Agency-securities Books

This book is interesting for those who want to know what it is like to go through CIA field training. But like others, I was annoyed by the author's style. Many of the anecdotes were uninteresting. Fortunately, the book is a quick read, so for the truly curious, you can get through it before it becomes unbearable.

This book is not nearly as bad ad other reviewers would have you believe. I had no problem with the writing at all, and while the author was a little proud of his accomplishments, I don't feel like it took away from the story. Without having knowledge of the CIA recruiting process, the book didn't have any obvious lies or misstatements and overall made the training the author accomplished seem like a small first step towards a career in the CIA. As a bonus, for people from the northern VA area, a lot of scenes are set in various DC locals, which makes it that much more interesting to readers. Not a mind-blowing read, but quick and decent.

I have read others complain about the book's inaccuracies and everything else they could nit pick about. And to those individuals I say "Good for you. Where is your memoir?"

I have read the book. I picked it up because it looked like a quick read. Which it was. I found the book to be written from a personal perspective ... a journal, more than a memoir.

I liked the book. Maybe because I am female, I may have a little more compassion and empathy for some of the things that other's felt were "sappy" in the book. Especially the chapter about the Goth Queen (Helen)and the PTA Mom (Terry).

I gave it three stars because this was not the worst book I have read, but it is not as good as the memoirs of a former KGB agent.

This is a quick and fast read. It is interesting in that it is one man's memoirs of his decision to join the CIA after the attacks of 9/11. The book details his thoughts as he goes through training. It is a bit gossipy and describes some of the other students and the other students' mental states and views - but I believe this was a good effort in trying to show the decisions and emotional strain that high intenstity training can have on some people.

It's just a fun book. It has some good insight into the psychology of new recruits to CIA. It describes some training at the Farm - CIA's training facility. It also describes his decision on why he decided to join CIA.

I absolutely hated this book. The writing style, voice, and opinions were so annoying I could barely get through it. A few pages in, I realized that Florida Tom has an ego the size of that state but the maturity and professionalism of a frat boy. All of his talk of type A personalities, the melodramatic writing about 9/11, and, most of all, the way he made getting through the Farm such a thing to brag about drove me up the wall. He was also very proud to consider himself a 'spy', which he should know is different than being either a case officer or a reports officers. I'm not being nitpicky, it is the arrogance that bothered me rather than the sloppy use of the label 'spy'. It also comes out later in the book that he is training to be a reports officer rather than being a case officer. No disrespect to that job. It's a demanding job and I have met just as many impressive reports officers as case officers. Florida Tom, however, keeps this a secret until fairly late in the book. He makes it sound as though he is going to be out on the frontline when he is actually being trained for a desk job.
At times, the book was just bizarre. Sending his fiance an article about the rape in Pakistan to make up for after a fight was odd, to say the least.
There are so many better books that cover the same territory. Skip this one.

The trouble with Burton Hersh is that he never bothered to read what he wrote. If he had he'd have realized that it is uncomprehensible. This is partly due to the fact that he is a functional illiterate. He doesn't have a basic understanding of what a sentence is.He also has a very poor choice of words. He uses words that he obviously does not know what they mean.

Secondly I am old enough to know that most of his "information" is sheer hogwash. It's either badly distorted or false. It's a figment of his imagination. I am 76 and fought in World War II and knew some of those he writes about. They are mostly bland liveless bureaucrats. Not the bizarre creatures he depicts. I have suffered through 83 pages and can sight any number of lies and distortions.

