In the President's Secret Service

Behind the Scenes with Agents in the Line of Fire and the Presidents They Protect

By: Ronald Kessler

Narrated by: Alan Sklar

Length: 8 hrs and 50 mins

Publisher's summary

Secret Service agents, acting as human surveillance cameras, observe everything that goes on behind the scenes in the president's inner circle. Ronald Kessler reveals what they have seen, providing startling, previously untold stories about the presidents, from John F. Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson to George W. Bush and Barack Obama, as well as about their families, Cabinet officers, and White House aides.

Kessler portrays the dangers that agents face and how they carry out their missions---from how they are trained to how they spot and assess potential threats. With fly-on-the-wall perspective, he captures the drama and tension that characterize agents' lives. In this headline-grabbing book, Kessler discloses assassination attempts that have never before been revealed. He shares inside accounts of past assaults that have put the Secret Service to the test, including a heroic gun battle that took down the would-be assassins of Harry S. Truman, the devastating day that John F. Kennedy was killed in Dallas, and the swift actions that saved Ronald Reagan after he was shot. While Secret Service agents are brave and dedicated, Kessler exposes how Secret Service management in recent years has betrayed its mission by cutting corners, risking the assassination of President Barack Obama, Vice President Joe Biden, and their families. Given the lax standards, "It's a miracle we have not had a successful assassination," a current agent says. ,p>Since an assassination jeopardizes democracy itself, few agencies are as important as the Secret Service---and few subjects are as tantalizing as the inner sanctum of the White House. Only tight-lipped Secret Service agents know the real story, and Kessler is the only journalist to have won their trust.

©2009 Ronald Kessler (P)2009 Tantor

In the President's Secret Service the Truth

Wow what I never knew and what I learned about our Presidents is a lot. You hear the rumors and the gossip but this book tells it like it is. Who are are real good guys and gals in the White house and who are the A--Holes. I really enjoyed listening to this book. Thank you to all the Secret Service men and women who protect our Presidents and families even when they treat you like crap.

President's are just human.

In this amazing eye-opener we learn some shocking, but not really surprising, information about our president's and their families. I say not surprising because looking back I recall hearing that some president's were less than what they seemed in public. It appears that Secret Service agents disliked Jimmy Carter more than any other president. Carter was lazy, rude and shallow. Kessler relates the story of President Carter carrying his own suitcase, which I recall seeing, as being a show; the suitcase was always empty. Apparently Carter was quiet nasty to the agents protecting him. Lyndon Johnson seems to had had sex with any woman who crossed his path. He was also drunk most of the time. I was not surprised about the feeling the agents had toward Reagan, Bush I, Clinton and George W. Bush. The agents adored Ronald and Nancy Reagan, saying they were genuinely good people who also cared about the agents and their families. The same was true of George H. W. Bush and GW, each had reputations for kindness. George W. Bush was know to be nothing like he appeared on TV, apparently he was very, very funny and polite. Barbara Bush is the most respected person mentioned in the book, she was a mother/grandmother figure to everyone. Clinton was liked, but not loved. Slick Willie was known as being laid back. All in all this book is a real eye-opener and Americans would benefit from knowing just what kind of people they elect to hold the job.

Behind the Sun Glasses

Ronald Kessler, the author of well over a dozen books related to the US Secret Service, the FBI, and CIA. He combines historical research with investigative reporting to the advantage of readers. In the President's Secret Service: Behind the Scenes with Agents in the Line of Fire and the Presidents They Protect is one of the more engaging of those volumes. In this effort, Kessler describes the work of the Secret Service as it is has provided security for the President and Vice President of the US. He reports how agents live and work while doing their jobs. More importantly, he give insight into how each President and First Family interacted with their agents. Marilyn Monroe shows up with JFK. The curtain is pulled by on Lyndon Johnson’s risk taking and womanizing. The personalities of Hilary and Bill Clinton, Barbara and George Bush and many others are detailed. Finally, Kessler comments on the current status of the Secret Service, Human Resources problems, and the high turnover in the force. Over all, this is one of Kessler’s more interesting books to me. Readers who have not approached this genre will find it most engaging. The reading of Alan Sklar is excellent.

Secret Service with Republican bias

Funny how Kessler has nice things to say about all the Republican presidents, but trashes the Democratic ones. Lots of mundane details about the politics of Secret Service lifestyle. Who cares? Not enough behind-the-scenes on the presidential details.

Interesting but tedious at times

The good/nice Presidents: Ford, Reagan, George H W Bush, George W Bush, Barack Obama. All others going back to Kennedy were not. Kennedy and Johnson exhibited the worst personal behavior. There have been some very strange/paranoid people in the WH.
Author needs a real editor - he goes on and on and on about SS underfunding.

Shared Secret Service Stories-Nothing Big

Author is a former secret service agent who shares stories revealed to him by other agents. His voice is pleasant to listen to but to me, he didnt want to tell any stories with meat, or substance, as to avoid getting any of his sources in trouble. This he book missed an opportunity to reveal more about the agency. The agents are overworked though and from the authors information, theupper management of the secret service could care less, or are out of touch with what their agents need.

love the narrator's voice.

love the stories about the presidents. too much about the problems with the government bureaucracy though.

it's amazing just what we DON'T know!

dad these tell ask books don't Apear when those of us are trying to determine who best to serve/represent our nation!

Johnson was a big surprise

What did you love best about In the President's Secret Service?

How Secret Service personnel do talk after the term is up and how much they are willing to divulge.

How little they are paid for the risks they are taking

How much presidents get away with and how some have felt their power is supreme.

What did you like best about this story?

How they exposed presidents Johnson, Clinton and Kennedy's high levels of testosterone.

What does Alan Sklar bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Audible books always give you the ability to listen to a book when you can't read, like driving in a car or on a long walk. It beats main stream media

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

How some presidents have shamed the dignity of the highest position in the world.

Any additional comments?

Do not make this into a documentary, make it into a movie.

Fascinating look behind the scenes.

A good narrator tells an interesting story of behind the scenes at the Secret Service. I enjoyed the historical details. Notably absent were certain details of the Clintons such as Lewinski. I guess the author values his life.