At the Center of the Storm

My Years at the CIA

By: George Tenet

Narrated by: Arthur Morey

Length: 18 hrs and 27 mins

Publisher's summary

In the whirlwind of accusations and recriminations that has attended the post 9/11 world, one man's vital testimony has been conspicuously absent. Candid and compelling, At the Center of the Storm is George Tenet's memoir of his life at the CIA - a revelatory look at the inner workings of America's top intelligence agency and its dealings with national leaders at home and abroad. With unparalleled knowledge and breadth, Tenet illuminates how the country was prepared, and in some respects was not prepared, to deal with a world full of new and deadly threats.

Beginning with his installation as director of Central Intelligence in 1997, Tenet unfolds the momentous events that led up to 9/11: his declaration of war on Al Qa'ida, his worldwide operational plan to fight terror, his warnings to White House officials, and the plan for a response laid down just six days after the attack. Tenet also reveals the CIA's efforts since 9/11 to hunt down the fugitive members of Al Qa'ida's leadership.

In his gripping narrative of the run-up to the war in Iraq, Tenet provides fresh insights and background, including a privileged account of how the famous "sixteen words" made it into the president's State of the Union speech, the real context of his own now-famous "slam-dunk" comment, and the CIA's views of the rise of an Iraqi insurgency. Finally, as the country digs in for a prolonged war, he gives his thoughts on how we can forge a more secure world.

©2007 George Tenet (P)2007 HarperCollins Publishers

How many ways can you pronounce "Al Qaeda"?

Would you be willing to try another one of Arthur Morey’s performances?

Arthur Morey is usually a very good narrator, but in this book, he did something that made listening to him painful. He tried out 4 or 5 pronounciations of Al Qaeda, sometimes in three consecutive sentences. He finally settled on the most annoying pronounciation, AL-KAY-EEDA, which, because it was used so often, was extremely distracting.

Readable, but misses the point

After reading Tim Weiner's excellent "Legacy of Ashes: The History of the CIA", I was eager to hear the CIA story from an insider's perspective. Unfortunately, Mr. Tenet spends most of the book defending CIA employees' dedication, commitment and patriotism instead of giving close examination to their oft-repeated failure to identify threats to this nation and its people. The CIA's reduction in budget and manpower in the years following the collapse of the Soviet Union was more related to a realization by the nation's leaders that even with huge multi-billion dollar appropriations, it was ineffective and hide-bound. It's not at all clear that even with better funding, CIA would have predicted any better than it did the rise of Islamic terrorism and the 9/11 attack. the Agency was, after all, a huge and secret bureaucracy more interested in protecting its own personnel and in its own survival, than in fulfilling its mission. We can only hope that this is not still so.

Great Background Information

George Tenet was at the center of the storm for seven years. He explains how an executive order did not allow U.S. forces to kill OBL before 9/11, how the CIA knew a major terrorist act was coming soon, but did not know where, and how quickly U.S. intelligence agencies used information gained in the 9/11 attacks to stop further attacks. His most strident comments, though, are reserved for the Bush sycophants working under Cheney and Rumsfeld who began planning the invasion of Iraq and Iran even before taking office, the mindless conduct of the war and the stupid policy decisions implemented afterwards. It's pretty clear he disagrees with the decision to invade Iraq to some degree and disagrees with how the "peace" is conducted to a greater degree.

The book is long and is well narrated by a professional speaker. It is, however, a difficult read because it covers seven years of history and politics. Plan to read it over a considerable period of time.

George Tenet has CYA and hindsight syndrome

It's obvious he disagrees with the Bush administrations decision to go invade, and subsequently destabilize, the Middle East. But he attempts to dance around his role in misleading the Bush administration with his hocus pocus intelligence.

a gregarious man indeed, but a bozo who fixed the intelligence to match 43's desires. the CIA is supposed to be IMPARTIAL

Excellent - I've listened to it twice.

I enjoyed this audio book. An important part of the historical record of 911 and the war in Iraq. Also recommend Black Banners (Ali Soufan) and book written by Norman Pannetta about his time at CIA.

Interesting listen for the most part

Tenet work here is well done. He spends some time with the Clinton years but most are spent discussing the Bush years and 9/11 and Iraq. Since there are a lot of names to follow, it sometime becomes somewhat confusing, but Tenet comes across and honest, caring and authoritative.

great book!

It was a very interesting account of George Tenet's career. It was also enjoyable to hear "the other side" of what went on in the CIA. Even though you know the end of his story it still kept you listening!

Brilliant!

I am the first to take anything said by a politician or political appointee with a huge grain of salt. So I have done so with George Tenet. That being said, I have to admit that this memoir which covers Al Quaeda, 9/11, and the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq is believable, complete and, surprisingly, not self-serving. Well written with eyes of objectivity amazingly wide open, Mr. Tenet admits his and his organization's (CIA) victories and defeats, triumphs and mistakes. This memoir is nicely narrated, well paced and well produced. This book will sit well with Republicans, Democrats and Independents. No Bush bashing here, Mr. Tenet focuses on the facts. He is obviously not a fan of Cheney or Rumsfeld but he does not allow his personal issues to cloud his past. The story here is obviously from his point of view, how HE remembers things, but he does provide documentation and explanation. This book is NOT for those looking for a castigation of Bush and his administration. This is Mr. Tenet's attempt at a historical recreation of his tenure as DCI 1996 - 2004. I rarely give a book 5 stars (check and see - maybe 3 times over the last 10 years/500 books) but I give this recommendation without qualification or hesitation.

Finally! A good representation of the CIA

George Tenant has written a valuable book. The trials and tribulations of CIA administrators and line officers is well illustrated along with the mistrust, competition and difficulties that plague the intellligence communities and which put the country at risk.
This is not a general 'spy' tale, athough there are some anecdotal references. Tenant's long tenure and the 'lofty' position gives authority to this book.

Recommended reading (and not in the least bit boring)

As Years Go Bye...

As years go bye, this perspective seems to increase in value & the lessons learned seem to mean more to lay people. It starts a bite slow but it's hard to put down once your own memories sync up with his recount.