Reviews (4)

Political correctness has put us into this situation
Bill Gertz explains clearly the rationale for improving America's counterintelligence. He throws out all political correctness that has put us in this current situation. Gertz is a better man for exposing these problems in our intelligence community. Now they may get fixed properly. Gertz can not believe that the Intelligence community has not changed many of its tactics since 9/11. Gertz points out the lack of intelligence in Iraq before the war began. He describes the problem with bureaucracy and its blocking of new changes. Gertz in each chapter describes a spy case that has happened in the past decades. Some points that jumped out at me in the book.
Enimies:Another wake-up call to America from Bill Gertz
This book gives an inside look at our failing intelligence agencies and the extent to which politics plays a roll in keeping them that way.While our short and long term enemies gain intelligence and sensitive weapons information on us, our politicians and incompetent leadership throughout our government's defense agencies do nothing but the same.I don't know what else to say.I hope everyone can read this and other Gertz books.Highly Recommended *****

what a shame
It is exactly this kind of short term mentality in this book, looking on all other countries as enemies instead of friends, that has been isolating the US from the rest of the world. Talking about military intelligence expense and power, no country beats the US. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Espionage    2. Military - Intelligence/Espionage    3. Political Freedom & Security - Intelligence    4. Political Freedom & Security - Terrorism    5. Political Science    6. Political Terrorism    7. Politics / Current Events    8. Politics/International Relations    9. Terrorism    10. U.S. Government - Intelligence Agencies    11. United States    12. War on Terrorism, 2001-    13. Current Events / International   

Reviews (2)

A good light read
I was actually disapointed in this book. Given the authors background I was hoping for a book that went into some detail into his methods, beliefsand techniques of crisis negotiation. What I got was a very light but enjoyable read that covered his career in the FBI (including his battles with the beaucracy which I felt did not add to the story) and four incidents of crisis negotiating, which had some good basic tips.Waco got a mention- but only to say he will leave it to the next book - rather frustrating.
excellent autobiography
This is a fascinating look from a different perspective at some of the major FBI incidents spanning a twenty-five year career that ended in retirement in 1995.Clint Van Zandt provides a little background material about his growing up and makes no apologies for being a family man who loves his country and his agency.However, the autobiography takes off with the specific incidents including some overseas especially the more famous ones like the 1985 siege of the Covenant, the 1993 Waco confrontation with the Branch Davidians, the Unabomber, and his paradigm suggestion that Oklahoma City was tied to Waco not the Middle East.This is an excellent autobiography of a dedicated law enforcement official who spent a career FACING DOWN EVIL as it is the behind the scenes look at these cases and more that will grip the audience.
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Subjects:  1. Biography    2. Biography & Autobiography    3. Biography / Autobiography    4. Biography/Autobiography    5. Espionage    6. Federal Bureau of Investigation    7. Hostage negotiations    8. Infamous Crimes And Criminals    9. Intelligence Agencies    10. Officials and employees    11. Personal Memoirs    12. Political Freedom & Security - Intelligence    13. True Crime / Espionage    14. United States    15. United States.    16. Van Zandt, Clinton R   

Reviews (22)

Overly Opinionated
I'll admit that the official story of the events on September 11 are suspect. But that's all I will conclude. The way the story unfolds in the media and the explanations for it all appear to be hiding some evidence. Why? I don't know, and frankly, after reading the author's very slanted view of events, am even less interested to find out. I was interested in reading the facts and evidence that exist, but his whole book was one big conspiracy theory strung together by edited quotes and simplified facts. And his summary about not fighting the Axis of Good was just over the top. Maybe the truth would only hurt us more than we know. Call me naive and ignorant, but I would rather live my life with a "half full" mentality. I enjoy my life and the choices I am able to make in America and since I have not the power to change the unfortunate events of Sept 11, I'll continue to live my humble life and not waste any more time worrying, fearing, and doubting the catastrophic events of that day. What will that accomplish? What I will continue to do is pay respect and remember the 2,000+ lives that were lost - people I didn't know - but sons, daughters, wives, husbands, friends, moms, etc.

