Customer Reviews

The Secret Service: The Hidden History of an Enigmatic Agency

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

This is a book written about the history of the Secret Service. The author covers from the beginning of the agency to current day. The problem with this book is that it has many inaccuracies.

For example: The book lists individuals who are or were at one time receiving protection from the Secret Service. The author o doesn't seem to be aware that the Secret Service is still protecting LadyBird Johnson. The book also incorrectly states that Hillary Clinton's code name is "eagle". Chapter 7, which is about the internal setup of the Secret Service, is completely inaccurate. The author states in a footnote that some information may be outdated and that the Secret Service would not respond to the author's queries. So he still goes ahead and just makes up how he thinks the agency is set up based on interviewing agents that worked in the 70s and 80s. If you are going to read this book, skip chapter 7. It's more wrong than right. The book also gives the number of agents assigned to the Presidential Protective Detail that is not anywhere near the truth. The book talks about what the author calls, "the Secret Service's Watch List" and Watch Office. Disregard this information too. There are many, many more inaccuracies.

The problem with the book is that the reader does not know what is accurate and what is not. The author was too busy writing about unsubstantiated gossip instead of fact. He could have saved himself a lot of time and found out legally, what is the authority of the Secret Service and where does it come from. The author covers that for the Secret Service back in the 1860s, but he never mentioned it for today's Service.

The book also covers a lot of time second guessing incidents from the past. Although hindsight is 20/20, I don't have a problem the second-guessing. But I do have a problem with him not understanding laws and individual's rights. The author doesn't seem to understand that law enforcement cannot detain nor can they search anyone without cause.

In summary, I found the overall history of the Secret Service interesting. But inaccuracies, typos and the author's misguided opinions ruin this book. Lucky to get 2 stars.

The spirit was willing, but...

The idea: write a concise, frank, engaging history of the US Secret Service.

The obvious barriers: well, it's secret. Research might be a wee problem. Getting "the truth" a huge issue...

Less obvious: having a weak or incompetent editorial/fact checking staff. The editing here is just awful: typos, internal inconsistencies, needless repetition that slows down the narrative pace.

Frustrating: this could be an endlessly fascinating story, but you hit speed bumps. I kept envisioning all the agents standing on the running boards of the presidential limo getting pitched off when...

I think the most important a perspective reader needs to know is that this book is about 95% Presidential protection and only 5% law enforcement regarding counterfeiting. For me that was great, because that is about the breakdown I wanted. With that out of the way there were a few issues I had with the book. First off there are parts that are dry and repetitive. If that does not bother you then the in depth view of the Kennedy assassination might push you over the top. I admit I was interested in this area as much as the next guy, but the author did get really into the weeds on protective issues that broke down that day. It just stopped adding value after some time and got close to a sermon. The author also had something against the Hersh book on Kennedy and kept bring it up.

The only other thing that disappointed me with the book is that they really did not cover much about the procedures and processes they use. Ok I know they can not give away all the secrets, but why could the author have not given me more detail about Presidential motorcades, hey those are public. What I did like is that the author was not shy about details about the Presidents and their families. I really liked the personal gossip bits tossed in here and there. The sections that covered which Presidents and First Ladies did not like protection and what they did to avoid it was interesting. The updated information after 9-11 was also a nice bit of info.

Lastly, I thought the author did a good job presenting a book that covered politicians that did not slip into one political side or another. The author was very even handed and I have no idea his political leanings are. He was also surprisingly hard, at times, on the Secret Service. As the book goes on it is apparent that the author has a very positive view of the Service, which makes his criticism seem all the more accurate. Overall, the book was interesting and well put together. I do agree with other reviews here that there were some typos and parts that drug a bit. It does deliver a nice overview of the Secret Service.

This book is a brief and cursory review of the history of the Secret Service (330+ pages simply cannot do this agency justice), but that's not what I'm choosing to focus on with this review. Instead, I'd like to comment on the absolutely terrible writing and editing of this book. I found it nearly impossible to read at times, due to overly complex grammatical choices by the author, absolutely terrible editing, and even some sections where the same sentences and paragraphs have been cut and pasted into multiple pages. The author overuses quotes, referencing them multiple times in completely different chapters, relating them to entirely different topics. The last chapter is a commentary and set of recommendations for the Service which (in my opinion) has no place in a historical re-telling of the Service's history. Who appointed the author to the head of the Secret Service restructuring committee?

