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The CIA at War: Inside the Secret Campaign Against Terror
With the CIA at the core of the war on terror, no agency is as important to preserving America's freedom. Yet the CIA is a closed and secretive world-impenetrable to generations of journalists-and few Americans know what really goes on among the spy masters who plot America's worldwide campaign against terrorists.
Only Ronald Kessler, an award-winning former Washington Post and Wall Street Journal investigative reporter, could have gained the unprecedented access to tell the story. Kessler interviewed fifty current CIA officers, including all the agency's top officials, and toured areas of the CIA the media has never seen. The agency actively encouraged retired CIA officers and officials to talk with him as well. In six years as director, George J. Tenet has never appeared on TV shows and has given only a handful of print interviews, all before 9/11, but Tenet agreed to be interviewed by Kessler for this book. He spoke candidly and passionately about the events of 9/11, the war on terror, the agency's intelligence on Iraq, and the controversies surrounding the agency.
The CIA at War tells the inside story of how Tenet, a son of Greek immigrants, turned around the CIA from a pathetic, risk averse outfit to one that has rolled up 3,000 terrorists since 9/11, was critically important to winning in Afghanistan and Iraq, and now kills terrorists with its Predator drone aircraft.
The book portrays Tenet as a true American hero, one who overcame every kind of Washington obstacle and the destructive actions of previous director John Deutch to make the agency a success. As Tenet said in a recent speech, "Nowhere in the world could the son of an immigrant stand before you as the director of Central Intelligence. This is simply the greatest country on the face of the earth."
The CIA at War discloses highly sensitive information about the CIA's unorthodox methods and its stunning successes and shocking failures. The book explores whether the CIA can be trusted, whether its intelligence is politicized, and whether it is capable of winning the war on terror. In doing so, the book weaves in the history of the CIA and how it really works. It is the definitive account of the agency.
From the CIA's intelligence failure of 9/11 to its critical role in preventing further attacks, The CIA at War tells a riveting, unique story about a secretive, powerful agency and its confrontation with global terrorism.
Only Ronald Kessler, an award-winning former Washington Post and Wall Street Journal investigative reporter, could have gained the unprecedented access to tell the story. Kessler interviewed fifty current CIA officers, including all the agency's top officials, and toured areas of the CIA the media has never seen. The agency actively encouraged retired CIA officers and officials to talk with him as well. In six years as director, George J. Tenet has never appeared on TV shows and has given only a handful of print interviews, all before 9/11, but Tenet agreed to be interviewed by Kessler for this book. He spoke candidly and passionately about the events of 9/11, the war on terror, the agency's intelligence on Iraq, and the controversies surrounding the agency.
The CIA at War tells the inside story of how Tenet, a son of Greek immigrants, turned around the CIA from a pathetic, risk averse outfit to one that has rolled up 3,000 terrorists since 9/11, was critically important to winning in Afghanistan and Iraq, and now kills terrorists with its Predator drone aircraft.
The book portrays Tenet as a true American hero, one who overcame every kind of Washington obstacle and the destructive actions of previous director John Deutch to make the agency a success. As Tenet said in a recent speech, "Nowhere in the world could the son of an immigrant stand before you as the director of Central Intelligence. This is simply the greatest country on the face of the earth."
The CIA at War discloses highly sensitive information about the CIA's unorthodox methods and its stunning successes and shocking failures. The book explores whether the CIA can be trusted, whether its intelligence is politicized, and whether it is capable of winning the war on terror. In doing so, the book weaves in the history of the CIA and how it really works. It is the definitive account of the agency.
From the CIA's intelligence failure of 9/11 to its critical role in preventing further attacks, The CIA at War tells a riveting, unique story about a secretive, powerful agency and its confrontation with global terrorism.
384 pages, Paperback
First published September 5, 2000
About the author
Ronald Kessler
39 books109 followersRonald Kessler is the New York Times bestselling author of 21 non-fiction books about the Trump White House, Secret Service, FBI, and CIA.
Kessler began his career as a journalist in 1964 on the Worcester Telegram, followed by three years as an investigative reporter and editorial writer with the Boston Herald. In 1968, he joined the Wall Street Journal as an investigative reporter in the New York bureau. He became an investigative reporter with the Washington Post in 1970 and continued in that position until 1985.
Kessler's new book is "The Trump White House: Changing the Rules of the Game."
Kessler has won eighteen journalism awards, including two George Polk awards--for national reporting and for community service. Kessler has also won the American Political Science Association's Public Affairs Reporting Award, the Associated Press' Sevellon Brown Memorial Award, and Washingtonian magazine's Washingtonian of the Year award. Franklin Pierce University awarded him the Marlin Fitzwater Medallion for excellence as a prolific author, journalist, and communicator. He is listed in Who's Who in America.
"Ron Kessler...has enjoyed a reputation for solid reporting over the past four decades." Lloyd Grove, The Daily Beast. "Kessler's such a skilled storyteller, you almost forget this is dead-serious nonfiction..." Newsweek. "[Ronald Kessler] is the man who broke the story about the [Secret Service prostitution] episode in Cartagena...." New York Times. "His [Kessler's] book quotes both flattering and unflattering observations about presidents of both parties." FactCheck.org. "[Ronald Kessler] is one of the nation's top investigative journalists." Fox & Friends. "Ron Kessler appears to get everything first." Slate.