This is a remarkable book by a remarkable writer. It caused howls of protest from the CIA and US media elite when first published, but there is no doubt that Hersh has the goods: the book is now on the CIA reading list!
Hersh himself clearly did vast independent primary research and interview work for the book. His anatomy of the Dulles brothers, Frank Wisner, Wild Bill Donovan, Bill Casey,and the creepy but omnipresent Carmel Offie is superb. Wall Street staffed the US intelligence elite, in 1941 as in 2001---and oil and high finance were and still are that world's elixir. Lastly, the index and notes are a boon to future researchers. [Interestingly, none of the Dulles-adoring biographies published of late cites any of Hersh's work. Hmmmm.]
Hersh has a novelist's skill in bringing this cast of real characters to life: the descriptions are unforgettable, but the research, especially to me, a fellow digger in contemporary intelligence history, is awe-inspiring. Hersh has not written a book predicated on others' books: there is a treasure trove here of original research, especially in relation to the Wall Street connections to Nazi business and, critically, to the SAFEHAVEN investigation, rediscovery of which of course broke the Holocaust gold story some years back.
But most of all, this book is hugely entertaining and not a little amusing, told in a confidingly baroque language, it's true, but imagine you're hearing these stories in a clubland chair, from someone Who Knows Stuff, of a long and fascinating evening. Listen carefully: your attention'll be rewarded.
This is nuanced, detailed writing about complicated history: one's reading effort, I found, rewards---this is an important book laying open the defining people and defining events of the US intelligence empire. It's no surprise Hersh is in high demand as an intelligence expert since Sept 11th, as the CIA and its watchers look for answers.

I first consulted THE OLD BOYS some years ago, in connection with some tricky wartime research for the investigative unit of the CBC. Since then, I've re-read it---twice. THE OLD BOYS is a book that rewards rereading, in no small way because it's authoritative, painstakingly researched, and---no mean thing in history as potentially arcane as this---richly amusing. Not only can Hersh engrave Aubreyesque portraits of players major and minor with a novelist's eye but his depth of psychological insight into such complex characters as the Dulles brothers, not to mention the men who carry the OSS into the CIA of more modern times, like Helms and Casey, is, bluntly, masterful. Those who knock this book clearly haven't heard what a freshly retired Director of Operations at the CIA has said on the record about THE OLD BOYS: it's a masterpiece he gives copies of to the uninitiated every Christmas. Buy it. Pass it on. And, while you're at it, get a copy of BOBBY AND EDGAR, Hersh's new book on the long war between Bobby Kennedy and J Edgar Hoover, with Joe Kennedy Sr lurking behind the arras...

While Burton Hersh's work does contain some interesting facts, as a history it is little more than the author's opinions. Because of his constant vitriolic assault on the character of the people he writes about, the read is tedious at best. This book reveals more about Mr. Hersh's bitterness and hatred toward the early American intelligence community than it does about the history of the CIA. No joy.

This work by Mr. Hersh is a mind boggeling attempt at history. Unfortunately, I think the reader should do some follow up research. His "facts", by and large are opinionated, skewed and, therefore, in error. He seems to suffer from the typical Harvard elitism and does an injustice to the times about which he writes. His conclusions, for instance those concerning "A Man Called Intrepid", are only those of a few self annointed intellectuals who try to rewrite history. I know, I was there. I'm 86 years old.

The Pueblo Surrender? You have to be kidding! Abducted, Kidnapped, Pirated are more appropriate. A poor piece of Journalism. It belongs on National Inquirer pages right next to stories about the President meeting aliens at Area 51. I had a few e-mails from Edward R. Murphy, Jr. who was the Second in Command when the Pueblo was captured. It was made very clear where the blame belonged. Did you know that the ship could have sailed out of the North Korean harbor? It was offered. Certain others wanted to leave by the land bridge. Now our ship is a museum dedicated to the heroic Kor-coms. Well, this was a long time ago. It was a different world. The USA has to take part of the blame for being unprepared to back up our sailors. This and the Iranian Hostage seige are blots on our 20th Century History. Please, not everything is a conspiracy! The Spanish American war, where the battleship Maine blew up in Havana Harbor, now that may have been an excuse for a conspiracy for a bit of imperialism in that era! Admiral Rickkover researched it and suggested that the habit of spontaneous combustion coal fires next to the magazines no doubt caused the sinking.

I was part of a TOP SECRET Intel team located in the Panama Canal Zone when we intercepted the unique SOS from the Pueblo.

