The History Book Club discussion

* SPOILER ALERT*

Folks, this is the glossary thread for our spotlighted discussion on Legacy of Ashes.

If you do not want to have any element of the book spoiled for you, do not visit this thread until you have completed the book.

This is a thread where associated urls and reference material as well as other associated links can be added and posted. No self promotion, please.

Additionally, any sidebar discussions concerning our spotlighted book that go beyond the scope of the non spoiler threads can be discussed here.

Bentley

Tim Weiner

Of course, the CIA wasn't too pleased:

https://www.cia.gov/library/center-fo...

Reviews:

Ackerman, Spencer. "The CIA's Failures." The Nation. June 26, 2008.

http://www.thenation.com/article/cias...

Beschloss, Michael. "The CIA's Missteps, From Past to Present." New York Times. July 12, 2007

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/12/boo...

Epstein, Edward Jay. "Opening Up the CIA: Espionage, Covert Action, and the Trouble with 'Dangles.'" The Wall Street Journal. July 14, 2007.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB11843...

Thomas, Evan. "Counter Intelligence." The New York Times Book Review. July 22, 2007.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/22/boo...

Wise, David. "Covert Action: Has the CIA Ever Been Good at Intelligence Gathering?" The Washington Post Book World. July 22, 2007.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/...

Audio/Video:

"CIA Looks Back on a Secret Postwar Berlin Tunnel." The Bryant Park Project (from NPR News). June 23, 2008. [audio]

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/st...

"A Conversation About the CIA with Journalist Tim Weiner." Charlie Rose Show. July 27, 2007. [video]

http://www.charlierose.com/view/inter...

"Is the CIA Entitled to Complete Secrecy?" Day to Day. December 20, 2007. [audio]

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/st...

"Tim Weiner: The Secret History of America's Spooks." Fresh Air from WHYY. June 28, 2007. [audio]

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/st...

"The CIA's Worst Mistakes." The Leonard Lopate Show on WNYC. July 16, 2007. [audio]

http://www.wnyc.org/shows/lopate/2007...

"Tim Weiner's 'History of the CIA.'" Minnesota Public Radio. June 26, 2008. [audio]

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/disp...

"'Legacy of Ashes' Describes Founding of CIA." Morning Edition. July 10, 2007. [audio]

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/st...

"Tim Weiner." Tavis Smiley Show. September 17, 2007. [audio]

http://www.pbs.org/kcet/tavissmiley/a...

"Tim Weiner Discusses the History of the CIA." World Economic Forum of Oregon. June 5, 2008. [video]

http://fora.tv/2008/06/05/Tim_Weiner_...

American Academy Videocast:

http://www.americanacademy.de/uploads...

Related Sites/Resources:

Official Web Site for Legacy of Ashes

http://www.randomhouse.com/doubleday/...

"Q&A with Tim Weiner: Pierceing the CIA's Veil." U.S. News & World Report. July 29, 2007.

http://www.usnews.com/usnews/news/art...

"2007 National Book Award Winner, Nonficton." National Book Foundation.

http://www.nationalbook.org/nba2007_n...

"Book World Live Discussion with Tim Weiner." The Washington Post Online. July 24, 2007.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/...

"Tim Weiner." Contemporary Authors. September 5, 2008.

http://acu.libsyn.com/show_118_legacy...

Talk of the Stacks

http://www.supporthclib.org/events-li...

New York Times Broadcast (The Family Jewels)

http://video.nytimes.com/video/2007/0...

The CIA site has a museum tour:

https://www.cia.gov/about-cia/cia-mus...

HEADQUARTERS OF THE CIA TOUR

https://www.cia.gov/about-cia/headqua...

Here is a book on Bedell Smith's tenure:

by Ludwell Lee Montague

Thank you very much Bryan.

From Liz (contain spoilers so these cannot be on weekly non spoiler threads)

Here are some articles on the CIA's use of technology both historically and since 9/11 and the explosion of the social media (warning: these articles may contain spoilers as they apply to later time periods):

Technology & Intelligence, http://goo.gl/3gShH

Technology Is Central To CIA's Strategic Plan, http://goo.gl/TVvvd

CIA Invests In Secure Virtualization, Infrastructure Monitoring, http://goo.gl/A7sdo

Inside the CIA's extreme technology, http://goo.gl/b6lZX

Making Sense of the New CIA Battlefield, http://goo.gl/z8bMW

US Spies Buy Stake in Firm that Monitors Blogs, Tweets, http://goo.gl/GDqPk

I wanted to include this book; it is on my to read list and looks good. On the Iran coup:

Stephen Kinzer

Looks good Bryan.

