Customer Reviews

My FBI: Bringing Down the Mafia, Investigating Bill Clinton, and Fighting the War on Terror

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(11)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(14)

 

 

Louis J. Freeh, the former FBI director(1993-2001), has put together a string of life's accomplishments, struggles, obstacles, and frustrations presented in the clarity of the moment, as he sees it.

The chronicle is his own biography, and nearly half of the book encompasses educational background, and experiences with New York city crimes while working in the US Attorney's office. But, make no mistake! The theme of the book craftily pivots on issues that involve his difficult relationship with Bill Clinton, who had chosen him, as a "law enforcement legend", and later regretful as his "worst" appointment.

Freeh graduated from the New York University Law Scool in 1975, worked as an FBI agent from 1975-1981, and then in the US Attorney's office in New York city until 1991. He was appointed as the US District Court from 1991-1993.

The book is interesting, informative, captivating, and easy to read. There is a hint of venom that Mr. Freeh carefully guards, as he delves into his chapter critical of his boss, his President, our President -- intelligent and politically skillful, but a crack in his thought process, which let the truth slip by...just slip by!

The following are the highlights that troubled Mr. Freeh:
>The Kobar Towers investigation in Saudi Arabia, which he believes Mr. Clinton ignored, and the interference in the probing of the matter...allowing the terrorists to escape.
>He is surprised by the underestimation of casualties by Mr. Clinton in his book "My Life"...by as many as 70...and even the misrepresentation or the inference that these terrorists were caught.
>Modernization of FBI computer system, requesting $90 million but only receiving two million.
>Pardoning of Marc Rich whose former wife donated one million to the Clintons.
>Scandels of the nineties, particularly the Lewensky scandle that plagued the presidency.
>Views on Robert Hanssen -- the double agent.

Freeh underscores the difficulties he had in dealing with his job, because of Mr. Clinton's never-ending scandels, rumors, and personal conflicts, which triggered FBI investigations. His views are forthright, and seemingly based on facts and candid recollections. Understandably, perhaps, this book is in contrast to Mr. Clinton's "My Life", and ultimately it will be up to the reader to decide which one prevails.

Character does matter! The book is a credible source of information, and does indulge in the strengths of FBI and future imptovements. It is a worthy read and will no doubt cause some political repercussions and debates on the airways.

150 of 152 people found the following review helpful:

Foreword: When will Amazon clean the closet and let people post a review only after the reviewer has actually bought the book here rather than just post their incorrigible perceptions of the author and abuse this venue as a place to vent anger? Amazon . . . ?

My Review: I actually did pre-order this book from Amazon prior to its publication and I read it entirely. What most surprised me in this book was that his professional relationship with Janet Reno was not as tense as I had thought it to be. Overall. I found this book to be very engrossing; I could not put it down.

As the photo on the jacket of this book suggests, this is a profile of Louis Freeh, by Louis Freeh. It is not a personal vendetta against the Clintons as some have suggested. Yes, Mr Freeh does write about the atmosphere between the FBI and the White House but he does not fan flames here, he simply states his views without placing guilty convictions. As Mr Freeh clearly outlines, he did not choose to investigate the Clintons, that is a legal process which was handed to him and yet, the top cop can not be expected to befriend the one whom he is lawfully obligated to investigate while upholding the laws as outlined in the Constitution of the United States of America.

Mr Freeh begins the book with a chapter on Khobar Towers and how that 1996 terrorist attack which killed 19 of our US Military members in Saudi Arabia profoundly affected him throughout his tenure as FBI director. Some have said that he jumps all over the place between chapters and subjects but I found that he states his views and gives examples, sometimes elaborating on facts to exemplify his points and with ethical reasoning to back them up. Example; Mr Freeh shares insight into his relationship with Prince Bandar, the Saudi Ambassador to the USA, how his many requests to Prince Bandar were not outright rejected, Prince Bandar needed the request to be made directly by the President of the USA to pressure the co-operation between the FBI and Saudi Arabia on the Khobar Towers investigation. Ultimately, President Bush 41 was able to jump start better co-operation between the FBI and the Saudi's internal investigation after just one conversation with the Prince. While there are vast differences in our cultures, Saudi Arabia is not our enemy, the terrorists are.