Painfully Stupid
Eric Hufschmid believes that Bush and Cheney and the entire government were involved in a large conspiracy to take down the WTC towers and building 7, as well as the Pentagon and another target. To believe this one must not answer the "painful question" of "Is the government's story a cover-up?" but "Is our bumbling and stumbling government capable of pulling this off?"
Discern This!
The sins of child molesters, thieves and murderers pale in comparison to the crimes of the Bush family and the Democrats and Republicans who turned their heads on 9/11. MLK Jr. said "The hottest place in hell is reserved for those WHO CHOOSE neutrality in times of great moral conflict". Discern that! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Espionage    2. Political Freedom & Security - International Secur    3. Political Science    4. Politics/International Relations    5. 20th century    6. 21st century    7. American history: postwar, from c 1945 -    8. Conspiracies    9. Controversial Knowledge & Mysteries    10. History    11. New York    12. Office buildings    13. Pentagon (Va.) Terrorist Attack, 2001    14. September 11 Terrorist Attacks, 2001    15. USA    16. United States    17. World Trade Center Terrorist Attack, New York, N.Y., 2001   

Reviews (43)

Truth is Better than Fiction
Once again drawn to a book by an excellent movie, in this case Spielberg's "Munich," I expected much, and the book delivered.The hour-by-hour meticulous planning that is required in the hidden world of the assassin is uniquely portrayed, saturated as we are by big Hollywood versions of hit men and snipers.What is far more plausible about "Vengeance" is its humanity, the basic small details of a team working closely to kill others, their conscience, disgust, and the overall context of being used by the Israeli system.There are many who believe in the book, and many who say it is fiction, but it is up to the reader to judge.Ultimately it comes down to the final quote from the author himself; "I was intrigued by the character Avner appeared to be.I did become preoccupied by his story.But in the end I do not think this is why I believed him.I believed him because he knew how the light switch worked in an obscure apartment building in Rome."

The movie weakened the contents
This is a book interesting to read especially by those who lived and followed up the events, through the then available media coverage, as occured.
Thrilling, Intriguing and probably true
Am interested in military topics and have always admired Israeli military teams. Remember the day of the Munich massacre well, like Sept 11 and decided to give this book a try. It is exciting and very eye opening. Some of it reads like a novel but the claim is that it is true so I assume it is. It is a story of intrigue, of the incredible commitment of individuals to a cause, of the underworld of counter espionage and the workings of large organizations such as a country like Israel and what happens in the end ... worth the read ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Espionage    2. Germany    3. Government policy    4. History    5. History - General History    6. Identification    7. Intelligence Agencies    8. Israel    9. Middle East - Israel    10. Munich    11. Political Freedom & Security - Intelligence    12. Political Science    13. Politics/International Relations    14. Prevention    15. Rebellion And Insurgency    16. Terrorism    17. Terrorists    18. True Crime / Espionage   

Reviews (35)

Good history, fair analysis, outdated
The simple fact is that this book is outdated. Published in 1992, it is obvious that the absolute last world event dealt with in the author's research was the Gulf War of 1991. Even though it says it's been updated in 1994, there is definitely no mention of the Clinton years or the 1993 WTC bombing. In fact, in an ominous line, the authors writes to the effect that there has never been a major intel failure since the 80s (regardless of what side you believe, 9/11 would certainly get a full chapter under this category). It's time to update this book, or it will be totally obsolete very soon.
Horrible, uninformative book on the CIA
Ronald Kessler's INSIDE THE CIA is among one of the worst books I've ever read, and the worst detailing the Central Intelligence Agency.
Kessler should come back to this book for an update
Good book, but very dated. Kessler is very informed about the workings of the CIA and the backgrounds of its employees and directors, but only up to when this book was published. It has a lot of interesting folklore about the beginning of the CIA and its different divisions. It's a good read if you want to get an overview of its structure and an idea of its mindset of the CIA up to and just after the fall of the Soviets. That being the post WWII era and the cold war. If he were to go back to this book's subject I am sure he would be able to gain a wealth of newer information more applicable to the current situations we face as a nation. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Espionage    2. General    3. History: American    4. Military - Intelligence/Espionage    5. True Crime / Espionage    6. Current Events / General    7. Espionage & secret services    8. USA   

Reviews (10)

Good Introduction Book
Mark Lowenthal's book on intelligence is a great starting point for anyone looking to get aquainted with intelligence. It covers all aspects and will give the layman a new and better understanding of both the polictics and the process behind intelligence. The only reason I'm giving this game 4/5 is because in places the book becomes almost too rudimentary which I guess is expected of an introductory book. In short the book is organized like a series of lectures on the topic of intelligence, informative reading, midly entertaining, but over all a great book.

