• 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
  • 3.9 out of 5 stars (648 ratings)

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In the President's Secret Service  By  cover art

In the President's Secret Service

By: Ronald Kessler
Narrated by: Alan Sklar
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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
  • Unabridged Audiobook
  • Categories: History

What listeners say about In the President's Secret Service

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
  • 9S
  • 04-26-12

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.

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14 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

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!

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12 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars

OMG pass this one by

Ok, so I normally don't read the reviews before downloading a new book but I wish I had in this case. From the very start I was turned off by this book.

I downloaded this book expecting to hear information and stories about the secret service and how they do their job. Instead it starts like a gossip column with dirty secrets about 2 past presidents. And continues to intermix private details of the president's life with the story. Also, a re-occurring theme of the book is all of the tasks that the secret service is tasked with but how it gets almost no money (and therefore no resources) to do the job. I'm sorry but after hearing this 2x in the book I lost any sympathy for the author's point of view. Who doesn’t deal with this on an almost daily basis in their job these days.

So again, skip this download and look for something less like a supermarket tabloid. If I find any good alternatives, I’ll update this review with them.

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10 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

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.

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9 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars

A lightweight gossip rag

This was quite a let down. I was expecting an in depth and captivating read but instead endured a salacious kiddie pool of a book filled with excitable gossip and unsubstantiated drivel.

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8 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

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.

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7 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

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.

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7 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars

A so so read.

This book was ok. It went pretty much of what I thought it might. The author tells you alot of what the Secret Service Staff go though and are required to endure.

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6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Entertaining BUT....

The book was a good listen. Less on tactics, etc... and more on Presidential Gossip.

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6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

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.

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5 people found this helpful