This book is so much more than historical events. Mr Freeh shares with us details into his inner self, of his strict Catholic upbringing and how events throughout his life helped to shape his moral compass. He shares details of his parents' Italian and German heritage, how childhood friends became lifelong friends, how his desire to go to USMA West Point was squashed by one priest who told him that he was not college material and how that had a lasting effect on his decision making (never take the first no as an absolute answer and BTW, his eldest son is at USNA Annapolis), how his youngest brothers' rebellion against the church & school and his later development taught them both an important lesson, how events throughout his college years at Rutgers during the civil rights movement affected life on campus and his own life, how discrimination that his mother experienced as a young Italian immigrant convinced him to excuse himself from judging a case of discrimination years later, his many years and events that occurred while prosecuting the mafia (notably, the Pizza Connection with Sicilian mafia and drugs) details of many cases including the Olympic bombing in Atlanta, how the media leaks information incorrectly and prematurely and causes major delays in progress but also how the media helped to capture the Unabomber.

Mr Freeh takes responsibility for errors in the FBI's handling of cases such as, FBI agents inadvertently leaving out 3,000 pages of evidence during the McVeigh trial (Oklahoma) which caused > one month delay in McVeigh's execution. In another instance, he tells how an FBI agent lied on the witness stand and how the jury felt forced to acquit a criminal they thought was overwhelmingly guilty based on lack of trust in that agent. But we also get to hear many successes in the FBI including the reshaping of the course material at the FBI Academy at Quantico to make ethics a high priority, the creation of an FBI Academy in Budapest and how that fostered greater global cooperation in the law enforcement community. We hear of many successes and the dedication and perseverance of many which paved the way for success and growth.

I got a lot out of this book and recommend it as a great read for anyone from teenagers who seek moral guidance to those who want a reflection of what it's like to be the USA's top cop and how he made it there from student, to agent, to prosecutor, to judge, to FBI director. The dedication, the sacrifices, the ups and downs.

If you ever read this Mr Freeh, I thank you, for your dedication to our US Military and to their families, to not let the Khobar Towers case 'just go away' as some had wished.

There was a time when the FBI could do no wrong. J. Edgar Hoover carefully crafted an image of excellence that, true or not, made the agency greatly respected. Later came Ruby Ridge and Waco. In the darkness that followed Bill Clinton appointed Louis Freeh to be the head of the organization.

During the years that followed, it almos tseemed that Bill Clinton himself was the target of most of the high profile investigations conducted by the Bureau. As we all remember, it was one scandal after another.

This was, however, also a time of other developments - the bombing of the Khobar Towers, the Unibomber, Robert Hanssen the Soviet spy working at the FBI, the build up of the al Queda attack at the World Trade Center, and more.

Mr. Freeh's relationahip with Bill Clinton was strained (to say the least) and in this book he lays out a lot of the reasons why. Obviously his view is his own, Clinton's view is a bit different. Clinton supporters will hate it, others will love it.

In summary, this is one of those books that come out after the person leaves office and begins to explain to us what really happened. This is one story, other writers will produce others, and in ten years or so the historians will put it all together. As for this book, it is well written and tells what was going on in a very important agency during a critical time in its history. It is well worth reading.

Louis Freeh is a man who doggedly pursues the "truth" - not just as a matter of course, but even more intensely when the facts of a case are obscured by layers of deceit. As the second longest running Director of the FBI (from 1993 -2001), Judge Freeh is a man whose job it is to know the North Star of our nation's moral compass. He is a man whose expertise is the moral, social and poetic justice that comprise the comprehensive truth. He is a man whose obligation - sacred duty - is to defend and safeguard the deepest, darkest secrets of our nation. He is a clever man who creates a compelling contract with the astute reader. By telling his story in a non-linear fashion featuring a moral dilemma, he requires that his reader remain hyper-alert throughout 336 pages, taking into account that each word and anecdote is likely to be scrutinized by our enemies and adversaries.

