Customer Reviews

In the Cross Fire: A Political History of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (U.S. Public Policy Series)

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I was an ATF Agent and manager from April 1972 until Jan. 1997. Based upon my knowledge and experience, I am convinced this will be the best book ever written about ATF's history and development thru 1997. It is MUST reading for anyone who has ever been an ATF Agent, or anyone who is seriously interested in understanding ATF and how it got to be the way it is.

Among other things, it provides the most concise, thorough, accurate and comprehensive account of the tragedy at Waco that most readers will ever review. For this alone it is worth reading (and this opinion includes my own study of (1) the Treasury Dept.'s own report on The Investigation of Vernon Wayne Howell, AKA David Koresh, which is for sale by the U.S. Gov't Printing Office, and is well worth reading in its own right; and (2) hours before the TV in 1995 watching the House Congressional subcommittee hearing on Waco, which was completely inadequate, confusing, misleading and an absolute failure at discovering the truth - proof once again that politicians fail to get almost anything right). So if you really want to build your understanding of the events at Waco, read this book.

And the book is about much more than just Waco. It tells the real source of ATF's strengths (its agents, not its management), and why, because of these agents, with their "determination to perform in spite of inadequate resources, training, policy, leadership, and political support", ATF has been able (at least in the past, but probably not now or in the near future) to successfully compete with the FBI, an agency that was/is "far larger, better known, more prestigious, and infinitely better funded". And if you read carefully, you might even learn why this superior performance is doomed not to continue.

If you are an ATF Agent, with the typical love/hate relationship that most agents have with ATF, this book will speed you again through all of the conflicting emotions you have felt. And if you are one of ATF's critics, you will learn many things you did not know or even consider knowing before reading this book, and hopefully will begin to understand that in many instances you have criticized things that do not deserve criticism, and have failed to criticize the things that do. If you care at all about ATF, pro or con, READ THIS BOOK!

The author presents the reader with an inside view of a law enforcement agency that has many unheralded successes and a few well publicized imperfections. The ATF is well respected by members of law enforcement and despised by many anti-gun control advocates and is often the subject of curiosity by those not directly alinged with either position

What has not been known until Vizzard authored this book, even by many of it's own employees is the influences of not only other government agencies but the anti-gun control organizations as well as party politics in the development of polices and missions by the leaders in this Bureau.

I spent nearly a quarter of a century as an agent with ATF and it's predecessor organization. I arrived on the scene (1959) as the heyday of liquor enforcement was fading. I was assigned to Bureau headquarters during the years when the Gun Control Act of 1968, and the Explosives Control Act of 1970, were enacted into law. I served in various managment positions in Washington, DC and later spent time on the firing line in two district offices (Detroit and Louisville) as the Assistant and finally as the Special Agent in Charge. My last two years with ATF before my retirement in 1983, were spent working on the streets and I received first hand knowledge of what it meant to be a "street agent" operating under the rules established as the result of the influence of internal and external politics.

The author has managed to capture the nuances of the pressures involved in enforcing laws that are not popular with segments of our society that have political clout. Politics are not limited to outside the agency and Mr. Vizzard has analyzed these as well. This book should be required reading for all special agents now on the job, former agents will be surprised to learn just how little they really knew about what was happening behind the scenes while working for ATF, all persons interested in government operations and even those persons who take umbrage of the law! s enforced by this battered but still proud agency will be impressed with the contents of "In The Cross Fire."

I was in ATF agent from April 1972 until I retired in January 1997, serving as both a field agent and a manager. Because of this experience and knowledge, I am convinced that this will be the best book ever written about the history of ATF. It is MUST reading for anyone who is or ever has been an ATF agent. It is also must reading for anyone who is seriously interested in understanding why ATF is as it is, and how it got that way. Among other things, it provides the most concise, thorough, accurate, and comprehensive overall account of the tragedy at Waco that I have ever read or heard. For this alone, it is worth reading. And this opinion includes my own complete study of (1) the Treasury Dept.'s own report on Waco, to wit, the Investigation of Vernon Wayne Howell, aka David Koresh, which is for sale by the U.S. Government Printing Office, Superintendent of Documents, and (2) hours before the television listening to the complete live Congressional house subcommittee hearings on Waco (incidentally, completely confusing and misleading, and an absolute failure at discovering facts - proof once again of Congress' repeated failure to get almost anything right). So read the Treasury Dept.'s report if you want (it is actually worthwhile), or waste your time watching Congress, but if you really want to know, read Vizzard's book. But the book is about much more than just Waco. Read it and learn the real source of ATF's strength (it's agents, not its management), and why, because of these agents, with their "determination to perform in spite of inadequate resources, training, policy, leadership, and political support", ATF has been (at least in the past, but probably not now or in the future) been able to successfully compete with the FBI, an agency that was "far larger, better known, more prestigious, and infinitely better funded". And learn (if you read carefully) why this superior performance is doomed not to continue in the future. If you are an ATF Agent, with the traditional love/hate relationship that most agents have with the agency, this book will speed you again through all of the conflicting emotions you have experienced on the job. And even if you are one of ATF's most severe critics, you will learn many things you did not know or even consider knowing before reading this book, and hopefully you will even begin to understand that in many instances you have been criticizing things that do not deserve criticism, and failing to criticize things that do. If you care at all about ATF, pro or con, READ THIS BOOK!