At first we thought it was a joke because the signal was coming in so clearly all the way from the coast of Korea(?!); but, once we DF'd this weird UI signal, the bells and whistles
exploded in our Ops Center.

NSA and NSC directed our station to pipe the SOS directly from our Ops to the War Room at the White House. For almost an hour we got a running account of events before one N. Korean set foot on Pueblo!

We knew there were 2 (maybe 3) aircraft carriers within 15 to
30 minute flight times from the Pueblo's position; but, no fly bys, no show of force.

One of our Eastern experts said that the reason no rescue attempt was attempted was because LBJ and NSA were making a gift to their Commie buddies as part of some mission we weren't aware of.

We hooted at the suggestion; but, this same expert said that
the attack against the USS Liberty a year earlier might have
been 'practice' for abducting a US Intel ship and making it disappear, COMPLETELY---anyone of us could have been on the Pueblo and a Cold War pawn. (The crap that happened to our Intel pals on the Liberty and the subsequent Congressional cover-up still rankled us; because the Liberty's calls for help were heard by US Intel but no action was taken by LBJ and comrades.
More importantly, because The Liberty's calls for help were coded, no news organizations knew anything was happening to the Liberty.)

Still, all this kibitzing was going on before one N. Korean boarded the Pueblo!

About ten years ago I talked with an Intel type who was in Washington, DC, during the Pueblo abduction and was told that
due to the SOS of the Pueblo being in the clear and very slow,
most news agencies like UPI, Reuters, AP, etc... were monitoring
the Pueblo SOS and were calling the White House before one N.
Korean foot hit the Pueblo deck and asking LBJ what the hell he
was going to do to rescue the Pueblo!

According to this same Intel source: Verification could be found in tapes that you can listen to available at the Johnson
Presidential Library and on which you can hear LBJ complaining
about the news agencies and their questions. Again, according
to my Intel source, these Pueblo tapes can only be listened to
at the LBJ Library itself.

Looks like our paranoid Eastern Intel expert was correct.

Our theory was that since the Pueblo SOS was broadcast to the
whole world, the crew's lives were saved. If that Pueblo
radio operator had followed normal USN regs, we might still not
know what happened to the Pueblo and crew---they'd just be another ship and crew that disappeared into the maw of the ocean..

At least once or twice a year I meet someone from one from one
of the aircraft carriers that had planes that could have been
there in 10 to 30 minutes. None of them knew anything was going on.

In 2001, I met Commander Bucher, shook his hand and gave him
my handout regarding the small part I played trying to save his
brave ass. I, also, met a number of Pueblo crewmen---including the incredible radio operator who I think saved their
lives---at a dedication ceremony of a plaque honoring the Pueblo and crew at the POW-MIA Museum in Georgia.

Bucher was still bitter---and I don't blame him.

For some reason I hadn't read this particular book until a few
weeks ago.

I give this 4 stars instead of 5 because his style of writing is so boring! 5 for content 2 for writing style.

While still in the service, I kept running across references to the capture of the Pueblo by the North Koreans but could find very little in print about it. Being only 7 years old at the time of the incident, I vaguely remember it occuring. When this book was published in December of 1988, I jumped at the chance to delve deeper into the mystery of this oft cited seizure. When I got it, I was disappointed for 2 reasons. First, the thrust of the book propelled the ship (and it's crew) into the '60's twilight zone of conspiracy theories. Don't get me wrong, I feel that some elements of our government are capable of the alleged charges (and worst) but I was looking for more of a straightforward account of the incident. I guess I should have heeded the subtitle ("A Covert Action By The National Security Agency") a little better. My bad. The second thing was that there were only 3 pictures (2 of which are contrasting North Korean and Chinese uniforms!!!) and 2 maps throughout the entire 294 page book. No pictures of the ship, none of the individual shots of the crew that I've seen printed elsewhere, not even a lousy diagram of the layout of the decks. While I gleaned some important facts about the event, I feel that the ultimate Pueblo book has yet to be written. I was going to purchase Mitchell B. Lerner's "The Pueblo Incident" (April 2002) book but after reading the reviews, I guess I'll wait until Richard A. Mobley's "Flash Point North Korea" comes out. At least he's qualified to write about the subject (which is more then I can say for Liston and Lerner).

