Former CIA operative Bucchi describes his experiences fighting the drug war in the 1980s in Colombia. The focus is on Operation Pseudo Miranda under which the CIA made a deal with Pablo Escobar, Fabio Ochoa, Manuel Noriega, and other high-level cocaine traffickers. Bucchi alleges that the CIA help
A mind-boggling, meticulously detailed true crime.
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 18 years ago
After reading this guys other book by happenstance and loving every razor's edge second of it, I was compelled to purchase this one. I didn't think it was possible, but this one was even better than the other (INSIDE JOB). A must read for all you true crime lovers.
Hands-down Best CIA Story Ever Told!
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 19 years ago
A friend of mine from the Washington Post gave me this book to read as part and parcel to a detailed vetting process. Having worked in and around the places discussed in this book during the period in which it was supposed to have occurred, I can state with virtual certainty that the events discussed herein are largely truthful and accurate. Although some events are so wild as to seemingly fail the most liberal of litmus tests, I found evidence to support certain events for which I was not contemporarily privy. Is the story written with a purple prose panache? Yes, in many instances it is. However, having experienced many of the same types of situations the author has, I chalk the egomaniacal verbosity up to the way he had to "act" during this period in order to lead people into hell, yet leave them with an expectation that they could still come out the other end breathing. I felt while reading this book that he wanted us to feel as though we were there as opposed to simply being told what happened. It is clear that he screwed up quite a bit -- who wouldn't have -- and has no compunction whatsoever about detailing those screw-ups for the reader. This is not the ramblings of an egomaniac; egomaniacs don't accept responsibility for the deaths of others, they deflect it. This is truly a book for the ages...
Awe-inspiring! Profoundly disturbing!
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 21 years ago
To encapsulate this book would be to undermind its impact. It is without peer; it is simply the most disturbingly and brutally honest look at our governments complicit involvement with the drug trade and the horrible effects it has visited on some of our best citizens...our own drug agents. You must read this if you have any interest whatsoever in terrorism, the drug trade or the behind-the-scenes machinations of your government.
Excellent !!!
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 23 years ago
Great Thriller that kept me from putting it down-a page turner as they say. I was always curious what results the next mission would produce and who could withstand the pressure and emotional ups and downs of the daily adventures. A very insightful and clear perspective of what goes on behind the scenes when we trust our government with blind faith. An intresting read about the drug trade and what fuels the motivation to fight or finance it. Bucchi does a great job giving you a birds-eye view of his first hand accounts.
A voice screaming in the Desert!
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 23 years ago
I caught the author on the Greta Van Susteren show and was floored by his clarity on the subject -- as was Congresswoman Maxine Waters, who gushed over him throughout the show -- and especially his explanation of how our government arms puppet governments in our southern hemisphere under the "guise" of fighting drugs. The truth is, according to the author, we don't want unfriendly political groups gaining strength via the financial power that is derived from drug trafficking. It's not about stopping drugs, as the author puts it, it's about controlling who gains strength through the drug trade. As he stated on her show, it would be much cheaper for our government to just buy the drugs directly from the cartels and dump it in the ocean, than to fight it the way we do now. Believe it or not, the book is even more engrossing and enlightening than the interview was. I look forward to hearing more from him in the future.
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