The Secret Sentry: The Untold History of the National Security Agency First Edition Edition

by Matthew M. Aid (Author)

72 customer reviews

ISBN-13: 978-1596915152

ISBN-10: 1596915153

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In the first complete history of the National Security Agency, America's most powerful and secretive intelligence organization.

In February 2006, while researching this book, Matthew Aid uncovered a massive and secret document reclassification program―a revelation that made the front page of the New York Times. This was only one of the discoveries Aid has made during two decades of research in formerly top-secret documents. In The Secret Sentry, Aid provides the first-ever full history of America's largest security apparatus, the National Security Agency.

This comprehensive account traces the growth of the agency from 1945 to the present through critical moments in its history, from the cold war up to its ongoing involvement in Afghanistan and Iraq. Aid explores the agency's involvement in the Iraqi weapons intelligence disaster, where evidence that NSA officials called "ambiguous" was used as proof of Iraqi WMD capacity, and details the intense debate within the NSA over its unprecedented role, pressed by the Bush-Cheney administration, in spying on U.S. citizens.

Today, the NSA has become the most important source of intelligence for the U.S. government, providing 60 percent of the president's daily intelligence briefing. While James Bamford's New York Times bestseller The Shadow Factory covered the NSA since 9/11, The Secret Sentry contains new information about every period since World War II . It provides a shadow history of global affairs, from the creation of I srael to the War on Terror.

The Secret Sentry: The Untold History of the National Security Agency

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Editorial Reviews

Review

“This, very simply, is the most informative book ever written on the inside bureaucratic struggles and the outside operations of the National Security Agency. Matthew Aid is our reigning expert on the NSA.” ―Seymour M. Hersh, author of Chain of Command: The Road from 9/11 to Abu Ghraib

“NSA analysis now comprises as much as 60 percent of the president's daily intelligence briefing, and Aid provides a critical history of the agency that has the ear of the leader of the free world. A sprawling but revealing look at a powerful, shadowy agency of the American government.” ―Kirkus

About the Author

Matthew M. Aid is a leading intelligence historian, expert on the National Security Agency, and regular commentator on intelligence matters for the New York Times, the Financial Times, the National Journal, the Associated Press, CBS News, NPR, and many other media outlets. He lives in Washington, D.C.

Hardcover: 432 pages
Publisher: Bloomsbury Press; First Edition edition (June 9, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1596915153
ISBN-13: 978-1596915152
Product Dimensions: 6.4 x 1.4 x 9.5 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
Average Customer Review: 72 customer reviews
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,093,623 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #1565 in Books > Politics & Social Sciences > Politics & Government > Specific Topics > Intelligence & Espionage
- #1905 in Books > Politics & Social Sciences > Politics & Government > International & World Politics > Security
- #6617 in Books > Textbooks > Humanities > History > United States

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Matt

Agency history of the NSA

March 16, 2015

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

This book wasn't exactly what I was expecting. I thought it would be more of a political treatise on the activities of the NSA, but it was almost more of an "agency history." While this was a different focus, I found it very interesting, especially as the author pulled back the curtain on many important events in U.S. history that were affected by SIGINT (signals intelligence) collected by the NSA since its foundation.
The author cited many sources, both written and oral, which lends academic weight to what he says. However, the use of sources does not create a ponderous reading style; on the contrary, the writing was engaging and fairly easy to read.
I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who likes reading about history or espionage. Especially in light of how much the NSA is in the news today, I hope more people will read this book and get at least a small glimpse of the work done behind the scenes for the USA.

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Howard A. Daniel III

Wrong Assumptions because of a lack of Data

May 30, 2016

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

I used to work in the intelligence community in Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War. The author did know everything that was going on in our NSA/ASA support and thus wrote a negative story about it. Once I read that chapter, I assumed he also did not have all of the information in his other chapters. I am thinking he did not talk to enough people who were on the ground or in the area in the theater in which the NSA/ASA was operating, so I skipped the rest of the book

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A Customer

Almost The Best Possible Work on the Subject

September 12, 2009

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

Aid's Secret Sentry is a remarkable effort of research, persistence, writing, and most important: timing. His footnoting is impressive and he was prudent enough to wait until Tom Johnson's authoritative four volume classified history of NSA was (partially) declassified and posted by the National Security Archive to finish his own volume. His debt to Johnson shows in his footnotes. For years, Jim Bamford's "Puzzle Palace" and "Body of Secrets" were the only real public sources on NSA, but Matthew Aid has now surpassed him in all areas but one: the evolution of technology and NSA's role in creating the modern electronic and computer world. For that you still need "Body of Secret's" chapter fourteen. Unlike Bamford's breezier works, this is not a "popular" book, but for anyone genuinely interested in the real story of this essential component of national security, Aid's account of the United States codebreaking and communications intelligence effort is essential and will not soon be bested.

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Retired Reader

Looking Under the Covers

November 11, 2009

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

The National Security Agency (NSA) wears one of the thicker cloaks of secrecy among the agencies of the U.S. Intelligence Community (IC). For this reason any book that purports to be "The Untold History of" the NSA ought to be viewed with suspicion. In this case however Matthew Aid has actually produced an accurate and compelling history of NSA. Perhaps equally important his book does not compromise any of NSA's sensitive sources and methods. This book can serve to provide the context for better understanding James Bamford's series of books on NSA and indeed to understand NSA itself.
That being said this book by necessity is very much a surface treatment of a very complex institution. For example it is focused entirely on the Signals Intelligence Directorate (SID) to the exclusion of NSA's equally important Information Assurance Directorate (IAD).
Also Aid is much too kind in his discussion of NSA management over the years. For example although he mentions the NSA unplanned three day outage, but fails to mention that NSA management had been repeatedly warned that this was exactly going to happen by folks both within the agency and by outside consultants for at least two years before the event (which was a lot more the "main processing computer"). As for General Hayden's fabled "100 Days of Change", it did not hit NSA "like a tidal wave", but more like another round of meaningless rhetoric. The only tangible result was the implementation of the disastrous `Trailblazer' initiative which succeeded in squandering millions of dollars and whatever goodwill NSA had left with the congress.
So a good book within limitations that provides probably the most solid unclassified history of NSA that has yet been written.

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Texas

Five Stars

July 4, 2017

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

enjoyed the book........recommended

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Evan Bench

A quick read and while light a very good historical background

November 26, 2013

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

Having spent several years providing intel to NSA in the 80's and 90's I found the book a fun read; however a bit light and missing quite a bit of details on certain periods. However, it gives a very nice background to NSA's participation in world events. Apparently much of it is based on declassified information so, for me personally, it gave me missing background on activities I was involved with in the 1980's.

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David R. Fuller

Comprehensive review of the agency's history

March 25, 2013

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

As the title says, this is a comprehensive review of the NSA, from its early roots to the present day. At times the writing can
be a little dry, but then again, how can you spice up a description of RSA encoding? But I liked it, because I like spies (REAL spies, not James Bond etc.), and I like technology (I'm a retired engineer), and the NSA is the embodiment of these two preoccupations.

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Amazon Customer

Everything you want to know about the NSA

July 22, 2015

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

Well research factual account of the NSA's history. Tendency to drill down too much and present facts that did not add to the story, but basically a good read. Would have like coverage of the Kennedy years, and can't understand why that era is blank.
'

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