A poorly thought-out attempt to resolve the many questions which still hang over the Pueblo incident. Surely there is still a tale to be told here, but not by an author who displays much more imagination than research or thoughtful analysis. His lack of knowledge of military affairs, diplomatic history, and North Korea could all have been compensated for with a lot of research. Unfortunately, he doesn't seem to have attempted this. By his own admission he didn't even try to interview most of the principles and clearly didn't bother looking into relevant issues such as possible reasons why North Korea might have seized the ship.

Even if there were some sort of sinister conspiracy along the lines of what the author is suggesting, he doesn't do much to prove it. His evidence is often along the lines of "three men recalling a traumatic incident several years after it happened differ on some of the details, so somebody must be forcing them to lie." Compounding the fundamental problems of logic which this book suffers, it is very poorly written. This is especially disappointing considering the author's background as a journalist and author of several published books. I'm not in any hurry to read them.

While trying to unravel much of the bane of mystery still hanging over the Pueblo Incident the author embarks on an extraordinary conspiracy theory that becomes more and more difficult to lend any credibility to as the readers moves through the book.

Robert Liston is a prolific writer who has written on just about every subject under the sun. He leans mightily toward the left and has written several books that are very apologetic of communism and the former Soviet Union. He uses his background as a writer and journalist to write a historically accurate but mostly conjectural account of what might have happened that fateful day in 1968.

His theories are not readily plausible and his lack of objectivity is quite obvious. He admits he did not interview most of the crew of the Pueblo or many of those involved ashore during the crisis. He does quote other conspiracy theorists at length and the reliability of his work goes downhill from there.

For a fanciful look into what may have happened all those years ago, this is a fairly good read. For those who have studied the Pueblo Incident in depth, it is a bit of fun, for anyone just beginning to read about it, read something else first...please. Begin with newspaper articles from 1968, not this particular work. A quick review of the news from back then and the so-called objective writing of Mr. Liston will show the level of credibility this work deserves or doesn't deserve as the case may be.

Insightless read for even current civilian, military intelligence or academia. All of the authors are FORMER intelligence officials, and as the saying goes-even if you reshuffel a deck of card, the same cards, or in this case, the same thoughts will remain. This book speaks out for only one clear reform-new blood in the United States and Allied Nations Intelligence Services. Can the authors all say- "original thought"? I think not.

This books really bit the dust. Crappy stuff and not that well written. I wish it was more inclusive of the JFK involvement, at least that is somethng we have learned from. Don't buy

I stumbled across the reviews of this book by chance, and was quite stunned to see what almost appears to be an orchestrated trashing of what I regard as a useful barometer of informed professional opinion.

Yes, some of the authors and some of the views of the authors are relatively conventional, but by and large I am not only quite pleased to have this book in my library, I find that the thoughts of Jennifer Sims, Douglas MacEachin, and Robert Kohler, and Britt Snider, to name just four--I like the others as well--are as essential a starting point for reform as the more radical ideas of myself, Senator Shelby, Senator Rudman, or others.

Bottom line: Roy Godson and these people have been troubled by intelligence ineffectiveness, and have done more than most to publish in this arena, than anyone else I know. This book is not the end all, but it is a vital historical reference point for any serious professional. I would not reprint it, but I would certainly recommend it as a used book acquisition, and I hope that a new set of authors comes together to provide a 21st Century "second look" in the aftermath of 9-11. In the meantime, I would point folks toward Godson's "Dirty Tricks or Trump Cards," Allen's "None So Blind," and Zegart's "Flawed by Design," inter alia. If you want a list of my top 20 recommended books, send me an email.

Roy and Ernie-professors of intelligence think the Cold War is raging, and given the sorry refocus they provide for even the Intelligence professional, this book is not going to help anyone in understanding how the U.S. Intel Services can best redistribute there efforts.