Better than I imagined
This was the first time I have ever bought books online and I am quite impressed with the quickness that the books came and also the super shape in which the books were in.

Primer for Presidents, Congress, Media, and Public
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Subjects:  1. Espionage    2. Government - General    3. Intelligence service    4. Political Science    5. Politics/International Relations    6. True Crime / Espionage    7. United States    8. Espionage & secret services   

Reviews (4)

Unmasking the CIA?
If you believe that the authors were actually permitted to reveal the secrets contained in this book, it is monumental. No Better View of the Clandestine Mentality Exists
This is one of perhaps ten books from prior to 1985 that I decided to include because of their continuing value.I believe that both history and historians will credit these two individuals with having made a differenceby articulating so ably both the clandestine mentality and the problemsextant in the lack of oversight regarding proprietary organizations,propaganda and disinformation, and intrusive not-so-clandestine operations.

"REVIELING"
Professionals at work. This reviels it all. Don't read encyclopedias read crediable books by credible authors in the know. It teaches you the truth. Highly recommendeed by me and everybody else. Thanks for reading my review. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Central Intelligence Agency    2. Espionage    3. General    4. History - General History    5. History: American    6. United States.    7. Non-Classifiable   

Reviews (7)

Confessions of a CIA wordpusher?
Woodward's story of Casey's years at the helm of U.S. state terrorism centers around Casey and his British-bred, WWII-honed perspective used to justify government covert actions that include torture, disappearance, and death.We learn that America did not begin her slide down the slope to Nazi Germany with the invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq in the Twenty-First Century.It began when Hitler's faults began to take revenge on the Allies through the creation of the OSS in London, predecessor to CIA.Under Reagan's two terms as President with Casey at the helm of CIA, U.S. state terrorism ran rampant in its aim to establish a system of Anglo/U.S.-sponsored authoritarian states.
What Casey was thinking
This book presents the history of the CIA during William Casey's tenure, from 1981 to 1987.Woodward focused the book primarily on William Casey himself.The book details not only the various operations that the CIA was involved in during the 1980s, but also Casey's motivations for his leadership decisions.The CIA operations described in the book include everything from the mundane details of placing bugs in the offices of foreign leaders to the Iran-Contra affair.
A contemporary account of still important issues
While this book may be a little old now, having been written prior to the first George Bush's Presidency, there are still insights into government operations as well as tidbits that are relevant today.Veil follows the tenure of the Director of the CIA Bob Casey.It begins with Reagan's election and ends with Casey's death.The book is written mostly from firsthand interviews (Casey wanted some of what he was saying to be put directly in the book).Read more

Subjects:  1. Bargain Books    2. Espionage    3. General    4. Government - U.S. Government    5. Military - Intelligence/Espionage    6. Political Science    7. Politics/International Relations    8. U.S. Government - Intelligence Agencies    9. U.S. History - 1980s    10. Political Science / General   

Editorial Review

This 1992 Edgar Award winner for best fact crime is nothing short of a classic. David Simon, a police reporter for the Read more

Reviews (50)

funny and filled with drama
what was the most funniest parts were is when dave brown and donald worden kept pestering one another.

Best Cop Book Ever
I will keep this short: I have been a city cop for almost eighteen years and I defy anyone to find a better book about policework than this one. This is the closest you can come to knowing what being a cop is all about short of actually wearing a badge.

Love the show... love thebook
My husband is a BIG fan of the TV show.We have every episode on DVD.This book was a great addition to his collection.He loved the book and could see how the award winning TV was based on it. It is different enough that he throughly enjoyed it.I am now reading it and am enjoying it too! It is not the same as the show, and is a great book on it's own.
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Subjects:  1. Baltimore    2. Baltimore (Md.).    3. Criminology    4. Espionage    5. General    6. Homicide Unit    7. Homicide investigation    8. Maryland    9. Police Dept.    10. Sociology - Urban    11. True Crime    12. True Crime / Espionage    13. True Crime / General   

