Ronald Kessler - Inside the CIA: Revealing the Secrets of the Worlds Most Powerful Spy Agency

INSIDE THE CIA

Revealing the Secrets of the Worlds Most Powerful Spy Agency

This tour is never dull, especially since it features so much 007 gadgetry, from water-spraying silent drills to eavesdropping devices that work by zapping laser beams through windows.Los Angeles Times

Ronald Kesslers explosive bestseller, The FBI, brought down FBI Director William S. Sessions. Now, in this unparalleled work of investigative journalism, Kessler reveals the inner world of the CIA. Based on extensive research and hundreds of interviews, including two with active Directors of Central Intelligence, William H. Webster and Robert M. Gates, and with three former DCIs INSIDE THE CIA is the first in-depth, unbiased account of the Agencys core operations, its abject failures, and its resounding successes. Kessler reveals how:

CIA analysts botched the job of foreseeing the Soviet economys collapse
the Agency spies on every country in the world except Great Britain, Australia, and Canada
the CIA undertakes covert action to influence or overthrow foreign governments or political parties
the Agency trains its officers to break the laws of other countries

INSIDE THE CIA is an extraordinary guide to the worlds most successful house of spies.

Mr. Kessler has written an overview that my spook friends say is an accurate account of the way the Agency does its business.Joseph C. Goulden, Washington Times

...definitely one of the most important books on the U.S. intelligence community in some years.Booklist

Expanded and updated: Includes details of the CIAs colossal incompetence that allowed Aldrich Ames to spy for eight years

Register online at www.SimonandSchuster.com for more information on this and other great books.

Thank you for purchasing this Pocket Books eBook.

Sign up for our newsletter and receive special offers, access to bonus content, and info on the latest new releases and other great eBooks from Pocket Books and Simon & Schuster.

or visit us online to sign up at
eBookNews.SimonandSchuster.com

LOOK FOR THESE OTHER EYE-OPENING EXPOSS FROM NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR RONALD KESSLER

INSIDE THE WHITE HOUSE
THE FBI
INSIDE THE CIA
ESCAPE FROM THE CIA
THE SPY IN THE RUSSIAN CLUB
MOSCOW STATION
SPY VS. SPY

All available from Pocket Books

PRAISE FOR
RONALD KESSLER
and
INSIDE THE
CIA

Revealing the Secrets
of the Worlds
Most Powerful Spy Agency

Writing with the cooperation of active and retired personnel, Kessler offers a working portrait of the contemporary CIA. His background in journalistic study of intelligence, augmented by an unusual array of other resources, enables him to provide an account unique for balance, perspective, clarity of writing, and the large amount of factual material.

Booklist

An appraisal of the Central Intelligence Agency in as much detail as the organization and the law will allow.... Kessler is quite clear that the Agency violated its charter in times past, and suspects it might do so again, given the proper circumstances.... INSIDE THE CIA... does lift the veil of secrecy just a tad, and that is all for the better.

Salem Press (Pasadena, CA)

The main value of INSIDE THE CIA lies in its exploration of the CIAs organization and its difficulties in trying to function in a democratic and open society.... The American public may not like the CIA, but as Kessler shows, it is an agency that, despite its errors and excesses, the United States cannot do without.

Virginian-Pilot-Ledger-Star (Norfolk)

Ronald Kesslers INSIDE THE CIA probes the entire Agency and gives the reader a balanced look at how the Agency operates by detailing the four chief directorates: operations, intelligence, administration, and science and technology. Kesslers account of the CIA bureaucracy is sprinkled with previously unpublished operations that keep the pages turning quickly. His extensive interviews with CIA employees give the reader a better understanding of the people who work for the Agency and how they view their mission.

Bangor Daily News

Ronald Kessler aims in these pages to offer a realistic, evenhanded overview of the Agency.... Mr. Kessler is generally successful, concisely summarizing the Agencys short history....

Los Angeles Times

One cannot but admire the depth and breadth of Kesslers knowledge of spy operations.

Chicago Tribune

Mr. Kesslers book is important because it apparently marks the first time that the agency cooperated with an author on a book about the CIA. He has authoritative, sober accounts of the workings of the CIAs main directorates.

Washington Times

Kessler, who is the first journalist to be accorded the full cooperation of the CIA, here reveals more about the Agencys structure, policies, and key personnel than any previous writer has.... A largely objective, evenhanded, highly informative survey.

Publishers Weekly

Mr. Kessler is a first-rate ferret and an industrious interviewer. He knows the teritory....

The New York Times Book Review

A veteran espionage writer, Mr. Kessler is sharp on the fine points of spying....

The Wall Street Journal

Ron Kessler (is) a reporter of keen instincts and rare investigative skills.

Nicholas Gage, author of Eleni

Books by Ronald Kessler

Inside Congress

The Sins of the Father

Inside the White House

The FBI

Inside the CIA

Escape from the CIA

The Spy in the Russian Club

Moscow Station

Spy vs. Spy

The Richest Man in the World

The Life Insurance Game

Published by POCKET BOOKS

For information regarding special discounts for bulk purchases, please contact Simon & Schuster Special Sales at 1-800-456-6798 or business@simonandschuster.com

POCKET BOOKS, a division of Simon & Schuster, Inc. 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020 www.SimonandSchuster.com

Copyright 1992 by Ronald Kessler

All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever. For information address Pocket Books, 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020

ISBN 13 : 978-0-671-73458-9
eISBN: 978-1-4391-4077-2
ISBN 10 : 0-671-73458-X

First Pocket Books paperback printing February 1994

POCKET and colophon are registered trademarks of Simon & Schuster, Inc.

Cover art by Tom Cushwa

For Pam, Rachel, and Greg Kessler

P ART I
The Directorate of Operations

P ART II
The Directorate of Science and Technology

P ART III
The Directorate of Intelligence

P ART IV
The Directorate of Administration

P ART V
The Office of the Director of Central Intelligence

My editor, Paul D. McCarthy of Pocket Books, came up with the idea for this book, provided strong encouragement throughout the project, guided me through difficult decisions about organization, and brilliantly edited the manuscript. An editor with his range of talents is rare. I owe him a tremendous debt.