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Ronald Kessler

The First Family Detail: Secret Service Agents Reveal the Hidden Lives of the Presidents Hardcover – August 5, 2014

by Ronald Kessler (Author)

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As in a play, presidents, vice presidents, and presidential candidates perform on stage for the public and the media. What the nation’s leaders are really like and what goes on behind the scenes remains hidden. Secret Service agents have a front row seat on their private lives and those of their wives and children.

Crammed with new, headline-making revelations, THE FIRST FAMILY DETAIL: Secret Service Agents Reveal the Hidden Lives of the Presidents by Ronald Kessler tells that eye-opening, uncensored story.

Since publication of his New York Times bestselling book In the President’s Secret Service, award-winning investigative reporter Ronald Kessler has continued to penetrate the wall of secrecy that surrounds the U.S. Secret Service, breaking the story that Secret Service agents who were to protect President Obama hired prostitutes in Cartagena, Colombia and revealing that the Secret Service allowed a third uninvited guest to crash a White House state dinner.

Now Kessler presents far bigger and more consequential stories about our nation’s leaders and the agency sworn to protect them. Kessler widens his scope to include presidential candidates, former presidents after they leave the White House, and the presidents’ relationships to their first ladies and children.

From observing Vice President Joe Biden’s reckless behavior that jeopardizes the country’s safety, to escorting Bill Clinton’s mistress at Chappaqua, to overhearing First Lady Michelle Obama’s admonitions to the president, to witnessing President Nixon’s friends bring him a nude stripper, to seeing their own agency take risks that could result in an assassination, Secret Service agents know a secret world that Ronald Kessler exposes in breathtaking detail.

THE FIRST FAMILY DETAIL reveals:

· Vice President Joe Biden regularly orders the Secret Service to keep his military aide with the nuclear football a mile behind his motorcade, potentially leaving the country unable to retaliate in the event of a nuclear attack.

· Secret Service agents discovered that former president Bill Clinton has a blond mistress. Within minutes of Hillary Clinton’s leaving, the woman—codenamed Energizer by agents—shows up to be with Bill every day while the likely future presidential candidate is away.

· The Secret Service covered up the fact that President Ronald Reagan’s White House staff overruled the Secret Service to let unscreened spectators get close to Reagan as he left the Washington Hilton, allowing him to be shot by John W. Hinckley Jr.

· Secret Service agents have been dismayed to overhear Michelle Obama push her husband to be more aggressive in attacking Republicans and to side with blacks in racial controversies.

· Secret Service Director Mark Sullivan diverted agents from protecting President Obama and his family at the White House and ordered them instead to protect his assistant at her home and illegally retrieve confidential records as a favor to her.

· Because Hillary Clinton is so nasty to agents, being assigned to her protective detail is considered a form of punishment and the worst assignment in the Secret Service.

· Secret Service agents were ordered to ignore security rules and allow the SUV carrying actor Bradley Cooper to drive unscreened into a secure restricted area when President Obama was about to deliver his speech at the White House Correspondents Dinner.

· Vice President Joe Biden spends millions of taxpayer dollars flying to and from his home in Delaware on Air Force Two. His office tried to cover up the costs of the personal trips.

· Because the Secret Service refused to provide enough magnetometers at his campaign events, Mitt Romney regularly left himself open to assassination by giving speeches to unscreened crowds.

· Vice President Joe Biden swims nude at the vice president’s residence in Washington and at his home in Delaware, offending female agents.

Print length

272 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Crown Forum
Publication date

August 5, 2014
Dimensions

6.38 x 1.1 x 9.53 inches
ISBN-10

0804139210
ISBN-13

978-0804139212
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Ronald Kessler is the New York Times bestselling author of The Secrets of the FBI, In the President's Secret Service, and The CIA at War. A former Wall Street Journal and Washington Post investigative reporter, Kessler has won eighteen journalism awards, including two George Polk awards, one for national reporting and one for community service. He was named a Washingtonian of the Year by Washingtonian magazine. Kessler lives in Potomac, Maryland with his wife, Pamela Kessler.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Crown Forum; First Edition (August 5, 2014)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 272 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0804139210
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0804139212
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.09 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.38 x 1.1 x 9.53 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #557,422 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #903 in Law Enforcement Politics
- #917 in Law Enforcement (Books)
- #1,116 in National & International Security (Books)

