Government Agencies Books

This book is yet another book that I have read that tells the truth. After reading books like "Behold a Pale Horse", "Hope of the Wicked", "Bitter Legacy:Untold Story of the Clinton-Gore Years", there is no doubt that these books are cohererent in what they have to say. Why does our country continually fail to see the very obvious truth? This book is important and is a big part of the the whole true story of what is "really going on" in this world right now. Get this book and others like it, then inform everyone what you know and can see is the TRUTH! Especially Congress!

Here is a look inside the real Soviet Union, even now, 2007. Anatoliy's insights and warnings MUST be heeded by our Congress and Executive branch! From my own observations prior to reading his book, I was coming to the same conclusions. We must not be fooled by the communist party's hidden agenda and tactics! Read this book and then watch the abc, cbs, cnn or nbc evening news and see for yourself if the news is American news, or communist propaganda disguised as news!

If you have the courage to stare the devil in the face, then read this book and see where we're headed. It's a tough read though. It jumps around. It's written on a master's degree level, or higher. And it challenges everything you've been told by your government over the past ten years. Russia is not our friend. China is not our friend. And the why's are all here for you to read. Not for the faint hearted.

Anatoliy Golitsyn worked inside the system, inside the KGB.
He predicted what later has become reality - Russia clearly staged the collapse of communism in Eastern Europe, the KGB financed all so called dissidents that run the Eastern European governments, Golitsyn has analized the strategic communist plan in detail and yet our government is not listening and our so called media is not paying attention to this threat from Russia and China.
Communist World Domination will become horrible reality if we will not reasses Russia's military strength and the real intentions KGB lieutenant colonel Vladimir Putin and his communist Politburo have for America - destruction of her and instalation of the communist World Order around the Globe.
Golitsyn clearly states in this briliant analysis that the deceptive means of false friendship Russia is playing today
will only result in catastrofic consequences for America if America doesn't protect herself.
The means of communist infiltration and systematic subversion
of the West are clearly shown in detail by Mr. Golitsyn
and that's why he's still under direct death threat from Moscow
and he has to hide in the U.K.
Russia's connection to Islamic terrorism has been also proven
and Golitsyn mentioned Saddam's regime constant co-operation with Moscow.
Will America wake up ?
Only God knows that.

After reading a few reviews, all who voted in favor of Golitsyn, I thought I would add a little information to clarify.

There is much ado about Golitsyn's "predictions" everywhere, on the web, in print and in media. This leads one to believe that there is chance involved in a sort of political prognostication; however, this is not the case, and he clearly states this, time and time again, in both "New Lies for Old" and "The Perestroika Deception."

Golitsyn's analysis of Russian activity is based upon a new analytical paradigm. This paradigm grew as a result to changes in policy which were designed to give false results to Western analysts stuck in the now outdated dogma.

Glasnost and perestroika were designed, according to Golitsyn, as politic tools to perform a sort of prestidigitation to lull and bedazzle Soviet opponents, while the true intentions and actions happened in the background.

History has proven Golitsyn's analysis to be extremely accurate. However, there seems to be a concerted effort to completely ignore his strategic analytical model, much like it happened in the 1980's and 1990's. This, to me, indicates that his model for interpreting data is reliable and bears consideration. It is through this model that he made "predictions," all which have either come to pass or will in the future (if his prediction rate is anything by which to judge the rest). For those that would like to understand seemingly esoteric or difficult to understand political moves, Golitsyn's work might help to shed light on the subject.

I have to say this is the best book written in a while. I admire Jerry Speziale. The author in this book details the sacrifice officers make when going undercover. People seem to forget what the officers give up to make a difference and the risks they take. The sacrifice the families go through when there loved ones are taking a risk with their lives. I admire Jerry and the officers who took the time to make a difference. I definitely recommend this book. It is realistic and it isn't exaggerated.

This is a very compelling book. It is the true story of NYPD undercover officer on "loan" to the DEA. This cop turned author, literally wrote the book on wiretaps. He risked his life to make major drug busts. However, by pursuing the Columbia drug cartels so aggressively, he also risked the lives of many innocent (and some not so innocent)others. He does not hide this fact in his book and he should be applauded for his honesty.

If you, read a "true crime" book only now and again -- buy this book. If you read "true crime" regularly this will be one of your all-time favorites.

