Enter the Past Tense: My Secret Life as a CIA Assassin

by Roland W. Haas

Book Overview

While at Purdue University on an NROTC scholarship in 1971, Roland Haas was recruited to become a CIA deep clandestine operative. He underwent intensive training to prepare for insertion into hostile areas, including High Altitude Low Opening (HALO) parachuting and weapons instruction. In the course of his first mission (to East and West Germany, Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Bulgaria, Romania, and Austria), he assassinated several international...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1597971871
• ISBN13: 9781597971874
• Release Date: August 2008
• Publisher: University of Nebraska Press
• Length: 288 Pages
• Weight: 1.00 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 4.9" x 8.4"

Customer Reviews

A fascinating behind-the-scenes story

One thing was very clear in Roland Haas' recounting of his life and career in "Enter the Past Tense." Counter-espionage and clandestine operations are not like James Bond movies, where the hero ends up with a martini and a girl and the accolades of his government. The author's operations in the Middle East and behind the Iron Curtain were nasty, terrifying affairs where one mistake or just plain bad luck could have resulted in his death. I was born a few years before the author, and I lived through the entire Cold War era, so I remember what it was like. Although the general public never knew many details of covert operations, it was no secret that these kind of operations were going on. Spy novels and spy movies were extremely popular, but many of these glorified and romanticized espionage and counter-espionage operations. There was no glory or romance in Mr. Haas' work, and he makes no attempt to glamorize the operations he was involved in. Mr. Haas is a very polished writer. He tells his story simply, without embellishment and with no attempt to portray himself as a hero. But it's a fascinating story filled with gut-wrenching tension when he goes on a mission. On his first mission to the Middle East, he's almost killed by the Iranians, who mistakenly believe that he's a drug smuggler. On this mission, he killed seven men, all at very close range. Years later, in East Germany, he killed four others, including three female terrorists. After returning to the United States, he continued to work for the CIA, and he alludes to several other killings, but he gives no details for these, presumably because they are too recent and would compromise security. Not to make light of Mr. Haas' "wet operations," but while reading his story, I kept thinking of the scene in "True Lies" where Helen, on learning that her husband Harry was a secret agent, asked him if he had ever killed anyone. His response: "Yeah, but they were all bad." Mr. Haas is very candid about his personal problems, including his alcohol and drug addiction. He makes no excuses for his behavior and how it affected him and his wife and children, and neither will I, but I don't know how any human being could withstand the psychological pressures of living a completely secret life without being able to talk about it with anyone else, even his wife, who had no clue that he worked for the CIA. And as he notes in the book, an F-14 pilot or a tank commander who kills the enemy is hailed as a hero. In covert operations, however, there are no headlines or medals, and if you're captured or killed, you just disappear without a trace, never to be heard from again. One element of the book that I enjoyed very much was the account of the author's first trip to the Middle East in the early 1970s. Very much like a travelogue, he does a marvelous job of describing his passage through Turkey, Afghanistan, Iran, and India, including the history, geography, and cultures of these countries. It was a fascinati

Gripping

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this gripping book. A very personal account of a truly interesting life. Informative. Part spy story, part biography. Excellent!

Very Important Book

Many books have documented how the CIA has used collage campus' to recruit agents, and Haas' account of his recruitment sounds completely like what other authors have talked about. I love Haas' line that his recruiter used, "I work for one of our governments three letter agencies." -That's classic. Also the way they sent Haas into action by himself, to either be successful or die, is exactly the way Dulles used to have agents sent behind the Iron Curtain on missions; the special thing about Haas was he survived! I bet the higher-ups at the Agency were thrilled when they realized that Haas could be so successful at what they wanted him to do. Haas' book is one of the most important and interesting books I have ever read. Check out C-SPAN'S book TV web site for a video of a book signing event where Haas gives a talk. By-the-way, I grew up in and still live in Cleveland OH, right next to Lakewood OH, the city that Haas talks about in his book; I have to say, Haas' description, of the area and its features and feel is very accurate. Haas really is able to place you in Lakewood, as he explains where he grew up. Haas' ability with words doesn't disappoint!

It's the Quiet Guys you have to worry about...

When I was growing up, the loud guys were usually just that: loud. It was the quiet guys you had to worry about. Obviously, Mr. Haas was a quiet guy, and it served him well with the CIA. What I liked most about this book was its straightforwardness. No James Bond or Bourne stuff here. Truth is always more compelling to me. And the fact that it is in the first person makes it more dramatic. Mr. Haas reveals a secret world that literally takes no prisoners, and is surprisingly frank about his reactions and the toll it took on him over time. Good book, I recommend it.

Enter the Past Tense

Anyone who thinks this story is a fraud has not kept up with the latest regarding CIA activities. The CIA finally admitted they were involved in overseas clandestine operations and assassinations. Only the most naive and uneducated would think that in this dangerous day and age there would be no need for people like Roland Haas. If a commander in a war zone directs one of his soldiers to penetrate the enemy's ranks and kill one of the other side's key officers, and he succeeds,that soldier would be highly commended and receive a medal for his bravery. The fact that the soldier's actions saved many lives mitigates any horror we might feel by this killing. The height of bravery is when a lone man, without the backup of military power, personally confronts an enemy and kills him for the good of his country. This lone hero usually gets no recognition for his bravery because he does everything anonymously and the CIA has the luxury of deniability. I completely recommend this compelling book for it's honesty and for its eye-opening revelation of the CIA's recruiting parameters and what the physical, emotional, mental, and economical costs are to the individual.