"All the Shah's Men" is good I read it a few years ago, so is Kinzer's other book "Overthrow". Also good is "Ghost Wars" by Steve Coll on Afghanistan.

, by Stephen Kinzer

by Steve Coll

Thank you so much Tom for the additional adds.

Here is an interesting article from last year (Time Magazine)

How a Secret Spy Pact Helped Win the Cold War

Read more: http://www.time.com/time/nation/artic...

Congress quietly prepares to renew Patriot Act

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2011/01/co...

I think Patriot Act may be a misnomer for this one.

Some additional information:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USA_PATR...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gFVQ0H...

Heres a realted book on my TBR list that some may find interesting.


by Abram N. Shulsky
Silent Warfare: Understanding the World of Intelligence

Intended as a textbook to contribute to the academic study of this specialized field, this work also aims to counter some of the more alarmist and anti-intelligence books available. In eight chapters it explains the concepts, philosophies, and procedures of intelligence-gathering analysis and management. It examines how intelligence was used in various historical situations to explain a government's actions. It shows the importance of an individual's personality at every step of the process, particularly when it comes to acting on available intelligence. This easy-to-read-and-understand book should be considered by academic and large public libraries and those collections that support courses in security studies.

It looks good Tom; thank you very much for your add.

This is an article which was posted in the introduction by me prior to the beginning of the spotlighted discussion. It is by Spencer Ackerman and was published in The Nation (just as an FYI - this is the oldest weekly publication and its political affiliation is on the left) - however it is worth reading for both sides of the political spectrum.

Ackerman, Spencer. "The CIA's Failures." The Nation. June 26, 2008.

http://www.thenation.com/article/cias-fa...

The 1975 House Select Intelligence Committee (Pike Committee) chronicled thirty years of U.S. intelligence failures. The report was never released by the House, though it was leaked and printed in the Village Voice on 16 Feb 1976.

The report is exceedingly difficult to find today; it remains TOP SECRET and not even the Voice makes a copy available on its website. If your library retains back copies of the Voice, you might be able to find it there.

CIA, of course, was critical of the Pike Committee's criticisms. See Gerald K. Haines, "The Pike Committee Investigations and the CIA"

Thank you Vheissu; I think the House may have acted in their own interest; can you imagine the public uproar? I am not surprised that the CIA was critical of the Pike criticisms. It does not take kindly to criticisms obviously. It is in a difficult position if it maintains secrecy of its operations; obviously the fallout from its intelligence failures like the "weapons of mass destruction" debacle are hard to hide from and any successes; folks just do not know anything about unless the CIA does its own leaking.

Interesting article..

Former spy with agenda operates private CIA
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/41218490/...

Tom wrote: "Interesting article..

Former spy with agenda operates private CIA
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/41218490/..."

Yikes Tom; now we have private freelancing mini CIAs.

Wow, that guy has gone cowboy. Yikes is right! The dissension within the agency, you have to think there are more people like this guy who are probably cheering him on.

In that same vein, Xe Services LLC, nee "Blackwater," has operated a private navy for some years now.

Clearly, I am in the wrong line of work.

Amazing really - I think of them as modern day pirates or mercenaries.

Well here we go - an article which calls this guy from Blackwater - the Prince of Mercenaries:

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/wor...

Same outfit Vheissu

And I thought this book was fiction.

by Frederick Forsyth

Guess not; they must have hired Mr. Prince and Vheissu - you made me laugh.

