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Burn Before Reading: Presidents, CIA Directors, and Secret Intelligence Hardcover – October 1, 2005

by Stansfield Turner (Author)
3.8 3.8 out of 5 stars 21 ratings
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In this "thoughtful, entertaining, and often insightful" book, a former CIA director explores the delicate give-and-take between the Oval Office and Langley.

With the disastrous intelligence failures of the last few years still fresh in Americans minds--and to all appearances still continuing--there has never been a more urgent need for a book like this.

In Burn Before Reading, Admiral Stansfield Turner, the CIA director under President Jimmy Carter, takes the reader inside the Beltway to examine the complicated, often strained relationships between presidents and their CIA chiefs. From FDR and "Wild Bill" Donovan to George W. Bush and George Tenet, twelve pairings are studied in these pages, and the results are eye-opening and provocative. Throughout, Turner offers a fascinating look into the machinery of intelligence gathering, revealing how personal and political issues often interfere with government business--and the nation's safety.
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  1. Print length
    320 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Grand Central Publishing
  4. Publication date
    October 1, 2005
  5. Grade level
    8 and up
  6. Dimensions
    6.5 x 1 x 9.63 inches
  7. ISBN-10
    0786867825
  8. ISBN-13
    978-0786867820
  9. See all details
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3.8 out of 5 stars
21 global ratings

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  • Brent
    5.0 out of 5 stars Eye-opening and very good
    Reviewed in the United States on October 14, 2018
    Verified Purchase
    I originally "read" this as an audiobook and came back for the Kindle version. The book promises an insider's view into the relationships between the presidents and CIA chiefs, which it delivered well. It was interesting, and a bit disheartening to learn the extent to which politics, predispositions, ambitions, and personalities weigh so heavily on matters that I would have hoped to be above them. Very interesting read.
    3 people found this helpful
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  • Kyle Wheeler
    4.0 out of 5 stars Good history of the CIA
    Reviewed in the United States on May 29, 2013
    Verified Purchase
    Good history of the CIA from a Admiral Stansfield who headed the agency in the late 70's. Great insight that a normal CIA agent just could not provide. Good insight into presidential struggles of how to properly use the agency and great lead into how it came to be from the OSS which many of the early guys came from. Greta intertwining and informative read.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • ollientn
    5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
    Reviewed in the United States on March 16, 2016
    Verified Purchase
    the author should know
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Susan Beck
    5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
    Reviewed in the United States on November 24, 2015
    Verified Purchase
    Good book!
    One person found this helpful
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  • John Matlock
    5.0 out of 5 stars A View From the Inside
    Reviewed in the United States on January 16, 2006
    From his position as Director of Central Intelligence during the Carter presidency Admiral Turner is able to present a view of the CIA from an inside that few of us have seen.

    In this book he reviews the relationship between the agency and the president that they served. Sometimes the relationship has been cordial, sometimes you would use other words. Over the years there have been successes and failures, with the failures getting a lot more press.

    While the main part of the book is a discussion of the relationship between each of the presidents since Truman and the agency, perhaps the most interesting part of the book is recommendations for strengthening the agency so that it provides more useful assistance to the Government.

    His basic proposal is for more of the same. More authority for the director, more budget (of course) more control of the other agencies. There is also a suggestion to tie togeather the fifteen or so agencies that currently collect information. Needless to say, the other agencies have different opinions.

    From an outsider point of view, the CIA has become very oriented to collecting intelligence from 'National Technical Means' that is satellites. This worked pretty well when the target was the Soviet Union. It has not worked so well against al Queda or Iraq. Changing the target, the procedures, the languages and perhaps some major changes in philosophy may be needed.
    9 people found this helpful
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  • R. Robinson
    1.0 out of 5 stars Under achieving
    Reviewed in the United States on August 2, 2009
    Verified Purchase
    Not nearly as candid as in his first book, "Secrecy and Democracy". Admiral Turner's writing and thinking in this text is of minimal effort and this by a man who has had such a distinguished career. I would expect this kind of work from someone turning their dissertation into book length or a professor aiming for tenure, not a retired NATO commander and former DCI. Not only does he not provide anything new in terms of presidents and their relationships to central intelligence but bothers with little meaningful national security/ political analysis, and what technical analysis that exists is trite. He could of produced a seminal and critical work in the field of national security studies using his security clearance and the national security archives but instead writes something that will be quickly dismissed by both the public and scholars. But of all the issues I have with this book most important are the facts he ignores or is unaware of. An example of this is on pg. 84 when he says that Iran was Ike's and Dulles's first use of covert action. There are numerous errors and omissions in this text.

    I would not recommend this book to anyone (not even a newbie to national security studies); instead as a replacement "Getting to Know the President: CIA Briefings of Presidential Candidates 1952-1992" by John L. Helgerson (one of Turner's key sources by happenstance). But I also suggest reading "Keepers of the Keys" by John Prados, which concerns itself with the history of the National Security Council.
    11 people found this helpful
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  • Audiobook Bandit
    4.0 out of 5 stars A trifle dry, perhaps, but very interesting.
    Reviewed in the United States on November 17, 2011
    This book is written by the former Director of Central Intelligence (DCI) Stansfield Turner, who served under Carter. It's an informative look at the evolution of the CIA from its beginning under FDR to its current embodiment (as of 2004). It is particularly concerned with the relationship of the DCI with the President, and how that influences how intelligence is gathered, and how it is used (and misused). The book also explores the myriad complex and controversial issues regarding exactly what the role of the CIA should be. Some examples:

    (1) Should the CIA serve an analytical or operations function? Analytical functions of the CIA include analyzing economies, politics, geography, and current events and trying to predict the future. Then there's the "operations" side that includes covert operations (James Bond type stuff). What balance should be struck between these functions?

    (2) Then there's the question of whether the CIA should present "just the facts," in as objective a manner as possible, OR whether they should form opinions based on those facts. On the one hand, we need an objective organization, because other people offering intelligence are military-based, and have their own agendas which muddy the waters. On the other hand, it seems silly for people with good intelligence skills to come up with all the data...and then avoid drawing any conclusions...particularly because many Presidents don't have time, or aren't smart enough to draw intelligent conclusions of their own.

    (3) Then there's questions of whether the CIA should be allowed to think about domestic military matters. This is typically the purview of military departments who (naturally) understand those matters best. But if the CIA is specifically prevented from understanding the domestic situation...then how can they judge international matters, which are often influenced by domestic matters.

    (4) Who should run the CIA, and who should coordinate intelligence efforts with other intelligence heads in the army, navy, air-force, DoD? What relationship should all these people have to cabinet members like the Secretaries of State and Defense...and the President for that matter!

    I found this book to be really informative, if a trifle dry.
    4 people found this helpful
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