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

Great read

I enjoy presidential history and this book was full of great inside stories about our presidents.

Inside more than just the Secret Service

Let the contents of this book be a cautionary lesson to all future presidents, first family members, presidential candidates, etc:
The Secret Service agents who protect you will eventually give Ronald Kessler all of the embarrassing details about you that they were able to observe, along with a candid assessment of how well or poorly you treated the people around you.

Very Informative

So much one had no idea about the people we elect to govern our country and how they are when not in the spotlight. Seems as if some of the elected presidents were less than than their public images portrayed them.

Worth Reading

informative. Even though one would have to be extremely naive to believe the Warren Commission and the FBI regarding the JFK Assassination.

Repetitive

This book seemed to be a diatribe against the Secret Service. Kessler repeated over and over again how the Secret Service is not using magnatroms enough. I began to think I had read a chapter before, but not so. He should have just sent letters to newspaper editors and not bored his book readers to death.

Great listen. You may be shocked.....

This book looked interesting so I took a chance on it. I found it to be very interesting right from the start, and it kept my attention all the way through. If you have ever been interested in a behind the scenes look at past presidencies, and a look inside the Secret Service, this book is for you. I was surprised at how rude and ill mannered some of our president's have been. This book will open your eyes to what politicians do when they are out of the public eye. It also goes into detail about what the Secret Service does and how it was formed, and how it has adapted over the years. You will not be disappointed with this book!

in the presidents secret service

absolutely fascinating!!! Very insightful!
Also, very disturbing that we have elected some of these people to the highest office in the country.

President's Secret Service

This one surprised me.I thought it would be boring,but I actually learned some things I would have never believed about the Secret Service.I enjoyed the little tid bits about the various presidents and the very human way this job was explained.I had no idea they had it so bad.

first family's revealed!

It's truly awful to see how we are being deceived by our politicians and the media and to think that a person like hillary Clinton can get away with breaking laws and still some Americans think she'll be a good president! the American people are truly blinded by the media and suffer from apparent amnesia. Pray for our next president to be moral and just and the real deal! !!!!

Very interesting

Great stories and fascinating insight into an organization filled with mystery. Great stories about our current and past Presidents and their families. A good read.