Inside the CIA

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Summary: Past, Present & Future of the CIA
Review: "Inside the CIA" by Ronald Kessler is a comprehensive and at times laboriously detailed accounting of the CIA'S origin, organization, missions, accomplishments and abysmal failures beginning with its establishment on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act. The CIA with its 22,000 full-time employees is clearly explained in terms of its assemblage, sub-structures and turf battles amongst its four divisions: Operations, Science and Technology, Intelligience, and Administration, with a listing of specific areas of responsibilities, achievements, and methodologies. Differentiation is made between CIA Officers and Agents, differences amid the CIA and FBI missions and philosophies, and noting certain improprieties which led to the Church Committee hearings (1975) and certain oversight committees including those of General Counsel (legal), and Inspector General. The complex shpere of CIA responsibilities is illuminated by describing a typical "day in the life of" the Director.

The author's experience in investigative reporting permitted him unusual opportunities to obtain convincing first-hand accountings of the CIA physical plant, personal interviews with five of the CIA past or then present CIA Directors, and numerous informants from the FBI and Congress.

To not read "Inside The CIA" is to not know the CIA.

Rating:
Summary: Good, but very one sided
Review: All in all, the FBI book seems better. Both in accuracy (based on information confirmed in other books) and depth (this one doesn't get very deep). This book is a decent overview but really leaves the doors open for a lot of other reading on the subject. Information contained in books on the MI6 and the KGB (Sword and Shield) paint a somewhat different picture of some of the CIA's accomplishments. Suggest reading the Black Tulip for a semi-non-fiction read. Looking back I'm not all that happy with this book.

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Summary: The best study of the CIA ever written
Review: Anybody even remotely interested in the inner workings and history of the Central Intelligence Agency will thoroughly enjoy this book. Kessler writes from an unbiased perspective and gives due attention to all four CIA directorates as well as CIA history. In short, a great read.

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Summary: Oh, the poor, misunderstood CIA
Review: Apparently, the CIA has NEVER done anything wrong that we haven't already heard about in the popular press. At least, that's the impression to be gotten from this tedious, badly-edited work of apologist literary bureacracy. According to Kessler, the modern CIA is a thoroughly law-abiding, and highly misunderstood agency (with the possible exception of the directorate of security). And the few illegal activities the Agency has been involved in happened under past directors, particularly the much-vilified (and conveniently dead) William Casey. William Webster, in the author's eyes, is apparently ripe for canonization. Who knew the CIA was such a benevolent group of folks?

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Summary: Don't Worry This Book Won't self-destruct after you read it
Review: Ever since it's formation in the 1950's the CIA. has been one of the most intriguing and at times most controversial organizations of all time. Ronlad Kessler's investigative novel: Inside The CIA offers to shed some much-needed light on the agency's purpose. Using information gathered from interviews with retired CIA and KGB officers, Kessler reveals more about the CIA's structure, policies, and personnel than any James Bond movie ever could.

Kessler explains that the CIA is divided into four chief directorates: operations, intelligence, administration, and science and technology. He goes on to say that these four departments work in unison to keep the CIA runnning smoothly. The CIA could not withstand the loss of any one of these divisons; if the directorate of administration was taken away no one would get employed, paid, or terminated. Likewise if the directorate of intelligence was eliminated the CIA's main role (gaining information about other countries and using that information to protect national security) would not be fulfilled. At the head of all these directorates and sub-directorates is the office of the director of the Central Intelligence Agency.

Movies like James Bond and Misson: Impossible may give people the wron idead about the CIA. Kessler states that "When the public or the media cannot know something they immediately assume that the agency has make a mistake." Many people think that classified information is something the CIA doesn't want to acknowlege; in reality the CIA classifies information to protect the US and its citizens.

I picked up this book looking foward to pages full of clever gadgets and shadowly double agents. What i found was long drawn out procedures and policies that often confused me. However the book was occasionally spiced up with an intresting fact or two. For instance did you know that former president George Bush was once director of the CIA? Or that in the past the CIA hired US citizens vacationing over seas to spy on foreign emmbassies? These seldom facts combined with the agency's interesting history kept me reading. This book might appeal to someone who wants to clear up some of the speculation of the CIA.

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Summary: Pretty good, but not exactly revealing
Review: evidently, this guy's book about the FBI created quite the stir. when i got this book for x-mas, i expected a lot of information on the operations aspect of the CIA, but was somewhat disappointed. i was pleased with some of the operational history and how the agency evolved through the years to become one of the most skilled, and respected intelligence agencies in the world. but, this book didn't reveal much that couldn't already be found online. aside from his detailed operations accounts and interviews of CIA personnel, just about everything this guy discusses is somewhere online -- most of it on the CIA website. furthermore, i expected at least something on the collection management aspect of the clandestine service, but kessler didn't mention that job at all, preferring to spend a whole chapter on the CIA's games in cuba and with castro.
don't expect to find anything too exciting in here. there's some good operations history, and he does a good job detailing different areas of the CIA, their responsibilities, and how they all work together. but it read like a series of somewhat nonsensical stories told by someone more interested in the garnishes than the entree. if you want to know more about the CIA, you would be better off going to their website first and then reading this guy's book for some 1st person accounts and operations.

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Summary: Amazing they let this get published: Secrets Galore
Review: Fascinating, insightful. A real thinking-man's guide to the most thinking of agencies, the CIA. Well written, logical, and filled to the brim with anecdotes and examples. This is THE book for anyone who wants to join or understand 'the Company'.

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Summary: BEST BOOK OUT THERE
Review: For whatever reason, it seems as if this is the ONLY book that talks aobut the CIA in general, covering a wide variety of topics. Most of the books I've seen simply go in-depth about one of the past directors or a historical incident. This book is an excellent overview of the CIA past, present, and future, with in-depth discussion on all 4 directorates (operations, intelligence, administration, science & technology).

Though it is a great book that I STRONGLY RECCOMEND, my own personal suggestion to the author: include more information on the gadgets used by the CIA and the employment process. Of course, an updated edition that addressed the CIA's role post-9/11 would be interesting as well.

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Rating:
Summary: Good intro to the real CIA
Review: Having never read anything about the CIA, this was a good introduction to what the CIA does and how it is organized. Short real life examples are sprinkled throughout and keep the book interesting (until the last 3 chapters which I found too boring). The book is thorough and well organized. But if you're looking for action, look elsewhere.

Rating:
Summary: Good - but at times repetitive
Review: I found this book to be a good read. The only problem was that at times it seemed the author would use one of 5 or 6 examples throughout the book. This became rather frustrating and even confusing leaving the reader wondering if they were having DEJA-VU or reading the author forgot that he had already included the description of the event earlier in the book. Overall, I would suggest this book but I would caution that at times one may want to selectively read or skim some of the material due to it being either dry or repetitive in nature.