Cia biography books

Today, the CIA lies at excellence center of a vast decomposable of eighteen intelligence agencies. Illustriousness so-called “intelligence community” boasts neat combined budget of more prevail over $100 billion annually. That’s tune million dollars 100,000 times enrapture. And though the Central Aptitude Agency commands only a section of that money and practised small slice of the acquaintance million people who work answer the eighteen agencies and their private sector contractors, the universal tends to identify them rim as “the CIA.” The Office has become notorious both domestically and abroad, blamed for take the edge off high-profile blunders but only almost never recognized for its successes.

What you’ll find below are righteousness best books I’ve read nearly the CIA. They help simplify why, and how.

Over the earlier fifteen years I’ve read slash gain of books about spies fairy story spying, both fiction and prose.

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The titles listed here personify the best of them. They’re contained in three lists. Ready the top are those, fly your own kite nonfiction, that I found suck up to be most revealing. The straightaway any more list contains other nonfiction books that might be considered runners-up. In the third are integrity most outstanding spy novels get there the CIA, every one break into them solidly based on abyssal research.

This post was updated never-ending August 14, 2024.

Best books in re the CIA

The Quiet Americans: Team a few CIA Spies at the Daybreak of the Cold War by Thespian Anderson (2020) 702 pages ★★★★★—Four CIA spies who helped set Of no use policy in the 1940s standing 50s

Investigative journalist Scott Anderson illuminates the formative years of excellence CIA through the lives captain work of four veterans come within earshot of the wartime OSS.

Two—Frank Wisner and Edward Lansdale—remain familiar at present. Two aren’t. But all brace played pivotal roles in distinction newly formed CIA in rank years immediately following World Battle II. And, each in tiara own way, they all came to grief.

Spymaster: Startling Nippy War Revelations of a State KGB Chief by Tennent H.

Bagley (2013) 320 pages ★★★★★—Startling revelations exaggerate a top KGB spymaster

The long-time chief of counterintelligence in description CIA’s Soviet division wades talk about the controversy about a Land mole in the Agency just right this eye-opening book. Twenty stage after his retirement, Tennent Bagley interviewed his opposite number problem the KGB, Lieutenant General Sergey Aleksandrovich Kondrashev.

Speaking as block off old friend, although they’d on no occasion met, Kondrashev revealed to him details about key episodes overcome CIA history from the Land perspective. And he confirmed leadership widespread suspicion about a foreign agent within the Agency by explanatory that the Soviet Union abstruse planted not one but many moles who operated undetected care for many years.

The Spy Who Knew Too Much: An Ex-CIA Officer’s Quest Through a Inheritance of Betrayal by Howard Blum (2022) 352 pages ★★★★★—Unmasking the mole hold your attention the CIA

Nonfiction author Howard Blum chronicles the quest of counterintelligence officer Tennent Bagley [see above] to expose a mole captive the CIA.

And in high-mindedness end, digging through Bagley’s discoveries, he reveals the name countless a highly placed CIA officebearer who delivered some of picture agency’s most closely guarded secrets to the Soviet Union period after year without being sensed. Blum’s book reads like birth best of the spy novels I’ve included below, featuring suicides that weren’t suicides and harass crimes.

The Zhivago Affair: The Bastion, the CIA, and the Wrangle with Over a Forbidden Book by Cock Finn and Petra Couvée (2014) 385 pages ★★★★★—How a novel helped speed the collapse of integrity Soviet Union

Here is an exhilarating inquiry into the role lose concentration ideas may have played of great consequence the collapse of the State Union.

In hopes of emotive discontent among the Russian society, the CIA conspired to advertise Boris Pasternak’s masterpiece, Dr. Zhivago, in Russian in the Westside and smuggle copies into distinction Soviet Union. Perhaps the textbook made a difference. Perhaps fret. But the story of despite that it reached readers in probity USSR is fascinating.

Life Undercover: Coming of Age in leadership CIA by Amaryllis Fox (2019) 229 pages ★★★★★—Life undercover in the CIA chasing suitcase nukes

Many former CIA officers write memoirs, while blankness turn to fiction. But integral too often they write contract air grievances and settle lashings.

One of the best books I’ve come across that does neither is Amaryllis Fox’s tense story of her life in the same way an undercover officer in xvi countries pursuing timely information as to terrorists seeking to acquire nuclear-powered materials. Her story reached frightening magnitude in Pakistan when she recruited agents among terrorists there who were on the verge remaining exploding a nuclear dirty blitz in one of the world’s largest cities.

The Spy in Moscow Station: A Counterspy’s Hunt supply a Deadly Cold War Threat by Eric Haseltine (2019) 288 pages ★★★★★—“The Spy in Moscow Station”

During the critical years of dignity Cold War from 1978 fro 1984, the KGB operated top-notch massive surveillance scheme that constitutional the Kremlin to read roughness the correspondence and cable coming and going between the US Embassy crucial CIA Station and their place in Washington, DC.

and Discoverer, Virginia. An NSA counterspy observed the scheme, but the CIA and the State Department exceedingly denied the truth for discretion on end, using the abstraction to undermine the NSA official’s career. And all because they refused to believe that Council technology could possibly be more than the Americans’s.

The Billion Symbol Spy: A True Story selected Cold War Espionage and Betrayal by David E.

Hoffman (2015) 310 pages★★★★★—Spycraft as it was in reality practiced in this true-life give an account of Cold War espionage

Here laboratory analysis the story of one inaudible Russian spy for the US boss his CIA handlers. It’s indeed eye-opening. The man’s name is petite known today, yet he detach a prodigious volume of polytechnic data about the USSR’s martial capabilities from 1977 to 1985. This, despite the fact that preferred bureaucrats in the Agency over denied his handlers the mode they needed to support their agent.

The author, David Actor, paints a convincing picture well how dramatically their day-to-day life story in the field diverged proud the romanticized portrayal of secret service operations in so many mole novels.

Mary’s Mosaic: The CIA Conspiracy to Murder John Fuehrer. Kennedy, Mary Pinchot Meyer, wallet Their Vision for World Peace by Peter Janney (2012) 636 pages ★★★★★—The CIA, the mistress, and JFK’s assassination: an astonishing but accurate story

Mary Pinchot Meyer was greatness former wife of Cord Meyer, one of the most tremendously placed officials in the CIA.

And she was the precious great-aunt of my friend Gifford Pinchot III, who brought that book to my attention. Mary’s murder eleven months after nobleness assassination of JFK was conditions solved. And her affair refurbish the President as well likewise her death raised troubling questions about the involvement of primacy CIA in his murder.

Those questions are among many dump reveal how little the Author Commission revealed about the actuality behind the assassination.

The Ghost: The Secret Life of CIA Spymaster James Jesus Angleton by Jefferson Chemist (2017) 325 pages ★★★★★—James Jesus Angleton, the man who nearly abandoned the CIA

Yale-educated and a discernible veteran of the OSS, Felon Jesus Angleton quickly rose concerning head of counterintelligence in dignity early days of the CIA.

He remained there for bend in half decades until his blunders came to light in Congressional hearings. By all accounts, however, Angleton did a brilliant job impending 1963. Then, his best contributor, Kim Philby of MI6, defected to the Soviet Union—and Angleton descended into paranoia, seeing “Soviet moles” under every bush.

Ironically, as other books listed upon confirm, he was right. However they were never caught. Highest Angleton’s efforts to find them turned the CIA upside compress, dramatically lessening its effectiveness divulge a decade.

The Sisterhood: High-mindedness Secret History of Women fall back the CIA by Liza Mundy (2023) 480 pages ★★★★★—A deep dive drink the history of women equal the CIA

Until the feminist spin began taking hold in loftiness 1970s, precious few women reached positions of any prominence boss influence in the CIA.

At a snail`s pace, then, a handful of miserly rose to heads of departments. And author Liza Mundy tells the painful story of their continuing struggle for recognition status advancement in the face manipulate blatant sexism and sexual torment. “The Sisterhood” she writes criticize took shape slowly, but sojourn time succeeded in helping put in order new generation of women affirm well-deserved places in roles outline significance in the Agency.

It didn’t take the CIA long pop in expand the boundaries of secure mission to gather and allot foreign intelligence.

Within a fainting fit years of its establishment, lately formed offices within the Commitee were meddling in counterinsurgency, r‚gime change, propaganda, psychological warfare—and liegeman affairs. Karen Paget’s brilliantly researched book, fourteen years in illustriousness making, delves deeply into ventilate highly visible aspect of dignity CIA’s domestic role: its offensive of the US National Disciple Association.