Watching THE WIRE changed me and made me more sympathetic in general. I read this book as a result of THE WIRE even though I am not that interested in true crime or drugs. I am still not that interested but I feel that I should know. It's very straightforward and nondepressing despite the overwhelming odds. It's one man's story simply told although the details are sensational. Sheriff Speziale of Passaic, New Jersey was groomed by a real drug dealer from Brazil who also groomed a Brazilian entertainer known as Xuxa - this detail is not mentioned in Without a Badge but this book is written in a very pedestrian manner despite the extraordinary events and people involved. He spent many hours, days, months away from his family life. He was at the forefront of modern surveillance tactics. He is a friend to Bernard Kerik. And he is still making a contribution to fighting crime. Sometimes the antidote to the hopelessness of the fight is as simple as doing your own part and cleaning up your work environment and infecting others with a work ethic.

i dont like reading that much and it usually takes me a couple weeks to read this size book but i read it 3 days because once i started reading it i couldnt put it down. It is simply the best book ever written. You constantly wish you could read faster so you could see what the next page held. It describes in depth the cali drug organization and how they brought it down. I recommend this book to anyone, i guarantee you will absolutely love it.

This by far is one of the best books I have read in a while. I read it cover to cover in one day and I am a fairly slow and detailed reader. I could not put it down. Without A Badge takes you deep into the life of a narcotics investigator with such a zeal for cleaning up the streets that it is personally motivating. I am now reading for the second time. I can't wait until I see this one in the movie theater.

This book is an expose' into the Nugan Hand international bank and it's connections to the CIA.
Jonathan Kwitny is a top-notch investigative journalist and he doesn't disappoint with "The Crimes of Patriots".

Among the topics in the book:
The origin of the "French Connection".

Fraudulent enterprises such as Ocean Shores.

The CIA's involvement in the overthrow of Australian Prime Minister Whitlam.

A shared office building and secretary used by both Nugan Hand and the D.E.A.

The work C.I.A. agents did for Muammar Qaddafi.

Mr. Kwitny cites the work of Alfred McCoy on the "the Golden Triangle" and international heroin trade.
He also covers money laundering operations, particularly for drug traffickers. Nugan Hand had to ba a C.I.A. asset!
The author has frequent footnotes documenting the sources for specific information.

The cast of characters includes some famous intelligence operatives, high ranking military officers, con artists, Air America pilots, and just about any other type of people you would expect in a best seller spy novel. But "The Crimes of Patriots" is nonfiction and very well done at that!

This book ties in nicely with Bo Gritz,
Stan Montieth, Rodney Stich, Fletch
Prouty and Tom Valentine works on the
same type subject matter. Also check
out Terry Redd's Compromised which
gores both Clinton and the Bush, the
Presidencila Elder. Highly recommended.

As an Australian I was both surprised and gratified that an American journalist should want to trace the extraordinary history of the Nugan Hand Bank's Australian operations. This great document decribes the most cut-throat, heroin dealing, crime syndicate ever to have sullied our shores, and all under the covert auspices of the C.I.A. Kwitny's research is exhaustive and his even handed way of presenting his findings is exemplary of fine journalism. The implications hatched in this veritable can of worms will have net-sleuths busy for years tracing the myriad references to the numerous associates of Nugan Hand who vanished into the night only to surface again in the Irangate scandal. Essential reading for anyone trying to come to terms with the scourge of heroin, the world arms trade and those members of the U.S.'s covert agencies that spread misery in their own and other countries...Read it if you dare!