Ron Kessler lives with his wife Pamela Kessler in the Washington, D.C. area. Also an author and former Washington Post reporter, Pam Kessler wrote "Undercover Washington: Where Famous Spies Lived, Worked and Loved." His daughter Rachel Kessler, an independent public relations consultant, and son Greg Kessler, an artist, live in New York.
Kessler began his career as a journalist in 1964 on the Worcester Telegram, followed by three years as an investigative reporter and editorial writer with the Boston Herald. In 1968, he joined the Wall Street Journal as an investigative reporter in the New York bureau. He became an investigative reporter with the Washington Post in 1970 and continued in that position until 1985.
Kessler's new book is "The Trump White House: Changing the Rules of the Game."
Kessler has won eighteen journalism awards, including two George Polk awards--for national reporting and for community service. Kessler has also won the American Political Science Association's Public Affairs Reporting Award, the Associated Press' Sevellon Brown Memorial Award, and Washingtonian magazine's Washingtonian of the Year award. Franklin Pierce University awarded him the Marlin Fitzwater Medallion for excellence as a prolific author, journalist, and communicator. He is listed in Who's Who in America.
"Ron Kessler...has enjoyed a reputation for solid reporting over the past four decades." Lloyd Grove, The Daily Beast. "Kessler's such a skilled storyteller, you almost forget this is dead-serious nonfiction..." Newsweek. "[Ronald Kessler] is the man who broke the story about the [Secret Service prostitution] episode in Cartagena...." New York Times. "His [Kessler's] book quotes both flattering and unflattering observations about presidents of both parties." FactCheck.org. "[Ronald Kessler] is one of the nation's top investigative journalists." Fox & Friends. "Ron Kessler appears to get everything first." Slate.
Ron Kessler lives with his wife Pamela Kessler in the Washington, D.C. area. Also an author and former Washington Post reporter, Pam Kessler wrote "Undercover Washington: Where Famous Spies Lived, Worked and Loved." His daughter Rachel Kessler, an independent public relations consultant, and son Greg Kessler, an artist, live in New York.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
December 27, 2025
Okay I have a lot of thoughts about this book. I think part of the book’s jingoistic language can be attributed to the fact that it was published in 2003, when 9/11 was still fresh and the US was very much at war with al Qaeda. However, Kessler does not try to mask his conservative politics for the sake of this book, and it shows. Kessler loses credibility for me when I can tell that he clearly favors Bush, making sweeping generalizations about the CIA… they “get rid of the bad guys,” uphold patriotism, and didn’t use violence against al Qaeda prisoners (was that not public knowledge in 2003?)…I also think this book needed at LEAST another around of editing—so many run on sentences and strange syntax. This book is an interesting snapshot into public sentiment and politics immediately post-9/11, and fits into my greater fascination with the innerworkings of the OSS/CIA, so I did enjoy reading it—3.5 stars. The apparent but unacknowledged political bias does lead me to round down to 3 stars. >:) Should I re-watch Zero Dark Thirty?
January 16, 2017
Given Ronald Kessler's reputation for investigative journalism and previously insightful books on similar and other aspects of the intelligence community, I found this book underwhelming. It seems to me the book began with a substantial and convincing historic context for pre-Cold War through early post-Cold War CIA. Kessler mixes first hand accounts with evidence in an effective manner to describe how CIA transformed through different DCIs from the presidencies of Nixon to GWB. However, information presented in the latter part of the book seems tenuous at best. Kessler relies too heavily on first-hand accounts from George Tenet to present his evidence while lacking deeper investigations of problems or issues to which he refers. I can't say I would recommend this book for anything more than a casual read.
May 11, 2017
Kessler is a dick bag apologist.
He used money from his shitty books to start "Newsmax" his right wing rag.
This book has research, but its lazy research. He just prints what the spys gave him.
Do not read this book if you are looking for accurate information, in-depth information, critical examinations of historical narratives, or examination of the justification for a bloated intelligence agency at times of peace.
This is the book for sycophants of the CIA to reaffirm their jingoist hyper-capitalist worldview.
He used money from his shitty books to start "Newsmax" his right wing rag.
This book has research, but its lazy research. He just prints what the spys gave him.
Do not read this book if you are looking for accurate information, in-depth information, critical examinations of historical narratives, or examination of the justification for a bloated intelligence agency at times of peace.
This is the book for sycophants of the CIA to reaffirm their jingoist hyper-capitalist worldview.
October 22, 2008
"The CIA At War" is an update to Mr. Kessler's previous work on the CIA, "Inside the CIA", which brings the reader into the immediate post-9/11 timeframe as well as the invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan. I found this work a little disappointing. It is largely reprinted material from "Inside the CIA" and the newer material was relatively small. Moreover, the newer material focuses on the biography of George Tenet and does not delve into the current activities of the Agency.