Although you may (like me) be interested in learning more about the Secret Service, please, do yourself a favor and skip this book. There are far better texts on the topic, and frankly, this one is a waste of your time and money. It certainly was mine.

I was tempted to toss this aside but eventually it became a game to find all of the errors. As mentioned before, there were many simple editing errors, and small sections of text are repeated throughout. I found a number of fact errors as well. Here's an example: a section describing weapons includes the Uzi, the M-16, and the "Agent K-MPS". That should have been the "H & K MP 5". Also, the "author" uses "quotes" many times on each "page" to make his "points" about "facts". Really annoying. But I did learn a thing or two about the service so I guess it wasn't a total loss.

This is a good account of the secret service and their job function. It provides a comprehensive history of the agency
from its inception to present. It's also a good account of how
not to spell because there are numerous spelling mistakes and
editorial mistakes that shouldn't have been overlooked.

His criticisms of the Service's actions on Nov 22, 1963, are warranted, but when he talked about the poor actions of the men on Reagan's detail in March 1980, he lost all credibility in my eyes. He often states in the book that various things that have occurred are "still unanswered to this day". Most times that isn't true at all, he just doesn't know the answer because he received no help from anyone in the Service with this book. This explains the lack of knowledge that the Service still protects Lady Bird Johnson and the inaccuracies regarding training procedures. The quotes come from other sources rather than from interviews with agents and other personnel. The only "credible source" is from a self-proclaimed "leading civilian authority on the Service", whatever that's worth.

This book pales in comparison to the book Standing Next to History (Joseph Petro), a book by the former DSAIC of Pres. Reagan's Detail (2nd in charge). This was also the agent who was chosen to serve as the Detail Leader (number 1 man) for the Pope's visit in '87. A much better source of accurate information. He doesn't glaze over mistakes that have been made by the Service, but rather writes objectively. This is opposed to this book which is from an outsider who completely failed at any attempt of objectivity or accuracy.

Lastly, this book has extremely poor editing. Makes it even harder to read.

This was the first book I read about the Secret Service, and I was very pleased with it. It is true that for some this may read like a dry textbook, but I was so interested in the material that it didn't matter. If you're looking for an entertaining read, like an action novel or something, you need to look elsewhere. You can read random chapters and still get what you need out of it if the dry reading is too much. Some have a problem with the level of detail, especially in regard to the Kennedy assassination, but I found all the details fascinating. (Can you really have enough details about a successful attempt on the president's life? Or too much second guessing ex post facto in order to facilitate better protection?) As for accuracy of some of the details, particularly gossip, I can't say whether or not it was accurate. I wouldn't rely on it as a sole source of information, but I would say that about most research materials. If you love history, if you're starting a personal reference library on the office of the President or the Secret Service, or if you just want to know a little more about the agency and how it works, this book is an excellent starting point. Do yourself a favor and pick up the updated edition if you can; if not this one has served me well.

Dr Melanson and Mr Stevens have corroborated to produce a very informative work about the Secret Service. The history of the Service is largely unknown but in this work it has been organized and presented with clarity. This book will take the reader through the history of the Service and explores the way the Service has grown and adapted in response to tragic events such as the assassination of JFK. Additionally, the reader is given insight to the inner workings of the Service with respect to its special agents, their heroics and their tragedies.
This book is very objective, it pulls no punches. If something is wrong, it is noted. I did not always agree with the opinions presented but the information is so well articulated I have to give the book its due respect. I definitely recommend this book.

This book is a fascinating look at the Secret Service - one of the most visible government agencies but (I now know) one of the least understood. It's a really easy read, with lots of colorful anecdotes about the agency, its history and the job of being a secret service agent. The topic is timely (i.e. in the post-9/11 era and with the creation of the Dept. of Homeland Security) and Melanson seems to have done a tremendous amount of original research. A wonderful book.