A biography of Edward Lansdale, the CIA operative. Boot chronicles his rise and fall as a proponent of a visionary "hearts and minds" diplomacy in Vietnam who was ultimately overruled by the American military bureaucracy, which favored bombs and troop build-ups over winning the people's trust. "The legendary Edward Lansdale (1908-1987), a covert operative so roguish that he was said to be the model for Graham Greene's The Quiet American, remains...

"A powerful and revelatory memoir from former CIA director John Brennan, spanning his more than thirty years in government."--Dust jacket flap. Brennan pulls back the curtain on the inner workings of the Central Intelligence Agency, describing the selfless, patriotic, and invisible work of the women and men involved in national security. He also examines the insularity, arrogance, and myopia that have, at times, undermined its reputation in the eyes...

"In the famous photograph of the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. on the balcony of Memphis's Lorraine Motel, one man kneeled down beside King, trying to staunch the blood from his fatal head wound with a borrowed towel. This kneeling man was a member of the Invaders, an activist group that was in talks with King in the days leading up to the murder. But he also had another identity: an undercover Memphis police officer reporting on the activities...

"A memoir by the highest-ranking covert warrior to lift the veil of secrecy and offer a glimpse into the shadow wars that America has fought since the Vietnam Era. Enrique Prado found himself in his first firefight at age seven. The son of a middle-class Cuban family caught in the midst of the Castro Revolution, his family fled their war-torn home for the hope of a better life in America. Fifty years later, the Cuban refugee retired from the Central...

"A beautiful, gracious act of connection with a man who kept his secrets." - Kirkus Reviews Readers will not only find absorbing narratives but also the early signs of America's now highly contentious culture wars. - Booklist An exceptional work ... about a man ... whose family album is pasted into a book of American history. - Baltimore Sun A passionately researched and engaging memoir...poignantly distanced. - New York Times Book Review

"An explosive, headline-making portrait of Allen Dulles, the man who transformed the CIA into the most powerful and secretive colossus in Washington, from the founder of Salon.com and author of the New York Times bestseller Brothers. America's greatest untold story: the United States' rise to world dominance under the guile of Allen Welsh Dulles, the longest-serving director of the CIA. Drawing on revelatory new materials, including newly discovered...

"The story of two Cold War spies - CIA agent Jack Platt and KGB agent Genya Vasilenko - and their improbable friendship at a time when they should have been anything but."--Provided by publisher.

The man who led the intelligence war that killed Osama bin Laden traces a life of leadership in public service, from his tenure in Congress through his years as director of the CIA and Secretary of Defense.

"At the end of World War II, the United States dominated the world militarily, economically, and in moral standing--seen as the victor over tyranny and a champion of freedom. But it was clear--to some--that the Soviet Union was already executing a plan to expand and foment revolution around the world. The American government's strategy in response relied on the secret efforts of a newly-formed CIA. THE QUIET AMERICANS chronicles the exploits of four...