From the Shadows: The Ultimate Insider's Story of Five Presidents and How They Won the Cold War

by Robert M. Gates (Author)

75 customer reviews

ISBN-13: 978-0684834979

ISBN-10: 0684834979

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A former director of the CIA discusses the inside story of the hidden wars that the U.S. waged against communism, examining the roles of the CIA and the government in the collapse of communism over the course of five presidential administrations. Reprint. 20,000 first printing.

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Product details

Paperback: 608 pages
Publisher: Simon & Schuster (May 7, 1997)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0684834979
ISBN-13: 978-0684834979
Product Dimensions: 6 x 1.4 x 9 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 75 customer reviews
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,676,664 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #10216 in Books > Textbooks > Social Sciences > Political Science > Political History
- #11131 in Books > Textbooks > Social Sciences > Political Science > Government
- #12203 in Books > History > Asia > Russia

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Dutchman

Magnificent Work

May 9, 2014

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

Highly recommend this book for the inside stories as to events that were watershed years for the United States. I thought the book was very even handed as to the treatment of politicians. Most significantly, when Mr. Gates made an error or was wrong, he so stated without hesitation...what a rarity in Washington. As to the Pentagon Brass, the saying that generals are always one war behind in their strategies is painfully evident, with tragic results for our service personnel. In reading what Mr. Gates had to do to move the Pentagon to purchase and deploy the protective equipment needed by our troops made me irate at times, and I am not even ex military. Mr. Gates is quite clear in demonstrating the sorry excuse for what is called "Congress" as well..what a disgrace.
This book is numbing at times...

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Amazon Customer

Very interesting -- especially for those of us who lived through this time.

April 4, 2014

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

Loved this book. Very interesting and many parts were even compelling. The writing (or perhaps the editing) wasn't as good as I as expected from someone who seems to be very eloquent when speaking. The book follows threads of history from start to finish, rather than the Tom Clancy approach of interweaving multiple threads through a single time line. For the most part,I found this to work just fine, but many specific discussions and events are discussed either in whole or in part multiple times. This got to be just a bit of distraction, but not enough for me to not recommend it.

I tried to read this book with a critical eye; to ascertain if the author was trying to make himself look to be the "good actor" in every situation. After reading the whole book, I decided that this probably wasn't the case in general. Although I suspect that in some of events he recounts that we got the best possible view of it from his perspective. Not to bad for a non-politician working in jobs with tons of political pressure for his entire career. I would enjoy reading Gates' biography written by an unbiased biographer.

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George M. Coburn

Five-Star History of the Cold War and the Collapse of the Soviet Union

April 24, 2014

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Bob Gates is a magnificent public servant and historian. One may not again see such an insider's commanding grasp of this vast subject as he unfolds in this book based on his long service in positions of rising responsibility in the CIA and the National Security Council and his close relationships with Presidents Carter, Ford and G.H.W. Bush until the advent of the Clinton Administration ended his public service. In 2006 President G.W. Bush recalled him to succeed Donald Rumsfeld as Secretary of Defense in 2006 and about which he recently wrote another excellent book.

In particular, his portrayal of the role of Gorbachev's political reforms without corresponding reforms of the centralized command economy as accelerating the implosion of the Soviet Union has the sure touch of persuasion. Further, his account of the mastery of the first President Bush's non-provocative policy response to the Soviet collapse commands respect and approval.

This book deserves wide reading and study.

George Coburn

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Wahine in Hawaii

Here is history repeating

March 24, 2014

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I have only read the first half of this book,but it is enlighting. Especially for those of us who lived thru this time period,
but may not have known, or remembered all the events that took place. Of course many were still classified at that time.
The author started with the CIA as a young recruit, and went all the way up to director. So he has a plethora of insight.
I am finding the parallels with todays events quite interesting. This volume is about the former USSR and USA as competitors on the world scene. Hey, they still are. But one item that struck me was the statement about Cuban troops, trained and supported by the USSR and then being used to fight in places like Angola and Ethiopia !
If you like this kind of insight, along with descriptions of 5 presidents take on world events, you might enjoy this book.
Can't wait to read the rest.

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Robert A Allen

An Analyst's War

November 30, 2013

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Gates has written a racing sketch of the final years of America's epic struggle with the Soviet Union. It is a formidably complex tale that well deserves and will get voluminous treatment by historians and political scientists. Here Gates presents a skeletal and easily read outline of the drama as it unfolded loaded with personal anecdotes. His insights to five presidents and the development of a consistent American policy as it sought to block, contain and contest Soviet expansion make for fascinating reading. It is a story of the extraordinary challenges faced by the CIA as it measured the economic exhaustion and ultimate collapse of the Evil Empire. Some will doubtless see Gates as a loyal apologist for the Agency. Loyal he undoubtedly was, but the verdict of time I think will find this to be an accurate and dispassionate account of the final years of the Cold War and the role CIA played.

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mario udewald

A small look behind the curtains of power

May 14, 2014

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Very interesting to learn how it works inside the system.
It is for me clear. One thing is to criticise from outside and the other to be inside.
It is difficult,i would say very thought not to become a dictator to have things done.
I have the conviction that the mayor gol is: "quill the burocrats" but not all.
More insider stories not published in the media would have been according to the intelectuall and human level
of the autor. A great luck for the USA to have this quality of real humans.
Something has to be very GOOD in the USA

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Robert L. Corley

A fascinating insider's perspective but what a massive ego!

July 27, 2014

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A detailed, fact based history of CIA successes and failures, well written, thorough, and organized in a easy to follow time line. Unfortunately at times it is like eating a tough but tasty steak, hard to swallow, because of the recurrent self serving view that Mr Gates, regardless of which position he occupied, was always the one with the right answer! Amazing!

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From the Shadows: The Ultimate Insider's Story of Five Presidents and How They Won the Cold War

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