The US Intelligence Community [Paperback]

Jeffrey T Richelson (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0813343623 | ISBN-13: 978-0813343624 | Publication Date: August 7, 2007 | Edition: Fifth Edition

The role of intelligence in US government operations has changed dramatically and is now more critical than ever to domestic security and foreign policy. This authoritative and highly researched book provides a detailed overview of America’s vast intelligence empire-its organizations, its operations (from spies on the ground to satellites thousands of miles in space), and its management structure. Relying on a multitude of sources, including hundreds of official documents, author Jeffrey T. Richelson provides an up-to-date picture of the US intelligence community that will allow students to understand the full scope of organizations and activities and will give valuable support to policymakers and military operations. Hailed by the Washington Post Book World as “the authoritative survey of the American cloak-and-dagger establishment,” this important text is now fully revised and updated. The fifth edition includes new material on homeland security intelligence, POW and detainee interrogation, and national intelligence organizations.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“This is an indispensable guide to a subject that has often been shielded by secrets and lies. Richelson brings order and clarity to the astounding complexity of US intelligence. Thoroughly researched and carefully documented, this volume is the best place to begin exploring the intelligence community as it exists today.” —Steven Aftergood, Federation of American Scientists

“For years now, Jeff Richelson’s The US Intelligence Community has been the go-to book for experts and laymen alike who want to know the latest about espionage organization and tradecraft in the United States. Now with his sixth edition of this classic work, he reaches new heights of excellence in research and presentation. No one has ferreted out the details of this subject better than Dr. Richelson.”

—Loch K. Johnson, Regents Professor, University of Georgia; Senior Editor, Intelligence & National Security

 

Praise for Previous Editions:

 

“The authoritative survey of the American cloak-and-dagger establishment.”— Washington Post Book World

 

“Fast as the CIA changes, Jeff Richelson is there with excellent sources and a solid grasp of the official terrain. The US Intelligence Community will be vital for any reader who wants to understand the evolution of American intelligence in the post-Cold War world.”—John Prados, author of The Soviet Estimate and Presidents’ Secret War

 

“Jeffrey Richelson’s new edition is still the best, most comprehensive overview of US intelligence. Required reading for anyone interested in what goes on behind America’s cloaks and daggers.”—David Wise, author of Nightmover: How Aldrich Ames Sold the CIA to the KGB for $4.6 Million

 

“The authoritative bible on the modern American intelligence establishment.”—Bob Woodward, author of Veil: The Secret Wars of the CIA, 1981-1987

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

About the Author

Jeffrey T. Richelson received his Ph.D. in political science from the University of Rochester in 1975, and has taught at the University of Texas, Austin, and the American University, Washington. A senior fellow at the National Security Archive in Washington, he lives in Alexandria, Virginia.

Product Details

• Paperback: 608 pages
• Publisher: Westview Press; Fifth Edition edition (August 7, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0813343623
• ISBN-13: 978-0813343624
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 6 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #572,304 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

49 of 53 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent reference of the US Intelligence community., November 22, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The U.s. Intelligence Community: Third Edition (Paperback)

Richelson does an excellent job of providing a link and detail to all of the U.S. intelligence successes and failures over the last 35 years. This is a superb reference book for the young and old intelligence officer in a Joint or Interagency environment that needs to know how the intelligence system in the United States works. Richelson does not write in theory. All of this book is practical, useful and hard-hitting. It will give you excellent depth and insight into those often heard but little known intelligence successes and debacles. From the USS Pueblo to the origin and current status of satellite intelligence, this book covers it all.

24 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars It was very good, but is not current (review of the fourth edition), November 8, 2005

By 

E. M. Van Court "Van, emvc (at) lycos.com" (Honolulu, Hawai'i, USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The U.S. Intelligence Community Fourth Edition (Paperback)

This one was a great reference up to 10 September 2001. Then everything changed and much of what is in this book is out of date. To be fair though, there is stll considerable value here, but that value puts it into the 'buy a used one' category (but hey, that slightly dog-eared, somewhat out of date, reference work on the shelf behind your desk gives you that 'old hand' 'been there, done that' credibility, so this isn't all bad.)

What's good about this one:
-The description of the intelligence cycle.
-The discussions of challenges facing the U.S. intelligence community post Cold War (but pre-9/11; belay that, many of the issues addressed are still challenges that have not been resolved, just set to one side in the pursuit of the global war on terror).
-The description and discussion of the processes and policies surrounding the intelligence cycle.
-It is a good reference work for tracing the establishment of several of the agencies.

What's not so good about this:
-The world changed two years after this book's publication in 1999. And all the shortcomings of this book stem from this. The description of the strategic organization of the U.S. military is not accurate. The Dept. of Homeland Security is not mentioned. The National Intelligence Director is not mentioned. Bin Laden and Al Qaeda aren't mentioned. The patriot act isn't here. The National Geospatial Intelligence Agency is here under its old name, the National Imagery and Mapping Agency. And so forth...
-There have been some bigger changes that are mostly technology driven. At the time this book was written, the idea that one could get 1 meter resolution satellite imagery for free (though a little dated) was pretty shocking for most folks, but if you go to Google maps right now...

Over all, 'The U.S. Intelligence Community' is out of date for descriptions of the current establishment and much of the technology, but is pretty darn good for processes and some of the big concepts. Caveat lector: be mindful that technology changes constantly, and what's in this book was declassified, hence even further out of date than the copyright date would indicate.

Post Script: Thank you, W. Blair for pointing out that there is a newer edition. This review only applies to the fourth, not fifth and current edition. Darn you, W. Blair, for forcing my hand to get the new edition 8-)

E. M. Van Court

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars useful but dry, December 2, 2008

By 

Edward P. Cerne III (Chesapeake, Va) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The US Intelligence Community (Paperback)

Richelson does his homework and provides a volume about the structure of the intelligence community either citing current data, or the most recently released declassified data concerning currently classified programs. Ultimately the book is a reference, not a read. He offers only a few pages of analysis on his work, so there is no new perspective on hot topics concerning the structure or function of the IC. That being said, there are not a lot of other books out there about the USIC, so you may have to go with this one if you want to know anything.