Encyclopedia of the central intelligence agency is a 2003 book by w. A few years after the attacks of 911, a manager of the central intelligence agencys covert interrogation program posted a warning placard in his office. Director of the central intelligence agency wikipedia. Goss served as the first director of central intelligence agency, from april 21, 2005 may 5, 2006 for more on the directors of central intelligence, visit. The secret wars of the cia all statements of fact, opinion or analysis expressed in these books are those of the authors and do not reflect the official positions or views of the central intelligence agency cia or any other u.
Encyclopedia of the central intelligence agency wikipedia. The secret history of the cia, afghanistan, and bin laden, from the soviet invasion to september 10, 2001 john prados, safe for democracy. Trentos characterdriven history of the flawed and often destructive central intelligence agency profiles the men and women who have run the agency from its. The central intelligence agency cia is a civilian foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the united states, tasked with gathering, processing, and analyzing national security information from around the world, primarily through the use of human intelligence humint. The cia is headed by a director and deputy director, only one of whom may be a military officer. William joseph casey march, 19 may 6, 1987 was the director of central intelligence from 1981 to 1987. John owen brennan born september 22, 1955 is a former american intelligence officer who served as the director of the central intelligence agency cia from march 20. It was established on 1 july 1967 to bring together analysts responsible for military analysis in cia s directorate of intelligence. Tim weiner, a reporter for the new york times, has filed stories from inside the cia and around the world for twenty years. This is a book about washington process and bureaucracy, for sure, but with.
Thus, to fill the void, i have recruited my own assets, a bunch of books on the cia itself. This position was generally filled by leaders from various. The director of central intelligence dci was the head of the american central intelligence agency from 1946 to 2005, acting as the principal intelligence advisor to the president of the united states and the united states national security council, as well as the coordinator of intelligence activities among and between the various u. In this capacity he oversaw the entire united states intelligence community and personally directed the central intelligence agency cia. Mkultra was a topsecret cia project in which the agency conducted hundreds of clandestine experimentssometimes on unwitting u. An intelligence professionals reading list small wars. Lynds has written more books with the team of blake and ryder at the helm but this is the one that started it all. When an attempt is made on her life, eva turns to her friend, judd ryder, ex cia intelligence officer. A private tour of the cias incredible museum history. He was the first individual to rise through the agencys ranks to become its director since robert m. Its one of the first in a long line of suspected or acknowledged cia interventions in the governments of foreign countries, and it was indeed a tremendous success from the agencys point of view.
John owen brennan born september 22, 1955 is a former american intelligence officer who served as the director of the central intelligence agency cia from march 20 to january 2017. Best cia books list of top books about the central. Directors and deputy directors of central intelligence. The history book club american democracy government. Truman signed the national security act of 1947 into law. The book also details how the cia throughout its history have been little more than yes men for the president. Thehistoryofciasofficeofstrategicresearch196781robertd. National security internet archive nsia additional collections. The history, william colby as director of central intelligence, 19731976, provides detailed accounts of key episodes such as the firing of counterintelligence chief james angleton, colbys role in the revelation of the cia family jewels, and the collapse of south vietnam, where colby had spent much of his career. In the secret history of the cia, you will descend into the murky underworld of double and triple agents, of divided loyalties and tortured souls, and of high. Nixon, as director of the office of management and budget 199394.
In this book, stephen kinzer places their extraordinary lives against the background of american culture and history. The extraordinary story of how the wildest man in congress and a rogue cia agent changed the history of our times paperback. She is the first woman to hold the post on a permanent basis 1 and was previously the deputy director under mike pompeo during the early presidency of donald trump. House of representatives 197793 and held office in the administrations of three u. The history of cia s office of strategic research, 196781. He is a retired us army pilot and a vietnam veteran. Pbsuccess was the code name for a cia backed coup led against the democratically elected government of jacobo arbenz, the president of guatemala, in 1954. Best actionadventure novels, best spy novels, best nonfiction war books, conspiracy fiction, best gay mystery, best violent action novels. Directors of central intelligence a look back from 1946 to 2005, the director of central intelligence dci headed the worlds most important intelligence agency and oversaw the most sophisticated and most productive set of intelligence services ever known.
