Secret Warriors: Inside the Covert Military Operations of the Reagan Era [Hardcover]

Steven Emerson (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Emerson describes how the Pentagon set up its own clandestine "mini-CIA" following the bungled attempt to rescue the hostages in Iran in 1980. A leak in 1983 led to a widespread investigation by certain Army officials and the Justice Department, resulting in secret court-martials and the conviction of several key Army officers who had "decided they knew what was best for the country." More recently, some of the original players participated in a reincarnation of the scheme called "Enterprise," according to Emerson (The American House of Saud). Part business empire, part military-intelligence operation under late CIA director William Casey and National Security Council staffer Oliver North, the Enterprise operation reportedly provided a framework for retired Air Force Gen. Richard Secord and Iranian-born businessman Albert Hakim to control elements of U.S. foreign policy while making huge profits. Emerson focuses on what he sees as the central paradox of covert operations: they are necessary, but they tend to spin out of control. First serial to U.S. News & World Report.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

$17.95. military studies In 1964, David Wise and Thomas B. Ross published The Invisible Government , detailing for the first time the inside doings of the CIA. Since then, Americans have become accustomed to the flood of exposes about the depth of America's secret governmentall in the name of national security and anti-Communism. This timely new book, by an editor at U.S. News & World Report, describes the covert "black" operatons carried out by the military, as distinct from the CIA or the Iran-contra NSC gang. Emerson accepts the need for covert action, but his stranger-than-fiction exposure of the Pentagon's underside makes one wonder. On the basis of interviews and unpublished documents, Emerson says the secret government is alive and well. For lay readers and specialists. H. Steck, SUNY Coll. at Cortland
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Putnam Adult; First Edition edition (April 11, 1988)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0399133607
• ISBN-13: 978-0399133602
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #314,648 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An extensively researched work on covert military operations, January 15, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Secret Warriors: Inside the Covert Military Operations of the Reagan Era (Hardcover)

The reason there are no reviews of this book is that it was purportedly removed from circulation by the government for security concerns. Most of the information contained here will never be available to the public and seems to have been cross checked with multiple sources. Mr. Emerson has produced a fascinating look at the capabilities and foibles of the special and covert operations community during the 80's. Highly recommended for folks wanting to learn more about the "silver age" of US special operations.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good historical foundation on US Special Ops, July 21, 2002

By 

P. J Lambert "pjlambert" (United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Secret Warriors: Inside the Covert Military Operations of the Reagan Era (Hardcover)

After waiting quite some time to get a copy, I found the book to be an interesting insight on the genesis of the US Special Ops community. Today, Emerson has capitalized on this early research and is now in the forefront of documenting terrorism. It would be interesting to see if he is utilizing many of the sources he obtained while writing this book.
I thought he had excellent sources, and many of these chapters could have been easily expanded into more in-depth stories. The Iran-Contra mess certainly weighed heavily while writing this book, and unfortunately, Emerson tried to cover the scandal without getting too bogged in that mess...that being said, I don't think he succeeded very well in drawing the ties between IRan-Contra and the organizations he covered so well throughout the book. Nevertheless, a must have for any library on US intelligence operations...a great read!

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Secret Warriors: Good little stories about Army Operatives, June 5, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Secret Warriors: Inside the Covert Military Operations of the Reagan Era (Hardcover)

This book is the only one I have seen of its vintage which discusses operations of US Army counterintelligence agents. Some of the stories have been confirmed by people I have had the chance to speak with. Some of the the details were altered to protect certain items. Careful research of the ESP/PSI related bits in other publications may reveal differing views on the outcome of some operations.

It's relatively high level of veracity, easy flow, it was written at the 10th grade level, and humor made it a good read for anyone interested in this topic.