Don't try this one unless you are a student of the Intelligence process. And, if you are under 50 with your brain one line, you will quickly see these Cold Warriors sre simply trying to reinvent theselves. While the Soviet Dragon was slain at the end of the Cold War, the authors claim the rather harmless snakes in the grass are just that. Enter Saddam. These snakes have grown legs and are dangerous. Fossil-write will note solve current national security problems.

I read this book because it is on the Foreign Service Exam suggested reading list, but I found it largely lacking in terms of usefulness. While it does mention certain situations (Korean War, intervention in the Middle East and Belgian Congo) over and over again, it doesn't really tell you much, certainly no more than any other book on the UN. In addition, these and other interventions that are mentioned are not chronologically presented, but rather are organized under such uninformative chapter titles as "The United Nations and the United States" and "The United Nations and Power Politics." On the topic of power politics (versus internationalism), the author repeats very simplistic arguments (if they could be even termed such) that whenever internationalism is employed the result is good, and when power politics (i.e. military and, I suppose, economic strong-arming) is used the results are wanting. But the author includes such actions as the Persian Gulf War as an example of internationalism -- as well as JFK's backup plan for using the UN to defuse the Cuban Missile Crisis -- as examples of internationalism, when the spirit of internationalism in such cases could readily be called into doubt in favor of an interpretation suggesting the UN is just a rubber-stamp, in those cases, for what would otherwise be "power politics." Regardless, there are some decent, if brief, histories of UN interventions which are useful; but the organization makes them so difficult to place in a greater context that I would highly recommend reading another book. If you are more interested in the actual organization of the UN rather than so much history of its interventions, you can find a much better organized account (as well as some limited history) in "The United Nations at the Crossroads of Reform."

I bought this book for one specific reason: To learn how CIA agents are trained. There was almost NOTHING about CIA training. Aside from that, the book is good. I give it 2 and a half stars.

Either way i found i couldn't relate. What little i knew about the CIA or specific missions (e.g., TPAJAX, Gautamala, etc.) was either wholly inaccurate, blandly whitewashed, or both! The authors have done an admirable job of what one may say is googlizing research (and a poor one at that) and compiling it all into what may vaguely be called a book.

With poor-quality and error-prone books such as this, esp. one on a topic of much import to world affairs of the past half century, one wonders if the cycle of idiocy isn't perpetuated ad infinitum.

This book is filled with errors. So much is outdated or inaccurate that I wouldn't even donate my copy to the local library.

1. anything saying this title was produced by the US Govt is ficticious
2. save your money - get a fresh copy of wget and download the same content
3. i normally don't bash things from amazon - this is the WORST purchase

avoid this like the plague - let my misfortune be of benefit to you!
Misleading False Bad Bad Bad

This CDROM contains a copy of all the pages on the www.nsa.gov website as it appeared sometime in the recent past. It contains nothing more, nothing less. If this satisfies your needs, then go for it. If not, then simply use your webbrowser to view the website directly.

Also, this "book" is not published by the U.S. Government, it was compiled and published by a company known as: Progressive Management.

kjh

The article is far far far ... far away from the truth. So far, that this article is complete non-sense. By the way, the reality is much more excited than the article.
The biggest crime of the former FBI Director Freeh is that he lies the society. The uninformed society does not have the possibility to protect itself. This is big crime. An excellent example is the killing of the CIA Director William Colby. Freeh preferred to kill Colby, instead to charge him officially. The FBI stories of Ames and Colby are far far... far away form the truth. (If you are interested to read the real story, read the memoirs of Dekov at the Web, Google Groups, Search, "Dekov, Colby".) The society is the loser. The society will pay big money. The society will give victims. This is very dangerous criminal activity against the American people. The persons who praise the Director Freeh will pay the price, too. Their children will die, as the whole nation. The USA Senate must accept a special law, forcing the FBI to say the truth. The truth is the only chance for salvation of the American nation. And the most important - Freeh must go into the jail, as killer of the American nation.

A useless book that is a re-print of a 1977 book published under the old LEAA. A lot has changed since 1977, spend you money elsewhere.