 400 years the middle east was suffering of corruption under different names and in different ways ,lately the USA ,well it is what we call the nature law .
radicals grew in our area not because of US policy only but further more for internal reasons they have been widely rejected in the area for long time what changed is now they became more popular yet still a big minority.
what I am trying to say the US wasn't the solo player in the modern word corruption they just used it for their own benefit ( not their own people benefit).

Hard-hitting expose` written by a repentant insider who seems to sincerely wish to reverse the process of the exploitation of poor and developing nations by the rich and powerful, developed nations working in collusion with corporate interests and wealthy elites in these poor countries. It is rich with detail, and the final few chapters offer possible solutions or at least remedies to the current state of decay in North-South relations.

I am so sick of the political undercurrents in Patrick Robinson's books that I have stopped reading them. Though the stories are good, Robinson diminishes them by labeling and pigeonholing and demeaning anybody he does not agree with politically - especially Democrats. I stopped reading Scimiter SL-2 because I got so sick of it. I'm sure HarperCollins would sell more books if they could get him to stop the bashing.

Outstanding book...and scary. This work of Partick Robinson is so close to reality that it makes you think twice about those trans-Atlantic flights. Tom Clancy shoud take lessons from Patrick Robinson and go back to writing realistic military novels. HMS Unseen is hard to put down once started.

Many books in the techno thriller line routinely portray extremely intelligent and capable villains but the Americans (or Brits) chasing them are invariably even smarter. That's how they get caught. This one is an exception. The villain is a genius who has appeared in a previous Robinson book. He is evil and dedicated. He has routinely outwitted the British, Americans and Israelis. In this book he continues to do so but adds the Iraqis and Iranians to his victims as well.

He is an Iraqi himself. He has been a masterful spymaster for Saddam Hussein but, when he is betrayed by that same president to whom he has devoted his working life, he flees and offers his services to the Iranians. They have little reason to trust him but cannot refuse when he offers them a plan to tweak the noses of the Americans and English and have it blamed on their hereditary enemies, the Iraqis. His plans succeed brilliantly.

Unfortunately for the mastermind, the Iranian regime is no more trustworthy than the previous one he served. To make life even more difficult for him, he begins to obsess over the one woman he has ever loved, the daughter of the British Admiral who taught him to be a great submarine commander. When all of his options seem to have run out because of the multiple betrayals, he hatches another scheme. This one will bring him back to the love of his life and give him a measure of vengeance against his enemies.

It is fast paced and fun to read. It is completely outdated in that its writing precedes the events of 9-11 but that does not detract from the enjoyment.

A solid book by a fine author. I recomend it to anyone who is into military action novels!

Genre: Fiction

Three sentence Summary: Ben Adnam who was almost assaisanated, crosses a dessert and takes a military job. Ben adnam Steals a stealth submarine and puts guided missles in it. Ben Adnam goes and shoots down planes while he is in the sea.

What i liked most about the book: I liked the military reference it has and how exact it is and not missing any detail.

What i didn't like and why: What i didn't like about the book is it seems like Ben Adnam is getting away with alot.

My Favorite character and Why: My favorite character is Ben Adnam for what he does in the book.

The scene, line, or passage that meant something to me and why: " the people i had worked for my own friends tried to kill me" That tells me beside his evilness he is a lonely person

What i would say about this book to someone else: This is a good suspense book, it will keep you up at night turning pages.

One question i have after reading this book: What happned to the Iranians and what happned to the sub?

My Strongest reason for recommeding this book: The book is a good military book with great detail and is a good page turner.

James Bamford only writes a book every so often, when he feels like he has information so important that the nation needs to know it. Thankfully so. This book is no exception. However, consider skipping Part I, which consists of the first four chapters (This is just a repeat of the party line myths about the way 19 cavemen, under the command of a guy in a cave half-way around the world, were able to do miraculous things and wreak massive destruction).

Then, we get to the meat, in Part II where Bamford finally begins telling us what we need to know. Here, he writes about the largest terrorist training camp in the world, located on 1,200 acres in North Carolina, USA, ran by the US military. Bamford writes that the training here involves blowing up busses using fertilizer and fuel oil (yes, Khalid Shaikh Mohammed was educated in North Carolina). Coupled with the revelations of Part III of the book, where Bamford talks about the Office of Special Plans set up by the neocons to deceive the masses, any critical thinker can figure out what really took place on 9/11.

a MUST READ for every American...chronological facts laid out for you so that you can't ignore!

