The Central Intelligence Agency: Security under Scrutiny(Understanding Our Government)

Created in 1947, the Central Intelligence Agency plays an important part in the nation's intelligence activities, and is currently playing a vital role in the war on terrorism. While the agency is often in the news and portrayed in television shows and films, it remains one of the most secretive and misunderstood organizations in the United States. This work provides an in-depth look into the Central Intelligence Agency and how its responsibilities affect American life. After a brief history of the agency, chapters describe its organization, intelligence/counterintelligence, covert operations, controversies, key events, and notable people.

Table of Contents:
Brief History of the CIA by Richard Immerman The Liaison Arrangements of the Central Intelligence Agency by Loch Johnson A World of Secrets: Intelligence and Counterintelligence by John Prados A New Agency: The Origins and Expansion of CIA Covert Operations by Athan Theoharis The CIA and the Media by Scott Armstrong Lapdog or Rogue Elephant? CIA Controversies from 1947 to 2004 by Kathryn Olmsted Biographies Chronology of Key Events Annotated Bibliography Index

About the Author :
ATHAN THEOHARIS is Professor of History at Marquette University. He is the author of numerous books including The FBI: A Comprehensive Reference Guide. RICHARD IMMERMAN is Chair of the History Department at Temple University. He has authored books on foreign policy and CIA covert operations. LOCH JOHNSON is Professor of Political Science at the University of Georgia and former counsel, Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. KATHRYN OLMSTED is Professor of History at the University of California, Davis and has written books on the CIA. JOHN PRADOS is a senior analyst of the National Security Archive in Washington, D.C.

Review :
[T]heoharis provides a good introduction to the history, structure, and operations of the CIA, information required to understand fully what all the heated arguments are about. The chapters cover the agency's origins, foreign and domestic liaison arrangements, covert activities, the work of intelligence and counterintelligence units, and CIA controversies from 1947 to 2004. The chapters are further subdivided and labeled by subtopic, and the indexing and table of contents are helpful in directing one's study. The book's reference value is increased by its 29-page chronology of key events, 20-page annotated bibliography, list of acronyms, and short biographies of 50 important CIA-related individuals. Readers can also examine the CIA's Factbook on Intelligence for the official facts and links to more information from the intelligence community….Theoharis's high-quality publication is suitable for academic and larger public libraries. Although the CIA is the government agency most often depicted on television and in films, it is probably the least understood. This volume seeks to redress that problem, as much as possible, with a survey of the CIA's programs, personnel and activities. The chapters are arranged by theme, such as liaison arrangements and intelligence and counterintelligence, and are written by experts on those topics. The text includes biographies of important CIA administrators, a chronology of key events, and an annotated bibliography. It is part of the Understanding Our Government Series, which is aimed at high school students.