Legacy of Ashes: The History of the CIA by Tim Weiner (Amazon, B&N, Powell’s). Easily one of the best books I have ever read. This is a magisterial study of the CIA, from its birth in the WWII secret services to its post-September 11 demise as the intelligence agencies were melded together. Along the way, we learn of more failures than successes, but both are woven into America’s post-war history deftly.
I’ll get a minor flaw out of the way. Weiner provides a ton of detail about every little coup and insurgency the CIA participated in during the ’50s and ’60s. Most of that reporting was based on newly-declassified documents. I wondered what he was going to do with recent history, since the truth behind those events are still walled off. To some extent, he gets around that with lots of interviews (on the record) with relevant actors. But, aside from a highlight with the Iran-Contra mess, the post-Watergate events seemed a tad hurried over.
But in a book this massive and well-researched, that’s really a minor quibble. A part of the reason for it is that the Agency was so lost right after the Cold War, and was clearly unsure of its mission. And there’s plenty of meat in the rest of the sixty years covered by Legacy of Ashes (a prophetic phrase from President Eisenhower). The most compelling part of the work is probably the CIA’s many attempts to overthrow Fidel Castro, and the possible link between those activities and Cuban retaliation in the form of the assassination of President Kennedy. Spooky stuff.
The Agency’s efforts in the Middle East receive much attention from Weiner, deservedly so. It’s amazing how much history repeated itself. But that’s really the main theme of the book — the CIA’s utter inability to learn, either about its targets or from its mistakes. (And oh my goodness, how many times did the Soviets know exactly what we were doing?!) Ultimately, it’s depressing. But it’s absolutely essential reading for anyone interested in American history, politics, or intelligence.