Subjects:  1. Central Intelligence Agency    2. Espionage    3. Foreign relations    4. Government - U.S. Government    5. History & Theory - General    6. Intelligence service    7. Political Freedom & Security - Intelligence    8. Political History    9. Political Science    10. Politics/International Relations    11. True Crime / Espionage    12. U.S. Government - Intelligence Agencies    13. United States    14. United States.    15. Central government policies    16. History / General    17. Philosophy / General    18. USA   

Editorial Review

In 1947, the governments of the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand signed a secret treaty in which they agreed to cooperate in matters of signals intelligence. In effect, the governments agreed to pool their geographic and technological assets in order to listen in on the electronic communications of China, the Soviet Union, and other Cold War bad guys--all in the interest of truth, justice, and the American Way, naturally. The thing is, the system apparently catches everything. Government security services, led by the U.S. National Security Agency, screen a large part (and perhaps all) of the voice and data traffic that flows over the global communications network. Fifty years later, the European Union is investigating possible violations of its citizens' privacy rights by the NSA, and the Electronic Privacy Information Center, a public advocacy group, has filed suit against the NSA, alleging that the organization has illegally spied on U.S. citizens. Read more

Reviews (46)

James Bamford's Puzzle Palace
This was an interesting beginning book about the history and background of the National Security Agency, especially in light of the very damaging leak about the secret surveillance program ordered by President George W. Bush. The only problem is that this book is a bit dated, so it's hard to know how similar the early '80s Puzzle Palace compares with that of the early 21st Century NSA. What's clear is the NSA has been a special creature of the government, created by executive order and really not beholden to Congress like other agencies. I recommend people read this and Bamford's other book about the NSA.

Timeless non-fiction
This book was written back in 1982, but the information you get from it is still fresh and very relevant. Especially, after the revelation that President Bush secretly authorized the National Security Agency (NSA) to spy on Americans and others in the United States making contact with persons in other nations. More recently, "USA Today" reported that the NSA is operating "the largest database ever assembled in the world", containing call detail records of all calls (inbound and outbound) placed through AT&T, Verizon and BellSouth.
Dateline, America, Dec. 19, 2005
The recent revelation that President Bush authorized NSA spying on its own citizens (and the sad fact that the New York Times sat on this for a year, despite being a victim itself in the past) makes this book both incredibly timely and obviously, unfortunately, timeless.
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Subjects:  1. Espionage    2. History - General History    3. Military - Intelligence/Espionage    4. National Security Agency    5. Politics/International Relations    6. United States    7. United States.    8. Central government    9. History / United States / 21st Century    10. USA   

Reviews (2)

Flawed as an instructional text
I have a few, rather large, reservations regarding the efficacy of this anthology as an aid to learning about intelligence, both of which relate to the fact that this is a "cut and paste" anthology that has sought no further update or revision from the articles' original authors. This is problematic for the following reasons:
Instant Best Reference on Intelligence
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Subjects:  1. Espionage    2. General    3. Military intelligence    4. Politics/International Relations    5. Social Science    6. Sociology    7. True Crime / Espionage    8. United States    9. Espionage & secret services    10. USA   

Reviews (82)

THE 11th COMMANDMENT: "Thou Shalt Not Beat A Dead Horse."

Morons never learn
Its a fact that more than 60% of americans are uneducated people who cannot reason very well, they make very good followers. People such as
Love it, read it,
Great resource for the whole 9/11 situation.Good history, good resourcing, great for your library to see other connnections to the 'new pearl harbor'. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Current Affairs    2. Espionage    3. Foreign relations    4. History - U.S.    5. Political    6. Political Freedom & Security - International Secur    7. Politics/International Relations    8. September 11 Terrorist Attacks    9. September 11 Terrorist Attacks, 2001    10. United States    11. United States - 21st Century    12. War on Terrorism, 2001-    13. World politics    14. Defence strategy, planning & research    15. International relations    16. Terrorism, freedom fighters, armed struggle    17. True crime    18. USA   

Reviews (5)

Brilliant book
Unarguable facts. Amazon sell this at twice the price, and they sell Harry Potter at half the price. You see my friends, keeping people in ignorance is big business.

We deserve an explanation!!!!!
Why have you, Amazon.com, not printed an explanation as to the doubled pricing of this book? Your silence pertaining to this previously asked question, makes many, with good reason, wonder exactly what type of "business" you run. You owe us all, your paying customers, a response for this blatant price gauge!