How can an author describe all the pre-911 movements and the post-911 actions without knowing that the same people facilitated the triggering event? Without 911, what would be the reasoning to spark a war that had been meticulously planned? Bamford said he had no evidence to to support that the Bush White House knew about the attack beforehand, but where is the evidence to support (other than from the White House) that al Qaeda had the capacity to train the hijackers on Boeing aircraft, calculate the tactical plan and make billions of dollars worth of insider trades? Mr. Bamford, you're so close to unlocking the real truth--- all you have to do now is read Philip Marshall's False Flag 911: How Bush, Cheney and the Saudi Created the Post 911 World.

Your investigation is incomplete.

One has to wade through quite a maze of disinformation in order to arrive anything of real value in this palimpsest. But, for those with extraordinary patience, there is some small modicum of value.

Bamford bores the reader at first with a very detailed, and absurd, recapitulation of the government's ridiculous tale relative to the "911" disaters, complete with impossible "cell" phone calls from high up in the atmosphere and implausible reactions on the part of government agencies that simply failed to act. Most of this seems to be intended to portray George Walker Bush as the bumbling fool that he is. We didn't need all this evidence, Mr. Bamford. That case has already been well made.

Finally, near the end, Bamford gets to the thesis: that the "911" disaster was nothing more than a pretext for the Iraq War. One wonders why the reader was taken on such a convoluted path to arrive at such an obvious conclusion. More than anything else, this book appears to be a partisan attack on the absurdity of the Bush administration and its foreign policy. A more factual account would have been more efficacious. We cannot, in good conscience, recommend this book.

It seems to me that Hans Blix and Muhammed al-Baradei correctly reported to us the likely state of Iraq's strategic weaponry and warned us against a preemptive war. The republicans are also using an incorrect definition of weapons of mass distruction. The correct definition of weapons of mass distruction only counts as WMDs those weapons which have at least the potential of killing millions of people. Using this correct definition most chemical weapons and some biologicals are NOT WMDs.
I would also point out that the american attempt to produce a "shock and awe" effect was THEIR use of a terror tactic.

I loved the book but I wanted more. Where is the next one? Read this you will enjoy it.

In Appendix C of this second of three pro-Bush books written by Richard Miniter (the other two being Losing bin Laden and Disinformation), the author lists the "Status of Top Al Qaeda Officers" and how that status had changed during the first three years of the George W. Bush presidency. There are 37 officers listed, beginning with Osama bin Laden. Since September 11, 2001, into 2004, ten have been captured and 8 have been killed. I did some research, and during the next 4 ½ years, two more have been capture and two more killed, leaving 15 still at large, including the most wanted bin Laden. This changing list is just one of many arguments that Miniter presents to show that Bush is winning the war on terror. Miniter states that the Bush administration's anti-terror tactics got off to a slow start because he was behind in his appointment schedules due to the hanging chads and pregnant ballots in Florida that delayed his official designation as our next president. Once sworn in as President, Bush began a change in policy by relaxing the Clinton ordered U.S. police toward Sudan. Within months, Sudan and US intelligence began sharing counter-terrorism information and on September 12, the day after the World Trade Center attacks, Sudan provided the CIA with identities of 26 al Qaeda operatives. This would not have been possible during the Clinton administration. The book relates a number of failed terrorist attacks, both in the U.S. and worldwide, including a millennium attack on the Los Angeles airport and the attempted assassination of the President while in Italy. It claims that one big Bush administration victory is the fact that there have been no successful terrorist attacks in this country since 9/11. It gives examples of how Bush has established a global alliance with nations beyond any scope the country has had in its past. Of course, one of the Bush failures is not being able to apprehend bin Laden. Miniter makes the case that bin Laden has fled to North Africa and explains how this landscape makes it very difficult to find anyone. Finally, in Appendix D, Miniter present seven pages connecting Iraq with Al Qaeda to explain the necessity of that war. Although packed with information, I found the book somewhat confusing in its organization, and somewhat diluted when it gets off its main course; for example, when it delves into the terrorist attack on Madrid and how it affected their local elections. And again, as I find over and over again in various history and current events books: No map. How much can a map cost to reproduce in a book, especially when the payoff would be a much greater understanding of the information presented? I fail to see any rhyme or reason for this frequent omission.

Shadow Warrior asks three questions: 1. Where is Bin Laden? 2. Why hasn't there been another terrorist act on American soil? 3. Is Bush winning the war on terror?

"Defeat a plot a day" has been a reality for US defense performance. Al Queda has killed over a thousand civilians since 911. US intelligence anticipated a 2nd wave of terrorist activity after 911. In response to this intelligence, US forces started a massive bombardment of Al Queda strong holds in Afghanistan. The rentless campaign has kept the terrorist at Bay. Al Queda gets weaker with each attack: Djerba (capture of one cell), Bali Indonesia (elimination of all cells in UK, Italy, Spain, Germany, Netherlands, and Phillipines), Riyadh (30 dead) (a dozen Al Queda arrested), Istanbul (62 dead) ( 2 cells smashed), and Madrid (202 dead & 1500 wounded) (17 arrested). Al Queda plots were defeated in their attempt to bomb the warship in Spain, US embassy in Paris, and US embassy in Mali.