Mr. Freeh skillfully opens the book with the bombing of the Khobar Towers on June 25, 1996 - an event wherein 19 Americans are killed and over 300 injured -- a defining event in recent American history, one that forces Mr. Freeh to confront the most significant moral dilemma of his life, one that tests his beliefs, defines his career, and shapes his life.

America is under attack from Islamist terrorists, in various forms, from within and without. Acutely aware of his destiny to confront these aberrations at their source, Mr. Freeh promises the survivors of the 19 dead that he will bring the perpetrators of Khobar Towers to justice - but soon discovers that the President of the United States has no intention of investigating the (Iranian) perpetrators, let alone confronting the web (Osama Bin Laden, Al Qaeda, Hamas, Hezbollah, Arafat) of terrorists and adversarial regimes (Iran, Iraq, North Korea, Pakistan, China) that support(ed) the continual asymmetrical assaults that had plagued America since Ramzi Yousef's attack on the World Trade Center in 1993. Mr. Clinton has neither the political will, nor the moral conviction, to bring these barbaric terrorists and companion regimes to justice, especially during an election year.

What we discover, along with Mr. Freeh, is that it's not just the election year that causes President Clinton's moral compass to spin haphazardly. President Clinton is a man whose moral compass is either non-existent or wildly out of control. He is a man guided by external images and external prizes. He is a man who seeks enrichment and fulfillment by false adulation, loose women, opportunistic schemes, excessive appetites, false utopias, feel-good cigars, and foreign money. He is a man who foregoes a true development as a human being, in favor of a nihilistic journey into the netherworld of fraud that leads to the blackened abyss of compound fraud. Rendered impotent by an ambitious wife who alleges that external forces conspire to destroy them both, their final act curtain is to pardon the legendary swiss bankophile, Marc Rich. Mr. Clinton is a man who has sold his soul to the Devil of "The Divine Comedy" - only to join the craps table where his wife had sold hers to the hydra-like dragon of "Revelations."

In the end, the 19 dead airmen of Khobar Towers speak for themselves. Upon Louis Freeh's retirement, their survivors present him with a plaque thanking "The Most Honest Man in Washington" for his "diligent efforts to find the truth and bring justice...without regards to political consequences."

It's the encryption, stupid. 3l33t haxor. all your base are belong to us. Y'know what I'm talking about?!

This judicious reader is ready to rule: Mr. Clinton, all your base are belong to U.S.

No matter what the year, which director of the FBI sits at the head of the organization or how many major catastrophes are in focus at any given time, the FBI will always take the heat for the so called negative occurrences perceived by the public, media or other security related departments.

If Louis Freeh, William Sessions or Pope Bendedict was the main man in the FBI office, it wouldn't make an ounce of difference.
The critics would always find fault with decision making inside the bureau.

From where Louis Freeh sat during his reign, he believed, and still does, that he did the best job he possibly could.
Anyone given such a position with the nation's security in his hands would not go out of his way to harm or hinder the Justice of the day.

MY FBI is written with thorough thought via the eyes and mind of Louis Freeh.
There is nothing new regarding his testimony of his predecessors or his relationship with President Clinton.
Freeh acknowledges making mistakes, he cared deeply for his country.

Louis Freeh has written an honest, outstanding account of his sojourn in one of the top positions in this wonderful United States of America.

For all the critics out there, have a good, hard, long look in your own backyard.

-Yvonne Bornstein, Author, Eleven Days of Hell - My True Story of Kidnapping, Terror, Torture and Historic FBI and KGB Rescue

The author Louis Freeh a Jersey native and a former FBI director under the Clinton administration. In his book, he lays out some pretty disturbing facts about the Clinton administration when it comes to dealing with protecting America from terrorism. It is understood from the book, that after the khobar bombing refused to allow the FBI to interrogate the saudi suspects, and was more interested in getting funds from Saudi for his library rather than getting justice for the victims! The book alleges that Clinton and his disgraced advisor Sandy Berger of the stolen memos fame did not show any interest in the case, and accused both men of compromising the investigation . Clinton's pardon of March Rich and the generally corrupt nature of the Clinton administration is well documented, which the Clinton apologists and the liberals will deny. A pretty decent and interesting book.

