A Very Private Plot

Blackford Oakes #10

by William F. Buckley Jr.

In his latest installment in the Blackford Oakes series William F. Buckley, Jr., continues to astonish and delight. The year is 1995, and an energetic senator wants to disarm, perhaps even eliminate, the CIA. To accumulate the evidence necessary to persuade the Senate, he needs the cooperation of Blackford Oakes, now retired. He wants from Oakes an account of his covert activity ten years earlier, when Oakes served as chief of covert activities for the CIA. One such activity, as sensitive a secret as any member of the government ever husbanded, had to do with a plot by young veterans of the Soviet war against Afghanistan to assassinate the man who had just assumed the reins of government in Mikhail Gorbachev. President Reagan was in the White House in 1985. What was his reaction when apprised of a plot by non-Americans to assassinate a man commonly acknowledged as a tyrant? What will the frustrated senator do to compel cooperation from Blackford Oakes? A Very Private Plot takes the reader inside the Kremlin, exhibiting a detailed knowledge and savoir faire characteristic of the author. And inside the Reagan White House, known well to the author, and inside the Clinton White House as well. The forces unleashed in 1985 threaten any resolution between the United States and the Soviet Union and threaten the lives of a very small unit of young Russians who remain in the memory as the tale reaches a climax. A Very Private Plot caps the ten novels that began when, at age twenty-four, Blackford Oakes was seduced by the Queen of England, launching him and American readers on travels unrivaled in cold war fiction for wit and imagination.

Genres: Fiction, Mystery, War, Politics, Novels, Historical Fiction, Espionage

232 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 31, 1993

About the author

William Frank Buckley, Jr. was an American author and conservative commentator. He founded the political magazine National Review in 1955, hosted 1,429 episodes of the television show Firing Line from 1966 until 1999, and was a nationally syndicated newspaper columnist. His writing style was famed for its erudition, wit, and use of uncommon words.

Buckley was "arguably the most important public intellectual in the United States in the past half century," according to George H. Nash, a historian of the modern American conservative movement. "For an entire generation he was the preeminent voice of American conservatism and its first great ecumenical figure." Buckley's primary intellectual achievement was to fuse traditional American political conservatism with economic libertarianism and anti-communism, laying the groundwork for the modern American conservatism of US Presidential candidate Barry Goldwater and US President Ronald Reagan.

Buckley came on the public scene with his critical book God and Man at Yale (1951); among over fifty further books on writing, speaking, history, politics and sailing, were a series of novels featuring CIA agent Blackford Oakes. Buckley referred to himself "on and off" as either libertarian or conservative. He resided in New York City and Stamford, Connecticut, and often signed his name as "WFB." He was a practicing Catholic, regularly attending the traditional Latin Mass in Connecticut.

Reviews

[Kevin Findley · Rating 3 out of 5]

A solid spy novel, but a bit slow at several points. It's quite interesting to see spies age and move up the intelligence agency ladder, but it does also remind the reader why James Bond has stayed fairly young and a 'right bastard' as my British acquaintances might say.

Here, we get to see Oakes following up on a mission from a decade prior. The idea for the Plot is good, and I have no doubt the late author pulled a few snippets of classified information over drinks and more than a few bits of legend to come up with it.

The book centers on actions taken to rid the world of Communism (by Russians no less) in the 80s and then actions taken to rid the world of covert actions (by a US Senator) in the 90s. Both actions are short-sighted and show a lack of understanding by what are, otherwise, fairly intelligent people. The Senator reminded me of a certain fellow known for his bad driving which seemed to be very appropriate to me.

I won't spoil the ending, but the world does survive and Oakes gets to have the last chuckle.

Recommended for fans of espionage in general and Buckley's Bradford Oakes in particular.

Find it. Buy it. Read it!

[E · Rating 3 out of 5]

Next to last entry in this series. I enjoy it for the most part. One issue is that, since Buckley sets his novels in real history, and is interested in "big picture espionage," his novels are full of intricate plans that by necessity must go awry. Castro can't get assassinated, for instance. In this novel, Gorbachev cannot bite the dust. This gets old after a while, though Buckley does a fair job of maintaining suspense in other ways.

This novel included both Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton, which of course was amusing from the pen of WFB. In all an enjoyable enough novel, but I can certainly see why (and don't mind that) the series is drawing to a close.

[Jack · Rating 5 out of 5]

At the time I read these novels (the late 1980's and early 1990's), I found them to be pretty good... sort of a cross between Matt Helm and James Bond. Not quite up to Ian Fleming's standards, but not quite as dated by then either.

[Bob Box · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read in 1994. The plot revolves around a conspiracy to kill Mikhail Gorbachev when he was leader of the Soviet Union. This was the 11th Blackford Oakes spy thriller.

[Eric · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun little listen! Expertly woven facts with fiction (?) for a great, Clancy-ish spy thriller. Not something I’d typically read, but I’ll admit I enjoyed it.

[AttackGirl · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m disappointed in President Reagan’s manipulative word play. I’m also reminded about the historical consistency of bad/terrible/ negative, 11 September events.

I wonder why people do ask why did the USSR have millions of”disappear” or what happened "how people were starving, that countries paid to take Jews to get them out of their land, stipends per person and why did they NEED to try a new type style of Govt Rule can you say Communism, Socialism… Take from you to give to someone else and someone else will decide for you meanwhile slave back to work!

I think I read this in 2024 and it says 5 months ago so I will have to check it out. Yeah I cannot find my other log or where I purchased this but Goodreads says 5 months ago so that is Feb 2024 so I am adjusting the date. I have been reading groups then submitting one a day like I normally read depending on how much down time I get to put them into Goodreads.

[Cindy B. · Rating 4 out of 5]

"A Very Private Plot" by William F. Buckley, Jr. Interesting plot (entwined w/historical facts). Definite political & religious opinions shine not overshadow plot (rare in politic/religion novels). If non-tolerant go elsewhere. Liking politics or history reads unnecessary to enjoy this. Kindle text - well edited. Audiobook is well narrated (Bryan Emerson ?sp).

Extremely well-written: I'd forgotten how an expert can weave a few words into an entire scene describing place, people, & feelings without graphic sex or violence (ad nauseum). Although it has both, sans graphics.

Helped me like 'Gorbie' better & understand the USA stance at the time more (wish I had known). I'm old enough, however, to recognize 'most' fact from fiction. 

[Weston · Rating 3 out of 5]

On one pont I mush speak out, and do so with unique authority. Sentor Blanton has evidently charged that I was so greatly angereed by one CIA operation during my tenure that I contemplated orgedering a demonstration nuclear strick in protest. Please feel free to communicator Congress, and to the Merican people, that no such wild irresponsible impuse ever so much as entered my mind. Both your country and mine have engaged in covert actions, and I do not doubt that you restractively regret so things that were authorized, even as I do. But it is not my judgement that the defenesive advantages of covert action, givien the variety of threats to world peace, shoud be elemented.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

As with the other Blackford Oakes novels, William F Buckley cleverly weaves together historical fact and fiction in, of course, a very well written fashion. Would that Blackie Oakes really had existed!

[Lou · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mr Buckley gives the history of the cold war a personalized view. i believe I've now read all his books & wish there were more of Blackford Oakes. Also that is not to be.