If the press was doing ots jobs, then Ronald Reagan would not have been able to appear in public during his Iran-Contra period without also being bombarded with cries of "What about Nugan Hand!"
The Nugan Hand scandal appears to be the biggest, dirtiest scandal to reach the upper levels of American government since Watergate. The suicide of Nugan and the flight of Hand occurred in Australia, but the scandal had all-American origins. If Australian authorities and reporter Jonathan Kwitny are right, then the coverup, which continues, involves at least the Defense and State departments, the CIA, the FBI, the Commerce Department and the National Security Council.
Such a coverup must reach at least into the president's Cabinet.
First a word about Kwitny, a reporter for The Wall Street Journal. No investigative reporter in America is more highly regarded by other reporters, dating back to his exposes of the corrupt Teamsters Union Central States pension fund in the early '70s.
Frank Nugan was an Australian shyster. Mike Hand is an American, an ex-Green Beret decorated for heroism in Vietnam, later a CIA spook. Starting in 1973, the men set up a bank and a number of other financial companies, eventually opening offices around the world, though East Asia was their happy hunting ground.
Nugan Hand Bank may have been set up to launder and over up CIA money transfers; the Caribbean banks that performed that service folded about the time Nugan Hand Bank was set up.
It is not proper to be too definite about Nugan Hand. Because of incompetence by Australian investigators, many of its records were spirited away after Frank Nugan's death in 1980. (Kwitny says, "For an American, used to FBI efficiency, it is hard to imagine cops so spineless that they let criminal suspects carry evidence away right under their noses, while waiting for permission to examine it." That was written before Oliver North's testimony in the Iran-Contra scandal. Americans would have less trouble imagining such a thing now. 2007 update: This review was published in 1988. Kwitny's naivety seems quaint in the 21st century.)
"This isn't a book for people who must have their mysteries solved," Kwitny warns. No, it is only a book for those who need to have their eyes opened.
It is possible to say definitely that Nugan Hand laundered money and moved cash between countries where it is illegal to export cash. Many of their clients were trying to hide money from tax collectors -- for Australians, Nugan Hand usually charged 22 percent for this service.
Nugan Hand also was definitely, though ineffectually, trying to work illegal arms deals, and it probably was involved in a large-scale opium/heroin scheme in Burma.
Certainly, most of its prominent employees were con men, brothel keepers, dope and money smugglers, disbarred lawyers and other sleazy types. Its other top employees and consultants were retired generals of the U.S. Army and admirals of the U.S. Navy and former officials of the CIA, including former director William Colby. What, Kwitny asks, were men like that doing in association with the most notorious whoremasters and heroin pushers in Sydney, Australia?
For one thing, they were encouraging Americans who had served under them in the armed forces to place all their cash with Nugan Hand. Some of these men worked in places like Saudi Arabia, where there are no banks.
The generals and admirals later claimed that they, too, were victims of Nugan and Hand, but documents prove that these high officers were still taking in cash after Nugan Hand was in bankruptcy. Where the cash went is a mystery. The depositors didn't get it back.
Working with fragmentary records, receivers guessed that Nugan Hand owed more than $50 million when it crashed in 1980. It was probably much more -- many of the people who placed their money with Nugan and Hand were in no position to make claims against the estate in bankruptcy.
Nugan and Hand and their employees lived high, but they couldn't have spent $50 million on themselves in four years (though they started in 1973, the cash didn't start to flow in torrents until 1977.) the receivers found assets of only about $2 million.
Someone looted Nugan Hand after Nugan's death. Who?
There is a Hawaii connection to all this. There was a Nugan Hand Hawaii Inc. At the very least, Nugan Hand illegally engaged in banking in the USA without being regulated as a bank. When pushed by Kwitny, various agents of the American government have said that Nugan Hand's crimes, if any, occurred on foreign soil. But this explanation will not explain why Nugan Hand has escaped inquiry for its banking irregularities here.
It gets worse, right up to cold-blooded murder.
But the greatest value of "The Crimes of Patriots" is not just its partial exposure of a nest of very nasty crooks. Kwitny links it to a continuing pattern of lawlessness in the name of American national security that centers in the CIA -- and taints Congress and the highest levels of the executive branch. "As the theory of perpetual covert action is exercised, our national security is perpetually in the hands of criminals," he writes.
This is not news to anyone who has studied the activities of America's spymasters. But that is a tiny fraction of the voters. (See also my review of George Crile's "Charlie Wilson's War.") The torpor of most citizens in the face of repeated revelations suggests that they think that eggs have to be broken to make a spy's omelets. It is the virtue of "The Crimes of Patriots" to demonstrate that this is not so. Others have said as much, but seldom has the message come from anyone with credentials as respectable as Kwitny's.

