John Prados is a senior fellow at the National Security Archive in Washington, D.C., and holds a Ph.D. in political science (international relations) from Columbia University. He is the author of numerous books, including Lost Crusader: The Scret Wars of CIA Director William Colby (Oxford, 2003), Vietnam: The History of an Unwinnable War, 1945–1975 (University Press of Kansas, 2009), and Safe for Democracy: The Secret Wars of the CIA (Ivan R. Dee, 2009). His work has focused on national security, presidential decision making, intelligence and military history, and Southeast Asia. He lives in Silver Spring, Maryland.