- Paperback: 832 pages
- Publisher: Penguin (5 Jun 2008)
- Language Unknown
- ISBN-10: 0141033169
- ISBN-13: 978-0141033167
- Product Dimensions: 19.4 x 13 x 3.8 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 147,944 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
Legacy of Ashes: The History of the CIA
and over one million other books are available for Amazon Kindle .
Learn more
| |||||||||||||||
 Trade In this Item for up to £3.60
Get an extra £5 when you trade in books worth £10 or more until June 30, 2012. Trade in Legacy of Ashes: The History of the CIA for an Amazon.co.uk gift card of up to £3.60, which you can then spend on millions of items across the site. Trade-in values may vary (terms apply). Find more products eligible for trade-in.
|
Product details |
Product Description
Review
This extraordinary story reads like tragedy and thriller. Impeccably sourced, utterly absorbing, dazzling and very, very dark (Time Out )
This racy history reveals the CIA as a secret service to make Smiley weep and Bond howl in horror (Daily Telegraph )
Combines thrilling storytelling with terrifying revelations (Simon Sebag Montefiore New Statesman, Books of the Year )
Weiner's riveting history of the CIA contains dozens of jaw-dropping incidents ... astonishing (Evening Standard, Books of the Year )
Timely, immensely readable, and highly critical (Mark Bowden, Author Of 'black Hawk Down' )
Marvellous ... that every quote is also on the record is a testament to his skill (Steve Coll, Author Of 'ghost Wars' )
Winner of the National Book Award (Prizes and awards )
This racy history reveals the CIA as a secret service to make Smiley weep and Bond howl in horror (Daily Telegraph )
Combines thrilling storytelling with terrifying revelations (Simon Sebag Montefiore New Statesman, Books of the Year )
Weiner's riveting history of the CIA contains dozens of jaw-dropping incidents ... astonishing (Evening Standard, Books of the Year )
Timely, immensely readable, and highly critical (Mark Bowden, Author Of 'black Hawk Down' )
Marvellous ... that every quote is also on the record is a testament to his skill (Steve Coll, Author Of 'ghost Wars' )
Winner of the National Book Award (Prizes and awards )
Review
'This racy history reveals the CIA as a secret service to make Smiley weep and Bond howl in horror'
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
9 of 11 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
The CIA was founded in 1947 to brief the President and conduct covert operations overseas. It has no monopoly, coexisting with the State Department, Pentagon and branches of military intelligence, the FBI and a plethora of other agencies. The US "never has had and does not now have a co-ordinated intelligence system." From the immense amount of data, government reports, books and memoirs and allowing for the historical context where the threat (levels of paranoia) and the political environment changed radically, just how do you produce a history of the CIA in 514 pages? The sins of selection, omission, emphasis and over simplification accepted, this book is nothing if not ambitious. It is excellent journalism, a credible work.
Weiner relates the history of the CIA in six parts grouped by presidential office holders (Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy/Johnson, Nixon/Ford, Carter/Reagan/Bush Snr, Clinton/ Bush Jnr). The relationship between the President and the CIA is crucial; it has never been solid, always imprecise and often confrontational. The CIA missed the Soviet bomb, the Korean War, misread Eastern Europe, the Cuban crisis (Bay of Pigs and missiles), the Arab Israelis Wars, Kuwait and much more. It was terrible at assessing intentions and strengths of the Soviet Union. In seeking to secure regime change in the third world countries, it has a track record of bringing down bad governments to be replaced by nastier ones. It's often farcical and tragic - for example Saddam Hussein went from close friend through to the Weapons of Mass Destruction. Even in soft intelligence, the CIA often has little more than a newspaper clippings agency collects. "While the Soviet state withered away, the CIA was constantly reporting the Soviet economy was growing" (page 429). The CIA has not gone unchallenged, "The Pentagon (has) moved stealthily and steadily into the fields of overseas covert operations, usurping traditional roles, responsibilities, authorities, and missions.........the militarization of intelligence accelerated as the nation's civilian intelligence service eroded." (page 505). Here we come full circle, at inception the Pentagon wanted the CIA to be still born.
Weiner does not dwell on the ethics of the CIA but essentially catalogues its' incompetence, billons of dollars have been squandered and American interests (it's raison d'etre) very badly served. And millions have died in events in which the CIA played a large part. This book is not a rant; his sources are typically from the establishment. Weiner gives you enough to answer the fundamental question: has the CIA done more harm than good.
Where I found this book engrossing lies in how political intentions (the need to create an espionage entity) translated into a bureaucratic structure, how it defines its goals and is run. The bottom line is the management of, and within the CIA, has been appalling. Government agencies are set up by amateurs (what professional qualifications must politicians obtain before taking office) with imprecise goals that are not measurable (the profit motive in the private sector does have its uses). It does what public servants do best - infighting with each other and rival departments while inflating it's own reputation. Weiner's final page states "For sixty years tens of thousands of clandestine service officers have gathered only the barest threads of truly important intelligence - and that is the CIA's deepest secret (p514).
