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The Wizards Of Langley: Inside The Cia's Directorate Of Science And Technology by [Richelson, Jeffrey T]

The Wizards Of Langley: Inside The Cia's Directorate Of Science And Technology Kindle Edition

by Jeffrey T Richelson (Author)

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In this, the first full-length study of the Directorate of Science and Technology, Jeffrey T. Richelson walks us down the corridors of CIA headquarters in Langley, Virginia, and through the four decades of science, scientists, and managers that produced the CIA we have today. He tells a story of amazing technological innovation in service of intelligence gathering, of bitter bureaucratic infighting, and sometimes, as in the case of its “mind-control” adventure, of stunning moral failure. Based on original interviews and extensive archival research, The Wizards of Langley turns a piercing lamp on many of the agency's activities, many never before made public.

Length: 426 pages

Word Wise: Enabled

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Product details

File Size: 3023 KB
Print Length: 426 pages
Page Numbers Source ISBN: 0813366992
Publisher: Basic Books (November 10, 2008)
Publication Date: November 10, 2008
Language: English
ASIN: B009W74BN4
Text-to-Speech: Enabled

X-Ray:

Not Enabled

Word Wise: Enabled
Lending: Not Enabled
Enhanced Typesetting: Not Enabled

Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #830,456 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
- #866 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > History > Military > Other
- #43162 in Books > History > Military
- #300329 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Nonfiction

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James R Wright

I worked for Lou Murray and the USAF at LMSC ...

August 23, 2016

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

I worked for Lou Murray and the USAF at LMSC (Lockheed Missiles and Space Company) and the STC (Satellite Test Center -- Sunnyvale) in CORONA operations during the mid 1960s. I only recently learned that CORONA was declassified in 1995 by Bill Clinton. My participation on CORONA left me with only a very narrow view of of the entire program. Richelson provides me now with the larger environment in which I was embedded. Let me add that I was working in the CORONA Master Control Complex in Sunnyvale the evening that Derrick Fong tripped and dropped a tub with hundreds of CORONA IBM FORTRAN maneuver cards on the floor just minutes before the command to unload a spacecraft payload bucket was to be uplinked. Derrick scrambled the deck together, ran the FORTRAN program, and the maneuver command was uplinked. The payload bucket, to be dropped into a specific strip in the ocean, was never found. Leaving LMSC, the remainder of my 50+ year career as aerospace engineer was spent in developing advanced orbit determination systems for NASA GODDARD and the US military. I briefed Bob Kohler repeatedly at technical meetings, PDR, and CDR on programs that followed CORONA. I have a question for Richelson: Are all the statements in your book validated by the government to be unclassified? I have developed a much larger view of my role in those programs by reading your book, and am thankful to have it.

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Ryan Lesniewski

Needs more wizardry

July 28, 2006

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

If you go into reading this book with the idea that you are going to be learning about amazing gadgets and strange experiments you might finish the book disappointed. If you go into reading this book hoping to learn about the bureaucracy of the CIA than you'll probably leave satisfied. While Richelson does spend a portion of the book talking about technical wizardry such as spy satellites, spy planes, and other James Bond fare, much of the book is spent talking about directorate organization and hierarchy, and the political infighting that comes along with it.

This wouldn't be a problem if the book were billed as such. However, the book's back cover and description lead you to believe otherwise. The crazy directorate experiments using hallucinogens and telepathy are mentioned in the description but they take up less than a chapter in the book.

The book is incredibly well researched and can at times be an enjoyable read. However, a disproportionate amount of book space is taken up talking about organizational structure and agency politics. Two subjects that I find little interest in. If this book had stressed wizardry over policy it would be a five star selection, as the technical talk is incredibly interesting, well done and enlightening. However, this book focuses is on bureaucracy and suffers because of it.

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removeb4flight

Dry text with a few gems of info

June 1, 2006

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

Richelson has written a very complete, documented, book on the Directorate of Science and Technology. However, unless you are looking for how government organizations function, or don't function, there isn't much new information on the technological accomplisments of the CIA that hasn't been written about elsewhere. I found the detailed reporting on who hated who, and how the defense department fought with the CIA for control of programs only slightly interesting. The technological achievements of the CIA were really interesting but sometimes amounted to a half page of good stuff, then back to the petty infighting within the government. I don't recommend this book unless you are doing a research paper.

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Harry Pandolfino

Informational

September 22, 2001

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

An informative history of the U.S. intelligence efforts over the years to use creative technology to gather information. A chronology of how the desire for intelligence spawned the U2, the SR-71 and spy satellites and also how the agency discovers cutting edge technology which it sometimes releases to the private sector to be applied. Unfortunately the writing is very dry with too much focus on the history of internecine rivalries and power struggles which will probably not interest the average reader. A good read in order to get a balanced view of the value of the CIA which is often maligned and under-appreciated.

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Amazon Customer

History

November 11, 2013

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

I recommend this book. It is heavy on details and the names get confusing because there are so many, but the history is exciting

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EastCoastGuy

Who's who of Langley

November 2, 2014

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

Too deep into the weeds for me

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Joseph T. Page II

Mr. Richelson? Please play "MISTY" for me...

November 16, 2008

Format: Paperback

As a very avid reader of Dr. Richelson's works, I would have to echo the rest of the statements that this book doesn't quite live up to its title. Yeah, it describes the "wizards of langley" and how they like to build organization charts and hierarchies - who the heck is building the cool toys? Why "Q" of course!

While I'm a fan of org charts and organizational histories, my biggest draw to this book was the reference to "MISTY" - this is one of a small number of sources (internet, print, magazine) that attempt to describe what MISTY is/might be... I may not know what it is, but Richelson's book has given me a clue.

If you're a MISTY hunter too, this book might be of some value. If you've got Richelson's books displayed alphabetically on your bookshelf (like I do), it needs to be included. If you want James Bond spy toys, go to Hollywood Video and rent one of the Bond movies.

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Most recent customer reviews

Winfred H. Green

Boring read...like an org chart discussion

Waste of time & money...who would integrate so much trivia and call it a book. Look for another source within CIA history files. Online and without cost!

Published 7 months ago

Amazon Customer

Interpretation at its best!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Dr. Richelson, who is a senior fellow at the National Security Archives, gives a highly recommendable interpretation of the Directorate of Science and Technology, at the CIA.Read more

Published on February 1, 2003

TJ Marsden

Well Researched but Poorly Written

I must agree with previous reviewer comments. This book attempts to describe the Directorate of Science and Technology, yet it focuses on the bureaucracy of upper management and...Read more

Published on December 28, 2002

A customer

Well-researched but tedious

This book might be a useful resource to scholars researching the history of the CIA's Science and Technology Directorate.Read more

Published on September 22, 2002

A customer

The Fascintating Turned Dull

I agree with the other reviewer that this is an incredibly boring book. It should be a crime to take so many fascinating projects, problems, and people and turn them into endless,...Read more

Published on July 31, 2002

good book with limitations

This book was written with the cooperation of the CIA which greatly influenced it. It contains correct information on a limited number of projects mostly very old in time and...Read more

Published on June 28, 2002

Travis Langley

Interesting Background and History

Readers seeking information on any aspect of the CIA must bear in mind that the available information is very limited. So many aspects of what goes on simply cannot be revealed.Read more

Published on June 3, 2002

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