Legacy of ashes is a detailed history of the central intelligence agency from its creation. President truman appointed the deputy director of cig, roscoe h. The history of the cia doubleday, 2007 is a barnburner. He is a past winner of the pulitzer prize for covering national security.
A major impetus that has been cited over the years for the creation of the cia was the unforeseen attack on pearl harbor, but whatever pearl harbors role, in the twilight of world war ii it was. Leon panetta, american politician who served in the u. Sorted by popularity, the highest rated books about the central intelligence agency are at the top of the list and. The cia was created under the national security act of 1947, which president truman signed on july 26, 1947. Clapper has held several key positions within the united states intelligence community.
The secret history of the cia, afghanistan, and bin laden, from the soviet invasion to september 10, 2001. The history of the cia and millions of other books are available. The united states central intelligence agency cia was created on july 26, when harry s. Why does the united states behave as it does in the world. Agency directors, spies, analysts and operatives tell of the secrets that have shaped so many lives and events. President barack obama, with the title deputy national security advisor for homeland security and counterterrorism, and assistant to the president. Smith agreed as he felt the cia was highly relevant to military history. To the point where the cia reports were changed to fit the narrative the president wanted them to fit. Intelligence literature central intelligence agency. Kessler has gone in depth, interviewing key figures inside each of the cia s directorates and goes into much of the agencys history, both good and bad. Hillenkoetter as the first director of the central intelligence agency. In doing so, the book weaves in the history of the cia and how it really works. Risen writes in state of war that, several of the iranian cia agents were arrested and jailed, while the fate of some. The washington postlegacy of ashes is the best book ive yet read on the.
John brennan, american intelligence officer who served as director 2017 of the central intelligence agency cia. The book lists offer the reader personal and academic views on intelligence, its role in. Obviously, its a little outdated but so far it has provided some interesting details about espionage operations. History of the central intelligence agency wikipedia. Riggio of the book the secret history of the cia written by joseph j. The director of the central intelligence agency d cia is a statutory office 50 u. Finally, an interactive index of the books 220 pages is available in this. This brief bibliography of intelligence literature provides a wide spectrum of views on intelligence and the central intelligence agency. John foster dulles was secretary of state while his brother, allen dulles, was director of the central intelligence agency. Welcome to the cia web site central intelligence agency. This history of americas central intelligence agency traces the organizations 50 years of existence and the people who made it the worlds foremost secret service. If youve ever wondered what really goes on in the halls of langley, check out ronald kesslers fantastic book. Agents and historians dig into the cias history and activities.
A history of the establishment of the central intelligence agency. The reason i gave the book 3 stars was the author barely. From the cia s intelligence failure of 911 to its critical role in preventing further attacks, the cia at war tells a riveting, unique story about a secretive. Directors of central intelligence as leaders of the u. The cia officially came into existence on september 18 that same year. The cia enlists rare book curator eva blake to help them. This list of best books about the cia includes many notable books, from novels telling the history of covert operations to memoirs by former cia directors and other company men. Since february 2017, the d cia has been a cabinetlevel position. A private tour of the cias incredible museum inside the agencys headquarters is a museum filled with relics from half a century of cloakanddagger exploits. This book reprints anne karalekass history of the central intelligence agency, originally published in book iv. Center for the study of intelligence central intelligence agency washington, dc 20505 copies of this study are available through the us. While the list is comprised of mostly nonfiction there are a few fiction books. These books cover a wide range of topics, from intelligence operations, to military history, leadership, sociology and psychology. The readings cover history, technology, opinion, and some of the key personalities associated with intelligence.
The cia, formally created in 1947, is the principal foreign intelligence and counterintelligence agency of the u. This book was lent to me by a fellow member of saint rita church in santa rosa beach florida. The history of the cia is a 2007 book by tim weiner. Together they embark on a mission that covers most of europe. This book continues the official history of the cia begun in arthur darlings the central intelligence agency. He knew i was a retired fbi agent and a lover of history. A look back directors of central intelligence central. From its founding in 1947 until 2005, the cia was run by the director of central intelligence dci. This is a list of directors and their dates in office.
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