The Art of Intelligence
Written by Henry A. Crumpton
Narrated by David Colacci
4/5
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About this audiobook
A legendary CIA spy and counterterrorism expert tells the spellbinding story of his high-risk, action-packed career while illustrating the growing importance of America's intelligence officers and their secret missions
For a crucial period, Henry Crumpton led the CIA's global covert operations against America's terrorist enemies, including al Qaeda. In the days after 9/11, the CIA tasked Crumpton to organize and lead the Afghanistan campaign. With Crumpton's strategic initiative and bold leadership, from the battlefield to the Oval Office, U.S. and Afghan allies routed al Qaeda and the Taliban in less than ninety days after the Twin Towers fell. At the height of combat against the Taliban in late 2001, there were fewer than five hundred Americans on the ground in Afghanistan, a dynamic blend of CIA and Special Forces. The campaign changed the way America wages war. This book will change the way America views the CIA.
The Art of Intelligence draws from the full arc of Crumpton's espionage and covert action exploits to explain what America's spies do and why their service is more valuable than ever. From his early years in Africa, where he recruited and ran sources, from loathsome criminals to heroic warriors; to his liaison assignment at the FBI, the CIA's Counterterrorism Center, the development of the UAV Predator program, and the Afghanistan war; to his later work running all CIA clandestine operations inside the United States, he employs enthralling storytelling to teach important lessons about national security, but also about duty, honor, and love of country.
No book like The Art of Intelligence has ever been written-not with Crumpton's unique perspective, in a time when America faced such grave and uncertain risk. It is an epic, sure to be a classic in the annals of espionage and war.
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Reviews for The Art of Intelligence
22 ratings4 reviews
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I was hoping for a book that spoke about tradecraft and got a memoir. It was a good memoir though.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Reading this book made me fleetingly paranoid - a lot of what goes into the everyday art of spy craft really is cloak and dagger. If you enjoy thrillers, espionage, or just want to more about the inner workings of the CIA, consider picking this up. I listened to the audiobook, it was a pleasant diversion in the car.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Let's face it - intelligence and espionage gathering still has a bit of an unsavory reputation among many outsider circles. But it still must be done, otherwise one would be going into the great game of international affairs blind and with your hands tied.
Of course, due to confidentiality, there are things he leaves unsaid, but he does reveal a lot with frankness, thoughtful analysis, and candor.
The CIA was in bad shape in the early 1990s, and the embassy bombings in Africa gave it a needed shake-up. The Clinton administration, tied up with Congressional wranglings, gave them a mandate and organization, but not enough, as Clinton and Clark lamented later.
The Bush administration pre-9/11 was a complete catastrophe. They were already interested in Iraq as an ally of Al-Qaeda, which was a 'f--king stupid' question as far as the CIA was concerned. They were only begrudgingly shoved into action, and even then, Afghanistan was already secondary to Iraq.
Although the American forays into nation-building are dubious at best, the CIA remains unparalleled at intelligence and analysis, and Crumpton offers very thoughtful analyses and retellings of some major techniques.
A profoundly interesting book. - Rating: 1 out of 5 stars1/5BORING! For someone who spent 24 years as a CIA operative, you'd think his stories, albeit about him, sanitized and unverifiable, might at least be interesting or exciting. This reads like a self-love piece for Henry Crumpton sanitized to make it appear more covert than some of the operations really were. Pass.
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