The Spymasters

How the CIA's Directors Shape History and Guard the Future

By: Chris Whipple

Narrated by: Mark Bramhall

Length: 14 hrs and 39 mins

Publisher's summary

From the New York Times best-selling author of The Gatekeepers, an “engaging…richly textured” (The New York Times), behind-the-scenes look at what it’s like to run the world’s most powerful intelligence agency. “The best book about the CIA I’ve ever read…one hell of a story” (Christopher Buckley).

With unprecedented access to more than a dozen individuals who have made the life-and-death decisions that come with running the world’s most powerful and influential intelligence service, Chris Whipple tells the story of an agency that answers to the United States president alone, but whose activities — spying, espionage, and covert action — take place on every continent. At pivotal moments, the CIA acts as a counterforce against rogue presidents, starting in the mid-70s with DCI Richard Helms’s refusal to conceal Richard Nixon’s criminality and through the Trump presidency when a CIA whistleblower ignited impeachment proceedings and armed insurrectionists assaulted the US Capitol.

Since its inception in 1947, the Central Intelligence Agency has been a powerful player on the world stage, operating largely in the shadows to protect American interests. For The Spymasters, Whipple conducted extensive, exclusive interviews with nearly every living CIA director, pulling back the curtain on the world’s elite spy agencies and showing how the CIA partners — or clashes — with counterparts in Britain, France, Germany, Israel, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and Russia. Topics covered in the book include attempts by presidents to use the agency for their own ends; simmering problems in the Middle East and Asia; rogue nuclear threats; and cyberwarfare.

A revelatory, well-researched history, The Spymasters recounts seven decades of CIA activity and elicits predictions about the issues — and threats — that will engage the attention of future operatives and analysts. Including eye-opening interviews with George Tenet, John Brennan, Leon Panetta, and David Petraeus, as well as those who’ve recently departed the agency, this is a timely, essential, and important contribution to current events.

©2020 Chris Whipple (P)2020 Simon & Schuster Audio

Fantastic achievement

Fantastic treatment of the subject. Very well worth the time to read it or listen to it.

Outstanding and entertaining

Once again, Chris Whipple has authored a classic. The Spymasters is absolutely as great as The Gatekeepers; I highly recommend both.

Our Potential Damnation

The Spymasters, How the CIA's Directors Shape History and Guard the Future, written by Chris Whipple, and narrated by Mark Bramhall. (And a very expertly read audio at that.) This book is not a historical study of the agency. So says the author at the beginnings of his stories. It is an examination of the personalities that managed the agency and that examination takes place through the scrutiny of the man (and now one woman’s) personality as they reacted to dramatic issues facing the nation. I hate to disagree with such a brilliant researcher and storyteller. It is history in the retelling. Done brilliantly, I might add. Even better than his famous prior work, The Gatekeepers.


As a history book of the major enmeshments that confronted our past Directors of the Central Intelligence Agency, and their interaction with their one client, the president, is a magnificent retelling. It is an examination and perhaps even a psychological analysis of each person under pressure. The rather large chapters examine a Director and his interchange with his related and authorizing president(s). The book tingles with excitement as we learn and discern. Much insight into our presidents and international and historical threat periods over the last 60 years.


The last chapter deals with Trump. Are we in danger because our present executive ignores facts and is authoritative and narcissistic? I have read a dozen books on the subject of the Trump presidency. No one of those books explains the danger of having a man who applies lies to a world in which those lies do not match and thus will always have American policy existing against the forces of nature, economics, and ergonomics. No one of those books explains the danger of having a man who applies his need to be admired (and who is not very smart) and thus can be taken in by others who have little care for America’s health, and maybe be antagonistic against the American Way. With Trump in the White House, a little flattery can get you a lot of corruption. Read this book and learn of our potential damnation.

Awesome!

This book was just freaking awesome! It was a great insight into the DCIA over the decades!

Wonderful

Very informative, concise, provocative, a must listen, should be required listening.

Tells the unvarnished story and truths about CIA

A good start for historic reading

Excellent overview of the history of the CIA. It is bias so further reading is required to develop more refined conclusions. Highly Recommended.

It’s a great book

Chris Whipple reminds me of Barbara Tuchman famous writings. It is also very well narrated by Mark Bramhall...

An educative and foundational book.

Among the stories from this book, there are the most critical foundational teachings that someone may take. The best experiences to learn. The best values to hold. The most accurate judgments for recent history. The importance and value of an unpoliticized CIA and its critical role in protecting our national security.

Must Listen To

if you enjoy hearing what is going on behind the scenes, this is a great book. Also if you haven't read Gatekeepers, read that one as well. This would be great as a book club , read both and meet up type gathering.

Insight into modern day CIA and it’s leadership.

Very interesting read of the timeline history of the CIA laid on to of the personalities and issues of each modern day CIA director. A window into the balancing act each director has to play out with the president and political powers during their tenure at the helm of the CIA. Very well written .