August 17, 2012
This book reads like a psychological rundown on past executive figures of the CIA- it lacks substance and is loosely written and sourced. I could not finish it, as I didn't see the point. I would recommend Robert Baer or Legacy of Ashes for an in-depth look at the War on Terror on the intelligence spectrum.
August 4, 2017
Although ok, the focus is primarily on administrative level and not really on what the CIA does, certainly not on how it assisted in waging war. The Art of Intelligence by Henry Crumpton is much better at understanding what the CIA actually does (and did). The CIA at War is more about policy decisions.
May 22, 2008
Jake thought this would provide a look at the history of the CIA. It was instead written by a Bush apologist before Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo issues came to light
October 28, 2010
I liked the book and learned a lot, but I thought it lacked a reader friendly flow.
March 11, 2013
Interesting read about the intelligence community, it just bounced around a lot.
August 25, 2014
fascinating read
June 6, 2025
Little Free Library find. I wasn't really sure what to expect with this book. I'm interested in the CIA, so I picked it up.
The title is a little misleading. About half the book is a general history of the CIA, leading up to 9/11, the "War on Terror" and the Iraq war. It isn't truly "inside the secret campaign against terror". While it's interesting and written in an engaging and easy to read style, it reads like the YA biographies from junior high school that skip over any problematic behavior. I remember reading books about the FBI that portrayed both agents and leadership as saintly superheroes when the truth was far more complicated. This book is for adults, but it's written in the same style. There is only brief mention of the Church report and CIA efforts to kill or injure foreign leaders, interfere in other countries in the past, amongst other questionable behaviors. A real inside look should be more thorough.
Kessler is a big fan of George W. Bush and George Tenet. This book was written in 2003, when the Iraq war was still popular, most people thought Saddam Hussein's infamous weapons of mass destruction would be found, and the Abu Ghraib prison scandal was just coming to light. Kessler seems to have taken people at their word when he spoke to them about these touchy subjects, especially people he agreed with politically. While it's now awkward reading about how smart and diligent Bush and company were, there is still interesting information about how the Agency shifted from the Cold War era to the more complicated world of the late 90s/early 2000s.
In spite of this, the book is an engaging and quick read. By no means do I think the CIA is all bad, but this reads as if the generation in charge in this era could do little wrong. Portraying them this way ultimately does both them and the reader a disservice but is useful as a reminder of how people thought at the time the book was written.
The title is a little misleading. About half the book is a general history of the CIA, leading up to 9/11, the "War on Terror" and the Iraq war. It isn't truly "inside the secret campaign against terror". While it's interesting and written in an engaging and easy to read style, it reads like the YA biographies from junior high school that skip over any problematic behavior. I remember reading books about the FBI that portrayed both agents and leadership as saintly superheroes when the truth was far more complicated. This book is for adults, but it's written in the same style. There is only brief mention of the Church report and CIA efforts to kill or injure foreign leaders, interfere in other countries in the past, amongst other questionable behaviors. A real inside look should be more thorough.
Kessler is a big fan of George W. Bush and George Tenet. This book was written in 2003, when the Iraq war was still popular, most people thought Saddam Hussein's infamous weapons of mass destruction would be found, and the Abu Ghraib prison scandal was just coming to light. Kessler seems to have taken people at their word when he spoke to them about these touchy subjects, especially people he agreed with politically. While it's now awkward reading about how smart and diligent Bush and company were, there is still interesting information about how the Agency shifted from the Cold War era to the more complicated world of the late 90s/early 2000s.
In spite of this, the book is an engaging and quick read. By no means do I think the CIA is all bad, but this reads as if the generation in charge in this era could do little wrong. Portraying them this way ultimately does both them and the reader a disservice but is useful as a reminder of how people thought at the time the book was written.
October 29, 2025
The book was written at a high school reading level: simple and easy to read. It's a surprisingly comprehensive overview of the Agency that presented some of the past mistakes and controversies fairly. However, the last third of the book was a biased apologetic for the 2003 Iraq invasion bordering on propaganda. And since the book was published in 2003, the author obvious lacks the hindsight of how the occupation was bungled.
January 14, 2021
I like Mr. Kessler's writing, but this book was for the most part a rehash of his earlier work. I had purchased it because I thought it would pick up where the other one left off, especially because of the title. However, large sections were repeated word for word, and the new material, (which was very interesting) comprised a small part mostly at the end of the book.
January 14, 2026
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By
A MUST READ
So informative...what we never knew until now about Iraq's WMD! It DID exist...Saddam hid it where it wasn't likely to be found...until much later. Tenet was an honorable man...it wasn't an easy time for him. Integrity was EVERYTHING!
By
A MUST READ
So informative...what we never knew until now about Iraq's WMD! It DID exist...Saddam hid it where it wasn't likely to be found...until much later. Tenet was an honorable man...it wasn't an easy time for him. Integrity was EVERYTHING!
January 25, 2023
A great look into the CIA and the problems and success of intelligence.
January 27, 2015
I read this years ago (and am updating my list here so I can move away from my written record of books read) and generally enjoyed it. It isn't deep and is likely out of date by now, but it educated me on the CIA and its involvement in the Iraq war.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews