Priess David - The Presidents Book of Secrets: The Untold Story of Intelligence Briefings to Americas Presidents from Kennedy to Obama

THE PRESIDENTS BOOK OF SECRETS

Copyright 2016 by David Priess

Published in the United States by PublicAffairs,

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Book Design by Jack Lenzo

This book was typeset in ten point Meridien

Names: Priess, David, author.

Title: The presidents book of secrets: the untold story of intelligence briefings to Americas presidents from Kennedy to Obama / David Priess; foreword by George H. W. Bush.

Description: New York, NY: PublicAffairs, 2016. | Includes bibliographical references and index.

Identifiers: LCCN 2015041833| ISBN 9781610395960 (e-book)

Subjects: LCSH: Intelligence service--United States--History. | Presidents--United States--History. | United States. Central Intelligence Agency--History. | National security--United States. | United States--Foreign relations. | BISAC: POLITICAL SCIENCE / Government / Executive Branch. | POLITICAL SCIENCE / Political Freedom & Security / Intelligence.

Classification: LCC JK468.I6 P745 2016 | DDC 327.1273--dc23 LC record available at http://lccn.loc.gov/2015041833

First Edition

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Table of Contents

CONTENTS

by George H. W. Bush

I AM OFTEN ASKED of all the jobs Ive held in my now very long lifetime, which was my favorite. There is, of course, no greater honor than to be President of the United States of America. So I imagine that all of the men who preceded me in the job, and the three who succeeded me, would immediately agree that no job compares to sitting in the Oval Office.

But I am just as definite about the job next on my Top 10 list: being Director of Central Intelligence. Sometimes that answer surprises people at first. They then immediately assume, mistakenly, that I loved heading the CIA because of what would commonly be called all that cloak and dagger stuff. Nothing could be further from the truth.

My love of the job was all about the remarkable men and women who make up our intelligence community. Their dedication, their courage, and their determination match that of no others and inspired me every single day. Yet, their names are seldom known, and their accomplishments are rarely celebrated. But that is not why they do their jobs. Without any expectation of credit, they put extraordinary time and effortand too often their liveson the line every single day. It is all too easy to forget why they collect and interpret intelligence information: to provide accurate, timely, and objective information from all sources to help top decision-makers defend the United States and protect its interests abroad.

For presidents and their closest national security advisors, this Top Secret intelligence comes via daily delivery of a truly one-of-kind publication, the Presidents Daily Brief.

Each working day as president (which is most days), I invited CIA briefers to sit with me, enabling them to offer insights beyond those on the PDBs pages and to answer my questions. Without fail, they enriched my time with the PDB and helped me make more informed choices about world affairs.

Every experience with my daily book of secrets, and with those who produced and briefed it, reminded me how the PDB stands out as something both uniquely American and yet underappreciated by the very people it helps to ultimately protect.

That is why when David Priess asked me to write the foreword for this remarkable book, I immediately said yes. First, I should explain that I rarely write forewords any more. I like to tell people that at age ninety-one, I have more or less run out of things to say. But I am delighted to have this opportunity to help shine a spotlight on true American heroes, thanks to this book.

Despite being on both sides of the PDBthe provider and the recipientI learned much from these pages about the fascinating history of the Presidents Daily Brief. As Priess deftly relates here, each presidents relationship with his PDB has depended upon his background, his challenges in office, and the influence of his closest advisors.

By using the words of those closest to the PDB across its fifty-year historypresidents and vice presidents, CIA directors and National Security advisors, White House chiefs of staff and intelligence briefersthis book offers a rare window into an underappreciated institution of our foreign policy and national security system.

Uncovering and respectfully writing about so many previously unheralded tales of presidential intelligence requires an unusual mix of dedication, insight, and discretion. Priess combines them seamlessly. I appreciate the care and skill with which he protects the books still-classified content while telling so many stories surrounding the PDB that can be told. Many of them call up happy recollections of my early morning sessions with intelligence briefers. Other ones bring up more somber memories of the most difficult moments commanders-in-chief facedeciding to send the brave members of our armed forces off to war.

Some of those who dedicated so much energy and time to this unique daily publication will finally, with this book, get a touch of the recognition they justly deserve. Many more must remain nameless. All of them have my respect and appreciation.

George H. W. Bush

41ST PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES

THE PRESIDENT DESCENDS FROM the residence to the Oval Office to start his morning. After quickly reviewing the days agenda with the chief of staff, he sits down and invites in his national security advisor, who tells him no crises have developed around the globe overnight. A few minutes later, his secretary pokes her head in.

Mr. President, your briefer is here.

He leans back, takes a deep breath, and says, All right. Lets go. The next appointment rarely brings good news.

His visitor walks in looking like shes been awake half the night. She has. In fact, her day started when most people have just gone to bed. Since getting to work at CIA headquarters just before 2:00 a.m., she has looked at late-breaking raw intelligence reports, studied each analytic assessment in the package now sitting securely in her locked bag, and spoken with analysts (from some of the seventeen organizations within the federal government that make up the intelligence community) who wrote those assessments. That way, she could learn about any related classified stories that hadnt made it into the ultimate text because of the gauntlet of reviewers and editors.

Opening the locked bag while she moves toward the desk, she reaches in and looks up at the commander in chief.

Good morning, Mr. President. Heres your PDB.

THE PRESIDENTS DAILY BRIEF contains the most sensitive intelligence reporting and analysis in the world. The Central Intelligence Agencys spies, the National Security Agencys listening posts, and the nations reconnaissance satellites gather secrets for it, while Americas enemies send undercover agents to try to unearth its classified content. Every working morning, intelligence briefers fan out from CIA headquarters to personally deliver copies of the PDB to the president and the handful of senior advisors he has designated to see its Top Secret pages. No major foreign policy decisions are made without it.