I suppose different people will take away different impressions from this book, but what struck me most is the hard-nosed persona that comes through in this work. A product of the Midwest, I have scant aquaintance with the culture of our nation's eastern seaboard, but in this book Freeh talks about having been raised in proximity to organized crime toughs. It seems a lot of that macho rubbed off. The good part is that it is comforting to a certain extent to know that men like Freeh populate our law enforment legions. On the other hand, I don't think I would have wanted to be a defendent in a trial before Freeh, when he was on the federal bench. Is there wiggle room with a man like Freeh? Are there ever shades of grey in his black and white view of the world?

Another negative of this title is the introduction, read by Freeh, in which he spends a great deal of time testifying to his own qualities and characteristics. I sense he was pushed into this by his publisher, much as Bob Dole was pushed by his campaign staff into discussing the wounds he received in WWII while campaiging for President. Nevertheless, not only do I believe, but I have learned that what Jesus said about self-testimony is always true - the testimony of a man who testifies about himself is not valid.

Beyond the above expressed reservations, I rated it with four stars because Freeh really does delivery the goods in this book. It is substantive - one learns a great deal about the position of Director of the FBI, one learns a great deal about the important cases Freeh worked on, including Khobar Towers and Oklahoma City. And one gains important insights into the personality of Bill Clinton.

Perhaps I shouldn't express this last opinion (it borders on cruel), I nevertheless can't close without writing it. I think the thing that troubles me most about Freeh is what seems to be his self-absorbtion. Sure he was a public servant. But he never really tells us why he got into public service. My sense is that he was drawn to law enforcement for personal reasons, a sort of calling - a destiny. I'm not sure that "serving others" really had much to do with it. My reading of Freeh is that, outside of his family, there isn't a whole lot Freeh truly cares about - a "me first" man. For this reason the book left me unsettled. It troubles me a little that men like Freeh can reach such heights of power in our society.

Reluctant to write this book when he first stepped down as FBI Director, Louis J. Freeh pens an inspirational story about his experiences with the people with whom he has worked. He celebrates their dedication, sacrifice, honesty, and grace under tremendous job pressures few in the private sector will experience. His fitting introduction is a full-page statement of the FBI Core Values.

Freeh's introductory chapter is about the assault on a housing complex in Saudi Arabia known as Khobar Towers. In 1996, the buildings housed more than 2,000 American, British, French and Saudi troops. A driver and passenger park a tank truck near Building 131 of the complex. Abandoned by the two men, the tank truck explodes, ripping a crater off the north face of the building. Nineteen Americans are killed and more than five-dozen hospitalized. Freeh is in immediate contact with Janet Reno, his direct boss and link to the Clinton administration. Soon thereafter, President Clinton announces the attack to the public, saying that the "explosion appears to be the work of terrorists. We will pursue this. America takes care of its own."

Multiple trips to Saudi Arabia during the next several years mark the involvement of Freeh. The most pressing need: access to the Hezbollah terrorist arrested by the Saudis at the border with Jordan. Freeh writes of his frustrations with members of Clinton's staff during the investigation. Assurances about cooperation are tempered with inaction. A delicate balance exists with the Saudi government, governed by its royal princes, and Prince Bandar proves to be the best resource. Freeh feels his work is surrounded with Clinton staff doubletalk.

MY FBI is written with passion and attention to detail in its descriptions. Worker bees around the blast site "have got a more human face." The king's palace is "out of a storybook so secure that a mouse would have trouble sneaking in." Freeh's word pictures bring life to the settings throughout the book. His work on the Khobar Towers attack remains a highlight of his career, despite roadblocks and dead ends blocking the investigation. He displays with deep affection a signed plaque from the families of the 19 Americans killed at Khobar.

Freeh suggests that our political landscape gets defined by narrow self-interest. Discussions with the CIA Director about putting FBI agents in Moscow, Budapest and points east become a political debate, with Freeh shaking his head in disbelief. He says, "The Bureau has grown reactively far more than it has grown logically."