Something fishy at Amazon.com
Great book, unfortunately, Amazon for some bizarre reason has doubled the list price. You can order the book directly from the publisher for around $20. Who are you beholdened to Amazon? ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Espionage    2. Nonfiction - True Crime / Espionage    3. Other Miscellaneous Crimes    4. True Crime    5. True Crime / Espionage    6. Current Events / General    7. Political control & influence    8. Sherman H. Skolnick    9. USA   

Reviews (64)

Great Story and Good Read she is on the Money!
We need more people like this woman fighting the war on terror. She understands that it is a war against "Fundamental and Radical Islamists". I feel we should be racially profiling, and if you were to ask her, I am sure she would concur! For those of us in Law Enforcement whose hands are bound by Liberal politicians and the likes of the ACLU, this woman did it all with FOIA and public records. She is responsible for one of the largest crackdowns of bogus Islamic and Muslim charities to date. She also reminds us how even after 9-11-2001 the FBI is still not sharing information with the rest of us. It is a must read for anyone currently working CT op's, and will be on my list of books to give out this Christmas and Holiday season! This is truly a person who is winning the war against Islamo Nazi's!

If you experience it, you can believe it.
I have worked as a physician in muslim countries, and what this woman describes fits with what I have experienced.
It's OK, but overhyped
This was an interesting study of what can be done with open source intelligence, but I expected much more about infiltration of Islamist Organizations.The author did much less of that than the title would imply. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Espionage    2. Intelligence officers    3. International Relations - General    4. Prevention    5. Terrorism    6. True Crime    7. True Crime / Espionage    8. Undercover operations    9. United States   

Subjects:  1. 1919-1963    2. Biography    3. Contemporary Politics - Europe    4. Espionage    5. Espionage, British    6. Espionage, Soviet    7. General    8. History - General History    9. History: World    10. Intelligence Agencies    11. Penkovskii, OlegVladimirov    12. Soviet Union    13. Spies    14. American history: postwar, from c 1945 -    15. Espionage & secret services    16. European history: postwar, from c 1945 -    17. Former Soviet Union, USSR (Europe)    18. Pen§kovskii, OlegVladimirovich    19. USA    20. c 1960 to c 1970    21. c 1970 to c 1980    22. c 1980 to c 1990   

Features

• Illustrated

Reviews (1)

More Remarkable Than James Bond
Real-life British agent Sidney Reilly (he took an Irish professional name for the irony of the act) began life in nineteenth-century Russia, raised in a wealthy Christian household, but secretly the illegitimate son of his neurotic mother's Jewish doctor. Born Sigmund Gregorivich Rosenblum, "Reilly" traveled the world from the oil fields of Baku to the boiling kettle of Manchuria during the Russo-Japanese War, representing British interests and creating his own enduring legend. A risk-taker, a daredevil, a master of disguise and first-rate actor, the ruthlessly amoral Reilly, who spoke seven languages and appears to have had a photographic mind, faced death many times over and seemed utterly devoid of fear as he enjoyed success after success in his life of peril. Among the first secret agents of the modern stripe, Reilly routinely disobeyed orders from his superiors in London, men of the old school whose creed regarding espionage was that "gentleman do not open each other's mail."Reilly's career reads like fiction but is cold hard reality. He went undercover in Germany, just before the First World War, to secure German military plans vital to British security. He infiltrated ex-pat European society in the Far East to provide much-needed information to England's Japanese allies. But it was Reilly's forays into Russia itself at the time of the Bolshevik Revolution that stand above all else. Virulently anti-Communist, Reilly's plot to topple Lenin very nearly succeeded and his missions did in fact contribute greatly toward the destabilization of the nascent Soviet state. Lured back into the USSR the proverbial once too often, however, Reilly disappeared in 1924 after undertaking a mission to rescue friends held in Moscow prisons. For many years his exact fate was unknown, but this book reveals the end of this greatest of all spies, and shows that Reilly's final act was a tragedy befitting his reputation and legacy. Truly an amazing man whose life makes for an incredible biography. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography & Autobiography    2. Biography / Autobiography    3. Biography/Autobiography    4. Espionage    5. General    6. Historical - British    7. Military - Intelligence/Espionage    8. Biography: general    9. ESPIONAGE, BRITISH    10. Espionage & secret services    11. History    12. SPIES    13. True Crime / Espionage