Legacy of Ashes: The History of the CIA

Since its creation in 1947, the CIA has been a byword for everything that is sinister and ruthless about America's projection of power during the Cold War and with the 'war on terror'. There have been few major political events around the world in which the hidden hand of the Agency has not been seen. In countless movies and books, the CIA has been shown as decisive, brilliant and in control of its own secret world: the image of omnipotence. But this is an illusion. In reality, the CIA has been incompetent, naive, chaotic, and a danger to American interests for sixty years."Legacy of Ashes" is both a horrifying and a richly enjoyable book. Tim Weiner's immense research reveals a startlingly consistent level of failure. The general dismay at the CIA's failure to see the fall of the Soviet Union, the end of the Cold War, the invasion of Kuwait, the events of 9/11, its wholly false assessment of Saddam's WMD and its role in the 'rendition' of innocent suspects implies that it has fallen from some bygone golden age. "Legacy of Ashes" makes clear that the CIA has always been a blundering, ruinously incapable organization, with each decade providing its own low points. "Legacy of Ashes" is as gripping and powerful a narrative as its fictional movie counterparts, but the story it has to tell is a lot less comforting.

About the Author :
Tim Weiner is a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist at the New York Times where he has reported from Afghanistan, Pakistan, the Sudan, and fifteen other nations. He was based for a decade in Washington, DC, where he covered the CIA and the military - the last topic being the basis for his famous book Blank Check: The Pentagon's Black Budget.

Review :
" Impressively reported . . . . Terrifically entertaining." -- "The New York Times" " The best...ever written on a case of espionage." " -- The Wall Street Journal " " The epigrammatic style, hard edge and caustic bite of a first-rate detective novel." -- "Chicago Tribune " " Tough, fair-minded...exceptional in the annals of spy literature for not citing a single anonymous source." -- "Playboy" Praise for Tim Weiner's previous books: " Impressively reported . . . . Terrifically entertaining." -- "The New York Times" " The best...ever written on a case of espionage." " -- The Wall Street Journal " " The epigrammatic style, hard edge and caustic bite of a first-rate detective novel." -- "Chicago Tribune " " Tough, fair-minded...exceptional in the annals of spy literature for not citing a single anonymous source." -- "Playboy" " Tim Weiner has read widely and dug deeply to produce this marvelous and convincing history of the CIA across six decades. That every quote is also on the record is a testament to his skill and also, thankfully, to the transparency that endures in the American political system." -- Steve Coll, author of "Ghost Wars" " "Legacy of Ashes," like all first-rate histories, is not only richly informative but provocative and insightful. It is a combustible mix of deeply-researched history, solid reporting and revealing anecdotes. Tim Weiner' s history of the CIA explains not merely the past but the present, laying out in fine detail the structural and philosophical flaws that have dogged the Agency from day one and which continue to leave the country unduly vulnerable." -- Ted Gup, author of "The Book of Honor" and "Nation of Secrets "" This is a fascinating, deeply scary book. With prodigious reporting and on-the-record sources, Tim Weiner shows why the CIA has done so poorly in traditional intelligence. It' s a riveting tale and also a warning. America must develop the ability-- and the will-- to know and face the facts about the world." -- Walter Isaacson, author of "Benjamin Franklin: An American Life" and "Einstein: His Life and Universe " This is a timely, immensely readable, and highly critical history of the CIA, culminating with the most recent catastrophic failures in Iraq." -- Mark Bowden, author of BLACKHAWK DOWN " Tim Weiner has read widely and dug deeply to produce this marvelous and convincing history of the CIA across six decades. That every quote is also on the record is a testament to his skill and also, thankfully, to the transparency that endures in the American political system. " -- Steve Coll, author of Ghost Wars " Legacy of Ashes, like all first-rate histories, is not only richly informative but provocative and insightful. It is a combustible mix of deeply-researched history, solid reporting and revealing anecdotes. Tim Weiner ' s history of the CIA explains not merely the past but the present, laying out in fine detail the structural and philosophical flaws that have dogged the Agency from day one and which continue to leave the country unduly vulnerable. " -- Ted Gup, author of The Book of Honor and Nation of Secrets " This is a fascinating, deeply scary book. With prodigious reporting and on-the-record sources, Tim Weiner shows why the CIA has done so poorly in traditional intelligence. It ' s a riveting tale and also a warning. America must develop the ability -- and the will -- to know and face the facts about the world. " -- Walter Isaacson, author of Benjamin Franklin: An American Life and Einstein: His Life and Universe This is a timely, immensely readable, and highly critical history of the CIA, culminating with the most recentcatastrophic failures in Iraq. " -- Mark Bowden, author of BLACKHAWK DOWN