BLOND GHOST [Hardcover]

David Corn (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 13, 1994

A biography of CIA agent Ted Shackley, whose thirty-year career included operations in Berlin, Miami and Cuba, and Laos, is also a critical look at the CIA and its conflicting roles of objective intelligence gathering and counter-espionage operations. 25,000 first printing.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Based on documents obtained under the Freedom of Information Act and more than 100 interviews with former CIA officers, this is an informative biography of a "company man" who ran secret wars against Cuba and Laos in the 1960s, managed intelligence operations in Vietnam and rose to the rank of associate deputy director of operations at CIA headquarters in Langley, Va. Primarily a desk officer ("a spy in a grey flannel suit"), Ted Shackley contributed significantly to the de-emphasis within the agency on classic intelligence gathering in favor of covert operations. (During the Vietnam War, the CIA was often accused of running a separate war against the Viet Cong and North Vietnamese.) Portrayed in these pages as a colorless, coldly efficient workaholic, Shackley had such a low profile that Corn has trouble presenting him other than two-dimensionally. "People who hold the secrets," he argues somewhat defensively, "do not necessarily have to be deep or interesting." The book does, however, provide a glimpse into the inner workings of the secretive agency, throughout the 1960s and '70s. Corn is Washington editor of the Nation. Photos.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

To recount some of the main events of the Cold War, this book uses a biographical format, telling the life story of dedicated CIA employee Ted Shackley. The topics covered include the attempts to kill or overthrow Castro, the secret war in Southeast Asia, bureaucratic politics at home, and Shackley's involvement with gunrunner Ed Wilson. The author emphasizes that Shackley was very much a tactical management/detail man, at home in either espionage or covert operations. Corn, the Washington editor for The Nation, claims to have interviewed over 250 people in preparing this book (although Shackley only gave him a few hours). He supports the theory that the CIA ignored reports contrary to what they wanted to believe and that it hurt itself and the country by supporting so many covert operations that publicly failed. Still, it is important to remember the emotional and strategic context of the Cold War when trying to understand Shackley's actions, and the operational details alone make this an interesting book. Photos not seen; the inclusion of some maps would have aided readers. Recommended for informed readers and specialists.
Daniel K. Blewett, Loyola Univ. Lib., Ill.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 512 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster; First Edition edition (October 13, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0671695258
• ISBN-13: 978-0671695255
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.5 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #932,749 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Spend Money, Get Lots of Folks Killed, Lose Anyway..., April 8, 2000

By 

Robert D. Steele (Oakton, VA United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: BLOND GHOST (Hardcover)

Although Ted Shackley was a line case officer, this book is placed within the paramilitary section because his entire career encompassed a series of wars where the CIA played a very tragic and unproductive role. As Shackley's deputy in Laos is quoted on page 163, speaking on Shakley's accomplishments in Laos, "We spent a lot of money and got a lot of people killed," Lair remembered, "and we didn't get much for it." For those seeking to understand the bureaucratization of the Directorate of Operations, both in the field and in Washington, this is essential reading.

2 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very informative, a must-read on the intelligence community, May 8, 2005

By 

Francisco R. Fonseca (Olympia, WA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: BLOND GHOST (Hardcover)

This book is very informative on the subject of Ted Shackley. I think Corn is fair to him and doesn't indict him as an upcoming book will do. It treats him fairly and leaves the reader to make up their own mind. If you want an overview of the important events o the Cold War read this and how this legend participated in them.

5 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Heavily biased but informative, August 11, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: BLOND GHOST (Hardcover)

Regardless of one's views on the CIA, it becomes quickly apparent that Corn's account of Agency activities, most of them pre-dating Church Committee hearings, is an extremely biased one. This is like reading an extended editorial column from an avid critic. The research is certainly thorough, although his admittedly extensive use of anonymous sources throws even more doubt on how much of the book can be taken at face value. Because the narratives primarily critique specific decisions and operations, it is easy to forget that Corn has chosen Shackley as the primary character. He is never really established as such. Expect to spend lots of time reading about operations in SE Asia. I do not at all agree that this book is essential reading for those interested in the intelligence community. For a more entertaining account of the inner workings of the Directorate of Operations (DO) during roughly the same time period, take a look at "The Night Watch" by David Atlee Philips. To my knowledge, Corn has never worked for the CIA. Philips served in various capacities within the DO.