Bush states, "The cat has rabies and the only way to cure the cat is to cut off its head" and since 911 over 3,000 operatives have been seized or slain in 102 countries. Iran's vast Sunni population influences the Sunni reactions to US Occupation in Iraq. The Media hypes Sunni fighting against the Shiite and Kurdish majority implying civil war. Sunni insurgency against the Iraq's Shiite majority has been a source of bloodshed. Iran has a strong industrial base of 40 million people; Iran is changing and western economics and ideas are enticing; Iran is advancing technologically; Iran needs electricity for industrial development; Iran is Sunni; Iran fundamentalism controls the people's idealogy; and Iran is the largest provider of oil in the world for India. Iran's development of nuclear power and the possible uses of this power are real, especially, if the Bin Laden terrorist can influence how they are used.

The threat of Iraqi power destabilization is a pressing concern. A power vacuum exists in Iraq and it will take time for Iraq's people to self govern. It does not seem probable that US force will withdraw from the region. The US leadership stability and continued presence has politically driven values and policies.

The author claims Iran is sympathic to Al Queda and some 500 low level Al Queda reside in Iran. House of Saud weakness is encouraging Al Queda surges for tribe control and terrorist membership. The author implies that US military force may be needed in Iran to root out and hunt down the terrorist: 1. Iran is developing economically and needs nuclear power to supply the electricity for industry, however, any nation that possess nuclear power becomes militarily invincible 2. Iran has sponsered terrorist activity through out the middle east and the fear of Islamic fundamentalism escalates tensions and decreases trust that they will be using the nuclear capabilities peacefully. 3. The world has a strong fear of nuclear weapons 4. Suspicious behavior, such as, disguisting and removing buildings thought to be creating radioactive materials for a nuclear bombs does make the West, leary. Iran credibility does not seem strong. 5. Iran's harbouring of Terrorists may cause a military response. 6. Iran has historical connections with Russian: Military aid and equipment, Iran - Iraq war machinations, and East verse West cold war fighting over the territory.

The author states that Bin Laden could be in Iran, Sudan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, or the Philippines. In 2004, Bush's senior advisor stated that Bin Laden most likely was in Pakistan.

Bin Laden master minded: the attack on the US Marines, Aden, Yemen, Dec 29,1992; first attack on the World Trade Center, Feb 26, 1993; attack of the US Army Ranger, Magadishu, Oct 3, 1995; the plot to kill the Pope, 1994; the bombing of the Saudi Arabian National Guard, 1995; the embassy bombing, 1998, and the attack of the US Cole, 2000; and destruction of the Twin Towers, Sept 9, 2001 and Khadid Shaikeh Mohammad introduced the four point plan. Why did Bin Laden strike America? Bin Laden wanted a show down in Afghanistan; a show down where his resistence force would lose to allie troop force; a show down that would remove the Taliban from power which was the primary goal of the US; a show down in which the CIA would fund $200 million to aid the Northern Alliance machinery against the Taliban; and a show down that would establish a new government. Bin Laden believed the war would become a merciless ground war and another Viet Nam. The war cost a large sacrifice of lives. What are the long-term US political objectives for US troops in Afghanistan? Has the US policy makers created stability and economic growth in the new and emerging country of Afghanistan? How much money will be required to create stability in Afghanistan?

In the desolate landscape of the Sahara, al Qaeda and its affliate terrorist groups have established more than a dozen training camps and safe havens; al Qaeda is in the Sahara and the Sahel to create a new Afghanistan; the land is far from flat: it rises to more than eleven thousand feet and drops to more than 100 ft below sea level. Even ground level searches are difficult: 1.5 million square miles, problems caused from lawless warlords. The war on al Qaeda in North Africa has largely gone unnoticed in the American media.

The rebels are identified as one of four groups: The Justice and Equality Movement, the Sudan Liberation Army (waging war on behalf of Christian and animist south of Sudan), the Polisario Front ( independace of Western Sahara), and the Janjaweed (attacking blacks in Darfur). The Muslim brotherhood extends into Egypt, Sudan, Libya, Tunisia, Algeria, and Morocco, a source of radical Islam idealogy. In Algeria there are two Muslim terror groups: GIA and GSPC, who have kill more people since 1992 than any other non-governmental organization. Al Quadea thrives in these cruel environments.

