Secret Agencies : U.S. Intelligence in a Hostile World / Randall A. Poole.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Johnson, Loch K., 1942-

Contributor:

Poole, Randall A., Editor.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Intelligence service--United States.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (283 p.)

Place of Publication:

New Haven, CT : Yale University Press, [1995]

Language Note:

English

Summary:

How has the end of the Cold War affected America's intelligence agencies? When are aggressive clandestine operations justifiable, and who should be responsible for deciding to proceed with them? Should the United States engage in more aggressive economic espionage? These are just a few of the issues Loch Johnson examines in this thoughtful assessment of strategic intelligence and its vital role in modern governments. Johnson draws on historical data, more than five hundred interviews, and his own experience working for Congressional committees on intelligence. He begins by defining the functions of intelligence: espionage, counterintelligence, and covert action. He then provides an overview of America's secret operations abroad, assesses the moral implications of clandestine operations, and offers guidelines for a more ethical approach to the use of secret power. Johnson explores the question of intelligence accountability, looking closely at how well intelligence agencies have been monitored through the forum of Congressional hearings. He compares America's approach to intelligence with that of other nations, discusses the degree to which intelligence agencies should provide information about foreign businesses, and evaluates how well the U.S. intelligence agencies fared during the Cold War against the USSR. Secret agencies have the capacity not only to safeguard democracy but also to subvert it, says Johnson. As such, they deserve both our support and our scrutiny.

Contents:

Frontmatter

Contents

Preface

List of Abbreviations and Acronyms

Chapter 1 / The Meanings and Methods of Intelligence

Chapter 2 / The Evolution of the Intelligence Missions

Chapter 3 / The Ethics of Covert Operations

Chapter 4 / Intelligence Accountability

Chapter 5 / The Distinctiveness of American Intelligence

Chapter 6 / Intelligence and Economic Security

Chapter 7 / An Assessment of American Intelligence

Appendix A / Directors of Central Intelligence

Appendix B / Chronology of the Cuban Missile Crisis

Notes

Index

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on online resource; title from PDF title page (publisher's Web site, viewed 24. Apr 2020)

ISBN:

0-300-15754-1

OCLC:

1024012396