Customer Reviews

A Spy For All Seasons: My Life in the CIA

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Clarridge was nothing if not controversial. His long and storied career at the CIA is a fascinating read. He includes some of the more "mundane" aspects of the job, but manages to relate them in an interesting manner. What's great about this book is that Clarridge served in a variety of regions and came face-to-face with terrorism, so he offers some great perspective that is still relevant today. Later in his career, Clarridge was tied up in the Iran-Contra scandal and was eventually forced into retirement.

Despite the informative and interesting nature of his memoir, it is entirely self-serving. Now, of course, most memoirs are. But Clarridge comes off as defensive, hurt and looking to bully his critics. A number of passages read less like a memoir than a tirade from a bar stool.

Nevertheless, for anyone interested in espionage and intelligence, this book is a great read.

This is one of the best books and most realistic books out there on what its like to be a CIA officer. The author speaks from an experience of 30 plus years in the CIA starting out as a junior case officer and retiring as a senior manager. The author spent his time in the agency during the Cold War but also had experience in the Middle East and fighting the emerging threat of terrorism. Some of his more significant accomplishments were establishing the counterterrorism center (CTC) and working to support the contras against the rise of communism in Central America. My favorite part of the book was the author's stories of his experiences--this guy is the real thing. The least interesting part of the book was the discussion about the investigations in the Iran-Contra scandal and the infighting within the CIA. Don't get me wrong, the author's account adds an important element to the history, but it was not as interesting as the rest of the book. If you are interested in the topic, this is an excellent book.

Dewey was a Division Chief when I was a junior case officer, and I continue to admire him. His pocket handkerchiefs were amazing-you could parachute from a plane with one in an emergency. Dewey's bottom line is clear: he concludes that "the Clandestine Services (sic) is finished as a really effective intelligence service." He has other worthwhile insights, ranging from the inadequacy of the information reaching CIA analysts from open sources (e.g. Nepal), to the "wog factor" dominating CIA analytical assessments (e.g. Pakistan will never attack India), to the sterile and politically-safe approaches to intelligence by the leadership of NSA and the some of the military intelligence services. My bottom line on Dewey is also clear: he was typical of the case officer talent pool, he tried very hard, and the system still failed. He was a good person in a very bad system.

Duane "Dewey" Clarridge is old school CIA. He came up through the organization and knows the operations directorate from top to bottom. He survived the "reorganization" by a certain admiral who gutted the directorate and went on to rise to the top of his field. When Dewey speaks, he tells the story in the vernacular of the old CIA. The agency operates under a completely different set of rules now and the experience level of those who make the calls and do the work is not as high as it was in the "old days." Long time students of American intelligence are well aware of this. Students who are just starting to study the apparatus would do very well to read this book while trying to understand the genesis of our current legislative controls over intelligence. Technology is not the answer to every intelligence question. Sometimes you have to do it the old fashioned way. And sometimes that makes our political element a bit nervous. Dewey's career ended too soon.

Oliver North called Duane Clarridge the "real" James Bond. When you read Mr Clarridge's book, you will know why he said it. Mr. Clarridge tells the true to life career he had in the CIA from the time he was recruited into the Agency all the way through his larger than life career with them. This is not a book of fiction. He tells what he can without jeopardizing National Security in any way and is still known for his expertise in international affairs and politics. An amazing book. I highly recommend it.

This memoir of a CIA Case Officer is excellent. You will learn how a CIA case officer targets, profiles and recruits agents. This is the heart of clandestine intelligence collection and it is the boots on the ground view.

In addition to the insight gained in the initial recruitment phase and the psychological profiling that must be done by the officer, the book also describes the agent handling cycle - i.e. what is done once the agent or the relationship is no longer useful or for other reasons, the officer must terminate the relationship - and this termination must be handled in a delicate and sensitive manner.

If one is interested in psychology, the CIA, intelligence, or foreign affairs, this is a great book and highly recommend it. The stories are cogent, detailed and fun to read.

This book is a great source of information for anybody even remotely interested in the intelligence community. Clarridge does a first-rate job at describing (as much as legally possible) the tradecraft and modus operandi of the Cold War-era CIA Case Officer. Overall, very entertaining and nicely written.

The book is a great help for those intrested in what has happened behind the doors during the Cold War. It also helps reader to understand how the western hemisphere has been caught unprepared to the new threats like terrorism towards the end of the Cold War. Clarridge's emphasis on West European countries', and particularly Italy's tolerance regarding terrorism is important. The book also gives a through perspective on the US covert operations in other countries from the eyes of an insider and raises questions on limits of national sovereignity, democracy and international conflicts.

Mr. Clarridge does an excellent job at sharing his past as well as his insight within the CIA. Always lead from the front. [where else have you heard that before] One man who will not be forgotten so easily in the Intelligence Community. From Kathmandu to Washington D.C. a must read for Intelligence/Spy enthusiast

I found this book extremely informative, especially when it comes to Clarridge's part in the Iran Contra Affair. He also gives great insight into the workings of the CIA. He is very persuasive in his argument that America needs the CIA as badly now as it did during the Cold War.