In 2003 in Algeria a meeting occurred between Hassan al-Turabi aides and bin Laden's deputies, in which, an agreement was formed "between African rebels and al Qaeda which provides assistance in the sacred war in the west of Sudan in return for certain support and security arrangements for them and those al Qaeda members on the run" "A senior Sudanese intelligence official in Khartoum told me that the link between the fiery Islamist and bin Laden network has strengthened in recent years" Since 1999, al-Turabi fighting against Christian and animist South has turned into a bloody civil war, costing over 2 million lives. Darfur is providing shock troops of the al-Turabi Justice and Equality movement; the troops killed 550 policement and anyone that opposed them; al Qaeda is operating new training camps in Chad; five al Qaeda trainers were dispatched to three training camps in Chad, where al-Turabi militants trained for war against Sudan.

The al Qaeda and Iraq link: al Qaeda men arranged for the purchase of biological and chemical weapons from Iraq; al Qaeda soldiers are in Iraq and lead many attacks against US soldiers; al Qaeda Bin Laden sent men too Iraq numerous times and arranged support for his terror network. Lets look at the al Qaeda activity in Iraq: 1. 1993 Abdul Rahman Yasin fled to Iraq after the 1993 World Trade Center bombing 2. Bin Laden met at least eight times with officers of the Iraq Special Security Organization 3. Iraqi intelligence agents met with Bin Laden starting in 1994 4. Bin Laden met the director of the Iraq makhabarat in 1996 5. In 1999, Farouk Hijazi, senior officer in Iraq's mukhabarat journeyed deep into Kandahar Afghanistan to meet al Qaeda men 6. In Oct 2000, Salah Suleiman was arrested near the Afghan border while journeying to meet al Qaeda 7. 2001, Iraq embassy in Pakistan was used as aliason between Iraqi dictator and al Qaeda. 8. Spanish investigators seized documents from Yusaf Galan and charged him as being directly involving in the 911 attacks 9. Abbas al-Tanabi defects to the West and tells of the Iraqi - al Qaeda connection. 10. 2003, after the fall of the Taliban, 24 Bin Laden associates converge on Baghdad and establish a base of operations 11. 2003, al Zargawi mets with the military chief of al Qaeda, Mohammed Ibrahm Makwai in Iran 12. 1997-2000 Abdullah al-Iraqi was sent by Bin Laden to Iraq for the purchase of poisonous gas several times. 13. 2001 hundreds of al Qaeda fighters are believed to have holed up in Ansar al-Islam's strongholds inside northern Iraq.

This is the second Miniter book a nephew gave me with the idea that it would convert me to his way of thinking. Right from the very cover, it doesn't. The title is a prediction, and it's a premature one. He did this in that other book "Disinformation..." That too has a prediction of how "we're undermining the war effort."

This book bothers me on a number of levels.

First, it's the impression Miniter wants to give to the reader that he is an investigative journalist who is objective, and has no agenda. The title of his two books (that I know of) reveals that he does. He writes for a periodical called "Human Events," This publication is widely regarded as having a right-leaning, conservative philosophy and editorial staff, which includes Ann Coulter. (Need I say more?) If he trying to prove something then he is an advocate, not an investigative journalist. He is promoting a conclusion rather than finding one.

Second, I have gone through the irritating process of checking some of Miniter's sources: newspaper articles, opinion statements, and many others that offer no empirical evidence to support his, in some cases, wild assertions.

Third. Let's get to those assertions. The fact that we haven't been attacked in five years because of this administration's anti-terror campaign is conjecture. There could be reasons he could not even fathom. More importantly, what would Miniter's explanation be if we were attacked tomorrow? Would it somehow be Clinton's fault? By the way, in a truly fact-based book, "America the Vulnerable," Steven Flynn, a retired Coast Guard officer states that the 9/11 attack was five years in the planning.

Fourth. Miniter's assertion that the mainstream media know about the same information he has, but don't report it because a) they don't want to, or b) their editor will kill the story, or whatever is even more conjecture. Is it just possible that main stream media press don't see the story in the same way Miniter WANTS it to be seen? Is it possible that they see it as speculation rather than fact?

Fifth. Our beliefs. It is a fascinating feature of the human psyche that people will pursue those opinions which confirm their beliefs. They will describe this book as well-researched without ever checking, or they will say the book has many sources without researching those either. Just so long as they want to believe it's steak, it will be, even though it is only hamburger.

Six is a question. Is his prediction coming true? Are we winning the war in Iraq? This the biggest test of the book's credibility. We have ten of our twelve divisions committed around the world constantly. Troop levels in Iraq are at an all-time high. More national guard units will be activated, or units will be rotated with less time out of a combat zone. Our losses are not declining. Iraq is an unstable government. Shi'ia and Sunni are murdering each other daily. The Iraqi army is allowed to return home for a couple of weeks whenever they want to, or they will refuse to fight outside of their province. With no clear statement from this administration of what victory is, how can Miniter write a book with "Bush is winning the war on terror" in the title? Winning what?

