Customer Reviews

The US Intelligence Community

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

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.

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 Then everything changed and much of what is in this book is out of date.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value here, but that value puts it into the 'buy a used one' category (but hey, that slightly dog-eared, somewhat out of date, reference work on the shelf behind your desk gives you that 'old hand' 'been there, done that' credibility, so this isn't all bad.)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

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.

I have copies of editions 2, 3, 4 and now the 5th edition of this book - and it has gotten better each time. Dr. Richelson's study of the U.S. Intelligence Community (IC) is amazing, and a testament to how useful open source information is. While some of the information is inaccurate (and I *can't* say what... ;-), it is to the benefit of the reader that this book offers so many sources. If its wrong, its not because he guessed wrong - it has been mentioned elsewhere. While not being 100% accurate, I would render a guess that 90% to 95% hits near the mark.

That aside, the organizational charts are amazing and very useful. This book has been used in the American Military University's intelligence studies program as a foundation textbook for many classes (coupled with other good books too!). While some spooks stick in their niche areas, others have copies of this book on their shelf to see what the rest of the IC does...

The only downside for this book - the cost. I would have never imagined paying near $50 on a paperback book. It was worth the cost though...

I have read each edition of this fascinating book as it has been published. Sadly, each has served as a historical reference only. For those not well versed in this field this provides a detailed overview of the community. Mr. Richelson's latest Edition (number 5) is far more interesting and draws you in while still providing in depth knowledge.

I have just received the 2008 (5th) edition of this book and performed a quick scan of projects I am familiar with. All of the information presented in the present tense is out of date and some of it is just flat wrong (was never true). Just because there are citations doesn't make it accurate.

Thanks to Google Earth, it is a trivial matter to verify some of the installations mentioned within this book. Richelson should try it some time.

Item was received quickly and in great condition. Book provides great information and well suited for the class I'm taking. Make sure to get the latest edition.

"The US Intelligence Community" (5th Edition) represents an impressive amount of open source research into the structure, the functions, and the current challenges of post-9/11 US Intelligence. Jeffrey Richelson's experience as a longtime outside observer of the US intelligence community has enabled him to scour the corners of the media, academia, and a variety of archives for the many bits and pieces that make up this book.

In roughly 550 pages, Richelson covers the basics of intelligence, the various national intelligence and military service intelligence organizations, the different intelligence disciplines, liaison with foreign intelligence services, analysis, counterintelligence, covert action, and the challenges of managing the US intelligence community. A final chapter addresses some recent controversial issues.

The good news is that "The US Intelligence Community" is a valuable teaching resource, presented in a remarkably even-handed way. The not-so-good news is that portions of the book are dry reading. The bad news, for the informed consumer, is that key information and valuable perspective are sometimes available only at the classified level. A book this heavily dependent on media reporting will inevitably have only part of the story, and part of that wrong.

"The US Intelligence Community" is highly recommended as an unclassified guide and teaching resource on the subject of the US Intelligence Community.

This book contains virtualy no analysis just a long dry list of mainly technical systems used by the US Intelligence Community. If you're looking for an expository text, try elsewhere; as a desk reference it is useful.