On the advice of a friend who knows one of the "Cast Of Characters" (a "Yank In The Bank"), I ordered a used copy of this long out of print book. What an eye opener. It's amazing what a group of "former" senior military officers and spooks can get up to when allowed to run amok overseas. You name it and they got away with it. Even though some of the principals are dead, nobody has been held accountable for the myriad of crimes that have occurred abroad. With the lack of support rendered by the U.S. government (especially the F.B.I.), it makes one wonder how "former" some of these players really were. It's also amazing how many of these same people reared their ugly heads years later during "Iran-Contra". Read the book and then decide for yourself.

I think I picked this book out of a close-out bin for two bucks and am sure glad I did. Garvin writes in a straight-forward manner and while it is clear his sympathies are with the Contras, he certainly calls them out when necessary.

It is a fascinating story with fascinating people. Some of the events are so bizarre and even funny that it proves fact is often stranger than fiction. In fact, I would love to see this made into a movie.

Last I checked, Garvin worked for the Miami Herald. I wanted to let him know how, for some odd reason, reading this book makes me want to write, but I had to register with the Herald before getting access to his email. Too bad.

Glenn Garvin's now classic work is by far the best book ever written on the phenomenon of the Nicaraguan Contras (Chris Dickey's book would be second, in my opinion) - cleared-eyed, cynical, yet sympathetic to this violent, colorful and (yes) idealistic highland peasant army and full of his mordant wit at the folly of often contradictory and confused American policies which, as well intentioned as they can be, can have disastrous and unintended consequences. The irony is that - compared to a debacle like Iraq - the Contra War seems like a masterpiece of politics and war to achieve specific ends. I'll take Mike Lima over Ahmed Chalabi any day.

Garvin's greatest success in "Everybody had his own Gringo" is that he addresses the contra army neither as a puppet creation of the United States nor as Robin Hood-esque freedom fighters glavanting around in the jungle. Written with mordant wit, dead-on in focus and scope, this is an excellent text on the contras. Those looking for a complete history of the Nicaraguan civil war, however, will probably want to look elsewhere.

Glenn Garvin's book is a wonderful and highly readable account of the peasant army which made up the Contras. The author is sympathetic but clear-eyed, and he provides a fascinating account of the motivations of the Contra soldiers and leaders, as well as describing U.S. involvement with the Contras. "Everybody Had His Own Gringo" (a great title!) is a "must-read" for anyone interested in the history of the Nicaraguan civil war and the Contras.

one of the very few books that don't blindly praise the sandinistas. this book and shirley christian's 'nicaragua: revolution in the family' are essential to understanding the civil war in nicaragua.

mur·der (mûrdr)
n.
(Etymology: partly from Old English morthor; partly from Old French murdre, of Germanic origin)
1. The unlawful killing of one human by another, especially with premeditated malice.
2. Slang. Something that is very uncomfortable, difficult, or hazardous: The rush hour traffic is murder.
3. A flock of crows.

William Jennings Bryan abdicated his position as secretary of state under Woodrow Wilson because of Wilson's policy of strict accountability for Germany after the sinking of the Lusitania. This is one of many things my history teacher, R Andrew Kiel, taught me.

CONSPIRACY?!!!!!! EEEE EWW EEEE EWW WHA, WHA?! (Deep Inhale) Why I oughtta!

This is a very fine book by R. Andrew Kiel regarding both the life and times of J. Edgar Hoover AND the JFK assassination. Also of note---my work is credited on 36+ pages! In a way, this volume is almost two books in one becuase of its dual focus on the former director of the FBI and the Kennedy murder. Highly recommended (great photos, too). :)

Vince Palamara-JFK/ Secret Service expert (History Channel, author of two books, in over 30 other author's books, etc.)
Pittsburgh, PA

BEST JFK ASSASSINATION BOOK: ULTIMATE SACRIFICE
BEST JFK SECRET SERVICE BOOK: SURVIVOR'S GUILT BY YOURS TRULY :)

R. Andrew Kiel's book is a fascinating look into the many facets of J. Edgar Hoover. This book begins with a well documented look into Hoover's early involvement in the fight against communism. Next Kiel takes an extraordinary look into the secrets, lies and untruths behind the assassination of John F. Kennedy and Hoover's possible involvement. The last section deals with Hoover's involvement in the escalation of troops in Vietnam during the Johnson administration. In the end, Kiel leaves you wondering how we could have been so naive to trust our government so blindly. I highly recommend this book to anyone who has a fascination with history and a desire for the truth.

