J. Edgar Hoover, head of the FBI for 50 years, wasted a
whole lot of time. He devoted millions of dollars in money, man hours, and
equipment just to spy on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Now what was the end
result? They had tapes of Dr. King cavorting with his female admirers! It was
all part of a scheme by Hoover to discredit Dr. King, and it didn’t work. The
tapes didn’t turn anyone against King, and it didn’t drive him to take his own
life. As for Hoover, the FBI made few gains during his tenure, with no major
targeting of drug cartels nor organized crime. Hoover was interested only in
bank robbers and subversives. According to this book, the US intelligence
services had a problem with direction. When they were headed by one man (in
this case Hoover) they were completely subordinate to him and his ridiculous
policies.
Each chapter in this book is written by a different expert
in the field of intelligence, both in the USA and abroad. In the chapter
Intelligence Since 9/11, the two authors, Gerald Hughes and Kristan Stoddart,
discuss how 9/11 and the 1945 Soviet threat had similar outcomes, but different
origins. 9/11 may definitely be an example of a government “caught napping,”
but the Soviet paranoia was greatly exaggerated.
While the book is generally open minded and examines all
sides fairly, I would have like to see more case studies and comparison. There
have been many unique spying efforts in the Cold War and in the 25 years since,
so it would be great to learn about them and how the CIA has developed in the
years since the USSR crumbled. I would also like to have seen someone compare
the differences in the CIA and the Department of Homeland Security. Maybe
compare the CIA, MI6, and the Israeli intelligence service.
No comments:
Post a Comment