Customer Reviews:
1,483 ratings

Customer reviews

5 star		55%
4 star		21%
3 star		12%
2 star		5%
1 star		7%

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Top reviews from the United States

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Michael

A Danger to Our Country and Leaders

Reviewed in the United States on August 2, 2015

Verified Purchase

The author writes an interesting and thoughtful book about a part of government that many people are not very familiar with: the Secret Service. He describes the vast and impressive array of procedures employed in protecting presidents ,current and previous, vice presidents, and their families, as well as cabinet secretaries and political leaders in the line of succession to become president in case of a severe emergency. During a presidential election the leading candidates are also protected.

To accomplish their mission Secret Service agents must work in close proximity to all their protectees, becoming a part of their lives on a daily basis. This gives the agents a clear window through which to observe their personalities and character. Revelations from some of the agents indicate that what transpires in their clients' private lives may not comport with the image that they desire to show to the public.

As examples, the book describes how a number of protectees were especially "nasty" to the agents and their own staffs: Bill and Hillary Clinton, Nancy Reagan, Jimmy Carter and Al Gore.
Especially friendly and respectful to agents were Ronald Reagan, Bush 41 and 43 and their wives, Dick and Lynne Cheney and Mitt and Ann Romney. The sexual proclivities of LBJ, Bill Clinton (both inside and outside of the Oval Office) and Gary Hart are portrayed as important character issues. Some revelations are surprising, such as the preference of Joe Biden to swim naked in his home pool while being closely guarded by female agents. Many other observations of family members are also related, Including some of their drinking habits. Tension with the children of protected families seems to be prevalent in many cases.

Another focus of the book is an analysis of the management of the Secret Service. The author describes and details the incompetence and corruption of senior management that has resulted in poorly trained agents with very low morale, lack of leading-edge technology and weaponry to discover and eliminate threats, and in some cases a demonstrable lack of concern about national security. Prior lapses in standard procedures have resulted in the assassination attempts on presidents Reagan and Ford, and have put more current presidents in grave danger. After a number of recent scandals involving penetration of the White House grounds by dangerous perpetrators, the author ridicules president Obama's decision not to bring in a new director from the outside to replace the one who was fired, as he believes that as a result there will not be any change in the dysfunctional culture at the top.

93 people found this helpful

Helpful

First Family Detail is the story of the Secret Service and the presidential families whom they protect with their lives

Reviewed in the United States on February 11, 2015

Verified Purchase

The First Family Detail by Ron Kessler, former Washington Post reporter, takes the lid of the White House and the families which have inhabited that prime piece of real estate on Pennsylvania Ave in Washington D.C. The book is just over 200 pages long but is filled with inside dope on the first family. The book also explains the function of the Secret Service in a free society and the many problems concerning security, weaponry and personnel that needs to be changed if the SS is to operate on a more effective level in our age of global terrorism and assassination. Among juice items revealed by Kessler":
LBJ and Spiro Agnew were both womanizers. LBJ was often crude and rude to the agents and even his family members.
Hillary Clinton is despised by the Secret Service Agents who protect her. She cusses like a sailor on leave and is rude to the agents. She and Bill Clinton have a business arrangement. She loves power and is very ambitious. Her daughter Chelsea is polite and respectful of Secret Service personnel.
Bill Clinton is a chronic womanizer, is always late and is a narcissistic and ego driven man.
Kessler reports that the agents love Laura Bush and think highly of the entire Bush family. This is true even though Jenna and Barbara were wild during the time their father occupied the Oval Office.
Richard Nixon was a formal and distracted man who only thought of politics and sports when in conversation with agents. Pat Nixon was a heavy drinker.
Jimmy Carter was self-centered and not friendly to agents. His wife Rosalynn was much better liked than her husband.
Ronald Reagan enjoyed joking and telling stories with agents but his wife Nancy was cold and aloof.
Gerald Ford was OK but was a tightwad who enjoyed running with the rich and famous.
The family of Barack Obama are friendly and the agents like serving him as well as his friendly wife Michelle and their two adorable and polite daughters.
Vice President Joe Biden has spent over one million dollars of taxpayer money for frequent air trips from D.C. to his mansion in Wilmington Del. Biden refuses to have the nuclear football near him when on the road.
The book is an interesting read and explains the life of a Secret Service Agent. Enjoy!