This is one of the most exhaustive collections of information and data regarding the JFK assassination and Lee Harvey. I do agree with one of the other reviewers - this is not light reading. It's pretty dry - just the facts, no "window dressing".

We always hear about the conspiracy theories, and speculation that the CIA played a role in the JFK assassination - this book sets out to provide convincing data. So if you're looking for an adventure novel or light reading, look elsewhere. But, if you're looking for an almost encylopedic source to quote when discussing such things, this is definitely the book.

I purchased Newman's book upon its publication in 1995 and over the years have re-read it at least 5 times and re-read passages even more often. Newman makes it very clear that his research wasn't aimed at the Kennedy assassination per se, but to reveal from the released archives of some of our clandistine agencies, that Lee Harvey or men named Lee Harvey Oswald were of great interest to the CIA, et al, long before our President was murdered. His research lets the reader draw conclusions, albeit very obvious conclusions. A hard read....but a great read.

As a intern for Dr. Newman on this particular book, I spent countless hours searching for documents in the National Archives - I know first hand the length he went to provide accurate details. Dr. Newman recounts the interesting story of a dark point in our nation's history. He is very careful not to speculate on the assassination of Kennedy - he deals only with the facts before him - CIA and FBI documents that display what they knew about Oswald. He leaves the rest to the 'assassination buffs'

While Dr. John Newman is to be commended for the SUBSTANCE of this book, he is no writer---this is a real challenging book to get through, rivaling some of Harold Weisberg's books. For the RESEARCHER out there, highly recommended, so much so that anything less than 5 stars is heresy. For those who want a good "read", avoid like the plague! I know this seems like a contradiction, but it isn't (!)
vince Palamara

This is an important book in the Kennedy assassination genre. It contains the text of CIA documents not previouslypublished, attempting to establish a CIA connection withLee Harvey Oswald and subsequent efforts on the part of the CIA to conceal this connection through tampering with itsOswald files. The book is flawed by poor editing, andfrom time to time the author makes great leaps in his logic,but for all that, it is well worth the time spent reading.The book breaks off after Oswald's death. One can onlyhope that Mr. Newman writes another volume addressing post-assassination events, including the controversy surroundingthe bona fides of KGB defector Yuriy Nosenko and his claimto have been the KGB officer supervising the Oswald file inRussia

Very few longtime civil servants write their memoirs. This book shows that this is a mistake. The author makes the every day conflicts of civil service life live and breathe and shows how they can be overcome to serve great purposes in the public interest.

Introduction writer Tom Peters quotes Peter Drucker's aphorism that "Ninety percent of what we call 'management' consists of making it difficult to get things done." He produces "12 Lessons in Stone" which summarize his approaches. Stone used (1) Demos and Models; (2) Heroes; (3) Stories and Storytellers; (4) Chroniclers; (5) Cheerleaders and Recognition; (6) New Language; (7) Seekers (of change); (8) Protectors (of innovators); (9) Support Groups; (10) End Runs (around hierarchies)/Pull (from outsiders) Strategy; (11) Field/"Real People" Focus, and (12) Speed to push his goals forward.

The author himself describes his goals as "decentralization, deregulation, and devolution of authority in a value-centered organization." These were goals gradually developed after years of frustration mixed with achievement in the Defense Department, to which he had been recruited by the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Systems Analysis in 1969. He quickly clashed with the centralization of all authority for planning imposed during the seven plus years of Secretary Robert McNamara.

His first work was to research the question of how big the army should be. He led successful efforts to change the evaluation formula from on tons of artillery ammunition fired times lethal area per ton to one that applied informed military judgements to the weapons on both sides, what the army dubbed the Weighted Effect Indicators/Weighted Unit Value method. The effect of this change in formulas was to demonstrate the feasibility of NATO surpassing the Warsaw Pact in effectiveness, something later accomplished in the Carter and Reagan Administrations. From this effort, the author learned the power of asking naieve questions, such as "Why? What's that mean? Says who?"

The author subsequently went on to become assistant secretary of defense for installations, where he rapidly shrunk regulations and improved the quality of life for residents of military bases. This raised hackles which put him under a glass ceiling for awhile, but he recovered with the Clinton/Gore election in 1992, when he got appointed to the National Performance Review staff, and ultimately became its leader in reinventing government.

