Intelligence Wars: American Secret History from Hitler to Al-Qaeda

by Thomas Powers

Book Overview

This updated edition contains new analysis on the situation in Iraq and the war against terrorism. Sold over 10,000 copies in hardcover. No one outside the intelligence services knows more about their... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1590170989
• ISBN13: 9781590170984
• Release Date: June 2004
• Publisher: New York Review of Books
• Length: 504 Pages
• Weight: 1.40 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 5.5" x 8.3"

Customer Reviews

informative

i learned a lot about this history. was useful for the papers that we had to do in class.

An Excellent Collection of Reviews from Powers

This revised and expanded collection of Thomas Powers' reviews of books on intelligence and national security for the New York Review of Books is an excellent resource on a wide range of topics. Powers has a demonstrated knowledge of many aspects of the history of US intelligence gathering since World War II, and he shows it in this collection. Beginning with a review of the life of Billy Donovan, the progenitor of WWII American espionage, and ending with a review of books on the current threat from international terrorism, Powers covers a broad spectrum of topics. Though he is much stronger on the Cold War history, the author is able to bring his background in history to comment on current threats. I would highly recommend this to anyone interested in national security and the intelligence world.

A trip down American security policy memory lane

I'm writing this to counter the troglodytish review posted by the unnamed reader from Alexandria, Virginia. My career was in the national security establishment--defense industry and State Department. I, along with Forrester, also have "no connection or history within the intelligence world." The New York Review of Books serves intellectuals like myself, however, not intelligence professionals. As such, his reviews and this book provides a timely refresher course in the scandals and triumphs of American intelligence over the last some sixty years. It is especially welcome because of the arrival of more scandal in regard to 9/11 and Iraq weapons of mass destruction, and another triumph in the defeat of the Taliban. INTELLIGENCE WARS is stimulating, well written, and engrossing.