This book might prove helpful in Latin America (1954 coup)and United Fruit:

by Peter Chapman
Description:
In this compelling history of the United Fruit Company, Financial Times writer Peter Chapman weaves a dramatic tale of big business, deceit, and violence, exploring the origins of arguably one of the most controversial global corporations ever, and the ways in which their pioneering example set the precedent for the institutionalized greed of today’s multinational companies. The story has its source in United Fruit’s nineteenth-century beginnings in the jungles of Costa Rica. What follows is a damning examination of the company’s policies: from the marketing of the banana as the first fast food, to the company’s involvement in an invasion of Honduras, a massacre in Colombia, and a bloody coup in Guatemala. Along the way the company fostered covert links with U.S. power brokers such as Richard Nixon and CIA operative Howard Hunt, manipulated the press in new, and stoked the revolutionary ire of Che Guevara and Fidel Castro. From the exploited banana republics of Central America to the concrete jungle of New York City, Peter Chapman’s Bananas is a lively and insightful cultural history of the coveted yellow fruit, as well as a gripping narrative about the infamous rise and fall of the United Fruit Company.

Regarding the Church Committee:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Church_C...

Source: Wikipedia

Covert Action in Chile 1963-1973 - Church Report

http://foia.state.gov/Reports/ChurchR...

Source: US State Department

Church Committee - History Matters Archive:

http://history-matters.com/archive/co...

The Pike Committee Investigations and the CIA:

http://bss.sfsu.edu/fischer/IR%20360/...

Back to Church:

http://prospect.org/cs/articles?artic...

Source: The American Prospect

Debate: Bush's handling of terror clues

http://archives.cnn.com/2002/ALLPOLIT...

Source: CNN

Look who is called to Cairo to sort things out for the U.S. None other than Frank Wisner Jr! I'm not so sure this is a good idea.

http://www.voltairenet.org/article168...

Oh God no Alisa...my worst fears realized:

Did you see this in the article:

"As the Egyptian revolt swells, the U.S. National Security Council considered that the handling of the situation by Margaret Scobey, their Ambassador in Cairo, was not good enough.

Ms Scobey is a career diplomat with a significant track record in the Middle East, but lacks experience in secret operations. Without prejudging the future, she has spared no effort to meet with the greatest number of players and establish ties with all the camps."

It sounds like she was dynamite and then they send in somebody who I am frankly worried about.

Oh boy:

"Mr. Wisner is the son of Frank G. Wisner Sr., co-founder of the CIA and Gladio. Together with Allen Dulles, Wisner Sr. was one of the architects of the U.S. secret intervention doctrine: support those democracies which make a "good choice", oppose those which make the wrong choice.

As for Frank G. Wisner Jr., he has always worked for the Agency and continues to do so, serving in particular as one of the Directors of Refugees International."

And what is the Directors of Refugees International (sounds like one of those rogue outfits?

And it gets worse...is this a modern day French connection:

Frank G. Wisner Jr. is not known to the U.S. public either as a diplomat or as a master spy, but as an unscrupulous financier. He was part of the Enron power elite involved in the fraudulent bankrupcy of the corporation that ruined countless small investors and, later, as Vice Chairman of American International Group whose share prices plummeted by 95% during the 2008 financial crisis, prior to its bailout with taxpayers’ money.

Although not at all known in France, Wisner Jr. has nevertheless played a major role in that country’s recent history. He married Christine de Ganay (Pal Sarkozy’s second wife) and, in that capacity, reared Nicolas Sarkozy during his New York years. It was he who introduced then-teenage Sarkozy to CIA insiders and facilitated his entry into French political circles. One of Wisner’s sons was Sarkozy’s English-speaking political campaign spokesman; another one of his children became one of the pillars of the Carlyle Group, the asset management firm controlled by the Bush and Bin Laden families.

And this: (dreadful) - I think Scobey should have been left alone.

For the National Security Council, it is not enough to simply safeguard the interests of the United States. It is absolutely indispensable to preserve the Egyptian-Israeli peace deal, which implies having to choose the next country leadership. Thus, the NSC called on Frank G. Wisner, former Ambassador to Egypt (1986-91), and dispatched him urgently to Cairo where he arrived on 31 January 2011.

Thanks Alisa...a lot to think about. Scary actually.

Bentley, yes, alarming isn't it? I loaned my copy of the book to a friend who is 100 pages into it and we were discussing it last night and he mentioned this little Wisner tidbit. Ugly.

Very. :-(

Crazy. I hope the apple drops very far from the tree in this case.

This may be what is prompting them to call in the arsenal:

News Article: Deutsche Welle

Iran praising protestors in Egypt but not of course in Iran (smile)- Is Iran behind this?

As the bloody battle for control of Egypt continues, many world powers are still walking a fine line between maintaining links with President Hosni Mubarak and supporting the rights of the protesters who are fighting to bring his 30-year reign to an end. The common position of most is to urge both sides to show restraint and to allow free speech and democracy to determine the future of Egypt.

However, true to form, after a series of muted and cryptic statements, one country has come out firmly on the side of the protestors: Iran - the only country in the region that does not have diplomatic relations with Egypt.

Eralier this week, the Iranian Foreign Ministry released a number of statements praising the popular anti-government uprising and has pledged its support for movements intent on removing "puppet autocratic regimes."

Claiming the uprising was the beginning of an "Islamic renaissance in the Middle East," the ministry said that Iran hoped that the protests would empower nations in the region to "stand up" to its enemies, Israel and the United States.

Iran has accused the United States and Israel of meddling in Egypt and of stifling the popular movement intent on removing Mubarak. It called for "world leaders and peoples to harshly reject US and Israeli interference aimed to deflect the fight for justice in Egypt," adding that any opposition to the Egyptian popular movement will cause "the ire of people throughout the world, especially Muslims."

Egypt's peace deal with Israel has rankled with Iran

It is unsurprising that Iran has taken this position given the opposition Mubarak has maintained against the Islamic Republic throughout his decades in power; Egypt has opposed Iran's nuclear program, signed peace accords with its arch-enemy Israel and has actively hindered Iran's covert attempts to arm Hamas militants in Gaza by clamping down on weapons smuggling across its borders.

Mubarak's opposition has fostered a mutual suspicion and distrust in Tehran, one that has allegedly prompted Iran to actively seek his removal in the past.

While there has yet to be any firm evidence to support claims that Iran has had a hand in the recent protests, a 2009 US embassy cable released through WikiLeaks claimed that Mubarak was convinced that Iran was promoting the destabilization of Egypt through Hezbollah cells and the Muslim Brotherhood.

Iran's dream of a united Islamic front deemed "delusional"

Entire Article:


http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,...

Or as the Telegraph is promoting today: (or not so secret - or is someone trying to point the blame here)

Egypt protests: America's Secret Backing for Rebel Leaders Behind Uprising

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/world...

This is truly devastating for Egypt in so many ways; they tried so hard to increase tourism and had done a fairly good job in that area; now who knows.

Wisner being sent in does worry me.

National Geographic: Inside American Power: The Pentagon

On Netflix: Does discuss and show groups in the Pentagon doing intelligence gathering - big focus on 9/11 aftermath; some parts promotional advertising for sure; but other parts worthwhile.

Netflix Summary:

The Pentagon is the military nerve center of the United States, reaching out to far-flung battlefields with information, technology and a culture that permeates more of America and the world than many realize. This film depicts the Pentagon's 58-year history, taking viewers into the restricted inner workings of the Pentagon, and includes coverage of the response following the terrorist attack on September 11, 2001.

Article where Sen. Feinstein suggests that recent events in Egypt could have been foreshadowed had the intelligence community monitored Twitter and Facebook. Is this akin to cutting out articles from the newspaper and passing it off as intelligence, such as what we have seen in this book? Then again, in an "open source" environment is it a resource that can be overlooked? What should the CIA and the intelligence community be relying on for sources of information?
http://worldblog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/...

I can't believe that she said such a thing; twitter and facebook may reveal what folks want to have revealed; but I do not think of either as being the solid pre-emptive intelligence that our country should be looking for. It doesn't look like Feinstein is a solid thinker like Madison, Jefferson and some of other founding fathers (lol). I think they need to have folks who spend time living in the country and blending in as Egyptians (look, act, speak and write the language); how else are you going to judge the climate or hear what the man on the street is really thinking. Also, just like Philby penetrated British intelligence; it would be good to have folks recruited who are close to those folks in the appropriate countries. However, it seems like our spies have bells around their necks and lead feet.

I didn't think from the response from Stephanie O'Sullivan that I am impressed with her either.

Also, this is a key sentence:

"I would call it a big intelligence wakeup," she said. "... Open-source material has to become much more significant in the analysis of intelligence."

I would like to know how many wake up calls we need or this agency needs before something is done.

Thanks Alisa for that post.