This book demonstrates his struggles and his triumphs and is essential reading for anyone seeking to aid in the cause of responsive government. "Some people look for things that went wrong and try to fix them," he said. "I look for things that went right and try to build upon them." He called himself "Mr. ReGo" (Reinventing Government) and "Energizer in Chief." His critics had undoubtedly had other words for him, but this book is a very clear record of his vision and accomplishments.

It is an extremely useful introduction to the whole field of Reinventing Government, with its orientation of customer service and customer satisfaction and the eliminations of excess regulation and bureaucratic red tape. It is one man's anecdotal summary, but it provides a firm basis for more rigorous empiricial investigations by others. It is a call to action as well as a memoir, and as such it will likely be heeded by dedicated professionals for many years to come.

This excellent book is a light and easy read filled with many personal stories and observations from a career civil servant who `fought the good fight' to apply common sense and effective business practices to the federal government for thirty years. Anyone with any government experience, or business experience dealing with government organizations, will enjoy this book and probably get some ideas about how to overcome government bureaucracy and over-regulation.

If you are looking for new business, management, or leadership concepts, theories, or practices, you will be disappointed. What was new, and what made this book interesting and inspiring to me, was how Stone repeatedly applied sound business, management, and leadership concepts, theories, and practices to government organizations that had been institutionally insulated from such `distractions.' Stone's constant mantra of putting customers first, empowering employees, and cutting red tape helped lead many federal government organizations to a paradigm shift from a focus on regulations and violations to customers and helping them with compliance, and even the practice of federal agencies partnering with businesses to achieve mutually supporting goals.

As a retired career Marine officer, I particularly enjoyed reading about his efforts in the Department of Defense. His very first chapter, "Tackling a Job When You Haven't a Clue," clearly set the tone for the rest of the book with its honesty and humility. His initial experiences in the Pentagon (where he initially did not have a clue) were very similar to many of the jobs I had during my Marine career, and now with most of the government and military projects I have supported as a contractor. The lessons at the end of this chapter, and at the end of the next thirteen chapters (of sixteen total), were `right on target' and did a great job focusing on the main points to be learned from his stories and observations.

"This is an exhilarating book, full of spirit and spark. It vividly and
passionately describes the author's groundbreaking, bureaucracy-busting work
as head of the National Performance Review. Ignited by Tom Peter's In Search
of Excellence,
Stone became Al Gore's right hand in working to reinvent government. His
book is filled with wonderful stories of revolutionaries from every rank and
level. It contains many great tidbits of advice and wisdom. The author used
to refer to himself as Energizer in Chief. His book is just that: an
energizer. It breathes the soul of civic revolution. It is full of fun as
well, an easy read. Stone is totally devoted to action that breaks down
ridiculous and often absurd barriers from getting the job done right. But
the book is full of humanity as well, as when Stone decides to retire so he
can live closer to his young grandchildren. If you want to touch clear,
decisive, humane leadership, if your soul needs a spark to re-ignite itself,
run -don't walk- to get this book."

This tell-it-like-it-was gem about the author's thirty years of public service is nothing less than remarkable. Adroitly written with good humor, Stone's quiet, but dogged steadfast nature is wonderfully evident in every page and makes you count your lucky stars that people like him actually join the ranks of our government. These experiences should serve as a guide for future generations of civil servants tackling the often thankless and misunderstood job of government service. But more than that - there is a lesson plan for all of us who navigate the treacherous waters of small and big organizations alike. I for one, plan to give this book to my twenty-one-year-old college graduate to read.

Needless to say, I was not surprised. This book is of course another in a long line of books exposing Hover, the FBI and our not so pure system.
Albert Einstein was clearly a good man and it is becoming rather apparent that J. Edgar Hoover was not.
When people complain about how their tax dollars are spent, I don't understand why organization like the FBI and the CIA are so defended by so many. Are these people just not informed?
I know that even history is not always accurate or in some cases even rather political and deceptive but so many people can't be lying about Hoover and these secretive organizations of ours.
We are beginning to make the Communists look reasonable. I can hardly believe all this and I just don't see how so many others can be in this state of denial. I don't get it.

