The Agency: The Rise and Decline of the CIA

Scores of interviews with insiders and more than seven thousand pages of formerly classified documents support this history of the CIA, which focuses on "The Company's" remarkable personalities and leaders from Wild Bill Donovan to William Casey

Much has been written on the Central Intelligence Agency over the past two decades, but until now there has not been an exhaustive and widely accessible history of the CIA. Based on hundreds of interviews and a careful reading of many books and documents, The Agency is a highly readable work of objective scholarship. Ranelagh's writing style is lively, and his character sketches can be devastating. The book is well documented and contains a fine selective bibliography. In addition to documenting the history of the CIA, Ranelagh admirably surveys the politics of the postwar years and is careful to place CIA activities within the context of international events. His final section is an excellent essay on the state of the CIA under the Reagan administration, and on the shift away from human intelligence to a highly technical operation. Highly recommended for public and academic libraries.Thomas A. Karel, Franklin & Marshall Coll. Lib., Lancaster, Pa.
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc.