Secret Agencies: U.S. Intelligence in a Hostile World [Hardcover]

Professor Loch K. Johnson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 25, 1996

University of Georgia Regents Professor of Political Science Loch K. Johnson draws on historical data, more than 500 interviews, and his own experience working for Congressional committees on intelligence to define the functions of intelligence, espionage, counterintelligence, and covert action, and to provide an overview of America's secret operations abroad. 16 illustrations.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Johnson, a former assistant to Defense Secretary Les Aspin and now a university professor, defends the U.S. intelligence networks from the charges of ineptitude that have followed embarrassments like the Aldrich Ames case and the rout of the CIA-backed Kurds in Iraq. He argues that the successes of the CIA and the intelligence community far outweigh such setbacks, and that even the failures are often laid at the wrong door: good intelligence has often been ignored by the upper (political) levels of the bureaucracy. He cites the analysis of Gorbachev's perestroika as an example, detailing the fight by the agency's Soviet experts to get the Director to accept that a significant change was underway.

From Publishers Weekly

It is doubtful if any intelligence agency can ever be totally "clean." By their nature, they attract adventurers and renegades. Some are sincere patriots, others merely self-serving and potential defectors. Johnson ably mixes an overview of the purpose and philosophy of clandestine operations with a chronicle of the activities and relationships of current U.S. agencies. There is even George Washington's secret code number (711), as well as "Rebel Rose" O'Neil's contribution to Confederate victory at the battle of Bull Run. Johnson, a University of Georgia political science professor, is evenhanded in describing U.S. intelligence's successes, as well as its dirty-pool black marks?the Allende affair, internal surveillance of Vietnam protesters, Iran-Contra and others less well-known. He also describes clearly the attempts at control of this "secret government," its operations and, especially, its finances. Not all intelligence efforts have been successful, and many have enraged both the executive and legislative branches. At one point, Senator Daniel Moynihan even advocated total abolition of the CIA. The author assesses the future of both overt and covert operations, mentioning the downgrading of hi-tech intelligence since the end of the Cold War and reemergence of the old cloak-and-dagger techniques. The primary sources are impressive, and the text, though dense, is highly readable. Illustrations.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 282 pages
• Publisher: Yale University Press; First Edition edition (September 25, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0300066112
• ISBN-13: 978-0300066111
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,506,312 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Excellent academic book; but too academic, October 11, 1999

By 

Fecklar (Atlanta, GA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Secret Agencies: U.S. Intelligence in a Hostile World (Hardcover)

Loch Johnson has done an excellent job detailing the interplay between the CIA and the Congress in the post/last days of the Cold War era. He is able to draw on firsthand data and tackles some interesting topics, such as the ethics of what various "Secret Agencies" do. If you are well versed in the Intelligence Community arena you will find this a valuable reference. If you are new to the subject; this is not the book to start with. This is a book of facts and figures; none of life and vigor of the people, agencies or even the author is present. If Mr. Johnson added a bit more life to his facts and figures this would have been an excellent book. I took a class from Loch Johnson at the University of Georgia - his presentation and arguements are much more interesting in person.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Objective discussion of successes and failures, April 7, 2000

By 

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

This review is from: Secret Agencies: U.S. Intelligence in a Hostile World (Hardcover)

Loch is the dean of the scholars competent to address intelligence matters, and his experience as a member of the professional staff of both the Church Committee in the 1970's and the Aspin/Brown Commission in the 1990's uniquely qualify him to discuss and evaluate U.S. intelligence. His chapters on the ethics of covert operations and on intelligence accountability set a standard for this aspect of the discussion. This is the only book I have seen that objectively and methodically discusses intelligence success and failures in relation to the Soviet Union, with a superb three-page listing decade by decade being provided on pages 180-182.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Understanding Intelligence, January 3, 2003

By 

Charles Miller (San Jose, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Secret Agencies: U.S. Intelligence in a Hostile World (Hardcover)

Even though this book was published over six years ago, the insights it provides for today are invaluable. Through it's detailed history of the changes in fashion and mission in the United States' intelligence agencies, we begin to understand why the human intelligence assets were not in place to predict September 11, why we are often surprised by events in North Korea, and the challenges faced in creating the Department of Homeland Security. Johnson gives an even-handed, largely non-political view of these issues. It is refreshing to read an account written by someone with no apparent axe to grind.