Legacy of Ashes: The History of the CIA
by: Tim Weiner
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With shocking revelations that made headlines in papers across the country, Pulitzer-Prize-winner Tim Weiner gets at the truth behind the CIA and uncovers here why nearly every CIA Director has left the agency in worse shape than when he found it; and how these profound failures jeopardize our national security.
With shocking revelations that made headlines in papers across the country, Pulitzer-Prize-winner Tim Weiner gets at the truth behind the CIA and uncovers here why nearly every CIA Director has left the agency in worse shape than when he found it; and how these profound failures jeopardize our national security.
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Customer Reviews
Average Rating:
Rating: 
- CIA as evil once again
Well having an interest history and how we held the soviets back I bought the book and audio cd of Legacy OF Ashes.
I though listened and read carefully and after taking in the entire book I am left with a bad taste.....the book really gives very little positive's to the fellows who really had little or no idea how to be spys etc. other than the fact that they were brave enough to give it go!
The book really attacks them all as being fools who couldn't shoot straight and so on ... Read More
Rating: 
- Excellent discussion of the CIA
This is a fairly comprehensive study of the CIA and its history.The author has added very extensive endnotes.It evenly covers the sixty year history of the agency and the various manifestations.The most interesting past is the beginning sections, where the author relies on recent declassified documents.The book is not without its faults the author has it's bias of the concept of "original sin" - the agency was designed poorly from the beginning and the founding fathers of the CIA laid the ... Read More
Rating: - Questionable history and scholarship -- but very entertaining
Please do not let this be the only book you read about the CIA before making personal judgments.Weiner's book is deliberately provocative, biased, and hostile in the extreme, and, in spite of his extensive research, is not a scholarly presentation.It is much closer to being a form of tabloid journalism than a thorough history.Because of that, it manages to soften the desultory work of good history and be both entertaining and informative.In this day-and-age, it is all about "spin," and this ... Read More
Rating: - An amazing history of the CIA.
This book is a real eye-opener, and I highly recommend it.
I never expected the CIA to have world leaders on their payroll. I was shocked, for example, to find that King Hussein of Jordan was on the CIA's payroll. Some leaders in Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and South American countries were also on the CIA's payroll (and some still are). Now that this book is out, how will the people of these nations feel? How do the Jordanians feel, for example, knowing that their former King worked for the ... Read More
Rating: - A Wealth of information
This book is extremely well-written and includes a wealth of previously unknown information.Basically it starts with the creation of the CIA and continues to the present. It provides details that pretty well shows how the leaders of the CIA operated mostly on what they believed was wanted of the CIA versus what was actually wanted. And, in many cases, the CIA operated on only what it's leaders wanted. I am completely amazed at the intricacy of operations between our Government and other countries. ... Read More
- CIA as evil once againWell having an interest history and how we held the soviets back I bought the book and audio cd of Legacy OF Ashes.
I though listened and read carefully and after taking in the entire book I am left with a bad taste.....the book really gives very little positive's to the fellows who really had little or no idea how to be spys etc. other than the fact that they were brave enough to give it go!
The book really attacks them all as being fools who couldn't shoot straight and so on ... Read More
- Excellent discussion of the CIAThis is a fairly comprehensive study of the CIA and its history.The author has added very extensive endnotes.It evenly covers the sixty year history of the agency and the various manifestations.The most interesting past is the beginning sections, where the author relies on recent declassified documents.The book is not without its faults the author has it's bias of the concept of "original sin" - the agency was designed poorly from the beginning and the founding fathers of the CIA laid the ... Read More
- Questionable history and scholarship -- but very entertainingPlease do not let this be the only book you read about the CIA before making personal judgments.Weiner's book is deliberately provocative, biased, and hostile in the extreme, and, in spite of his extensive research, is not a scholarly presentation.It is much closer to being a form of tabloid journalism than a thorough history.Because of that, it manages to soften the desultory work of good history and be both entertaining and informative.In this day-and-age, it is all about "spin," and this ... Read More
- An amazing history of the CIA.This book is a real eye-opener, and I highly recommend it.
I never expected the CIA to have world leaders on their payroll. I was shocked, for example, to find that King Hussein of Jordan was on the CIA's payroll. Some leaders in Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and South American countries were also on the CIA's payroll (and some still are). Now that this book is out, how will the people of these nations feel? How do the Jordanians feel, for example, knowing that their former King worked for the ... Read More
- A Wealth of informationThis book is extremely well-written and includes a wealth of previously unknown information.Basically it starts with the creation of the CIA and continues to the present. It provides details that pretty well shows how the leaders of the CIA operated mostly on what they believed was wanted of the CIA versus what was actually wanted. And, in many cases, the CIA operated on only what it's leaders wanted. I am completely amazed at the intricacy of operations between our Government and other countries. ... Read More