Weiner relates the history of the CIA in six parts grouped by presidential office holders (Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy/Johnson, Nixon/Ford, Carter/Reagan/Bush Snr, Clinton/ Bush Jnr). The relationship between the President and the CIA is crucial; it has never been solid, always imprecise and often confrontational. The CIA missed the Soviet bomb, the Korean War, misread Eastern Europe, the Cuban crisis (Bay of Pigs and missiles), the Arab Israelis Wars, Kuwait and much more. It was terrible at assessing intentions and strengths of the Soviet Union. In seeking to secure regime change in the third world countries, it has a track record of bringing down bad governments to be replaced by nastier ones. It's often farcical and tragic - for example Saddam Hussein went from close friend through to the Weapons of Mass Destruction. Even in soft intelligence, the CIA often has little more than a newspaper clippings agency collects. "While the Soviet state withered away, the CIA was constantly reporting the Soviet economy was growing" (page 429). The CIA has not gone unchallenged, "The Pentagon (has) moved stealthily and steadily into the fields of overseas covert operations, usurping traditional roles, responsibilities, authorities, and missions.........the militarization of intelligence accelerated as the nation's civilian intelligence service eroded." (page 505). Here we come full circle, at inception the Pentagon wanted the CIA to be still born.
Weiner does not dwell on the ethics of the CIA but essentially catalogues its' incompetence, billons of dollars have been squandered and American interests (it's raison d'etre) very badly served. And millions have died in events in which the CIA played a large part. This book is not a rant; his sources are typically from the establishment. Weiner gives you enough to answer the fundamental question: has the CIA done more harm than good.
Where I found this book engrossing lies in how political intentions (the need to create an espionage entity) translated into a bureaucratic structure, how it defines its goals and is run. The bottom line is the management of, and within the CIA, has been appalling. Government agencies are set up by amateurs (what professional qualifications must politicians obtain before taking office) with imprecise goals that are not measurable (the profit motive in the private sector does have its uses). It does what public servants do best - infighting with each other and rival departments while inflating it's own reputation. Weiner's final page states "For sixty years tens of thousands of clandestine service officers have gathered only the barest threads of truly important intelligence - and that is the CIA's deepest secret (p514).
Format:Paperback
I really enjoyed reading this book. It is stunning to see that an organization that has gotten such an image has such a poor track record. The blundering, the incompetence and the sheer stupidity is amazing. The CIA is like any other organization. I worked with and for many big organizations and am always surprised about the mistakes made and the duck-tape & tie-wrap solutions these organizations use.
The CIA is, according to this book, no different.
A must read for every fan of spy novels, since it shows how different the real world is.
The CIA is, according to this book, no different.
A must read for every fan of spy novels, since it shows how different the real world is.
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
This book confirms what most of us suspected - that those controlling the CIA for the greater part of the agency's existence have been a bunch of self-serving incompetents - a law unto themselves.
We can only imagine how much better the world might be now (and how many tens of thousands of lives might not have been lost) if the Americans had got their secret service act together during the 60 years following the end of WWII.
Frightening.
We can only imagine how much better the world might be now (and how many tens of thousands of lives might not have been lost) if the Americans had got their secret service act together during the 60 years following the end of WWII.
Frightening.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Cost
Why does this book cost 50% more in electronic form? VAT is 20%. Where is the rest going? It feels like taking advantage.
Published 14 months ago by M. Cook
A Matter of National Security
This is a book everyone should have on one's `CIA' shelf. It does a good overall job of explaining how the CIA works. Read more
Published 15 months ago by Jack Harrison
Devastatingly Brilliant.
"The Legacy of Ashes: The History of the CIA" is a fascinating read from beginning to end. It seemed a little intimidating at first, as it's 601 pages long excluding the notes.. Read more
Published 21 months ago by R. Teather
excellent
I hate long reviews
first this is a history of the CIA which is amazingly sourced. he may seem biased but I think its the fact that he cant believe how inept the CIA can... Read more
first this is a history of the CIA which is amazingly sourced. he may seem biased but I think its the fact that he cant believe how inept the CIA can... Read more
Published 21 months ago by Mr. Pj Williams
CIA History from a critical point of view
Very interesting re-cap of CIA history from WWII to recent days. It seems that the writer has a negative outlook on the CIA which manifests itself in his writing. Read more
Published on 15 May 2010 by Roy B
What exactly did they get up to?
A really interesting and at time unbelievable book.
If you are interested in what the CIA has got up to in the 20th century you wont be disappointed. Read more
If you are interested in what the CIA has got up to in the 20th century you wont be disappointed. Read more
Published on 28 Feb 2009 by Mr. Al Price
The case for the prosecution
Weiner's main charge against the CIA isn't that it is a sinister all powerful organisation that controls the world for good or ill, but that it has repeatedly failed in it's basic... Read more
Published on 2 Feb 2009 by Ross
For all who know USA (or thought they did)
One of the most incredible books ever read. It explains much of the last 60 years history as we thought we knew it.
Published on 1 Feb 2009 by Gullible Brit
Laugh or Cry !
When you read this book you will initially want to laugh at the blunders and ineptitude of the CIA's "covert" operations. Read more
Published on 29 Nov 2008 by Mr. R. J. Wilson
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
|
|
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