He runs the cases on Eric Rudolph, perpetrator of the Centennial Park bombing, and Wen Ho Lee, accused of contact by computer with Chinese agents about sensitive nuclear issues; illicit fund-raising during the 1996 Presidential campaign by the Democratic National Committee; and the devastating attacks in New York on the Twin Towers in which thousands were killed. Freeh dissects the core of the problem of our unpreparedness.

In his opinion, the FBI was in the Dark Ages technologically. Years of requests had gone for naught in results, with recruitment of trained technical specialists compounding the problem. Budget constraints were a constant threat to the effectiveness of Freeh's FBI. He doesn't cry over the spilled milk of political agendas, but he does point out the difficulties now facing this nation as the legislative, administrative and judicial branches of government become more entangled and politicized.

In all, MY FBI ranks as a good read about one man's career in the organization he's revered since childhood.


--- Reviewed by Judy Gigstad

I have not finished reading the book yet, but can asure the fools who blame Freeh that the man was doing his job to the best of his ability. You cannot be a veteran FBI agent and manager if you're an idiot! They have extremely high moral and ethical standards, elected presidents do not. If Clinton hadn't distracted law enforcement with so many dang investigations of his behavior, his wife's and everyone around him, perhaps 9/11 could have been avoided. FYI, if the reader who wrote in defense of Richard Clark knew anything at all about Clark and the circumstances surrounding that partisan fool, I guarantee he would not have defended him. Buy, and read,the commission report before you regurgitate the lies and misinformation you have obviously only heard on kool-aid news programs.

Self serving garbage is what this book is. The only thing missing are choirs of angels singing Hosannas in his praise. That Louis Freeh, his family, and coworkers are the most virtuous, most diligent, and most honorable people, I have no doubt becuase he tells me so repeatedly and ad nauseam. At once, he is the most ethical FBI agent, the most successful federal prosecutor, the most efficient federal judge, and the best head of the FBI, ever, in its history. Clearly, Louis Freeh is a legend in his own mind.

The many scandals that beset the FBI during his tenure are terribly glossed over. I am left to conclude that Louis Freeh just "doesn't get it." What doen't he get?

He "doesn't get" that the FBI crime lab is supposed to be the definitive answer in forensic science as well as impartial in its findings. Castigating lab personnel for reporting problems shows us that Louis Freeh is intolerant of criticism-constructive criticism at that.

He "doesn't get it" that his friend, Sandy Berger, former attorney and former chief of the National Security Agency stole and destroyed secret documents when out of office.

He "doesn't get it" that the FBI profile of Richard Jewell was so inaccurate and the leaks from the FBI to the press so damaging that this man's reputation (the only thing this monetarily poor man possesed) was destroyed. Mr. Freeh expresses no regrets for this FBI fiasco nor does he offer an apology to Mr. Jewell. What a real Catholic altar boy Mr. Freeh is.

He "doesn't get it" that a "lack of technology" is not what prevented information concerning the training of Middle Eastern terrorists at U.S. aviation schools from reaching him but the ineptitude of his own bureaucracy that he helped shape during his reign in office.

He "doens't get it" that military lawyers dictating rules of engagement against an enemy that beheads civilians and blows up women and children is not what wins wars but surely will cause us to lose one. Clearly, he thinks this country is of the lawyers, by the lawyers, and for the lawyers. He adds judges to that too.

He "doesn't get it" that we are not just a nation whose prime virtue is worship of the "rule of law". Hitler's Germany, Stalin's Soviet Union, and Mao Tse Tung's China were nations with rules of law, albeit emanating from a dictator. What those countries were not were nations whose laws were derivative from a
spiritual belief in, and a worship of, a Creator who has endowed us with "life, liberty, and the prusuit of happiness." Those gifts are not, and never will be, derivative from a "rule of law". What Mr. Freeh fails to understand is that this nation has an underlying spiritual bedrock BENEATH the "rule of law". Read the biographies and beliefs of our founding fathers Mr. Freeh.

For those who contemplate buying this book,
"Just 'don't get it'"!