Kleinman, Steven M. "KUBARK Counterintelligence Interrogation Review: Observations of an Interrogator." Defense Intelligence Journal 15, no. 1 (2006): 79-134.
Kleinman, Steven M. "KUBARK Counterintelligence Interrogation Review: Observations of an Interrogator." Defense Intelligence Journal 15, no. 1 (2006): 79-134.
This is a detailed look at "the potential for lessons learned" from the controversial "KUBARK Counterintelligence Interrogation Manual," produced by the CIA in 1963 and declassified in 1997. The author finds in the manual "a wealth of valuable concepts that either have the potential for immediate application ... or that warrant further study."
Maddrell, Paul. Spying on Science: Western Intelligence in Divided Germany, 1945-1961. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2006.
According to Peake, Studies 51.3 (2007), this work "focuses on the scientific intelligence obtained" from interrogations of refugees, defectors, and former POWs, as well as from "traditional agents, special technical collection teams, mail interception units, and telecommunications monitoring," and "the beneficial results for Western military capabilities." The author leaves "the impression that the tremendous human intelligence effort he describes was less productive than he implied" earlier.
Fischer, IJI&C 21.3 (Fall 2008), comments that the author's "original contribution ... is to put intelligence at the center of the story" of the use of German scientists after World War II. In the process, Maddrell "depicts intelligence operations from the ground up.... Spying on Science is an important contribution to Cold War and intelligence history."
Mello, Tara Baukus. Your Government: How It Works -- The Central Intelligence Agency. Philadelphia, PA: Chelsea House, 2000.
Jonkers, AFIO WIN 17-00 (28 Apr. 2000), identifies this as a 59-page "overview of CIA in the context of a series of how our government works." It is aimed at high school- age students.
Prados, John. Lost Crusader: The Secret Wars of CIA Director William Colby. New York: Oxford University Press, 2003.
David Wise, Washington Post, 27 Apr. 2003, comments that "[a]lthough written in generally dry, academic style, Prados's study is richly detailed (sometimes overwhelmingly so)." The author "has mined newly declassified documents and scores of interviews to reveal some previously undisclosed gems.... If at times Prados is too admiring of his subject, there was nevertheless much to admire.... [Colby] paid dearly for revealing the agency's transgressions, but he was comforted by the knowledge that what he did was right for his country and his conscience. By portraying William Colby's life in all its nuances, Lost Crusader makes an important contribution to intelligence literature."
Karabell, FA 82.4, finds that this is a "comprehensive (although often dry) account of the strange career of Colby." However, "much of [Colby's] life and personality remain veiled, and Prados ... does not succeed in fleshing out his personality."
For Bath, NIPQ 19.4, this work is as much about the Agency as it is about Colby. Prados is "firm in his conclusion that Colby's basic strategy [during the CIA's troubles in the 1970s] was to reveal only enough information to preserve the CIA." The amount of detail included by the author, while "germane to his arguments," is "sometimes difficult for the uninitiated to follow. However, the value of the book lies in this detail."
Tovar, IJI&C 17.1, notes that in covering the assassination of Vietnamese President Ngo Dinh Diem, "it is hard to escape the thought that Prados's real target" is the CIA. Elsewhere, the author "worries the Indonesian bone through many pages of supposition and speculation." With regard to the public problems of 1974-1975, Tovar believes that "Prados reports the events of those turbulent times even-handedly," but at the same time does not agree with the author's interpretation of either the events or Colby's rationale for dealing with them.
To Leary, I&NS 18.4, this work "constitutes the best defense to appear to date on the actions of the beleaguered director" in 1975. The author "knows what he is talking about, and his judgments are balanced." He "deals well with Colby's public career, but not his personal life, or the interaction between the two."
Robarge, Studies 47.4 (2003), sees the author handling "the narrative of Colby's curriculum vitae in a workmanlike fashion.... But in a biography, the less captivating attributes of the main character or lacunae in the documentary record of his career cannot be offset with lengthy accounts of Agency operations and bureaucratic developments with which, at least based on the material presented, Colby's involvement can only be discerned by inference.... Surprisingly for a researcher of Prados's diligence, Lost Crusader contains many factual errors and questionable interpretations."
Scarborough, Rowan. Sabotage: America's Enemies within the CIA. Washington, DC: Regnery, 2007.
Clark comment: The flag-line on the inside flap tells us all we need to know about this book: "How Bush-hating CIA Bureaucrats Are Sabotaging the War on Terror."
Weisman, Intelligencer 15.3 (Summer/Fall 2007), notes that there are plenty of accusations in this book; but the author does not name very many of the "CIA bureaucrats" who are the object of his ire, "or pin down who leaked what or to whom." Scarborough's work is "deficient in specifics."
Sileo, Thomas. CIA Humor: A Few True Stories from A 31-Year Career. Alexandria, VA: Washington House, 2004.
Peake, Studies 49.2 (2005), notes that this small book (108 pages) contains "five chapters of anecdotes.... Not all of the stories are funny, but they are all instructive.... This little book will bring pleasure to many and probably invoke similar memories in other officers."
Smith, W. Thomas, Jr. The Encyclopedia of the Central Intelligence Agency. New York: Checkmark Books, Facts-on-File, 2003.
Peake, Studies 47.4 (2003), seems to believe that the only good thing about this "encyclopedia" is that it is arranged alphabetically. The author "takes a less than scholarly approach to his task.... The assortment of entries he has assembled is incomplete and filled with too many errors of fact."
Stiefler, Todd. "CIA's Leadership and Major Covert Operations: Rogue Elephant or Risk-Averse Bureaucrats?" Intelligence and National Security 19, no. 4 (Winter 2004): 632-654.
The author offers three variables that he believes "most directly impact how CIA leaders assess the costs and benefits of covert action to their organization: public opinion, the value of strategic intelligence, and the state of inter-agency competition."
Swenson, Allan, and Michael Benson. The Complete Idiot’s Guide to the CIA. Indianapolis, IN: Alpha Books, 2003.
Jonkers, AFIO WIN 47-02, 11 Dec. 2002, notes that this book is "intentionally aim[ed] for the popular market and written in a way understandable to the general public." However, "[i]t contains a wealth of information, plainly and concisely stated.... For those seeking a popular, easy to understand baseline understanding of intelligence,... this book is a good way to start."
For Peake, Studies 47.3, while this book is "filled with clichés," it also "gives a good overview of the organization, mission, history, and functions" of the CIA. "A number of helpful appendices clarify abbreviations and provide definitions..., a bibliography, and a list of other relevant intelligence organizations. The historical facts sprinkled throughout should not, however, be accepted on faith."
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