The Secret Service: The Hidden History of an Engimatic Agency [Paperback]

Ph.D. Philip H. Melanson Ph.D. (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0786716177 | ISBN-13: 978-0786716173 | Publication Date: September 21, 2005 | Edition: Revised

This new edition of the definitive history of the Secret Service lays bare the 2004 Bush campaign's political uses of the agency and the new challenges it faces as a branch of the Homeland Security Department, in a post-9/11 world. Acclaimed scholar of political violence and governmental secrecy Philip Melanson explores the long-hidden workings of the Secret Service since its inception in 1865 and through rigorous research and extensive interviews with former White House staffers and retired agents, uncovers startling facts about the Agency's role in such traumatic national events as the assassination of JFK and the shooting of President Reagan. Included, too, are revelations about presidential demands on the agency; the problems of alcoholism, divorce, and burnout among agents; and the Service's inexplicable failure to develop profiles of potential assassins. Up-to-date and explosive, this book assails the public image of the Secret Service as a highly professional apolitical organization, exposing the often-detrimental influence that politics exerts on the Agency.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Valuable ... unveils the agency in all its glory and blemishes."

About the Author

Philp H. Melanson, Ph. D., an expert on political violence and governmental secrecy, has done original research into the JFK, RFK, and Martin Luther King assassinations, prompting appearances on CBS Evening News, BBC, History Channel, Discovery Channel, and C-SPAN. He has served as a consultant to the (JFK) Assassinations-Records Review Board, and is coordinator of the RFK Assassination Archives at the University of Massachussetts Dartmouth. His last book was SECRECY WARS: NATIONAL SECURITY, PRIVACY, AND THE PUBLIC'S RIGHT TO KNOW. He lives in Marion, Massachussetts.

Product Details

• Paperback: 456 pages
• Publisher: Basic Books; Revised edition (September 21, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786716177
• ISBN-13: 978-0786716173
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.3 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #491,046 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Hindsight is 20/20, January 25, 2009

By 

J. England (Wesley Chapel, FL USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Secret Service: The Hidden History of an Engimatic Agency (Paperback)

The book is filled with some great historical accounts of the secret service. I especially liked reading about the origins of the agency and it's evolution.

I did not like the arm chair quarterback, hindsight being 20/20 attitude of the author. He consistently referred to assasination attempts as "failures" by the USSS. While their may have been mistakes made, no operation is executed perfectly.

And he spent way too much time on the Kennedy asassination. The author is a real conspiracy theorist.

Overall, it seems the author has a poor opinion of the USSS.

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Disorganized the book somewhat was but covered it topic the well!, May 7, 2008

By 

K. H. Quantock "Following the Presidents" (Palmyra, VA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Secret Service: The Hidden History of an Engimatic Agency (Paperback)

As my title hinted...."The book was somewhat disorganized but it covered the topic well!" I am a student of Presidential History in my retirement and looked forward to adding this book to my collection. As I type this, I have finished about 1/2 of the book. We have jumped from the early security of the President/White House up to the Reagan shooting in DC in the 1980's, but now, we are back to the early days of Monroe, Lincoln, Adams. There just seems no rhyme or reason for the lay out of this book. Sorry guys....it just doesn't cut it!

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Secret Service: The Hidden History of an Engimatic Agency, April 5, 2008

By 

George T. Miller, Jr. - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Secret Service: The Hidden History of an Engimatic Agency (Paperback)

An excellent look at the history and daily workings and responsibilities of the U.S. Secret Service. Easy reading, interesting to the point where I did not want to put the book down. The author is to be commended for a first class book that goes behind the scenes and enlightens the average citizen about an agency that is so vital to national security but gets little recognition or appreciation. George T. Miller, Jr. (Edison, N.J., U.S.A.).