Description
Book SynopsisTHE HIDDEN HAND Since its inception in 1947, the Central Intelligence Agency has played an outsized role in the political life of the United States, whether by formulating and implementing policy or by fueling popular culture and imagination. The Hidden Hand is an accessible and up-to-date history of the agency that succinctly takes the reader from its early days of intelligence gathering and analysis to its more recent involvement in the execution of foreign policy through covert operations, psychological warfare, and other programs. In manageable chapters and easy-to-digest prose, the author a respected scholar who has researched intelligence for more than 30 years and also served as a high-ranking officer in the intelligence community covers all aspects of the CIA from its mission to its performance to its record. He draws on the latest evidence and research to assess the agency's successes and failures over the last half century, highlighting key operations of
Trade Review
“I highly recommend Immerman’s history as a corrective.” (Journal of American History, 3 January 2016)
"Written in clear terms with excellent summaries of complex events, The Hidden Hand makes a mass of history and bureaucratic strife manageable to newcomers of the subject. ...The redactions in this volume serve as an introduction for would-be scholars to the risks of researching so close to the circles of power and authority." (Intelligence and National Security, 6 February 2015)
“Richard H. Immerman, who teaches the history of American foreign policy and intelligence at Temple University, has produced a fine, concise history of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). The Hidden Handhas three major virtues: it is fair-minded, readable and up-to-date, including a useful insider’s analysis of how the creation of the new position of National Director of Intelligence (NDI) in 2005 has affected the role of the CIA and its director.” (Survival: Global Politics and Strategy, 1 January 2015)
“Meantime, as far as the book under review is concerned, It’s a very well written piece of history and well referenced with numerous end-of-chapter source notes.” (Nurturing Potential, 1 March 2014)
Table of ContentsPreface and Acknowledgments ix
Note on Redactions xiii
1 Birth of an Enigma: 1945–1949 1
2 Halcyon Days and Growing Pains: 1950–1961 35
3 The CIA and its Discontents: 1961–1976 70
4 A Time of Troubles: 1977–1987 108
5 Victory Without Redemption: 1988–2000 138
6 9/11, WMD, GWOT, IRTPA, and ODNI: 2001–2004 172
7 Crisis of Identity: 2005–2013 206
Index 235