This title as well as his conclusions are premature. I am old enough to remember another title published in Reader's Digest many years ago. It was called, "Why We're Winning in Vietnam." It was written by the Commander of the US Army Vietnam, General William Westmoreland.

Bush is winning the war on terror?

Who here is sufficiently blissfully ignorant to still believe that? Iraq has completely imploded--even CENTCOM has acknowledged that we are fast approaching "chaos" and total anarchy there. Bush's occupation there is effectively at an end.

As for Afghanistan, the military now admits that the Taliban is making a major, widespread resurgance, and now controls much of the country. Our recent bid to push back at their growing offense ended in failure. In fact, we now only control the capital of Kabul, and that only tenuously. Of course, Bin Laden still runs free, laughing at those he killed on 9/11.

No, the sad, plain truth is that Bush is not in any way, shape or form winning the war on terror. This book has simply become a pathetic relic of a bygone era, useful only as an object of sarcastic mockery and derision. Bush, like those who believed in him, has become nothing more than a very sad joke.

This is a very lame attempt by the former FBI boss to excuse himself from the 9/11 failure. The theme of the book can be described as two-fold. First is to criticize former President Bill Clinton on no grounds. The fact out of this book is that Clinton thought Freeh entirely incompetent and publicly stated that he regrets the nomination. Second is to make excuses for himself on the 9/11 debacle, which can be largely attributed to the failure of FBI, and especially Freeh.

Very very lame and boring.

This is one of the least political autobiographies of a public servant in a political position in Washington.

That's no reason, in my mind, to doubt the veracity of most of what Freeh writes. Those looking for conspiracy theores or outright condemnation of political adversaries will be disappointed. Freeh writes deeply of respect for a large number of persons, most notably FBI agents and fellow prosecutors.

It does make for an interesting, amusing, but very non-combative read.

Even Bill Clinton, who receives most of Freeh's ire for being more a politician than a manager, is also described as the most charming and disarming statesman.

It's not that Freeh is afraid to talk ill of any of his former co-workers, but rather this is an autobiography of his public career.

He doesn't take the opportunity to hammer home points about policy, but rather berates mismanagement, favoritism, and a lack of ethical focus.

This is a good read for someone looking for a shining hero. This is not a good place to find dirt.

In writing My FBI, Louis J, Freeh has given us a microscopic view of how the FBI works and the numerable problems he faced during his tenure. He comes across as honorable and hard working, telling the truth as he saw it. I couldn't put the book down. I highly recommend reading this book to learn about how the FBI operates and about the terroism that we face today.

Freeh comes across early on as pompous and a phoney and it carries throught the book. He keeps remniding us what a great father he is because he has his kids drawings in his office. He is twice politically appointed yet rails against Clinton for being a politician. He seeths about the investigation of a bombing on Saudi soil and why Clinton would not let him interview the suspects...? I kept thinking Federal applies to the United States, not Saudi Arabia. It's that kind of arrogance that makes this book easy to put down. Plus, He never goes into ANY interesting detail on ANY investigation. And he OFTEN points out how he never really knew FBI agent turned spy Robert Hanssen. Hanssen went to the same church, their kids were in the same school....YET the same Freeh who says his style was to be among the troops claims to have barely known who he was. (BS) He also rails against Anything Clinton yet, everything Bush is AOK... This book is nothing more than a Swift-boat FBI poison pen letter.

Louis Freeh provides an interesting look into the world of the FBI. The book takes an overview approach with specific vignettes of his time at the organization and how it evolved (or lack thereof) over the years. Freeh was director during a turbulent time when trust in the FBI was at a low and worked one of the toughest cases in its history with the Kohbar towers investigation. This investigation is the focal point of the book and done very well. He also covers a lot with the Bob Hansen treason as well as other stories. The main problem with the book is that it is light on details and the chapters often ramble on without focus. The book would have been better off from an organizational standpoint with shorter chapters more pointed towards the topics. I would like to have seen lesser stories but the ones told in greater detail. Overall it is a useful primary source but not the definitive history of his role in the FBI during those years.

I agree with other reviewers that this book is not very action-packed. If you're looking for more excitement, then try The Book of Honor : The Secret Lives and Deaths of CIA Operatives. That being said, I enjoyed this book because it really gives you a strong understanding of the organizational structure of the CIA. Some readers might foolishly write this off as less than important, but like anything else to do with government, you can't really understand how or why things get done until you first understand the bureaucratic machinations in play. As government continues to grow bigger and more expensive each year (we currently have more people employed by the government than in the manufacturing industry), the CIA will likely continue to expand and it will become even more important to understand the way of its bureaucracy.

