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17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Not Enough on Spies, Plenty on State-Level Corruption and FBI Idiocy, January 27, 2005
This review is from: Inside: A Top G-Man Exposes Spies, Lies, and Bureaucratic Bungling in the FBI (Hardcover)
I bought this book in an airport for two reasons: because I knew the man, and because the FBI does not produce enough good authors. Although I was disappointed by finding that only 20% of the book covers spies and lies, while 80% covers bureaucratic bungling and leadership failures with in the FBI, overall I put it down fully satisfied.
We all know now that Al Qaeda was never operating in secret, and even today, is not operating in secret. We are simply incompetent at looking at open sources in foreign languages. IC Smith conveys this perfectly early on in his book, on page 7, when he repeats something he said that was published in the media, to wit "These guys were not superhuman, but they were playing in a system that was more inept than they were." I share IC's anger over the FBI's failure to translate and exploit the many boxes of documents in Arabic that were captured in the Philippines and after the first World Trade Center attack, the botched car bombing.
If there is one word that summarizes this book's message, beyond incompetency, it is "corruption." IC Smith tells it like it is when he discusses Congressional corruption, refusing to fix known problems in the Intelligence Community; Presidential corruption in abusing power and covering up those abuses; state-level corruption across Arkansas; intelligence community management corruption and malfeasance--some would even say treason, although IC avoids this word.
On a very practical level, IC Smith is probably the foremost authority to come forward and denounce the practice of having prosecuting attorneys manage investigations. The book has many examples of where trained investigators were not allowed to do their job, and prosecutors botched or blocked investigations that would have otherwise been timely and successful.
In passing, he skewers the staff at the FBI Academy, almost none of whom have actual street experience (nor do most FBI managers at the wood-paneled office level), and it is clear that while America has many dedicated Americans serving within the FBI, they are badly trained and badly led.
In addition to this book I recommend Michael Levine's Deep Cover: The Inside Story of How DEA Infighting, Incompetence and Subterfuge Lost Us the Biggest Battle of the Drug War (on the Drug Enforcement Agency), and Mark Riebling's Wedge: From Pearl Harbor to 9/11--How the Secret War between the FBI and CIA Has Endangered National Security (on the FBI-CIA wars that continue to this day), as well as George Allen's book None So Blind: A Personal Account of the Intelligence Failure in Vietnam (on the continuing ability of the White House--regardless of occupation--and the Intelligence Community--to lie to themselves, to Congress, and to the American people).
IC is a straight shooter. I'm glad he made it to retirement without being shot by a crook or stabbed in the back (fatally) by one of the suits in Washington that pretend to serve the people while serving only themselves.
Links added 20 Dec 07:
Legacy of Ashes: The History of the CIA
Web of Deceit: The History of Western Complicity in Iraq, from Churchill to Kennedy to George W. Bush
Dark Alliance: The CIA, the Contras, and the Crack Cocaine Explosion
Lost History: Contras, Cocaine, the Press & 'Project Truth'
See No Evil: The True Story of a Ground Soldier in the CIA's War on Terrorism
On Intelligence: Spies and Secrecy in an Open World
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A recommended read, December 30, 2004
This review is from: Inside: A Top G-Man Exposes Spies, Lies, and Bureaucratic Bungling in the FBI (Hardcover)
I.C. Smith isn't in the habit of sugarcoating his words, and his book stays true to his personality. This well-written book reads like a conversation with the man: straightforward, honest, holding no punches.
It spans his decades of work within the FBI, illustrating successes and failures. He warns, through specific events, then in his own words, about the growing political use and abuse inside the agency, the federal judicial system and the U.S. Department of Justice.
Again and again, he lays out facts to reach his own brand of conclusions. You might not agree with all of those conclusions, but the book engages the reader's mind. That's especially true in his section about events leading to the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.
He served as the special agent in charge of the Little Rock, Ark., FBI office during most of the Whitewater and other Clinton-related investigations. We all know what happened, of course, but Smith gives his version of the underlying reasons about why some events unfolded as they did.
As a journalist, I was involved in reporting about some of the public corruption investigations Smith included in his book. For events I know about firsthand, he's accurate to a fault. I'd recommend this book to all who enjoy nonfiction works that delve into the intertwined workings of federal government and politics.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A very interesting insider's view. Not to be missed., April 30, 2005
This review is from: Inside: A Top G-Man Exposes Spies, Lies, and Bureaucratic Bungling in the FBI (Hardcover)
If there's one thing that can be said about the FBI it is that they try to keep a spotless image with the public. What exactly goes on inside the FBI? I. C. Smith comes forward with this account of his personal experiences as a Special Agent in Charge. Mr. Smith takes the reader on an autobiographical tour around the world including diplomatic experiences, terrorism, and the many times the FBI ignored mounting internal evidence that could have prevented tragedies. This is the inside story told from his point of view. It not only exposes bungling within the FBI but also examines some of the corrupt systems in which the FBI must work. As Special Agent in Charge of the Arkansas office he had unique insight into and a lot of problems dealing with the corrupt political system through which Bill Clinton rose to become governor and then president. Mr. Smith pulls no punches and includes lots of names in the book including Janet Reno, Rafael del Pino, the Clintons, and Kenneth Starr. Inside: A Top G-Man Exposes Spies, Lies, and Bureaucratic Bungling Inside the FBI is highly recommended, entertaining, and enlightening.
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