Honorable Treachery: A History of U.S. Intelligence, Espionage, and Covert Action from the American Revolution to the CIA

In this hefty, balanced review of American intelligence, espionage and covert action, the author demonstrates that these activities, far from being dishonorable or "un-American," are part of a tradition that dates back to George Washington. The father of our country was, in fact, the chief American spymaster in the Revolutionary War ("He recruited spies, instructed them in their treacherous craft, sent them out, welcomed them back, and paid them off"). O'Toole ( The Cosgrove Report ) recounts every major intelligence operation from 1776 through 1962, describes the gradual emergence of the professional intelligence officer in both military and foreign service, and explains how secret intelligence and "special operations" became vital instruments of American policymaking. Finally, O'Toole describes how CIA intelligence may have made the difference between "a near thing and a nuclear holocaust" during the October 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis.