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Title: FROM THE SHADOWS: THE ULTIMATE INSIDER'S STORY OF FIVE PRESIDENTS AND HOW THEY WON THE COLD WAR by Robert M. Gates ISBN: 0-684-83497-9 Publisher: Simon & Schuster Pub. Date: 07 May, 1997 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $16.00 |
Average Customer Rating: 4 (8 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: Intense Reading - great enjoyment
Comment: Excellent account of what really goes on from the inside of the govt. They say that truth is better than fiction. This is true in a big way in this book. You will recall many of the events in not too distant history. They come alive in this book and history makes more sense. Intense reading - be sure to underline the names to keep track of the huge cast of characters. A big Aggie thumb's up for this one!
Rating: 3
Summary: Informative but dry
Comment: Gates had access to some of the most fascinating characters in the history of the Cold War. His observations are incisive and revealing about many of these personalities; however, his book often reads like one might imagine a CIA memo reads, rather dry. The book provides feedback on several important historical instances but it does not go into much depth on any. I do not recommend it as a book used to learn the history of that era. Instead I would read it to gain a further understanding of what went on behind the scenes.
In general, I find Gates to be an interesting character himself. He has some hilarious anecdotes about life in the CIA. Such as when he is walking up the steps of Air Force One and turns to flip off several of the top officials (I think it was) in Romania after they botch his passport. In addition to a often dry sense of humor he also seems to have a great deal of character and integrity.
Rating: 4
Summary: A rare look inside, if a bit buttoned-down
Comment: Mr Gates' background in writing intelligence analysis is very apparent in his book, which covers the role of intelligence on policy and the figures that carried out the policy, from President Nixon to Bush Sr. Stylistically, ideas are introduced, expanded upon, and brought back together in sum and reflection in efficient essay form, yet in, one senses, what epitomizes intelligence directorate reporting at Langley. As such the recounting can be understandably dry (albeit with ready humor), but these ARE renderings of historical events; when I was patient, I found that his clarity and humility make the work readable and insightful. The DC cocktail crowd no doubt received ample fuel from Mr Gates' (decidedly fair) renderings of George Schultz and William Casey, both of whom Mr Gates spent much time with during the Reagan years. Other character sketches elucidate and emphasize Mr Gates' opinions about other high-ranking individuals in the various administrations, but his everyman-ish voice is an able mediator among the personalities.
The retelling of some events where Mr Gates plays up his role or access get a bit tedious; for example, when he and Larry Eagleburger hit the European circuit to sell arms reductions (somewhat to the effect of "we went to London, then Rome, then Bonn, then Amsterdam")-likewise, when Mr Gates would accompany other advisers and President Bush to Kennebunkport, and almost any private meetings Mr Gates would have with President Bush.
Mr Gates' own conservative bent comes through in several places, but most succinctly in his concluding remarks about the Soviet Union's demise. Here Mr Gates writes of a Soviet role in terrorist activity, yet a US role in aiding freedom fighters, which only extends a pervasive double standard in US government foreign policy. Of course Mr Gates' worked on a day-to-day basis to limit the Soviets' opportunities, and of course US hegemony is all the greater for it, but zeal can sometimes be confused for rationale: certainly the US has carried out its own "terrorist" activities, many through the CIA itself, and recent uncoverings of Kissinger's strong hand in Latin America are evidence of more glib and (many believe) illegal workings by the US executive branch.
Mr Gates has personally intrigued me since I read an article on him around the time of his confirmation as DCI in 1991. The article told of his early job as a bus driver, teaching Russian phrases to community riders, and his reference to many of the Easterners among the DC establishment ranks as "guys with last names as first names." Such an endearing portrait of himself is difficult to find in his narrative and made me a bit disappointed he didn't talk more about graduate school and Russian studies years, especially as the Sovietology schools were evolving in the 1960s, yet such topics would admittedly digress from the book's theme.
Aside from its occasional name-dropping and some opportune flag waving, Mr Gates' memoir is evenly told and offers a straightforward, insider view of executive policy during pivotal moments between 1970 and 1992. It is also well written, with helpful and sufficient background for the events recounted. I would look forward to reading anything he further publishes, especially concerning the direction or affairs of Russia and its former Soviet neighbors.
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Title: For the President's Eyes Only : Secret Intelligence and the American Presidency from Washington to Bush by Christopher Andrew ISBN: 0060921781 Publisher: Perennial Pub. Date: 10 April, 1996 List Price(USD): $19.95 |
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Title: Intelligence: From Secrets to Policy by Mark M. Lowenthal ISBN: 1568027591 Publisher: CQ Press Pub. Date: January, 2003 List Price(USD): $39.95 |
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Title: The Main Enemy : The Inside Story of the CIA's Final Showdown with the KGB by James Risen, Milton Bearden ISBN: 0679463097 Publisher: Random House Pub. Date: 06 May, 2003 List Price(USD): $27.95 |
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Title: Inside the Kremlin's Cold War: From Stalin to Khrushchev by Vladislav Zubok, Constantine V. Pleshakov ISBN: 0674455320 Publisher: Harvard Univ Pr Pub. Date: April, 1997 List Price(USD): $19.95 |
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Title: A Look over My Shoulder : A Life in the Central Intelligence Agency by William Hood, Richard Helms ISBN: 037550012X Publisher: Random House Pub. Date: 08 April, 2003 List Price(USD): $35.00 |
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