Just like read a long long laundry list. Or like read an operation manual written by someone just observed how people do the work but don't really understand.

Recommend: Legacy of Ashes: The History of the CIA. That book is a much better overview of what's CIA's contribution in cold war years and recent days.

The book was very informative. It sidewise criticizes libs as well as conservatives within the CIA. The text has quite a bit of value for the general reader.

Kessler managed to write a series of books throughout his literary career. It isn't his writing prowess that sells his books though- it is his ability to gather comprehensive information that is otherwise unavailable to the public regarding a very secret agency, and present that material to those with the curiosity about the CIA. Kessler writes much like a classroom notetaker, where organization is sometimes compromised by detail upon detail. But this is not a negative thing at all. There is just so much to tell and he leaves nothing out.

I have read many books on this field and Kessler is always good to go back to and be reminded about the basic construct that is the world's strongest spy agency. Granted, much has changed since the early fifties but Inside the CIA will give the reader the inside scoop of what began 50 years ago. Even more, how exactly the agency is run, who reports to whom, how information flows, how operations are carried out, etc... Enjoy this read. I know I did.

This book has a good introduction to the organizational structure of the CIA (when it was written) but little discussion as to operations, policies, successes, failures, background of personnel and the production of intellegence estimates. Very little analysis of these.

A very bothersome book. As the other reviews indicate, this is Congressman Weldon's plea to the American people to give him the fair hearing that he lacks in the intelligence community. Weldon derives his stuff exclusively from an Iranian national under the former Shah whom Weldon met in Paris. Every page of this book is a recurring laundry list of Iran's policy of destruction against the U.S. via nuclear armaments (internally or from N Korea) or through Iraq. Over and over the same thing with differing degrees of passion. These familiar reports are peppered with frustrations within the intelligence community and with pleas to us the American reader to listen where the CIA and/or FBI won't.

Weldon then finishes his book by summing his cure-alls for the intelligence community. He condemns the 9/11 commission for "butchering" the community, but then he recommends sacking most if not all of the senior brass in the community to make room for suppressed but worthy subordinate agents who are not politically motivated or inflexible in method and analysis (claiming this move will not shake up the community as much as it might seem). He goes on to urge human intelligence over signals intelligence (something stressed in the 9/11 report and in other FBI writings of late). All in all, he wants us to listen to him, or rather listen to Ali through him.

I found the laundry lists familiar through daily or weekly news reports via other media. I found them boring page after page, and I disliked Weldon's infallible omniscience in prescribing Weldonesque fixes for America's intelligence and security problems (and his "I told you so" tone, citing his own warnings about security prior to 9/11).

Not worth the price, barely worth the reading.

It may turn out that the greatest American Intelligence debacle in recent years has been its failure to understand exactly how Iran was secretly building its own nuclear terror-option, and establishing proxies to help further its aim of destroying Western Civilization. In their refusing to speak with the Iranian exile Ali the US Intelligence agents seem to have been doing a self- defeating thing. James Woolsey has written that a good Intelligence operation is open to outside sources, and does not rely on its own closed cadre of informers. According to Weldon on this grounds alone U.S. Intelligence in recent years has proven sorely lacking.
It is a year since Rep. Weldon published this book but in that year we have seen an increasingly defiant Iran continue to push towards nuclear weapons, continue to threaten the destruction of Israel, and eventually the United States. Protected by Russian and Chinese vetoes at the U.N. Security Council Iran is scorning Western demands that it not move towards nuclear weapons.
There is a real question of whether poor Intelligence might diminish greatly the effectiveness of a US preemptive strike against Iranian nuclear facilities.
Another element of the danger presented by Iran is its connected to Shiite groups in Iraq, and its influence on the raging civil - war in that country. There is even here suggested a connection between Al - Quaeda and Iran with the common aim of making a major terror strike against a U.S. city.
Again though it is impossible for the layman to know which of the threats raised in this book are 'realistic ' ones it is clear that the U.S. Intelligence Community must make new efforts to attain detailed information on what is going on in Iran. And in that cannot afford to dismiss sources like the one upon which this book is based.

He trid to tell people that Muhammed Atta's cell in Brooklyn was known a year before 911, deaf ears. That is why he wrote this book. Give him a chance to tell you what he found! Weldon writes even better than he speaks. A presentation last month in Phoenix was moving, full of personal anecdotes about 911. But in order to move on, learn, and prevent, we need facts, dates, and names. This book provides those in abundance. Also happens to be a "thriller" to read (except, real life!).