Einstein was a troublemaker, the author informs us at the beginning of this book detailing, armed with the 1800 pages of files released by the FOIA, with Hoover's Albert-paranoia in action, aimed at the great scientist, especially in the years of the Red Scare, McCarthyism, and the Cold War. The public image of the greatest scientist of the twentieth century has been carefully manicured, but behind the teddy bear was a determined activist on many fronts, who fell afoul of not only the Nazis, but of the FBI. Einstein's valiant stands on social justice, racism, antisemitism, war, peace, and the Bomb barely enter public consciousness through the layers of the myth. The record of Hoover's manipulations and skullduggeries is almost pathetic in its pickiun character, next also to its bungling and misinformation. It is, for example, discouraging to watch how Einstein is deprived of security clearance, lest a man with such a reputation and global popularity be, we suspect the motive, able to influence or speak out from the inside on the use of the first atom bomb. The portrait left of the reactionary and racist Hoover at the head of a critical institution pursuing this biased and incomprehending agenda is nothing less than appalling. The portrait of Einstein's deep social concerns (read a triffle 'leftist') in action is the real man, please.

The Einstein File by Fred Jerome, quickly dispels the poplar image
of Albert Einstein as an absentminded, head-in-the-clouds-genius.

Though Einstein is arguably the most widely covered, continuing
science story in history and is most noted for his scientific
theories that transformed our view of the universe. This book
chronicles the life of an Einstein that the masses knew nothing
about. An Einstein described as a troublemaker, an agitator, a
fervent pacifist, a socialist, and an open critic of racism.

Einstein arrived in the United States in 1933, the year of
the Nazi's ascent to power in Germany, and became the focus of
J. Edgar Hoover's FBI. And by any means necessary the FBI amassed
a 'file cabinet' of information on him. Fred Jerome stumbled on
documents that addressed Einstein as a Spy and a Kidnap Plotter.
And a dossier where Jerome discovered the political dimension of
Albert Einstein's life and his intense commitment to social justice.

Jerome says when he realized how much had not been told to us about
the life of the 'Man of the Century', he felt as though he had been
robbed. This is not another biography of Einstein, some two hundred
have already been written. It is a window opened by the FBI on the
nature of Einstein's politics, the depth of his public involvement,
and the generosity of his endorsements of organizations he supported.
And it is this activism that made Hoover's Bureau consider Einstein

dangerous. This book reveals information that makes one think the
history we know is sanitized, and what we don't know is at times
appalling. It talks of a 'list' maintained by the FBI on celebrities,
political figures and anyone thought to have affiliatiions with the
Communist Party. It underscores the dangers that can arise, and the
rule of law that exists in times of obsession with national security.
And it creates questions on where the line should be drawn on the issue
of an invasion of privacy. This one will make you take a seat.

Reviewed by aNN Brown

This is a must read book for many reasons. We have allowed J. Edgar Hoover and Joseph McCarthy's abuses of power to slip quietly into fuzzy memory. We have failed to learn from history and are now condemned to repeat it.

Einstein emerges in this book as far more than a smart mathematician. He was a good and wise man. That so much of our government's power was engaged in an effort to discredit him is frightening.

Einstein experienced the Nazi's rise to power first hand. He could see the similarities between their anti-Semitism and our own racism. He had seen the Nazis attack the Communists and quash dissent. Einstein was a long time Pacifist, but he supported the war against the Nazis, even to the point of suggesting to FDR that we develop the Atomic Bomb before Hitler could.

Einstein was never a Communist. He valued his freedom of thought and expression too much. He saw how dangerous narrow nationalism could be and that it could threaten democracy. Einstein and First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt were strong supporters of the United Nations and Human Rights. This earned both extensive FBI files, along with Martin Luther King Jr., whose Civil Rights efforts were also seen as a threat by Hoover.

After World War II, Nazis were eagerly embraced as anti-Communists and recruited into the growing "intelligence community". Einstein, an avowed Socialist, was feared to be, if not actually "Red" at least "Pink", and not to be trusted. If he had not been so well known and loved, he would surely have been stripped of his citizenship and deported. Hoover certainly tried. Fortunately for Einstein, there was no real evidence at all against him, just allegations from completely unreliable sources, innuendo and irrational fear.

Today, the flames of irrational fear are again being fanned in our country. Fear is again being used to justify injustice and erode our civil liberties. Everyone should read this book, and take it as a warning.

