The Secret History of the CIA

by Joseph J. Trento

Book Overview

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• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1567318479
• ISBN13: 9781567318470
• Release Date: January 2007
• Publisher: MJF
• Weight: 2.00 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Great Book - You will not put it down!

Wake up and understand that power unchecked as Mr. Trento points out is dangerous. As someone once said knowledge is power; so what damaged can unchecked knowledge bring...? Oh, for one the lobotomy. The author presents enough information that has become public that many claims can be verified. Considering the amount of information presented in the book, it is cohesive and reads like a novel, excuse the inhibiting influence of two dimensional space. Having been around intelligence all of my life, studying security, human nature, and business this is a must read. And please ask yourself questions while you are reading- are so many mistakes actually flagrant mistakes or is there a pattern or ulterior motives at work, who benefits from this, is there anything that the author is not telling us? THINK, please. To correct one of the reviews, I will not mention names but he mentions something about the highest U.S. ideals, there were three major sources and only one requested that his material not be used until ten years after his death. This was James Angleton, former cheif of CIA Conterinteligence, himself a victim of his collegues' modus operandi. There were a few people interviewed that requested their name not to be used. When reading the circumstances around the questions and the nature of the subject it is easy to understand their reason for the request. I think that most people understand that a lot of people request anonymity when talking to reporters. If you are going to criticize a peer at least try to be accurate and try not to put a negative spin on the work and then supporting it with a common characteristic of the field. K.L.B.

October 1943, Liutenatn Orlov is behind the enemy lines

Trento's book is an interesting and verisimilar account of how CIA has worked on some of its cases from the end of World War II until the end of the Cold War. It does not provide an analysis of the CIA'style or policies in carrying out its job, but it describes operations that have been conducted and the feelings of those who worked as operatives. Since the author relies on two sources of his, who have worked mainly in the Berlin Operating Base, much of the stories are centered on that area with few digressions in other parts of the world according to postings of his sources. The book develops its arguments on different levels and with exhausting flashbacks, so the reader has to go back and forth to disentangle the plot and make a synthesis. However, one of the main character of the book is agent Orlov, a Soviet agent who managed at the end of WWI to be infiltrated in the Nazis and then in the American forces without being discovered until his death decades later in the Washington area. Other episodes are revealed that would make the interested reader in spy stories very into the action. However, two weak spots of the book are: Trento does not provide other reliable sources than hearsays from his own sources, therefore no proof is underpinning the stories. Secondly, the book does not reveal any important facts that would make it really revealing or astonishing, like would have been if he had mentioned something related to the now well known stay-behind operation in Europe. But if you are able to maintain your "suspension of belief" and navigate between the thin line that separates non-fiction from quasi-fiction stories Trento's book is readable and interesting.

You have to read this book!

I could not put this book down. I kept reading it as if it was a fictional thriller, and kept having to remind myself that everything in this book--double agents/triple agents, moles, bribes, murder--is absolutely true and a part of the history of the CIA/FBI. I read this book well before the events of September 11, but it now seems particularly compelling (yet frightening) as the CIA and FBI try to rebuild themselves. If you want to be an informed American--or just want a riveting read--get this book! See for yourself what this book is about!

Fascinating and eye-opening

There's a wealth of previously unavailable information here. This history explains a lot about our current relations with other countries. A must read for anyone interested in history and the truth.

An Amazing History Lesson--with some interesting revelations

Don't buy this book if you are looking for information about the CIA's structure or policies. This is a "National Enquirer" style set of revelations about the CIA's mistakes in judgement and super-tricky Soviet agents' abilities.The book is written in rough chronological sequence--but, the overlap of some of the stories requires a little backward and forward storytelling. It starts with the pre-CIA origins and moves well into the '90s.Initial impressions, from early chapters, are that the CIA is foolish; the left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing; and the reader is blinded by 20/20 hindsight. As the book progresses, and the reader is carried through the discovery of moles and double/triple agents, the reader begins to understand how hard the discernment of "the truth" can be. In the end, one is left with a mix of sympathy, amazement, and admiration.Be sure to read each chapter's footnotes for more interesting tidbits!