Legacy of Ashes

The History of the CIA

Recommended by Stephen Glain, and 1 others. See all reviews

Ranked #13 in Intelligence, Ranked #30 in The Cold Warsee more rankings.

For the last sixty years, the CIA has managed to maintain a formidable reputation in spite of its terrible record, burying its blunders in top-secret archives. Its mission was to know the world. When it did not succeed, it set out to change the world. Its failures have handed us, in the words of President Eisenhower, “a legacy of ashes.”

Now Pulitzer Prize–winning author Tim Weiner offers the first definitive history of the CIA—and everything is on the record. LEGACY OF ASHES is based on more than 50,000 documents, primarily from the archives of the CIA itself, and hundreds of...
more

Reviews and Recommendations

We've comprehensively compiled reviews of Legacy of Ashes from the world's leading experts.

Stephen Glain Yes. This book reads like the Keystone Kops. It’s amazing how often the CIA just blundered, going from one screw-up to the next, despite having some very intelligent people. But I once listened to Tim Weiner giving an interview and he said something very profound. He said every president since it was created under Truman has abused the CIA. Too often it’s used to prove a presumed fact, a fact that has been created for domestic political purposes, and completely queers the pitch from the outset. If you’re not encouraging conclusions that may differ from your own presumptions then you’re fated... (Source)


Rankings by Category

Legacy of Ashes is ranked in the following categories:


Similar Books

If you like Legacy of Ashes, check out these similar top-rated books:


Learn: What makes Shortform summaries the best in the world?