- Mass Market Paperback: 358 pages
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster; Reissue edition (1 Mar 1994)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 067173458X
- ISBN-13: 978-0671734589
- Product Dimensions: 17.2 x 10.9 x 2.7 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 416,233 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- See Complete Table of Contents
Inside the CIA
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Product Description
Product Description
In 1991, Liz Smith of The New York Daily News wrote, "In Washington these days, the book that everyone wants to get his hands on is Ronald Kessler's expose . . . Escape from the CIA". Now Kessler takes his investigation to even greater depths, with unprecedented access to Agency files and personnel.
--This text refers to the
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Inside This Book
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First Sentence
WHEN MOST PEOPLE THINK OF THE CIA, THEY THINK OF the Directorate of Operations, the spy side of the house that is also known as the clandestine service. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
WHEN MOST PEOPLE THINK OF THE CIA, THEY THINK OF the Directorate of Operations, the spy side of the house that is also known as the clandestine service. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Mass Market Paperback
Ronald Kessler does an outstanding job informing and entertaining the reader. Moreover, "Inside the CIA" is both objective and comprehensive. Kessler uses his remarkable access to key actors in the CIA to lift the Agency's curtain of secrecy. He also dares to expose agency blemishes and is critical of organizational failures.
I found his review of the Cold War outstanding and appreciated his detailed breakdown of how each Directorate functions within the Agency. However, the best part of this book is the many first hand accounts from former operatives. Recommended.
Bert Ruiz
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
46 reviews
36 of 42 people found the following review helpful
Not terribly revealing
31 Mar 2001
Format:Mass Market Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Kessler's Inside the CIA has more to say about the organization of the Agency than actual spycraft. As such it is hardly an interesting read - in fact, I would venture so far to say that it is downright dull. Kessler laboriously explains the table of organization of the CIA - what the 5 directorates are and what they do (in the abstract) with very little by way of specifics. The few interviews Kessler conducted in his preparation for this book were with former Directors - very little from the "men in the field." Most of the information Kessler presents can easily be found elsewhere, in a much abbreviated form, and at less cost than the book. If you are interested in a book about what the function of the CIA is and how it is organized to carry out its mission, this is the book for you. If you are interested in something about spycraft or are searching for stories about individual CIA operations, look elsewhere. In spite of its catchy title, you will be disappointed.
12 of 12 people found the following review helpful
Good history, fair analysis, outdated
19 Oct 2006
Format:Mass Market Paperback
The simple fact is that this book is outdated. Published in 1992, it is obvious that the absolute last world event dealt with in the author's research was the Gulf War of 1991. Even though it says it's been updated in 1994, there is definitely no mention of the Clinton years or the 1993 WTC bombing. In fact, in an ominous line, the authors writes to the effect that there has never been a major intel failure since the 80s (regardless of what side you believe, 9/11 would certainly get a full chapter under this category). It's time to update this book, or it will be totally obsolete very soon.
The entire structure of the CIA is outdated. The book was written in the days when there was a DCI, and the major directorates were Ops, Science & Technology, Intelligence and Admin. Now, there is a DNI/DDNI team as head of national intel, under whom is the DCIA (not DCI anymore). The directorates are different as well: Ops is now called the National Clandestine Service; S&T is the same, Intelligence is called Analysis, and Admin is called Support. Not to mention that the whole thing about visitors to Langley is laughably archaic in post-9/11 America.
Though some reviewers mention that Kessler doesn't "reveal any secrets," I found the book quite full of inside info. There are tons of examples of insider issues, operations that went well or badly, and myth debunks. What did you expect, that even if there is a captured UFO, the book would tell you? I didn't see TOPSECRET//NOFORN//SCI anywhere on the cover.
As a history, the book is wonderful. Unfortunately, it's the closest thing to a current tell-all of the Agency, which is sad. Even the Agency itself lists it at the top of their recommended reading for applicants. Untimately, how much can one read about the Soviets and their terrible, horrible threat and still take it seriously in the age of terrorism? In a history of the CIA, fine. But in a book that is supposed to (by the Agency's own admission!) let the average civilian in on the unclassified story of the CIA, Kessler has got to update this book.
The entire structure of the CIA is outdated. The book was written in the days when there was a DCI, and the major directorates were Ops, Science & Technology, Intelligence and Admin. Now, there is a DNI/DDNI team as head of national intel, under whom is the DCIA (not DCI anymore). The directorates are different as well: Ops is now called the National Clandestine Service; S&T is the same, Intelligence is called Analysis, and Admin is called Support. Not to mention that the whole thing about visitors to Langley is laughably archaic in post-9/11 America.
Though some reviewers mention that Kessler doesn't "reveal any secrets," I found the book quite full of inside info. There are tons of examples of insider issues, operations that went well or badly, and myth debunks. What did you expect, that even if there is a captured UFO, the book would tell you? I didn't see TOPSECRET//NOFORN//SCI anywhere on the cover.
As a history, the book is wonderful. Unfortunately, it's the closest thing to a current tell-all of the Agency, which is sad. Even the Agency itself lists it at the top of their recommended reading for applicants. Untimately, how much can one read about the Soviets and their terrible, horrible threat and still take it seriously in the age of terrorism? In a history of the CIA, fine. But in a book that is supposed to (by the Agency's own admission!) let the average civilian in on the unclassified story of the CIA, Kessler has got to update this book.
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Excellent and Factual
30 Dec 2002
Format:Mass Market Paperback
This is a fantastic book that carefully steers away from the over-zealous and tired conspiracy theory that one might expect to read in any book about the CIA. For those interested in American political process, this book simply tells you how the CIA is structured and how it works to carry out its legal mission. In an unbiased way, it also highlights some of the successes and failures of the CIA since its inception.
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