false http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1173918692m/345074.jpg 345074 4 Everybody knows about the CIA--the cloak-and-dagger branch of the U.S. government. Many fewer are familiar with the National Security Agency, even though it has been more important to American espionage in recent years than its better-known counterpart. The NSA is responsible for much of the intelligence gathering done via technology such as satellites and the Internet. Its home office in Maryland "contains what is probably the largest body of secrets ever created." <p> Little was known about the agency's confidential culture until veteran journalist James Bamford blew the lid off in 1982 with his bestseller <I>The Puzzle Palace</I>. Still, much remained in the shadows. In <I>Body of Secrets</I>, Bamford throws much more light on his subject--and he reveals loads of shocking information. The story of the U-2 crisis in 1960 is well known, including President Eisenhower's decision to tell a fib to the public in order to protect a national-security secret. Bamford takes the story a disturbing step forward, showing how Eisenhower "went so far as to order his Cabinet officers to hide his involvement in the scandal even while under oath. At least one Cabinet member directly lied to the committee, a fact known to Eisenhower." Even more worrisome is another revelation, from the Kennedy years: "The Joint Chiefs of Staff drew up and approved plans for what may be the most corrupt plan ever created by the U.S. government. In the name of anticommunism, they proposed launching a secret and bloody war of terrorism against their own country in order to trick the American public into supporting an ill-conceived war they intended to launch against Cuba."<p> <I>Body of Secrets</I> is an incredible piece of journalism, and it paints a deeply troubling portrait of an agency about which the public knows next to nothing. Fans of <I>The Sword and the Shield</I> will want to read it, as will anybody who is intrigued by conspiracies and real-life spy stories. <I>--John J. Miller</I> 335405 2001 Body of Secrets: Anatomy of the Ultra-Secret National Security Agency total:203|5:35|4:102|3:49|2:14|1:3| 203 761 367 28 1 0 true false Sun Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2006 Thu Jan 17 15:56:55 -0800 2008 Thu Jan 17 16:12:39 -0800 2008
Too damn bad for me. This is one of the most poorly written, poorly edited books I've ever read. Bamford writes comically bad prose; he see...more...]]> 4 0 false false Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2004 Sun Dec 02 12:48:14 -0800 2007 Sun Dec 02 13:12:18 -0800 2007 - Eisenhower frequently sent fighter/bomber formations into Soviet airspace to ...more...]]> 4 0 false false Fri Jun 01 00:00:00 -0700 2001 Tue Aug 14 18:11:30 -0700 2007 Tue Aug 21 18:49:25 -0700 2007
I gave a review on "The Puzzle Palace." If you liked that book a lot, then it is doubtful you will like ...more...]]> 3 0 false false Tue Jan 06 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Wed Dec 10 20:55:14 -0800 2008 Tue Jan 06 09:40:38 -0800 2009
One especi...more...]]> 3 0 false false Fri Jul 03 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Tue Jul 21 16:23:14 -0700 2009 Tue Jul 21 16:28:40 -0700 2009 1
One thing thoug...more...]]> 5 0 false false Wed Oct 21 11:48:41 -0700 2009 Wed Oct 21 11:51:20 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Thu Jun 18 07:27:06 -0700 2009 Thu Jun 18 07:28:35 -0700 2009 4 0 false false Wed Feb 04 22:08:23 -0800 2009 Sat Mar 07 09:48:59 -0800 2009 more...]]> 5 0 false false Mon Jul 01 00:00:00 -0700 2002 Thu Feb 12 15:20:51 -0800 2009 Thu Feb 12 15:22:18 -0800 2009 4 0 false false Sun Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2006 Sun May 31 08:13:18 -0700 2009 Sun May 31 08:15:49 -0700 2009 4 0 false false Fri Dec 05 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Sat Oct 11 10:24:34 -0700 2008 Fri Dec 05 15:25:15 -0800 2008 more...]]> 4 0 false false Mon Nov 09 09:54:22 -0800 2009 Mon Nov 09 09:56:55 -0800 2009 5 0 true false Sat Oct 06 10:32:36 -0700 2007 Mon Oct 08 23:27:51 -0700 2007 more...]]> 4 0 false false Mon Jun 22 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sat May 16 17:45:15 -0700 2009 Mon Jun 22 20:50:59 -0700 2009 3 0 false false Sat Sep 13 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Thu Jan 10 13:35:27 -0800 2008 Sat Sep 13 06:22:56 -0700 2008 1 more...]]> 2 0 false false Wed Jul 15 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sun Jan 11 20:46:52 -0800 2009 Mon Aug 17 12:27:52 -0700 2009 Sadly, it's often hard to stick with the story line as it's deeply buried in too ...more...]]> 5 0 false false Tue Apr 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Sun May 18 19:26:36 -0700 2008 Sun May 18 19:29:18 -0700 2008 more...]]> 4 0 false false Sat Aug 16 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Thu Jul 03 07:09:58 -0700 2008 Sat Aug 16 16:55:22 -0700 2008 more...]]> 4 0 false false Wed Aug 01 00:00:00 -0700 2001 Fri Feb 15 17:50:37 -0800 2008 Tue Feb 19 13:42:31 -0800 2008 more...]]> 4 0 false false Wed Aug 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Tue Sep 25 19:55:26 -0700 2007 Tue Sep 25 20:05:14 -0700 2007 http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=345074