Product Description

This engrossing book presents the most interesting articles from Studies in Intelligence-a previously classified in-house Central Intelligence Agency journal that was for CIA eyes only-and provides insights into CIA strategies and into events in which the organization was involved.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #213715 in Books
• Published on: 1995-08-25
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 512 pages

Amazon.com Review
In 32 essays originally written for the Central Intelligence Agency's internal journal, Studies in Intelligence, authors, most of whom are CIA agents, talk shop. These recently declassified articles, written between 1955 and 1992, provide an offbeat internal history of CIA operations. Some delve into arcane areas of tradecraft, and could be considered essential reading for historians as well as spy buffs: CIA operatives detail secret operations, offer practical how-to advice, and critique themselves and their work.

From Publishers Weekly
This collection of recently declassified articles from CIA's in-house journal, Studies in Intelligence, encompasses methods of intelligence gathering, analysis of data, interaction between analysts and policy-makers and the craft of photo interpretation. Although aimed at specialists, some of the essays will be of interest to lay readers: a case study of how analysts and operatives worked as a backup team with U.S. negotiators at an international economic conference; an examination of the friction between CIA and the State Department and how it has hindered U.S. intelligence; a psychologist's discussion of defectors' common personality profiles ("Psychology of Treason"); a manual on how to resist counterintelligence interrogation; and "The Case of Major X," which describes the author's experiences as a double agent. Westerfield is a political science professor at Yale. Illustrations not seen by PW.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Customer Reviews

Go to CIA.gov for much more
This is simply a collection of declassified articles from the CIA's in house quarterly journal "Studies In Intelligence". Many more articles have been declaasifed since the book came out and all are on the Center for the Study of Intelligence page at the CIA site. The author adds very little to the articles and you are better off just going and reading the ones that interest you yourself. They are organized by subject (i.e. analysis, Covert Action) at the Agency's website. The unclassifed "Studies In Intelligence" is also at the same place. I heard the author interviewed by G. Gordon Liddy when the book came out and as usual the "G man" was a fount of mis-information on intelligence matters.

"Academic"
The book is too "academic" for the average reader. It feels like I am reading college research papers. Obviously, these articles are for academic purposes, but I was expecting more field-related stuff like front-line espionage stuff. Maybe I watched too much 007, but this was too slow of a read for me.

Internal Journals Declassified
A fascinating piece of history. It's not that we read important secrets, or even that the topics of these journal articles are current and relevant, but from a historical perspective, the insights and conclusions are a fun window into the CIA's world over the years.