Creepy...I finished the book last night and woke up to the aforementioned CBS News report, something that Rep. Weldon's insider "Ali" had been reporting all along.
Unfortunately, for Weldon's critics and all Americans, this is just one more example "Ali's" warnings being proven true. I can only pray that our geniuses in Intelligence will quit their posturing long enough to thwart Al Qaeda and their planned arrival of the "12th Imam", a scenario that is Islam's equivalent to Christianity's Apocolypse. As for the rest of us, it may be time to start practicing how to "dive and take cover"...

I find it pretty shameful that after all that "evidences" of WMD in Iraq and sham of US and UK intelligence agencies, some politicians still want to make a fool out of public, pushing their rubbish down people's throat; so, No thank you !!! I'm already full from Iraq.

http://www.pnionline.com/dnblog/attytood/archives/001988.html

Iranian VEVAK has already ridiculed West's intelligence agencies through the so called "visionary" politicians and their credible channels enough; let's just for once leave CIA do its job properly without Alis or Chalabis.

I thought this book would be about actual nannies who'd worked in the White House. Although that wasn't the case, I really enjoyed the book. It was hilarious. Some of the stories remind me of things my friends who nannied told me about their experiences, good and bad.

Despite vast experience with and a great love of children, I just wasn't interested in doing it, though friends tried to recruit me. This book makes me wonder if I missed out on a special experience.

I wish the book had been a bit longer, though. I was really enjoying it and then it ended.

I read quite a bit. This is the first book in years that I have actually disliked (it was a gift from a friend).

This book is what happens when someone thinks they have good stories (and the may have, to a degree), takes one writing course and proceeds to write what I would call a bloated, pompous expanded pamphlet for her business.

There were a few decent stories about crazy DC/VA/Maryland power elites...but even those could have been told much better.

But - egads - this book needed a competent editor, at least, to point out the repetitive statements, thoughts and self-congratulations this incompetent author dished out.

My rewrite of the book. There are wealthy power couples in the town that are very, very important. I will drop names beginning now and will not stop until the end of the book. I am very important and am almost as wealthy as these power couples. I roll my eyes at the mishaps of my minority nannies, while my clients are fairly racist/classist and often treat the nannies like animals, even though their entire existence depends on them.

Believe me, I would not be picking on the content of the book (attitudes of the clients or the nannies), if it weren't for the terrible writing.

I loved reading this book! As a 'new' nanny, I found this book very useful. At first i said I wouldn't want to work with a family like these mentioned in the book, but then I thought more about it, and I actually wouldn't mind getting the 'experience'. I live in So cal, so we do have families like those D.C. families. This is a must read!!

While the title of the book is kinda misleading (I thought this was a book about actual nannies of the White House) it is a cute read. I personally wouldn't have wanted to be the families picked in this book but then again, she had to get their permission to write it!!

I found this book to be entertaining and engaging. I thought the other reviews were a bit harsh and it seemed like maybe the book hit a bit too close to home for them. Ok, this book won't change the world, but it was interesting and fun to read. I live in the midwest and apart from a brief trip to DC, I am completely unfamiliar with the city, but that didn't stop me from enjoying the book one bit.

This book was written by a Yale law student who had an interested in the National Security Agency (NSA) and signals intelligence. It is a good story that is similar to a travelogue or description of the author's exploration of the subject as well as some of the actual physical sites of the world-wide signals intelligence network known as "Echelon" - operated by the U.S./UK/New Zealand, etc.

The book is solid and presents some new information regarding the subject matter. It is a good exploration of the topic of more recent signals intelligence activities.

Overall, I rate this book as excellent for what it intends to do. It is a personal journey and research into the world of NSA and SIGINT. I highly recommend it as one of many books on the NSA and global signals intelligence.

"Chatter" is the story of the modern system of electronic spying upon which our safety is said to depend. Author Patrick Radden Keefe has pieced the tale together, using bits of information from the infrequent slips by government spokespeople and by hard investigative work, Keefe begins with the generally unknown story of the secret US/UK intelligence sharing arrangement -- one that extends to Canada, Australia, and New Zealand - that began after WWII. Keefe visits intelligence-gathering sites --such as the US-staffed facility at Menwith Hill in England. Another facility, now the Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute in Rosman, North Carolina -- began its life as a satellite tracking station and ended up as Department of Defense intelligence facility. The description of the station interior, with its multiple levels of security, 10,000 gallon water reservoir and miles of fiber optic cable -- give a glimpse into the inner sanctum of intelligence gathering.