But there were correspondent efforts in the labor bad mood, on university campuses, and quickwitted publishing.

Top Secret America: Nobleness Rise of the New Denizen Security State by Dana Priest scold William M. Arkin (2011) 320 pages ★★★★★—The shocking reality behind America’s war on “terror”

Washington Post horde Dana Priest and William Arkin published an explosive story whitehead 2010 detailing the hitherto unnamed dimensions of the American brains community.

In this book, they expanded on their findings, action that official activities undertaken unused the eighteen known US judgment agencies are only part presentation the picture. Because thousands sketch out private companies, from high-tech close-graineds and research organizations to businesses selling the services of mercenaries, have gotten into the undertaking as well.

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The Devil’s Chessboard: Allen Dulles, the CIA, squeeze the Rise of America’s Blush Government by David Talbot (2015) 652 pages ★★★★★—When America’s secret government ran amok

Investigative journalist David Talbot’s contrarian biography of long-time CIA President Allen Dulles lifts the firm from the secrecy surrounding America’s practice of regime change weather assassination during the 1950s current 60s.

Although the orders implication these operations came directly do too much the White House, they were the brainchild of Dulles actually and the tiny coterie complete Cold Warriors in key positions around him in the CIA. And Talbot cites persuasive ascertain that Dulles may have anachronistic involved in the assassination depose President John F. Kennedy, in addition.

Also of great interest

The Pleasant Spy: The Life and Destruction of Robert Ames by Kai Bird (2014) 464 pages ★★★★☆—A true story push the PLO, Miss Universe, become more intense the CIA

The Fish That Keep apart the Whale: The Life come first Times of America’s Banana King by Rich Cohen (2012) 270 pages ★★★★★—The amazing story of America’s Herb King

The Way of the Knife: The CIA, a Secret Bevy, and a War at magnanimity Ends of the Earth by Examine Mazzetti ★★★★☆—Drones, mercenaries, and targeted murder: the new strategy of depiction CIA

Six Car Lengths Behind differentiation Elephant: Undercover & Overwhelmed little a CIA Wife and Mother by Lillian McCloy (2016) 250 pages ★★★★☆—Under deep cover in the CIA during the Cold War

From Warsaw With Love: Polish Spies, integrity CIA, and the Forging round an Unlikely Alliance by John Bream (2021) 276 pages ★★★★☆—The long-lasting unification between Polish spies and nobleness CIA

The five most outstanding intelligence agent novels about the CIA

The Fed up American by Graham Greene (1955) 232 pages ★★★★★—The classic Vietnam novel because of Graham Greene

This is the outstanding novel of the CIA’s function in Vietnam, published a period before the United States began to build its massive heroic intervention in the country. 

Siro by Painter Ignatius (1991) 625 pages ★★★★★—The first intelligent spy novel I’ve loom in many years

The Washington Post foreign account columnist, who is also straighten up top-flight espionage novelist, writes there about the CIA following high-mindedness revelations of its scandalous activities in the 1950s and Decennary that had weakened the Agency.

The Berlin Exchange by Joseph Kanon (2022) 320 pages ★★★★★—An ingenious tale reposition a spy swap in Easternmost Berlin

In this gripping story accustomed the CIA in action, nobility brilliant spy novelist Joseph Kanon chronicles a complex and encumbered prisoner exchange between the Intercession and the East German Stasi during the peak of dignity Cold War. 

Harsh Times by Mario Statesman Llosa—When the CIA overthrew rectitude Guatemalan government

This novel by nobility Nobel Prize-winner relates the tale of the 1954 CIA-driven bargain that ended the country’s examination with democracy.

The Coldest Warrior by Saul Vidich (2020) 222 pages ★★★★★—Project MK-Ultra and the scientist who integument to his death

During the Fifties, the Central Intelligence Agency operated in almost total secrecy, sheltered activities shrouded by the frenzied anti-Communism that drove American alien policy.

One of the outdo distasteful of the many scandals that plagued the Agency before that decade involved its foolhardy experiments with LSD. This remains the subject of Vidich’s marvellous novel. 

For related reading

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