The book arrived in the estimated time and in the condition advertised by this seller.

A fine political sciene academic book. A number of strengths:
- A well organized book. One looking to just understand the argument or theory of the book can read the first two chapters and the conclusion.
- A strong case is made on behalf of new institutionalism, as opposed to realism, in explaining the creation and development of the National Security Council, Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Central Intelligence Agency. Bottom line is that foreign policy agencies are created amidst the politics of the day and are never created so as to achieve true national security objectives. Among the interesting findings is that Congress and the interest group community was not seriously involved in the creation or development of the three national security structures. New institutional theory regarding domestic areas does involve Congress and IGs. Worse for anyone hoping to fix initial design flaws is the fact that, as hard as it is to make agencies function from the get-go, it's even harder to fix them later on.
- The case studies are well written and interesting narratives.
Some weaknesses:
- Congress's involvement does not necessarily mean formal votes and hearings. Hence, influential folks can play a role in behind the scenes manners.
- Congress pushed through the Goldwater-Nichols Act in the 1980s with a SecDef who was opposed, a president who was not engaged. That's a heck of a piece of contrary evidence that Zegart does not dedicate enough time to.
- A tad bit too much repetition.
- Politics in the late 1940s is not the same as politics in the early 21st century. Globalization and the interlocking nature of domestic and foreign policies may weaken Zegart's findings.

More can be said. Overall, a fine book and well worth the time.

With Flawed by Design, Zegart makes a spectacular splash into the world of professional political academic analysis. Trained at Stanford University, Zegart employs an approach that is both refreshingly "old school" in its historical approach and new school in its analytical rigor. In short, Zegart has offered up a piece of academic literature that is certain to become a classic. Look out for this rising star over the next 10 years. Let's only hope that the "rational choice" dogma of the field doesn't precluding Zegart from continuing her Tiger Woods-like path through the political science circuit.

This is a very worthy and thoughtful book. It breaks new ground in understanding the bureaucratic and political realities that surrounded the emergence of the National Security Council, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the Central Intelligence Agency. The CIA was weak by design, strongly opposed by the military services from the beginning. Its covert activities emerged as a Presidential prerogative, unopposed by others in part because it kept CIA from being effective at coordinated analysis, for which it had neither the power nor the talent. Most usefully, the book presents a new institutionalist theory of bureaucracy that gives full weight to the original design, the political players including the bureaucrats themselves, and external events. Unlike domestic agencies that have strong interest groups, open information, legislative domain, and unconnected bureaucracies, the author finds that national security agencies, being characterized by weak interest groups, secrecy, executive domain, and connected bureaucracies, evolve differently from other bureaucracies, and are much harder to reform. On balance, the author finds that intelligence per se, in contrast to defense or domestic issues, is simply not worth the time and Presidential political capital needed to fix but that if reform is in the air, the President should either pound on the table and put the full weight of their office behind a substantive reform proposal, or walk away from any reform at all-the middle road will not successful.

When you are thinking to change careers, or enter into the non-profit arena, this is a good starting point. There is not much out there to guide us--so this was very helpful to get going.

This is an excellent easy-to-read manual for anyone interested in the challenge of a non-profit career. The inclusion of government careers and agencies was also really helpful to me in expanding my job search. I was so focused on heart-work in the non-profit sector, that I had never even stopped to consider a career in government. But this guide showed how those career paths can be just as rewarding in terms of making a difference in the world. The lists of organizations saved me a lot of research and provided descriptions and contact information all in one place--a major time saver. Overall, it was as if someone had done all of my research for me in the form of this guide. I feel a step ahead in my career search.

Since i didn't really know how to get started in terms of figuring out what's out there in the non-profit/govt world, i was glad to get a book such as this one to get me going in the right direction. it's good to know i can use my economics degree in any number of ways. and the list of resources/organizations at the back is proving very helpful!

This guide proved to be just what it claimed: a source to guide the reader through the different agencies and career paths available in non-prof and gov. It was straightforward, no-nonsense and provided just what I needed, which was a source that listed career possibilities and workplaces, without any fluff or pomp about how wonderful it is that you want to work for the greater good. I already know that. Just tell me how to get hired! This guide did just that.