But there's more to "Chatter" than descriptions of buildings and antennae. The story's political, legal and social angles also fascinate Keefe. The ability of the government to spy on its enemies has a dark, flip side: the possibility to spy on political enemies closer to home. Keefe discusses the increasing level of power given to the National Security Agency, the Department of Defense's shadowy intelligence arm. Keefe highlights the overall lack of accountability that Americans (through their congressional representatives) have granted to those whose motives and methods, ominously, cannot be divulged, even to the peoples' representatives.

"Chatter" offers us a peephole into the world of SIGINT -- signal intelligence gather from the airwaves -- and HUMINT -- the intelllgence gather by human agents on the ground.Keefe makes clear the limits of SIGINT, which has notorious misses -- including the Cole bombing, African Embassy bombings and notably, the 9/11 attacks. He argues persuasively for more focus on the HUMINT side of the equation. So far, our leaders, loath perhaps to risk human lives, have chosen to continue to fund gadgets over linguists and other human operatives.

Keefe lays out the arguments to those who claim that the 9/11 attacks indicate the need for more strenuous intel efforts - disregarding the niceties of "abstract" constitutional protections like the Fourth Amendment. But while these arguments seem forceful, Keefe counters with a tale of intel gone bad - the misleading and erroneous "dog and pony" show" that Secretary of State Colin Powell put on at the UN in the run-up to the Iraq War. Keefe urges a vigorous discussion over the precise location of the line between privacy rights and security needs. So far, that discussion has not begun. In a world in which unaccountable agents, who have kept even elected heads of state in the dark about the purposes, are given so much unsupervised power, Keefe feels that citizens have a right and a duty to be concerned.

"Chatter is a compelling read, wide-ranging and insightful, and free of the paranoid rantings one might fear from such a work. The book is hard-headed about the need for intelligence gathering in a post-9/11 world, but clear-eyed about the threat to civil liberties. "Chatter" is a smart book that has a point of view without losing its even-handedness.

Chatter: Dispatches from the Secret World of Global Eavesdropping is something of a amateurish book done responsibly. Patrick Radden Keefe isn't an insider, he isn't a former spook, and he isn't a journalist with a lifelong Intel beat. He's a student a writer, frequently concentrating on issues of globalization, crime, and government. I think where a lot of people are disappointed with this book is that he doesn't write as an insider and he doesn't expose things that we couldn't find out from other sources. Instead, he's collected what's known through an exhaustive process of library and field research and placed it in a single volume giving the reader an overview of what is a highly secretive organization.

When something like the NSA is around for more than half a century it's bound to leave footprints in the public record, from mentions in court cases to acquisitions in related but public budget allocations. Keefe tirelessly connects the dots on these pinpoints of information, assembling a working knowledge of what they seem to be able to do or not do. I found it refreshing that an author would approach this sensitive subject matter not as a tell-all expose, but as a careful dissemination of facts with an eye toward not embellishing on an area so secret that one might say anything without being able to be proved false (or true for that matter).

Particularly striking, but within the realm of common sense, was the trouble the NSA has had keeping up with other technology. When advertising and internet data mining has reached a level where our intelligence service must take out patents to protect their own processes, there's a dearth of ability when it comes to being all-seeing, all-hearing. While they can see and hear almost all communication, they don't have the hardware or manpower to be able to completely or accurately sort through that amount of data to pick out many pertinent details. It's an exercise in futility, it seems from Keefe's description. Just because they can doesn't mean they can very well. I was also surprised by the lack of evidence to any success at electronically picking out words from speech. I, and most people, had just assumed that any key words would be flagged by computers, but as I use my cell phone now, I think about the challenge for a machine to recognize and separate out what I'm saying.

It's a good book, and a fine overview. It's not a great book, but it did sort out its premise early on and met it completely. One can't pan the author for what he didn't do, when those things were simply beyond his ability or, in this case, anyone else's.

CV Rick

Signals intelligence is a technical and complicated field. Besides standard intelligence techniques, it involves mathematics, engineering and politics. Keefe manages to cover remarkably little of this. Instead he focuses on speculative theories and nearly irrelevant current event news headlines. Perhaps the lack of information is not too surprising given how most modern information in this field is classified by various organizations, but what Keefe comes up with is hardly appropriate for a book.

There is some decent information to be found, but the bottom line is that Keefe comes across as a college kid on a writing assignment for his school paper.

I was expecting a historical account of SIGINT, but what I found was on the verge of mysterious black helicopters and alien autopsies. I am not even half way through and I don't think I can finish it. Not only is some of the basic technical open source information inaccurate (try google), but a lot of his statements are suppositions or suspicions of an imaginative kid.

If you are looking for a book that has accurate historical information about signal reconnaissance, try: The Price of Vigilance : Attacks on American Surveillance Flights by Larry Tart and Robert Keefe ( I initially thought Chatter was by the same author, big mistake!)