24 people found this helpful

Helpful

D. Maurillo

Good for putting you to sleep...

Reviewed in the United States on November 25, 2016

Verified Purchase

The book is written more like a school essay... a lot of words, but not a lot of insight. The author also seems politically motivated... criticism of Democrats... or ignoring them completely if they had good reputations (such as the Obamas). And lots of compliments for the Republicans. I'd have liked more balance. After all, this is supposed to be a guy with intimate knowledge about the First Families. Are his experiences that black-and-white? I did read the entire book, but I kept waiting for more compelling insights rather than just a recitation of details.

18 people found this helpful

Helpful

Ms.B. Mellin

A great read

Reviewed in the United States on April 6, 2016

Verified Purchase

The author writes of the FBI academy teaching that ' The best predictor of future behavior is past behavior'. Voters who disregard character flaws court disaster once a candidate becomes president, he goes on to write. So this book should be required reading before election day for us all . I have read other Secret Service books but learned a great deal about how elected officials treat those who serve, the scandals in Cartagena , the way certain grandchildren are under secret service protection and others not, as well as why cabinet members have secret service drive them for hours to their homes or mistresses. THANK YOU Mr Kessler; your recommendations toward the end of the book merit attention from the powers that be.

18 people found this helpful

Helpful

Top reviews from other countries

GaD22

The First Family Detail: Secret Service Agents Reveal the Hidden Lives of the Presidents

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 19, 2014

Verified Purchase

The First Family Detail: Secret Service Agents Reveal the Hidden Lives of the Presidents by Ronald Kessler is marketed as giving an insight into what life out of the public eye is really like with current and former US Presidents, Vice-Presidents or Presidential candidates. Some individuals come out well on a personal level e.g. former First Lady Barbara Bush’s concern for a Secret Service agent when out walking or Dick Cheney’s promptness and consideration for an Agents time and service. Others do not e.g. Joe Biden’s apparent disregard for taxpayers money in his use (misuse) of Air Force Two or the conduct of both Bill and Hillary Clinton. As one who has no axe to grind with either political party given that I do not live in the US, I found Ronald Kessler’s book to be easy reading, interesting and illuminating if somewhat concerning in part. Setting aside the fact that most people – politicians being no exception ( perhaps an understatement!!) - have their public face and their private face, my feeling about this book is that the stand out revelations are more about the pressures facing the Secret Service. Some of the examples given of Secret Service management cutting corners or demonstrating poor decision making skills when issuing instructions to their Agents is dreadful. The lack of resources, be they management, financial, physical or just plain common sense would, I should have thought, be something the Administration should be addressing as a matter of urgency given that those men and women are very much their safety blanket and last line of defence in a threatening situation.

4 people found this helpful

sarahvm

The same as the other book

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 25, 2016

Verified Purchase

If you have read in the presidents service there is really no need to read this book. Most of the stories are just the same with the occasional extra bit added on. There are a couple of New stories that have been added but overall its a bit like reading the same book twice. With that being said it is interesting to read what the presidents and families are like away from the camera's and some of the families do not come out well.

Mrs. L. Eggleton

Very interesting and easy to read

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 14, 2018

Verified Purchase

Very interesting and easy to read. You see behind the closed doors the White House. Makes you think who made the more human President. Thoroughly enjoying it.

R. Ross

A very interesting and enjoyable book.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 14, 2014

Verified Purchase

I really enjoyed this book. It is filled with lots of stories that are fascinating to read. Ronald Kessler's writing style is very easy to read and I breezed through this book quickly as I couldn't put it down. I read Clint Hill's 'Mrs Kennedy and Me' and loved it. If you have read that you will enjoy this. It is the first book I have read by Ronald Kessler, but it won't be the last.

One person found this helpful

Kindle Customer

Willing to take the bullet

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 7, 2015

Verified Purchase

I saw the book and brought it on a whim.
It makes interesting reading the author writes well and brings alive the voices of the agents.
A hard job done by very dedicated men and women

One person found this helpful

See all reviews

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